Premium Bonds - Not a bean for months now!!!!

Premium Bonds - Not a bean for months now!!!!

Author
Discussion

DSLiverpool

14,673 posts

201 months

Monday 5th December 2011
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Had £25 a month last 3 months, sold them all back and rebought to flip the odds - fail

RemainAllHoof

76,253 posts

281 months

Monday 5th December 2011
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Burnham said:
Theres a subject I know nothing about...good luck!
smile Less about luck, more about skill. And no, it isn't spot the ball. hehe

The thing about PBs is that there's a greater chance you'll have a sub-par return for years and need to accept that you're losing interest as a risk for winning £1m. I suppose the argument could be that if you put your £30k in a bank account and buy one lottery ticket a week, you'd actually be in profit even if you lost each week.

Burnham

3,668 posts

258 months

Monday 5th December 2011
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DSLiverpool said:
Had £25 a month last 3 months, sold them all back and rebought to flip the odds - fail
Doh..

RemainAllHoof said:
Burnham said:
Theres a subject I know nothing about...good luck!
smile Less about luck, more about skill. And no, it isn't spot the ball. hehe

The thing about PBs is that there's a greater chance you'll have a sub-par return for years and need to accept that you're losing interest as a risk for winning £1m. I suppose the argument could be that if you put your £30k in a bank account and buy one lottery ticket a week, you'd actually be in profit even if you lost each week.
Thats the thing though, the interest you are guaranteed to get from savings does not amount to much anyway - I rather have the opportunity to win something bigger, than the small amount of interest I'd get.

I've read before about being better off spending the interest from the savings on lottery tickets...I buy a few from time to time too, but never had any luck there either. I guess time will tell.
smile

RemainAllHoof

76,253 posts

281 months

Monday 5th December 2011
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Burnham said:
I've read before about being better off spending the interest from the savings on lottery tickets...I buy a few from time to time too, but never had any luck there either. I guess time will tell.
smile
Oh, right. I'm not the only idiot, then. jester

Burnham

3,668 posts

258 months

Monday 5th December 2011
quotequote all
RemainAllHoof said:
Burnham said:
I've read before about being better off spending the interest from the savings on lottery tickets...I buy a few from time to time too, but never had any luck there either. I guess time will tell.
smile
Oh, right. I'm not the only idiot, then. jester
I call it idiot tax too, then promptly go and buy a couple of lines (on the lottery!).

The problem is I know my numbers by heart, and the fear of them coming up and me not haivng bought the ticket just doesnt sit nicely with me!

RemainAllHoof

76,253 posts

281 months

Monday 5th December 2011
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Burnham said:
I call it idiot tax too, then promptly go and buy a couple of lines (on the lottery!).

The problem is I know my numbers by heart, and the fear of them coming up and me not haivng bought the ticket just doesnt sit nicely with me!
I know someone who did that at an old place I worked. She missed the deadline for handing the ticket in. She hated her job, too. hehe

paulwd

206 posts

221 months

Thursday 8th December 2011
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As I understand it 1.5% of money invested in PBs is the prize fund.
I "m of the opinion (but could be very wrong) that most investments in PBs are long term in fact I'd go as far to say that In would imagine a sizeable proportain stays in until the death of the investor. If this were to be true would it not be a good financial stratagy for the the Gov to double size of prize fund which in turn would generate a huge influx of money safe in the knowledge they may not be required to pay back the original investment sum for many years. I'm no financier but does that make any sense at all.

Bitzer

4,230 posts

167 months

Thursday 8th December 2011
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Had a bit of luck lately with the PBs.

November - 4 x £25
December - 3 x £25 and 1 x £50.

Thinking of retiring hehe

Burnham

3,668 posts

258 months

Thursday 8th December 2011
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Hey, its better than nothing...but all depends on how may you have I guess!

Luke.

10,946 posts

249 months

Thursday 8th December 2011
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£25 for me. Woot woot!

mark387mw

2,174 posts

266 months

Thursday 8th December 2011
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I got £25 this month as well, and each month over the last 6 months. No big return I know but maybe next month biggrin

How much do you have invested Bitzer? Is it worth maxing out the allowance?

DayTrader

776 posts

166 months

Thursday 8th December 2011
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mark387mw said:
Is it worth maxing out the allowance?
Only if you think 1.5% is a good return!

With 5% inflation you are basically losing 3.5% a year.

condor

8,837 posts

247 months

Thursday 8th December 2011
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Another month with no win from me ( last was £25 in May - cashed in another £1K this month - overall holdings now just over £21K.)

stevensdrs

3,208 posts

199 months

Thursday 8th December 2011
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I have the max amount and have won every month in 2011 bar one. Maximum win in any month was £100.
The return is no better or worse really than anywhere else and there is always the remote chance of a big win.

mark387mw

2,174 posts

266 months

Thursday 8th December 2011
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DayTrader said:
Only if you think 1.5% is a good return!

With 5% inflation you are basically losing 3.5% a year.
I have another 10k to invest - where should it go? It's rainy day money so I might need it back one day.

Oystercatcher

481 posts

201 months

Thursday 8th December 2011
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Burnham said:
That's not the first time I've heard this...for what's a 'random' process of selecting winners, there's an awful lot of people who seem to win in the first few months of getting them, then it trails off.
Spot on. I bought some a three years back and got a few hits for the next 6-8 months or so and then nothing. Zilch. Nada. I bought a few more this summer and started to 'win' again. Random it ain't.

A friend at work has had bonds for donkey's years. Every so often he'll cash in a few small lots and re-invest in one chunk. He thinks having them in contiguous blocks helps. I reckon it's just movement in the account that gets noticed.

1598

770 posts

162 months

Friday 9th December 2011
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Myself and my cousins/siblings were each bought about £20 worth when we were all born.

I recall my brother winning £25 once. That's it. They are all registered at my parents address from which they have lived at for over 40 years so I know it is not because they cannot contact us.

Luke.

10,946 posts

249 months

Friday 9th December 2011
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1598 said:
Myself and my cousins/siblings were each bought about £20 worth when we were all born.

I recall my brother winning £25 once. That's it. They are all registered at my parents address from which they have lived at for over 40 years so I know it is not because they cannot contact us.
Maybe it's because you haven't got very many.

1598

770 posts

162 months

Friday 9th December 2011
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Luke. said:
1598 said:
Myself and my cousins/siblings were each bought about £20 worth when we were all born.

I recall my brother winning £25 once. That's it. They are all registered at my parents address from which they have lived at for over 40 years so I know it is not because they cannot contact us.
Maybe it's because you haven't got very many.
Not disagreeing with you there, but one small win between six people in over 40 years seems a bit st to me.

40 years!

Russ T Bolt

1,686 posts

282 months

Saturday 10th December 2011
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Had mine for 4 months now and so far have won, £50, £100, £50 and £50 which isn't too bad.