Silver surfers

Although research shows that by 2001 over half the population will be online, a startling number of over-50s are still Internet-shy. These so called Silver Surfers perceive that the information superhighway is not for their age-group. Guardian Finance Writer, Jill Papworth, shows there is much more out there than you think.

For a wealth of information on specific issues which concern many ‘silver surfers', visit www.ace.org.uk and wwwhelptheaged.org.uk. These charity-run sites provide excellent factsheets on topics such as the state pension, managing a lump sum, paying for long term care and raising income or capital from your home.

For more help on releasing equity in your home, check out www.ship-ltd.co.uk, the website for Safe Home Income Plans, a company founded by leading providers to promote safe schemes and protect consumers.

Personal finance information and news sites run by national newspapers and magazines are a good source of help on money-related topics from private medical insurance to choosing the right annuity. Good sites include:
The Financial Times' www.ftyourmoney.co.uk
The Mail's www.thisismoney.co.uk
The Guardian and Observer's www.moneyunlimited.co.uk
The Times' www.times-money.co.uk and
www.moneywise.co.uk , the Reader's Digest excellent monthly financial advice magazine.

Other respected personal finance education sites well worth visiting are www.financial-planning.uk.com , www.moneyextra.com and www.fool.co.uk

For information on stockmarket investment, start with the basics via Proshare, an independent non-profit making body that promotes wider private share ownership, at www.proshare.org.uk . Also promoting stock market awareness among inexperienced and semi-experienced investors is www.eye4money.com . Among the leading sites for active equity investors are www.iii.co.uk and www.moneyguru.co.uk

If your chosen way into shares is via collective investments like Isas, unit trusts and investment trusts, you'll find more detailed information on www.investmentfunds.org.uk run by the Association of Unit Trusts and Investment Funds and on the Association of Investment Trust Companies' site www.itsonline.co.uk
Facts and figures on UK companies and funds plus informed opinion for investors is available on www.investorschronicle.co.uk .

If you are seeking an independent financial adviser (IFA) to help you with your financial planning, go to www.ifap.org.ukwhere you can get details of three IFAs in your area.

And if you fancy doing a bit of your own research comparing various financial products, take a look at www.moneyfacts.co.uk , the new website from the leading publisher of personal finance data. There you'll find best-buy tables for a huge variety of products from credit cards and savings accounts to annuities and pensions, plus regularly updated personal finance news. You can also search using your own criteria - for example no-notice accounts with a £500 balance - to generate a best buy chart.

A couple of the websites designed specifically for silver surfers also sell insurance products geared to this age group and provide on-line quotes. www.vavo.com, the largest European portal for the 45+ age group, has just launched home insurance on its Shopping page. It also offers a few useful articles in its Finance section on, for example, flexible alternatives to buying an annuity after retiring.

www.saga.co.uk offers home, motor, travel, pet, private medical and personal accident policies as well as a credit card in its Money section for people aged 50 and over. Other silver surfer sites with money sections include the lively I don't feel 50 site at www.idf50.co.ukand the online magazine for discerning 50-somethings www.lifebegins.net. Happy surfing!


Jill Papworth is a freelance personal finance journalist who works regularly on The Guardian's Jobs & Money and contributes to a wide range of magazines and websites

Aug 2000