Spotlight On: Close brothers premium gold

 

Simon Read
Friday 11 May 2012 18:22 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The deal

Close Brothers' new, three-year, fixed-rate savings account pays 4 per cent a year.

Good points

The rate is competitive – at the moment.

Bad points

You'll need at least £10,000 to open an account and you'll have to be happy to lock it away for three years.

Conclusion

Two questions come to mind. First, is your money safe with Close Brothers? Second, is it a good idea to tie cash up for three years? The bank has been around since the 19th century and is regulated by the FSA, which means up to £85,000 of your savings are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. But whether it's wise to lock your cash away now for a 4 per cent return is questionable as it's likely that interest rates will rise over that time.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in