I wonder if you can help me please?

I have £150k to invest for a mixture of income and growth.

I also am looking for a measure of easy access but looking at your figures for building societies the CTI offers 3.30% but it seems to me that 2.80% is a "12 month bonus"

What is a 12 month bonus and how does it work?Do I have to keep the full amount in the account for 12 months to earn the full 3.30% o r what?

My ISAs are with Fidelity and fully paid up.

Thankyou for your help

Barry Copeman

Hi basie/Barry,

Thanks for the question - I'm surprised we haven't had any responses to your query before now.

Bonus periods are very much worth taking notice of and increasingly popular in the savings market. In the current low interest rate savings envirnomnent, banks and building societies are using bonus periods to attract customers to their accounts. Once the bonus period ends, providers hope most customers won't be bothered to move their money despite the lower rate.

But...you can use bonus periods to your advantage if you can play the banks at their own game - by checking the details of the account carefully and keeping a regular eye on the best rates available.

Bonuses on some accounts are variable - so check the details of the account carefully: Will you incur a penalty if you take money out? For example, some accounts allow three penalty-free withdrawals in a year - go beyond that limit and the rate can drop to a much less attractive level.

I hope that helps. I'm sorry it's taken so long to get a reply - it would be great to hear how you got on and which account you decided to go for in the end.

You can also find some useful advice on the latest in the savings market by reading Laura Howard's recent article 'Save, save, save'.

Do any of our other members have anyany tips on what to look out for when choosing a savings account?

Thanks for that Graham I will certainly try something like Tescos I think it was that has a pretty attractive rate for easy access.

Can you give me any general advice on investing the £150k to obtain a mixture of growth and income (see my original message)

Thanks very much

Barry Copeman