Another popular financial product with stoozers is the offset mortgage.

Most of the major banks and financial institutions are providing offset mortgages now, there is much more choice than when they were first introduced several years ago. Offset mortgages began in Australia and came to this side of the world in the late 1990’s.

With an offset mortgage savings and current account balances are rolled up with mortgage debt each night reducing the amount of effective debt you have. This reduces the amount of interest charged, meaing more of your payment goes towards paying off your mortgage in place of paying the interest part of your mortgage.

As most current accounts and savings accounts pay a lower rate of interest than mortgages charge, you wind up being better off.

The fantasticness of offset mortgages doesn’t stop there, however. The other thing to take into consideration is the tax paid on interest earned on any savings you may have. The government charges tax on most forms of savings and investment (when they are in profit at least), the notable exception being cash ISA’s. This tax is totally avoided (yes avoided, not evaded, we are keeping inside the law here!) when using an offset mortgage as you aren’t actually earning any interest- smart huh?

There are actually two different kinds of offset mortgage, CAM’s (Current Account Mortgages), and Offset Mortgages. There are pronounced differences between the two.

Why not invest your stooze money in a cash ISA (Individual Savings Account)?

Cash ISA’s are a favorite investment for the stoozer. Investing the money you have borrowed on credit cards into anything but a safe investment is a read risk, and unless you are a very serious investor with ample available funds I wouldn’t recommend it. Cash ISA’s on the other hand are risk free.

The truely great thing about investing in a cash ISA is that interest earned is free from taxation. This is a great little scheme dreamed up by the government to encourage the proletariat to save so of their hard earned cash. Banks offer good interest rates on cash ISA’s; often better than the best interest rate offered on their other savings products.

The maximum investment in a cash ISA in any one year is £3000. If you also wish to invest in stocks and shares these can be held in a ISA too, up to £3000 (or £7000 if you do not hold a cash ISA for the same year).