Below Average and Happy

BBC:The average Briton owed £4,000 in unsecured debt at the end of 2004, 10% more than in 2003, a report suggests.
Market analyst Datamonitor said the 2004 figure is 45% higher than at the start of 2000.

http://www.creditaction.org.uk/debtstats.htm
Research by Datamonitor reveals that consumer borrowing via credit cards, motor and retail finance deals, overdrafts and unsecured personal loans has risen to £4,004 per average UK adult at the end of 2004 (£1,302 on credit cards, £1,892 on unsecured personal loans and £812 on overdrafts and motor and retail finance deals). This figure translates into a 10% increase on the previous year's levels and a 45% increase since 2000.

Apparently those figures are the national average (i.e. take the total amount of debt / the total adult population) so I’m now officially below average (or maybe above average depending on your view).

Plus a savings plan I took out with a large financial organization which bares the same name as the Northern town that both it and I am from finally paid out. (Although the town has yet to append its name to include "…Bank of Scotland".)
I’d been sticking £25 a month into it for a year now and had pretty much forgotten about it coming to an end. The interest was pretty crap though (6% AER but calculated monthly so I got an extra £7 for my efforts)

To celebrate I’m now gambling £10 a month of my hard earned on each of the following:
Japanese small companies (which despite the recession have been doing better than the markets and apparently Japan looks like they’re coming out of recession)
Blue chip companies (the Global Mega-Corps)
Global company recoveries (i.e. they’re doing crap but the price might go back up if the company doesn’t go belly up)
Global basic commodities – i.e. mineral ores, metals, wood and basic stuff people make things from. Currently doing quite well (especially steel) due to Chinas rapid expansion.

I’m staying clear of the US and China as much as possible – things could go tits up in either, in my humble opinion.

I’ve also recently taken to reading The Economist and The Investors Chronicle - well it beats the drivel that passes for the national press and I’m getting increasing interested in pensions and the like (arrrghh – getting old) I’m thinking of a SIPP (Self Invested Personal Pension) – to be honest why should I pay some greasy, overpaid city numb nut to loose my retirement fund gambling on the whims of the stock market when I could do an equally bad job, have fun along the way and do it for free!

Gamble, gamble, gamble… spin those flashing reels...