Premium bonds - weird coincidence

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Turns out that I got £25!!!


which makes £50 this year

which is a very low rate of return when last year I worked ou tI got more than I would have done in an investment account
 
I'm seriously thinking of taking it out an putting it in an ISA or something

the prizes certainly seem to have dropped in frequency

I think I saw something about them changing it so there were fewer prizes but "The Big One" was bigger

which isn't how I personally want it!
 

sungod

Well-Known Member
I'm seriously thinking of taking it out an putting it in an ISA or something

the prizes certainly seem to have dropped in frequency

I think I saw something about them changing it so there were fewer prizes but "The Big One" was bigger

which isn't how I personally want it!

premium bond payout is currently 3.6% of prize fund, for the averagely lucky

but you need to hold a lot for your annual results to converge on that - a single pb is likely to pay zero for decades, not 3.6% a year (i've a couple i was given in the 1960s, they've not won a penny, let alone a sausage)

even a boring cash isa will get you over 4% at the moment, and an investment isa holding decent index funds is likely to far outdo that long term

once the isa allowance is used up, whilst for higher/additonal rate taxpayers, putting 50k into pb may give better return than a savings account as the pb prize will be tax free, a non-isa investment account is still likely to thrash the pb 3.6% even after capital gains tax

another option is put money into a sipp, you'll get tax relief (up to the limits) and boost your pension pot

unless you're happy to gamble on a big pb prize and willing to accept the otherwise very poor return, you're likely to do far better putting your money elsewhere
 

SpokeyDokey

68, & my GP says I will officially be old at 70!
Moderator
premium bond payout is currently 3.6% of prize fund, for the averagely lucky

but you need to hold a lot for your annual results to converge on that - a single pb is likely to pay zero for decades, not 3.6% a year (i've a couple i was given in the 1960s, they've not won a penny, let alone a sausage)

even a boring cash isa will get you over 4% at the moment, and an investment isa holding decent index funds is likely to far outdo that long term

once the isa allowance is used up, whilst for higher/additonal rate taxpayers, putting 50k into pb may give better return than a savings account as the pb prize will be tax free, a non-isa investment account is still likely to thrash the pb 3.6% even after capital gains tax

another option is put money into a sipp, you'll get tax relief (up to the limits) and boost your pension pot

unless you're happy to gamble on a big pb prize and willing to accept the otherwise very poor return, you're likely to do far better putting your money elsewhere.

We took ours out ages ago - a total waste of time.

MSE has an excellent analysis of why most people will win less than the amount they would receive if investing in alternative products.

It seems that the gambling (heart) rules the head for many people.

Worryingly, a huge percentage of PB holders have all their liquid cash assets tied up in PB's - not a position I would like to gamble from.
 

sungod

Well-Known Member
We took ours out ages ago - a total waste of time.

MSE has an excellent analysis of why most people will win less than the amount they would receive if investing in alternative products.

It seems that the gambling (heart) rules the head for many people.

Worryingly, a huge percentage of PB holders have all their liquid cash assets tied up in PB's - not a position I would like to gamble from.

yeah, it's a really bad place to park primary cash, the likelihood of prize return is poor, and inflation erodes the value

according to the bank of england's inflation calculator, £2 from the 60s would be over £35 in today's money (seems low to me), but as premium bonds it's still worth just £2

whereas £5k i'd stuck in a 2001 investment account that i forgot/lost track of until a few months ago had become over £31k, just sat in a boring usa tracker fund, nothing special
 
I have had mine in there for several years and overall the "interest" has been greater than the ISA I used to have

This year it is way lower

I think it is due to a change on the way the award prizes

which is why I have been looking ISAwards!
 
yeah, it's a really bad place to park primary cash, the likelihood of prize return is poor, and inflation erodes the value

according to the bank of england's inflation calculator, £2 from the 60s would be over £35 in today's money (seems low to me), but as premium bonds it's still worth just £2

whereas £5k i'd stuck in a 2001 investment account that i forgot/lost track of until a few months ago had become over £31k, just sat in a boring usa tracker fund, nothing special
£33 inflation impact is 1650%.

A £26k isa growth is a 520% improvement.

A fair comparison of the £5k inflated would be £82,500 if it was invested in the 60’s.

Very crudely 20/60th of the £82.5k is £30k so arguably the ISA has kept pace with inflation over the years but not exceeded it.
 
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