Child Trust Funds: Compare the best performing Child Trust Funds

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Reviewed on 10 Oct 2011 by julia savel
Good Points: Engage Mutual offer a range of simple, accessible, value-for-money products. Engage Mutua offer products that are designed to help you and your family plan for the future and help you manage your finances with confidence. The account can give your child a head start as a young adult. It will help your child understand personal finance and the importance of saving for their future. The account belongs to them and when they turn 18, the money is theirs to use as they think best. You can transfer your child's account to or from Engage Mutual at any time.
Bad Points: i cannot find nay bad points at the moment.
They are a very good service to use. Personal service with quality and care for you. Childrens services are very important to everyone. I'm glad i turned to these people as i am very confident i made the right choice. They help you out when you need it and i called up to sort out my child, bonni, an account for her. This has helped her to gop to university by saving money and i hope other people decide to use this service as a matter of reading this. Good saving account for child - easy to set up Government funded also - every time your child has a birthday - they top it up Very flexible with payments, ammounts you can pay in as little or as much and as often as you want Family members, yourself can all deposit money in to this, so at least every body is adding to the same pot - fantastic way to give your little in the best start in life secure so money is tied up until your child becomes of a responsible age to have the money and but it to something benefitial such as further education, car, deposit for a house - all those major things that count - even if its just 5.00 a month that you contribute over the years and especially with the governament also topping it up it becomes a good start in life for your child highly recommend setting one up

Overall Rating (3/5):

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Reviewed on 01 Oct 2011 by amy lily rose
Good Points: Well laid outand very easy to move around the website and use. there where lots of information which educated me more about it. it has nice logos too.
Bad Points: could be a little more eye catching and a bit more interesting and more pictures so it becomes even more interesting.
Well laid outand very easy to move around the website and use. there where lots of information which educated me more about it. it has nice logos too.could be a little more eye catching and a bit more interesting and more pictures so it becomes even more interesting.could be a little more eye catching and a bit more interesting and more pictures so it becomes even more interesting.Well laid outand very easy to move around the website and use. there where lots of information which educated me more about it. it has nice logos too. but appart from that it was very interesting!! well done.

Overall Rating (2/5):

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Reviewed on 25 Sep 2011 by Mrs Bradley
Good Points: Helpful and friendly staff. Easy to set up, did not take long at all.
Bad Points: None
Helpful and friendly staff. It was Easy to set up and also well explained. It did not take long at all. Which is very important when you are a busy mother with a few children to look after. I am Confident that this is a good/reliable fund and that it is safe and secure. Researched which fund to join in quite some detail and I really felt that this fund was one of the better ones. Especially when I phoned them up to make some enquiries, the woman on the end of the phone could not have been more helpful and pleasant!

Overall Rating (5/5):

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Reviewed on 21 Sep 2011 by viki rudd
Good Points: friendliness and ease of use
Bad Points: none
I have two accounts with engage mutral for both of my children who are four and five. I have had these accounts for four and five years and I have had regular yearly statements for each which have been easy to understand and easily explained. I have been able to add money to these accounts or reduce money which I put into these account with ease. When i Have called the compay they have always been very helpful and delt with my request promptly. I would recommended engage mutral to friends as they have been very helpfull and friendly to me.

Overall Rating (2/5):

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Reviewed on 13 Sep 2011 by ploopy
Good Points: excellent everything
Bad Points: no bad points!
They are a very good service to use. Personal service with quality and care for you. Childrens services are very important to everyone. I'm glad i turned to these people as i am very confident i made the right choice. They help you out when you need it and i called up to sort out my child, bonni, an account for her. This has helped her to gop to university by saving money and i hope other people decide to use this service as a matter of reading this. I can not thank them enough for this service i recieved. Bonni is very happy i decided to go through with this when she was very little. Thanks again.

Overall Rating (1/5):

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Reviewed on 12 Sep 2011 by kelly
Good Points: None
Bad Points: None
i thought this product was very good.it has hepled me alot.i have referred it to alot of friend and family includeing my brother,my cusions,my sister,my aunties and my friends. this is a brilliant idea!. The 1994 Amendments to the Social Security Act (SSA) authorized the Department of Health and Human Services to review state child and family services programs to ensure substantial conformity with the State plan requirements in Title IV-B and IV-E of the Social Security Act. Title IV-B and Federal Regulations, Code 45, (CFR) - 1357.15 require States to submit Child and Family Services Plans (CFSP), that is, State Title IV-B plans, to the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Through a review process, known as the Child and Family Services Review (CFSR), review teams assess child protective services, foster care, adoption, family preservation and family support, and independent living services, specifically in the areas of safety, permanency and well being. The CFSR review outcomes assist Missouri in enhancing its capacity to achieve positive outcomes for children and families.

Overall Rating (2/5):

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Reviewed on 03 Sep 2011 by vicky bundy
Good Points: None
Bad Points: None
Good saving account for child - easy to set up Government funded also - every time your child has a birthday - they top it up Very flexible with payments, ammounts you can pay in as little or as much and as often as you want Family members, yourself can all deposit money in to this, so at least every body is adding to the same pot - fantastic way to give your little in the best start in life secure so money is tied up until your child becomes of a responsible age to have the money and but it to something benefitial such as further education, car, deposit for a house - all those major things that count - even if its just 5.00 a month that you contribute over the years and especially with the governament also topping it up it becomes a good start in life for your child highly recommend setting one up

Overall Rating (2/5):

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Reviewed on 14 Aug 2011 by becky
Good Points: None
Bad Points: None
i thought this product was very good.it has hepled me alot.i have referred it to alot of friend and family includeing my brother,my cusions,my sister,my aunties and my friends. this is a brilliant idea!. The 1994 Amendments to the Social Security Act (SSA) authorized the Department of Health and Human Services to review state child and family services programs to ensure substantial conformity with the State plan requirements in Title IV-B and IV-E of the Social Security Act. Title IV-B and Federal Regulations, Code 45, (CFR) - 1357.15 require States to submit Child and Family Services Plans (CFSP), that is, State Title IV-B plans, to the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Through a review process, known as the Child and Family Services Review (CFSR), review teams assess child protective services, foster care, adoption, family preservation and family support, and independent living services, specifically in the areas of safety, permanency and well being. The CFSR review outcomes assist Missouri in enhancing its capacity to achieve positive outcomes for children and families.

Overall Rating (4/5):

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Reviewed on 07 Jul 2011 by chloe
Good Points: None
Bad Points: None
i dont agree with how they now have stop the grant for recently born babies because they have help other childern to a good start in the future and that mean recently born born babies do not get the same chance as other babies that have recieved it i think all childern should be aloud the grant to help them have a good happy and bright future becuase that money what they would of had could of help them in to collage uni to pay for things like special books folders pens and any other exquiptment even if its just 100 poundso i think they should start any re do it

Overall Rating (1/5):

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Reviewed on 07 Jul 2011 by Tasmia
Good Points: You can minimal patments
Bad Points: None
Child trust fund is a great way to save for your Childs future for example for Uni etc it's tax free! Which is even great you can save as much as you like and what ever amount that's what I like about it.I like to put some in every month I give it 10 out of 10 . There's many different child trust funds you can choice from. I would recommend the childrens mutual child trust fund as I'm using that for my child. I would definitely use again for my next child. It's a really good way to save.

Overall Rating (3/5):

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Reviewed on 06 Jul 2011 by ANITA NATHE
Good Points: None
Bad Points: None
Engage Mutual is one of the UK's leading child trust fund providers, the product was launched in 2005 and we now manage over 225,000 child trust funds. Although we have now stopped accepting child trust fund applications with vouchers this does not affect our existing accounts. Rest assured we will continue to service these as normal. u're thinking about getting in touch, but are not sure if it will actually achieve anything, then please read the case studies below. We have made some significant changes to our business following feedback we've received from you, our customers. Part of being a mutual is listening to your views and acting upon them. We want to show you that

Overall Rating (2/5):

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Reviewed on 05 Jul 2011 by Monica D'Amico
Good Points: It was in simple terms and easy to read.
Bad Points: None
This book is amazing and I would tell any one looking to start a fund for there kids, this is the book to use. I showed it to all my friends and now they all have funds to help there kids for college. I showed my mother and mother-in -law and now they both have set up funds for all there grandkids. That would make 15 total, thats a lot of funds but, it was so easy that they werew able to do it on there own. It is a great feeling knowing that there will be a little something for my kids to use when they get older.

Overall Rating (2/5):

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Reviewed on 01 Jul 2011 by naomi lane
Good Points: The staff made it very clear of the benefits of having a child trust fund set up.
Bad Points: Their are many other banks that also offer good rate, so can make it hard to pick a certain one.
Having a trust fund is so important to me and my partner, we both no how hard it is to achieve your dreams. Luckly we have both reached ours, now we would like to do the same for our child and future children what ever their dreams maybe. One thing when getting a trust fund is you have to make sure your getting the most out of it, so that the benefits will potentially increase your child's future. Its just one way of giving our children a better start in life, so they have a happy and successful one. Cant wait for the years to come and watch our babies grow up :) happy days :)

Overall Rating (4/5):

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Reviewed on 29 Jun 2011 by nasrin
Good Points: there everything is good point . my first child all ready join there but my new baby born january 2011 but i can't recive that yet. i find out various places but i can't throgh. then i think this one may be closed. thanks for your co-operation.
Bad Points: n/a
i think this child trust fund is greatest way for think about every one childrens future. if possible and this my request for you please send me a child trust fund application form send to my address than i will apply for my new one baby. my first one baby allready join but new one didnot yet now . her age is 5 month. and i have a opinion if the from contribute is easy collection prosses i mean many of important place we find that than its easy for get it.and if the benefit is more than now than every family offcourse join there and also i would like to say that still there have many of good benefit . thank you so much for your co-operation

Overall Rating (4/5):

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Reviewed on 28 Jun 2011 by Hayley Reid
Good Points: trust fund was simple and easy to open the staff were so friendly..we even put birthday and christmas money in to be saved
Bad Points: do not choose the stocks and shares trust fund account my friends kids have no money in theres....and set it up in a bank
simple, easy to understand website. recommended by others. All CTF's looked the same in the end. we choose nationwide bank for the trust fund it was simple and easy to open the staff were so friendly..we even put birthday and christmas money in to be saved..............do not choose the stocks and shares trust fund account my friends kids have no money in theres....and set it up in a bank. its also good for families with low income as u get some help with a cheque to start them off. theres no hidden things u just open the account put the money in and save the best thing is it cannot be touched till there 18.

Overall Rating (1/5):

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Reviewed on 23 Jun 2011 by Crystal Fraser
Good Points: handbag size nice design
Bad Points: could stay coler a little longer
it can be applied wherever you are no matter how bad the bruise is and my little girl always believes that the coolness of the mr men bruise soother is magic and heals her bruises but they never come out as bad if you apply this as the bruise and swelling doesnt seem to get a chance to worsen and on cool days it comes in handy to cool yourself down too! also the friendly cartoon andbook characters such as mr men's mr bump and mr men's little miss helper make the children more familiar with the product and i know when my lo falls i always like having this nearby to soothe the pain away.

Overall Rating (3/5):

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Reviewed on 22 Jun 2011 by Lisa Tormey
Good Points: Very easy to set up in which ever way suits you Friendly customer service Clear helpful advice
Bad Points: Not simple enough for people whom have never set one up before Took a little while to organise
I set up my sons trust fund about 8 months ago, it was very easy to set up through the post, and customer service was very friendly and answered my questions. Although I had to read the information pack a few times, before I fully understood, and it still left me a little confused, so take your time in reading thoroughly. I thoroughly recommend using Engage Mutual, and they dont pressure you into anything like most companies. I also recommend shopping around to see that th Engage Mutual are an awful lot better than most, and look at other reviews aswell to aid in your desiscion.

Overall Rating (4/5):

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Reviewed on 21 Jun 2011 by Amanda Burton
Good Points: helps to learn
Bad Points: none
It helps children to help learn in life, and as they grow up they can help learn to have the responsiblity of handling money. This is a very good idea as the government gives your child a chance to no what and how to save money. Which they will not be able to dip into there trust fund until they are 18, and it makes me feel good that i have control of there account of what foes in and what i want them to use this on, as children intend to waste and spend money before they find out they have, and how much its worth.

Overall Rating (5/5):

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Reviewed on 19 Jun 2011 by megan eland
Good Points: It was lots of useful information.
Bad Points: sometimes there was too much to take in.
i thouht the staff were very very easy to talk to and of course they ansuwered all of my questions and queries, but sometimes they did not really help very much but still they tried their best and it helped me understand and it made it much much easier for me and people who were around me most of the time. i didnt get too stressed and worked up as im not the cleverest person in the world, and they used words i understood and they kept it short and simple as well, i would reccomend it too any one.

Overall Rating (4/5):

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Reviewed on 17 Jun 2011 by natasha wentworth
Good Points: I was wow'd at first by their 35 years experience. and it turns out i was right to be wow'd! they were friendly, knew exactly what they were talking about and talked me through everything step by step.
Bad Points: I felt like a fool having to be talked through everything now as the set up is quite simple, and had i applied myself i probably wouldnt have needed as much help as they gave me in the end haha
I was worried to begin with as i assumed they were just investment specialist but on further speculation and research i realised they did family investements too! They were very helpful and understood that i had limited funds, but they came through and offered me wide range of financial solutions to this- problem solved! one of the main pluses was that they werent owned by other shareholders, they came across as very attentive to me and always there to answer my questions! i was overall very impressed and i dont really have a bad word to say about them! :)

Overall Rating (3/5):

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Reviewed on 14 Jun 2011 by Mark Upmybu-Misperm
Good Points: Friendly, goodness.
Bad Points: not many.
They were rather friendly and good value and rather friendly and splendid. I would open another if i was to have another child be it girl or boy, or otherwise. The name of the brand was poor because it could be more inviting although the layout of the site was quite alluring if i am being honest. Valuation is the key to value and this is key. Its key that my child has a valuable trust fund and this is key to their future. They offered a nice fund of trust which was key and will fund my child as my child is relatively valuable to me.

Overall Rating (4/5):

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Reviewed on 14 Jun 2011 by renae
Good Points: very easy to set up and use.
Bad Points: None
I opened one of these for my first born. It was very easy to set up and get going, everything was easy to understand and well laid out in clear easy language. I have since found it easy to add to and to keep informed of how it is performing on a regular basis. Even if you have no prior financial knowledge this would be a good product for you due to its extreme ease of both opening and operating. I would reccomend this product and especially to speak to someone for more information. I am very pleased with it.

Overall Rating (4/5):

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Reviewed on 13 Jun 2011 by mary mongan
Good Points: staff werre friendly and put my money in safe hands. xx
Bad Points: i have no bad words to say.xxxx
when i had my first child in 2005, i opened an account straight away with the £500 that the government gave me. i have beeen saving every week since by putting £5 into this account every week, i lov ethis account and i know that my child will benefit in time down the line. I reccomend this account to anyone with kids and will not look back on the day i opened this account. xxxx I lok forward to the day when my daughter wants to buy a car or possibly for uni when this money will be of great use. thank you and good luck. xxxx

Overall Rating (1/5):

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Reviewed on 11 Jun 2011 by Josh Foo
Good Points: None
Bad Points: The alerts on Twitter can be slightly brief
Excellent financial advice regarding the application and information of child trust funds. I found the staff very helpful and ease of use was second to none. Althought I once thought it would be a complicated process dealing with future finances, the whole procedure was easy and stress free. as well as the relative value of Trust funds, I certainly will recommend to all my friends about this company, for their combined ease of service and knowledge in the specific financial fields. I'd just like to say thanks very much once again, it was a pleasure dealing with your people over the Child Trust fund.

Overall Rating (3/5):

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Reviewed on 11 Jun 2011 by
Good Points: None
Bad Points: The alerts on Twitter can be slightly brief
Excellent financial advice regarding the application and information of child trust funds. I found the staff very helpful and ease of use was second to none. Althought I once thought it would be a complicated process dealing with future finances, the whole procedure was easy and stress free. as well as the relative value of Trust funds, I certainly will recommend to all my friends about this company, for their combined ease of service and knowledge in the specific financial fields. I'd just like to say thanks very much once again, it was a pleasure dealing with your people over the Child Trust fund.

Overall Rating (3/5):

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Reviewed on 10 Jun 2011 by Lisa Maguire
Good Points: Easy to apply in a user friendly language.
Bad Points: I haven't experienced any at all.
Have to admit I searched high and low on the internet to find the best place to invest my childs trust fund and found Engage to be one of the best. The online application was an easy process and took just about 10 minutes all in. One of the best parts I found was that you could get the ball rolling without having the £250 voucher 'in hand'. The website was easily laid out and easy to understand which certainly put my mind at ease. All the different accounts are explained out which makes it easier to decide on which is the best one for your needs. If you set up a direct debit you will recieve boots vouchers which is always a plus. If you also use it through Quidco they offer cash back for your contributions to the fund making everyone a winner! Would highly recommend.

Overall Rating (2/5):

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Reviewed on 07 Jun 2011 by Rachel Blackmore
Good Points: After spending days researching where to bank our childs £250 voucher we finally decided on Engage, the online application form was really easy to use and took less than 10 minutes to complete, you can even begin the process without receiving the voucher, the website was very easily laid out and extremely easy to understand, they explain all of the different accounts you can set up including the ones they dont offer, making it very easy for you to make your final choice, you are given free Boots vouchers for setting up a direct debit, and more vouchers for doing it there and then. Overall it was a very easy experience, we would recommend to anyone.
Bad Points: None so far with engage. My general niggle with CTF's is you cant touch the money at all. Perhaps better to put in your own name in a bunch of ISA's etc.
simple, easy to understand website. recommended by others. All CTF's looked the same in the end. Their online web form was really good, easily and cleanly laid out. After filling in the form, the very next day I received Oscar's pack along with my account number etc and a freepost envelope to send of our voucher as soon as it arrives. I also believe you can track online what you put in etc. Finally, if you use Quidco first, www.quidco.com - you can get £50 cashback - plus then add £20 quid a month you then get a total of £75 back towards the first years contributions. Not a bad start! After service brilliant,

Overall Rating (2/5):

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Reviewed on 06 Jun 2011 by jodi blenkinsop
Good Points: i have been saving for 4 years with this company through asda supermarket. my son has nearly as much as my older son who has been saving with childrens mutual for ten years. highly recommend these and i received a free shopping voucher too bonus.
Bad Points: not taking on any new customers
have had no problems with these and the money keeps going up and up so all good so far. the investment policy was opened in 2007 shortly after my second sons birthday so they also accept the goverment funding that i received with my second son that was issued then. it has now unfortunatly ceased. i pay by direct debit each month i only invest 10 pounds but anyone can top this up family, friends etc etc. they make really useful birthday presents, christening presents and is generally a good source for any child whatever age. i am currently trying to open another account but they are only accepting excisting customers.

Overall Rating (1/5):

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Reviewed on 06 Jun 2011 by Lauren
Good Points: None
Bad Points: None
i have found that everything about this trust has been a really positive outcome which can only be a good thing because it helped me do what i needed to do in the first place. i would reccommend using this trust in the future because it has over all been a very very good service and quite helpful for every thing. the quality of the information that i recieved was helpful and relatively understandable which can only be a plus because it needs to be easy to understand. this service was also very easy to use and get an understanding of.

Overall Rating (3/5):

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Reviewed on 04 Jun 2011 by viki
Good Points: easy to set up the standing order and not have to worry about putting money aside every month
Bad Points: hardly made anything in the last 5 years
i have two engage mutural accounts for my children which i fist set up when they were born, i only put in ten pound a month into each due to the inflation rates over recent years. I the four and five years my children have had these acounts they have hardly made any money. I can proberly say they have made as much as what they would have had they be in a descent sayings account. The insentive for me to open these accounts was the free gift vouchers my children received. I am worried that as the kids get older they wont be worth much money.

Overall Rating (4/5):

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Reviewed on 03 Jun 2011 by Cem yaz
Good Points: yeah brilliant
Bad Points: nothing
After spending days researching where to bank our childs £250 voucher we finally decided on Engage, the online application form was really easy to use and took less than 10 minutes to complete, you can even begin the process without receiving the voucher, the website was very easily laid out and extremely easy to understand, they explain all of the different accounts you can set up including the ones they dont offer, making it very easy for you to make your final choice, you are given free Boots vouchers for setting up a direct debit, and more vouchers for doing it there and then. Overall it was a very easy experience, we would recommend to anyone

Overall Rating (2/5):

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Reviewed on 03 Jun 2011 by Sarah Foster
Good Points: None
Bad Points: None
When I received my intial pack for the Child Trust Fund,I was a little disappointed to discover that the government had reduced the amount that your child would receive to just £50 but was still grateful for this as they have now stopped it altogether. It wasnt too much of a hard thing to decide which company to opt for and I chise Tesco as they have a good reputation. It's nice to know that there is at least something to help start off to help build for your childs future. As we all know in about 18 years time will be even harder for our poor children. The process in it's self is easy to complete and nice to know that you have the option to add to it as the years go by

Overall Rating (5/5):

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Reviewed on 02 Jun 2011 by James
Good Points: None
Bad Points: None
Sounds like a good enough idea but do not really think that it has relevance to the Mr men bruise treater thing? The Child Trust Fund (or CTF) was introduced in the United Kingdom with the intention of ensuring that all eligible children in Great Britain have savings before they reach 18 years of age. As your child reacheed young adulthood, this Government initiative was designed to educate them about the benefits of saving schemes and investment plans, which in turn should help children to understand exactly how to control their personal finances from an early age. <---- The cheek hey?

Overall Rating (4/5):

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Reviewed on 02 Jun 2011 by ali shakir
Good Points: Easy to use no fuss what so ever really good and ideal
Bad Points: none
would recommend to friends and family looking to build a better and brighter future for there loved ones and anybody who has there own children best interest saving for there future is so important i don't think people really how important it is i could talk for ages about how many friends of mine have children and they don't build for there futures so will definateley be passing all the information on i'm just so glad facilities like these are actually open for people and offer u nothing but peace of mind knowing that you are doing the right thing. look forward to recieving my free gift if you could put in both in one package would be gratefull as i hav a son & Daughter thanks

Overall Rating (3/5):

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Reviewed on 02 Jun 2011 by ali
Good Points: Easy to use no fuss what so ever really good and ideal
Bad Points: none
would recommend to friends and family looking to build a better and brighter future for there loved ones and anybody who has there own children best interest saving for there future is so important i don't think people really how important it is i could talk for ages about how many friends of mine have children and they don't build for there futures so will definateley be passing all the information on i'm just so glad facilities like these are actually open for people and offer u nothing but peace of mind knowing that you are doing the right thing. look forward to recieving my free gift if you could put in both in one package would be gratefull as i hav a son & Daughter thanks

Overall Rating (4/5):

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Reviewed on 01 Jun 2011 by cynthia
Good Points: None
Bad Points: None
I have openned my son's account since he was born with Engage savings account. I can highly recommend that it's been a smooth sailing savings since we started the account up to this time. The communication process had been up to date and so far so good we haven't had any single problem since. I know we can trust the company in view of my son's savings for his future. We are happy and pleased that we started early. I can say that we have slowly grow securely so with the savings account. We can soon sit back and relax for the future.

Overall Rating (4/5):

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Reviewed on 01 Jun 2011 by debbie
Good Points: its easy to use
Bad Points: the staff can sometimes be rude
I had to phone the child trust fund people up and request a voucher for £250 for my Daughter Leah May which you have to put into a bank account, when I recieved the voucher for £250 I had to sent it to the bank of my choice in the pre-paid envelope that they had provided for me, it was put into the bank of my choise, which was Natwest within 3 weeks and I got a letter confirming it had gone into the bank, it was quite easy to do, any one would be able to do it. If I could do it, any one can.

Overall Rating (2/5):

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Reviewed on 01 Jun 2011 by Hayley
Good Points: 1) you can put the child trust fund voucher into the bank of your choice. 2) They send you a pre-paid envelpoe to send the voucher to the bank of your choice. 3) They send you a letter confirming that the voucher is in the bank.
Bad Points: 1)For some reason they sent Leah Mays voucher to my old address which was luckily my Dads address. 2)I had to phone them to requeat the voucher.
I had to phone the child trust fund people up and request a voucher for £250 for my Daughter Leah May which you have to put into a bank account, when I recieved the voucher for £250 I had to sent it to the bank of my choice in the pre-paid envelope that they had provided for me, it was put into the bank of my choise, which was Natwest within 3 weeks and I got a letter confirming it had gone into the bank, it was quite easy to do, any one would be able to do it. If I could do it, any one can.

Overall Rating (2/5):

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Reviewed on 01 Jun 2011 by Daryl James Prentice
Good Points: The stakeholder Child Trust Fund (CTF) account from Engage Mutual Assurance allows you to save money for your child's future by investing money in the stock market. The account comes with a management charge of 1.5% guaranteed for the life of the balance, no hidden costs, all payments accepted over five pounds and a maximum annual investment of £1,200. Engage also offer automatic ?lifestyling' which switches the account from high to low risk fund as the child gets older.
Bad Points: None
The stakeholder Child Trust Fund (CTF) account from Engage Mutual Assurance allows you to save money for your child's future by investing money in the stock market. The account comes with a management charge of 1.5% guaranteed for the life of the balance, no hidden costs, all payments accepted over five pounds and a maximum annual investment of £1,200. Engage also offer automatic ?lifestyling' which switches the account from high to low risk fund as the child gets older. On 1 December 2010, Engage Mutual officially added 15,000 new members and more than 25,000 new policies as customers of Ecclesiastical Life Limited's long term insurance business were successfully transferred to one of the UK's largest mutual friendly societies. This draws to a conclusion a detailed and thorough process over the past 12 months and follows an extensive strategic project undertaken by Ecclesiastical Group to review its existing life business. Engage Mutual was carefully selected from a group of potential buyers, due to the similarity of its customer-focused approach. Recognising the expertise and commitment of current staff, transferred policies will continue to be serviced from a Gloucester base with corporate functions provided by Engage Mutual's Yorkshire headquarters. The transferred with profits fund has been closed to new business and will run on a segregated basis for its members' benefit. The non profit fund will become part of the Engage Mutual non profit fund. As a result of the transfer, assets under management have increased by £270 million, bringing total assets managed by the Engage Mutual Group to around £900 million. The transferred business, which includes both with profits and non profit business, pensions, endowment savings and traditional life assurance, brings product diversification and economies of scale to the Engage Mutual Group.

Overall Rating (1/5):

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Reviewed on 01 Jun 2011 by hannah jhon
Good Points: ive never had a problem
Bad Points: phone lines take so long to answer
I am very happy and glad to say that i have had no problems with them at all they are hlpful face to face and on the phone they are very kind. I especially liked when my son was ill and i needed someone to help me fill in the forms as i wasnt there they filled them in for me but as i had to keep popping on and off the phone they was filling it in bit by bit but assuring me that my son would be ok whitch i needed at the time. considerate people i think that when its busy its a bit of a wait to talk to them on the phone but other than that im happy. i think they should modernise the music on the call waiting aswell rather than just old music :) thank you hannah x

Overall Rating (2/5):

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Reviewed on 01 Jun 2011 by Emily
Good Points: The staff were extremely friendly and usefull telling me of all benifits such as the differences between their plan and other companys showing me the clear choice that this bond was peeerfect for my son aiden. Information booklets were given highlighting other bennifits both for the present time straight after joining and in the near or far future all of which seemed and have been delightfull.
Bad Points: I spent a lot of time trying to understand the meanings of the bond as some portions of the leaftet were extremely hard to get my head around though i suppose that is so with all bonds.
The staff were extremely friendly and usefull telling me of all benifits such as the differences between their plan and other companys showing me the clear choice that this bond was peeerfect for my son aiden. Information booklets were given highlighting there bennifits both for the present time straight after joining and in the near or far future all of which seemed and have been delightfull. I spent a lot of time trying to understand the meanings of the bond as some portions of the leaftet were extremely hard to get my head around though i suppose that is so with all bonds.

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 01 Jun 2011 by T Braganca
Good Points: None
Bad Points: None
After a trawl of the internet, Engage was the provider of choice. The whole process was easy, from picking a fund to processing the account application and the setting up of the direct debit. The fund itself has been doing very well and the information from Engage has been good. This was invested as part of the government scheme a few years ago, and I have topped it up with a monthly direct debit which can be as little as £10 a month. The yearly statement is clear and shows how the fund has progressed from the previous year. I highly recommend the fund.

Overall Rating (1/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 01 Jun 2011 by Melanie Tritz
Good Points: I would have to say that the staff was very friendly.
Bad Points: None really.
I would have to say that the staff was very friendly. I had many questions about the types of trust funds available and wanted to selected one that would be just right for my little ones. It's so hard to tell this day and age when we have no idea what the future is going to look like for our children. Our broker helped explain everything we needed to know and now I can sleep soundly knowing that our money is being protected and invested for our children. The best part is knowing that we don't have to feel so unsure about the future! Thank you!

Overall Rating (4/5):

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Reviewed on 01 Jun 2011 by laura hayes
Good Points: Everything
Bad Points: Nothing
I really love mr men and little miss. So do my children. We have all the books and toys. These bruise soothers will be amazing to use on my children as they are always falling over and bumping into things. We call our little boy Mr bump. I really love mr men and little miss. So do my children. We have all the books and toys. These bruise soothers will be amazing to use on my children as they are always falling over and bumping into things. We call our little boy Mr bump. I really love mr men and little miss. So do my children. We have all the books and toys. These bruise soothers will be amazing to use on my children as they are always falling over and bumping into things. We call our little boy Mr bump.

Overall Rating (2/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 01 Jun 2011 by ramya kamath
Good Points: Good investment Future security
Bad Points: Little Costly Terms and Conditions
I like to invest in mutual funds for a secure future. It provides a form of investment and saving money for the future. It provides better future for our family. It helps us to provide good education and future to our children. We can keep our money safe at some place to be sure that we will receive a little more than that we invested in future. It is a media to increase our source of income and be sure to receive money in future.It provides good returns for the money ad time v invested. Its good option to look for.

Overall Rating (3/5):

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Reviewed on 31 May 2011 by michael
Good Points: 1. staff were really helpful and explained every part of the fund 2. its linked to my account so easy to pay into. 3. is a good idea that the government give money to start the account.
Bad Points: 1. not really given any updates on how its doing that could maybe be a bit better.
We were dreading it at first setting the whole thing up, but when we sat down with the forms and the advisor at the bank they made it really to set up and understand. I feel that the bank could probably let you know at least once a year to show you how its maturing just to show that its not been forgotten about, but maybe thats a good idea because its at the back of your mind and you never have to worry about it. I've also heard that the government has stopped given newborns the £250 cheque, thanks

Overall Rating (2/5):

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Reviewed on 31 May 2011 by Marie Chapman
Good Points: Very easy to use, all paperwork is easy to understand and not confusing.
Bad Points: None
Right from the start Engage were helpful and friendly. They explained everything to me in terms that we could understand. They sent us some very helpful information and get things set up in no time at all. Our direct debit was set and we pay in to the fund monthly. We have recently started a second fund for our second daughter and again our experience was very much the same, helpful, friendly etc. On top of all of this we had the added bonus of £50 in gift vouchers. We would highly recommend Engage for Child Trust Funds, our experience has been fantastic. Thank you.

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 31 May 2011 by Alexandra
Good Points: 5/5
Bad Points: None
i found the site very usefull, the information has helped me choose the right plan for my child trust fund and i will definatly be recommending the site to all my friends and family so the information can help them on coosing which trust fund is the best option for them to use when they are either expecting or have a baby. i think its good that every child is eligable for a trust fund for when there 18 so they have a good start in adult life. also it is good that you can add funds to there account too .

Overall Rating (5/5):

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Reviewed on 31 May 2011 by Jayne
Good Points: It is good to encourage people to save long term and like a dog ' a child is for life'. They do not ask to be born and therefore we should take the greatest care of them.
Bad Points: There is such a wide range of products to choose from this makes it yet another task.
However, if I were not financially aware I would find the range bewildering. I would also like to see the possibility of the savings being ' opened up' to relatives and friends of the children , perhaps in the form of ' gift vouchers' which are only transferrable to the child's account. This would really help ' hard up ' parents and be much better than spending money on presents. Furthermore, why not have an account where everyone can contribute to a ' Big Society' account to the most needy children and then we can all help poorer children get into University.

Overall Rating (2/5):

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Reviewed on 31 May 2011 by emma kelly
Good Points: education funds
Bad Points: nothing
The best thing about your child having a trust fund is that when they are old enough they get a lump sum paid to them for the education when they are older ensuring they have a decent education plus it gives them the incentive to stay on in college now or university. I never had anything like that when i was a kid and just went staright into work from school and wish that i could of done things differently. So i personally think everyone should jump at the chance to open a child trust fund for the kids and give them the chance you probally never had.

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 30 May 2011 by
Good Points: None
Bad Points: None
The stakeholder Child Trust Fund (CTF) account from Engage Mutual Assurance allows you to save money for your child's future by investing money in the stock market. The account comes with a management charge of 1.5% guaranteed for the life of the balance, no hidden costs, all payments accepted over five pounds and a maximum annual investment of £1,200. Engage also offer automatic ?lifestyling' which switches the account from high to low risk fund as the child gets older. I agree with thei s kt kie tmyi sjhrt lgfn t kdiertt kgner lvjnt djg tmkf tjrnfc gktor vkgynjmf ejfun tjgfnm tkkjmfr

Overall Rating (1/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 30 May 2011 by
Good Points: None
Bad Points: None
The stakeholder Child Trust Fund (CTF) account from Engage Mutual Assurance allows you to save money for your child's future by investing money in the stock market. The account comes with a management charge of 1.5% guaranteed for the life of the balance, no hidden costs, all payments accepted over five pounds and a maximum annual investment of £1,200. Engage also offer automatic ?lifestyling' which switches the account from high to low risk fund as the child gets older. I agree with thei s kt kie tmyi sjhrt lgfn t kdiertt kgner lvjnt djg tmkf tjrnfc gktor vkgynjmf ejfun tjgfnm tkkjmfr

Overall Rating (1/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 30 May 2011 by Melissa Forfitt
Good Points: Great service. Well informed on what is active in the account. When you set up a direct debit account you get boots vouchers.
Bad Points: Can only make payments from £5. Can only put in £1,200 per subscription year.
Overall, the engage mutual child trust fund is a well put together buisness and i would reccommend it to any parents out there who are looking for a good company to open up a child trust fund. All of the staff i had dealings with were very helpful and if there was any problems they would be there to help me straight away. (There wasn't any proper problems just some misunderstandings.) Also, when checking how much is in the account and when i wanted to put money in it was very easy to access my account. Moreover, when i first started out with this child trust fund i was well informed on everything i needed to do and all of the terms and conditions.

Overall Rating (2/5):

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Reviewed on 30 May 2011 by Hannah Spink
Good Points: staff were incredibly helpful :)
Bad Points: the printed documents we recieved were not very clear
we thoroughly enjoyed our experience setting up both our childrens funds, the staff are friendly and helpful and really explained what was going on which was fantastic as i was a little lost! unfortunatly the leaflets and other documents we recieved were less thn clear and a littlle vague and therefore without the help of the staff i doubt we would have opened these accounts for our children however many friends had recomended them. Its fantastic that anyone can pay into the accounts, it makes them really easy to use and convenient. Finally i also enjoyed the free boots vouchers, a nice treat for mum too!

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 30 May 2011 by Danni
Good Points: The ease of use was very good, and it was nice to be able to use something without the need for extra help or support.
Bad Points: The staff were not as helpful/friendly as i would have hoped they would be when i needed some extra assistance.
This is Money has compiled everything you need to know about saving for children. We have the most basic information on this page but then have dozen of links that take you to the best advice, be it on the new Junior Isa plans are the old Child Trust Funds. Here's our simple five-step starting point for finding the best home for CTF money (remember you can still switch providers when ever you like!)... Step 1. For an uber-quick round-up of the options and to read where Editor Andrew Oxlade invested his children's child trust funds: read his child trust fund blog post (April 2011) Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/child-trust-fund#ixzz1NrBUzxCZ

Overall Rating (4/5):

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Reviewed on 30 May 2011 by Usha Gurung
Good Points: Good interest rate Easy to set up and transfer money
Bad Points: None
It was very easy for us to set up two accounts for our two children. The staff were very friendly and well informed. The interest rate was pretty good and their conditions were reasonable. What more could I have wanted!? I do have an account in another bank and at first I thought it would be a hassle to make my children's trust fund in a different bank but when we went to Llyods to look around I was amazed by how easy it was to set up and transfer money. On the very day I made my two children their trust funds. I do recommend this to fellow parents.

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 30 May 2011 by Danielle
Good Points: None
Bad Points: None
Engage Mutual - Child trust fund - fantastic!! have set up a direct debit to put extra money in so my baby will get more when she is older. Think it is a great way to ensure you child has got money there behind them for things they need or would like. Pity no money can be took out before child is 18 though e.g. would be good to use for a nice day out as a treat or special occasion. Overall think it is fantastic!! Definately gonna keep putting money into it for my child's future and to ensure she has what she needs!!!

Overall Rating (4/5):

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Reviewed on 30 May 2011 by Paul Morrison
Good Points: None
Bad Points: None
I used these after the birth of my second daughter having previously used Liverpool Victoria. I searched the internet and these came up as a recommended company so I filled in the online form and requested some information. I signed up and received the additional government payment. I have had no problems with them at all and the regular monthly direct debit is always taken with no problem. I get a yearly statement on the aniversary of the fund being set up detailing how much it is could be worth and how much paid in. Standard site but very simple to use and reliable.

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 29 May 2011 by Jagoda Zamyslewska
Good Points: simply easy to understand website , rocommendent by others .
Bad Points: none so faar ; >
sipmly easy to use website and recommendet by other people . All ctf's looked the same in the end . Their online web form was really good . easily and clenly laid out . After filling out the form the next they i receive the oscar;s pack allong with my acoount number etc. and a free post envelope to send out of our as soon as it ariives . I also believe you can track online what you put in etc. Finally , if you use Quidco first www.quidco.co.uk you receive a 50 pounds feed back . plus then add 20 pounds quid a month you get a total of 75 punds back towards the first year contribution, not a badd stuff ; > . After service is brilliant !

Overall Rating (1/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 29 May 2011 by Roksana Piekarska
Good Points: simply easy to understand website , rocommendent by others .
Bad Points: none so faar ; >
sipmly easy to use website and recommendet by other people . All ctf's looked the same in the end . Their online web form was really good . easily and clenly laid out . After filling out the form the next they i receive the oscar;s pack allong with my acoount number etc. and a free post envelope to send out of our as soon as it ariives . I also believe you can track online what you put in etc. Finally , if you use Quidco first www.quidco.co.uk you receive a 50 pounds feed back . plus then add 20 pounds quid a month you get a total of 75 punds back towards the first year contribution, not a badd stuff ; > . After service is brilliant !

Overall Rating (1/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 29 May 2011 by roksana piekarska
Good Points: It is all very easy to do and includes really helpfull staf .
Bad Points: You need to spent a while before get the stuff.
i have to saperated child trust accounts set up with engage and they really good .they where all set up very quick , i also set up direct debits yo asdd to thje fund every month. You can choose the amount and adjust in the furure when you need . they also include addioonal forms so family members can make a payment such as a birthsay or christmas into the trust whenever they like. When you do set up a funds sometimes they offer things such as a free vouchers depends on when you join etc . Thanks ; ))

Overall Rating (2/5):

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Reviewed on 29 May 2011 by dee maynard
Good Points: i set up my childes trust fund after reciving informaton about it and a check. i looked around and opened one up with asda george and also recived some monet off gift vouchers. i have money going into the account monthly which is easily done
Bad Points: so many place to choose from
a child trust fund is a very good idear as it help the childern when they are older to have a little bit of money to fall back on e.g for a car, holiday or studys. i was very easy to set up a trust fund once i decied which place to set it up with. the hardest part it to choose where to set it up as lots of different places offer a different gift when opeing my son some new clothes ning a trust fund. my advice is choose the right one for you. I went with asda (george) as i recived a £20 gift voucher which i put toward buy

Overall Rating (2/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 29 May 2011 by dee
Good Points: i set up my childes trust fund after reciving informaton about it and a check. i looked around and opened one up with asda george and also recived some monet off gift vouchers. i have money going into the account monthly which is easily done
Bad Points: so many place to choose from
a child trust fund is a very good idear as it help the childern when they are older to have a little bit of money to fall back on e.g for a car, holiday or studys. i was very easy to set up a trust fund once i decied which place to set it up with. the hardest part it to choose where to set it up as lots of different places offer a different gift when opeing my son some new clothes ning a trust fund. my advice is choose the right one for you. I went with asda (george) as i recived a £20 gift voucher which i put toward buy

Overall Rating (2/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 29 May 2011 by janine kemp
Good Points: easy to set up quick and easy direct debit set up
Bad Points: none as yet :)
i have two seperate child trust fund accounts set up with engage and they are really good :D . They were all easy to set up andalso quick, and i also set up direct debits to add to the fund every month. You can choose the ammount and adjust it in the future if you need too. They also include additional forms so family members can make a payment such as on a birthday, into the trust fund whenever they like. When you do set up the funds sometimes they offer things such as free vouchers depending on when you join etc.

Overall Rating (3/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 29 May 2011 by Tania Li
Good Points: The fund was very easy to start and the staff were very helpful and informative
Bad Points: None
I got the voucher from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) for £100 on my child's birthday, and went to set up an account. In my opinion, it was very easy to open an account and the staff were very friendly and helpful, informing me on everything that I needed to know. Setting up the account was straight forward and very simple - I had no previous information and they managed to explain to me everything. They were also very nice to my baby girl, whose name the account is under. We pay in a set amount every month and so far it has been going very well.

Overall Rating (2/5):

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Reviewed on 29 May 2011 by maureen osullivan
Good Points: None
Bad Points: None
when thinking about saving for my four childrens futures the engage mutual child trust fund was just what i was looking for. it gave me and my partner the peace of mind we were looking for with the added bonus of knowing our childrens futures were in great safe hands. we can rest a shore that no matter what comes our way in years to come our children will be financally secure, supported and most off all well looked after. this is the best child fund i have yet to come across and recommend it to all my family and friends.

Overall Rating (2/5):

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Reviewed on 28 May 2011 by trevor finn
Good Points: We've had two Mr Bumps - Our daughter loves getting this out of the fridge when she has a bump. I would recommend. Mr. Bump Bruise Soother is the fast, fun way to soothe bumps, bruises and minor aches in an instant!
Bad Points: i can't say there really is any! :)
We've had two Mr Bumps - Our daughter loves getting this out of the fridge when she has a bump. I would recommend. Mr. Bump Bruise Soother is the fast, fun way to soothe bumps, bruises and minor aches in an instant! Re-usable thermal gel pack You just chillit to ease discomfort from swelling and bruising It's great for aches and stiffness,It Soothing headaches, growing pains and after-sun exposure. The mr.bump image is also cool - it's really great for many bumps! we managed to get this product for just £ 5 , which i think is a bargain! get one bought now!

Overall Rating (2/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 28 May 2011 by niamh
Good Points: its all very easy to do and the staff were very helpfull
Bad Points: i spent i while waiting to get the staff
i think the engage mutual child trust fund is a great idea because it just made it so much easier to deal with my child finances and it really takes a lot of the stress of my hands by sorting every thing for me and making sure i always know what going on. they have also helped me when i want to change my sons child accont into an adult one and i will all ways recomend this anyone inculding all my friends and family because it really was great and it was all extremally easy for me as a person

Overall Rating (3/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 28 May 2011 by shelby
Good Points: it was simple tounderstand but needed to be clearer
Bad Points: neeeded to be clearer and more money point
it was simple to understand the rules and the terms and conditions and i think it was very informative and i belive that a lot of people think the same as my clever and smart and intelligent thoughts and many peole are actually unhappy with the staff and the text there is as they can not understand the meanings and the mentions of several people and hello because it is she he and hello goodbye and simple clear abnd understamdleabe text and i am amazing ant hddtasba asgdh gsfsgdw agdffd sggsf asgafsdg satgfgsd sdgfd sgfhs sdgfdha ashdfhadvdgfdhgf dgfdgs sdgadgh dgasf

Overall Rating (4/5):

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Reviewed on 28 May 2011 by Sandy Kang
Good Points: None
Bad Points: None
In my opinion, child trust funds are the most important thing we should be thinking about as parents as it could be a stepping stone to your child's future giving them a possibility to achieve what ever they want in the future. Most people often don't take the time to consider setting up a trust fund for their children as they might find the process and thought of paperwork quite daunting but its really worth it trust me I used to think the same thing but with the right guidance I found out that it was all really quite simple and haven't looked back!

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 28 May 2011 by nicola johnson
Good Points: they seem to be very good so far.. i get a yearly statement which is great because i know when to expect it as its sent out around the time of my childs birthday once a year. also the staff are really friendly and always try there best to give you upto date information and assist you with any problems you may have. i would recommend them to my family and friends due to the exstanding service they provide
Bad Points: the only bad point i can say is i changed addess and emailed them and they never updated it
they seem to be very good so far.. i get a yearly statement which is great because i know when to expect it as its sent out around the time of my childs birthday once a year. also the staff are really friendly and always try there best to give you upto date information and assist you with any problems you may have. i would recommend them to my family and friends due to the exstanding service they provide my friend also joined them after being recommended to them by me. i would like to say what a great service they provide and the helpfullness of the staff is brill

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 28 May 2011 by Jennifer Gavin
Good Points: This trust fund is easy to set up and sends out yearly statements. There is also flexibility with how much you can save each month.
Bad Points: I can't think of any
I would strongly recommend this trust fund to anyone with children. It is very easy to set up and you can chose when the funds can be released to your child. You can chose to set up regular payments or make contributions as and when you can. they also provide you with forms to pass to family members so that they can contribute if they would like to. A yearly statement is sent out which details all the money that has been put into the fund and how much it is worth at that time. It also shows you how the value of the fund has changed over the year.

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 28 May 2011 by jolarspud
Good Points: It was very easy yo set up
Bad Points: None
I have used engage for both my childrens trust funds. So far I have no complaints, my partner and I save a small amount each month for both the children. Our son is now 4 and to date he has not lost any money on the fund, but saying that he hasn't made much either. Our daughter is just about to turn one and we have just got her statement and again she has made a little amount. The service so far has been very good. we don't have much contact except once a year when the statements come through, but the times I have contacted them the service has always been good.

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 28 May 2011 by debi chaplin-evison
Good Points: annual statement ease of setting up direct debit. easy to communicate with.
Bad Points: my other child has anaccount with a different trust fund company. the same provision as engage mutual is provided with this account, but this account has the benefit of a higher interest rate.
i opened the mutual engage trust fund when my child was approximately 3 months old. i decided on this company to invest my childs money because of hearing good things. for example my friend reccommended it because of the ease of use she had found when setting up a direct debit to place additional money into the fund each month. i was also informed that the company was a well known trust fund, so this gave me the confidence to decide on the trust fund. i receive an annual statement to inform me of the balance is useful and shows me with the money invested has increased or decreased.

Overall Rating (3/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 28 May 2011 by Bridget Allen
Good Points: Friendly staff who were very helpful, an didn't rush through the information they gave.
Bad Points: Automated phone lines!
The staff were very friendly and helpful when I phoned to get more details about the products on offer, and were both efficient but patient - I didn't really know what type of account we wanted, or what type of savings plan (these things are far more complicated than I ever would have imagined!). I was carefully talked through the pros and cons of the different plans, which did give me a (slightly) better understanding of what my daughters needs were, and how the different plans had different risks and benefits. It did take a little while to get throught to speak to someone, with the obligatory nasty 'hold' music, but I think that's par for the course these days, with automated phone lines!

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 28 May 2011 by Jayne
Good Points: Easy to set up and user friendly.
Bad Points: None
after a great deal of searching through all the different information i could find to do with the child trust fund i finally settled on the ethical child trust. this seems like a good choice for my child. i set the account up on the internet and all i had to do from then was to post the cheque along. i was also able to set up a small direct debit into this account so that it would grow year on year, so hopefully one day he will have a few pounds to spend as he chooses. all in all i can't find any downsides to this account only good. lets see how it performs now and the review may well change!

Overall Rating (1/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 28 May 2011 by Ben cowan
Good Points: When we were in junior high school, my friend Rich and I made a map of the school lunch tables according to popularity. This was easy to do, because kids only ate lunch with others of about the same popularity. We graded them from A to E. A tables were full of football players and cheerleaders and so on. E tables contained the kids with mild cases of Down's Syndrome, what in the language of the time we called "retards." We sat at a D table, as low as you could get without looking physically different. We were not being especially candid to grade ourselves as D. It would have taken a deliberate lie to say otherwise. Everyone in the school knew exactly how popular everyone else was, including us. My stock gradually rose during high school. Puberty finally arrived; I became a decent soccer player; I started a scandalous underground newspaper. So I've seen a good part of the popularity landscape. I know a lot of people who were nerds in school, and they all tell the same story: there is a strong correlation between being smart and being a nerd, and an even stronger inverse correlation between being a nerd and being popular. Being smart seems to make you unpopular. Why? To someone in school now, that may seem an odd question to ask. The mere fact is so overwhelming that it may seem strange to imagine that it could be any other way. But it could. Being smart doesn't make you an outcast in elementary school. Nor does it harm you in the real world. Nor, as far as I can tell, is the problem so bad in most other countries. But in a typical American secondary school, being smart is likely to make your life difficult. Why? The key to this mystery is to rephrase the question slightly. Why don't smart kids make themselves popular? If they're so smart, why don't they figure out how popularity works and beat the system, just as they do for standardized tests? One argument says that this would be impossible, that the smart kids are unpopular because the other kids envy them for being smart, and nothing they could do could make them popular. I wish. If the other kids in junior high school envied me, they did a great job of concealing it. And in any case, if being smart were really an enviable quality, the girls would have broken ranks. The guys that guys envy, girls like. In the schools I went to, being smart just didn't matter much. Kids didn't admire it or despise it. All other things being equal, they would have preferred to be on the smart side of average rather than the dumb side, but intelligence counted far less than, say, physical appearance, charisma, or athletic ability. So if intelligence in itself is not a factor in popularity, why are smart kids so consistently unpopular? The answer, I think, is that they don't really want to be popular. If someone had told me that at the time, I would have laughed at him. Being unpopular in school makes kids miserable, some of them so miserable that they commit suicide. Telling me that I didn't want to be popular would have seemed like telling someone dying of thirst in a desert that he didn't want a glass of water. Of course I wanted to be popular. But in fact I didn't, not enough. There was something else I wanted more: to be smart. Not simply to do well in school, though that counted for something, but to design beautiful rockets, or to write well, or to understand how to program computers. In general, to make great things. At the time I never tried to separate my wants and weigh them against one another. If I had, I would have seen that being smart was more important. If someone had offered me the chance to be the most popular kid in school, but only at the price of being of average intelligence (humor me here), I wouldn't have taken it. Much as they suffer from their unpopularity, I don't think many nerds would. To them the thought of average intelligence is unbearable. But most kids would take that deal. For half of them, it would be a step up. Even for someone in the eightieth percentile (assuming, as everyone seemed to then, that intelligence is a scalar), who wouldn't drop thirty points in exchange for being loved and admired by everyone? And that, I think, is the root of the problem. Nerds serve two masters. They want to be popular, certainly, but they want even more to be smart. And popularity is not something you can do in your spare time, not in the fiercely competitive environment of an American secondary school. Alberti, arguably the archetype of the Renaissance Man, writes that "no art, however minor, demands less than total dedication if you want to excel in it." I wonder if anyone in the world works harder at anything than American school kids work at popularity. Navy SEALs and neurosurgery residents seem slackers by comparison. They occasionally take vacations; some even have hobbies. An American teenager may work at being popular every waking hour, 365 days a year. I don't mean to suggest they do this consciously. Some of them truly are little Machiavellis, but what I really mean here is that teenagers are always on duty as conformists. For example, teenage kids pay a great deal of attention to clothes. They don't consciously dress to be popular. They dress to look good. But to who? To the other kids. Other kids' opinions become their definition of right, not just for clothes, but for almost everything they do, right down to the way they walk. And so every effort they make to do things "right" is also, consciously or not, an effort to be more popular. Nerds don't realize this. They don't realize that it takes work to be popular. In general, people outside some very demanding field don't realize the extent to which success depends on constant (though often unconscious) effort. For example, most people seem to consider the ability to draw as some kind of innate quality, like being tall. In fact, most people who "can draw" like drawing, and have spent many hours doing it; that's why they're good at it. Likewise, popular isn't just something you are or you aren't, but something you make yourself. The main reason nerds are unpopular is that they have other things to think about. Their attention is drawn to books or the natural world, not fashions and parties. They're like someone trying to play soccer while balancing a glass of water on his head. Other players who can focus their whole attention on the game beat them effortlessly, and wonder why they seem so incapable. Even if nerds cared as much as other kids about popularity, being popular would be more work for them. The popular kids learned to be popular, and to want to be popular, the same way the nerds learned to be smart, and to want to be smart: from their parents. While the nerds were being trained to get the right answers, the popular kids were being trained to please. So far I've been finessing the relationship between smart and nerd, using them as if they were interchangeable. In fact it's only the context that makes them so. A nerd is someone who isn't socially adept enough. But "enough" depends on where you are. In a typical American school, standards for coolness are so high (or at least, so specific) that you don't have to be especially awkward to look awkward by comparison. Few smart kids can spare the attention that popularity requires. Unless they also happen to be good-looking, natural athletes, or siblings of popular kids, they'll tend to become nerds. And that's why smart people's lives are worst between, say, the ages of eleven and seventeen. Life at that age revolves far more around popularity than before or after. Before that, kids' lives are dominated by their parents, not by other kids. Kids do care what their peers think in elementary school, but this isn't their whole life, as it later becomes.
Bad Points: When we were in junior high school, my friend Rich and I made a map of the school lunch tables according to popularity. This was easy to do, because kids only ate lunch with others of about the same popularity. We graded them from A to E. A tables were full of football players and cheerleaders and so on. E tables contained the kids with mild cases of Down's Syndrome, what in the language of the time we called "retards." We sat at a D table, as low as you could get without looking physically different. We were not being especially candid to grade ourselves as D. It would have taken a deliberate lie to say otherwise. Everyone in the school knew exactly how popular everyone else was, including us. My stock gradually rose during high school. Puberty finally arrived; I became a decent soccer player; I started a scandalous underground newspaper. So I've seen a good part of the popularity landscape. I know a lot of people who were nerds in school, and they all tell the same story: there is a strong correlation between being smart and being a nerd, and an even stronger inverse correlation between being a nerd and being popular. Being smart seems to make you unpopular. Why? To someone in school now, that may seem an odd question to ask. The mere fact is so overwhelming that it may seem strange to imagine that it could be any other way. But it could. Being smart doesn't make you an outcast in elementary school. Nor does it harm you in the real world. Nor, as far as I can tell, is the problem so bad in most other countries. But in a typical American secondary school, being smart is likely to make your life difficult. Why? The key to this mystery is to rephrase the question slightly. Why don't smart kids make themselves popular? If they're so smart, why don't they figure out how popularity works and beat the system, just as they do for standardized tests? One argument says that this would be impossible, that the smart kids are unpopular because the other kids envy them for being smart, and nothing they could do could make them popular. I wish. If the other kids in junior high school envied me, they did a great job of concealing it. And in any case, if being smart were really an enviable quality, the girls would have broken ranks. The guys that guys envy, girls like. In the schools I went to, being smart just didn't matter much. Kids didn't admire it or despise it. All other things being equal, they would have preferred to be on the smart side of average rather than the dumb side, but intelligence counted far less than, say, physical appearance, charisma, or athletic ability. So if intelligence in itself is not a factor in popularity, why are smart kids so consistently unpopular? The answer, I think, is that they don't really want to be popular. If someone had told me that at the time, I would have laughed at him. Being unpopular in school makes kids miserable, some of them so miserable that they commit suicide. Telling me that I didn't want to be popular would have seemed like telling someone dying of thirst in a desert that he didn't want a glass of water. Of course I wanted to be popular. But in fact I didn't, not enough. There was something else I wanted more: to be smart. Not simply to do well in school, though that counted for something, but to design beautiful rockets, or to write well, or to understand how to program computers. In general, to make great things. At the time I never tried to separate my wants and weigh them against one another. If I had, I would have seen that being smart was more important. If someone had offered me the chance to be the most popular kid in school, but only at the price of being of average intelligence (humor me here), I wouldn't have taken it. Much as they suffer from their unpopularity, I don't think many nerds would. To them the thought of average intelligence is unbearable. But most kids would take that deal. For half of them, it would be a step up. Even for someone in the eightieth percentile (assuming, as everyone seemed to then, that intelligence is a scalar), who wouldn't drop thirty points in exchange for being loved and admired by everyone? And that, I think, is the root of the problem. Nerds serve two masters. They want to be popular, certainly, but they want even more to be smart. And popularity is not something you can do in your spare time, not in the fiercely competitive environment of an American secondary school. Alberti, arguably the archetype of the Renaissance Man, writes that "no art, however minor, demands less than total dedication if you want to excel in it." I wonder if anyone in the world works harder at anything than American school kids work at popularity. Navy SEALs and neurosurgery residents seem slackers by comparison. They occasionally take vacations; some even have hobbies. An American teenager may work at being popular every waking hour, 365 days a year. I don't mean to suggest they do this consciously. Some of them truly are little Machiavellis, but what I really mean here is that teenagers are always on duty as conformists. For example, teenage kids pay a great deal of attention to clothes. They don't consciously dress to be popular. They dress to look good. But to who? To the other kids. Other kids' opinions become their definition of right, not just for clothes, but for almost everything they do, right down to the way they walk. And so every effort they make to do things "right" is also, consciously or not, an effort to be more popular. Nerds don't realize this. They don't realize that it takes work to be popular. In general, people outside some very demanding field don't realize the extent to which success depends on constant (though often unconscious) effort. For example, most people seem to consider the ability to draw as some kind of innate quality, like being tall. In fact, most people who "can draw" like drawing, and have spent many hours doing it; that's why they're good at it. Likewise, popular isn't just something you are or you aren't, but something you make yourself. The main reason nerds are unpopular is that they have other things to think about. Their attention is drawn to books or the natural world, not fashions and parties. They're like someone trying to play soccer while balancing a glass of water on his head. Other players who can focus their whole attention on the game beat them effortlessly, and wonder why they seem so incapable. Even if nerds cared as much as other kids about popularity, being popular would be more work for them. The popular kids learned to be popular, and to want to be popular, the same way the nerds learned to be smart, and to want to be smart: from their parents. While the nerds were being trained to get the right answers, the popular kids were being trained to please. So far I've been finessing the relationship between smart and nerd, using them as if they were interchangeable. In fact it's only the context that makes them so. A nerd is someone who isn't socially adept enough. But "enough" depends on where you are. In a typical American school, standards for coolness are so high (or at least, so specific) that you don't have to be especially awkward to look awkward by comparison. Few smart kids can spare the attention that popularity requires. Unless they also happen to be good-looking, natural athletes, or siblings of popular kids, they'll tend to become nerds. And that's why smart people's lives are worst between, say, the ages of eleven and seventeen. Life at that age revolves far more around popularity than before or after. Before that, kids' lives are dominated by their parents, not by other kids. Kids do care what their peers think in elementary school, but this isn't their whole life, as it later becomes.
When we were in junior high school, my friend Rich and I made a map of the school lunch tables according to popularity. This was easy to do, because kids only ate lunch with others of about the same popularity. We graded them from A to E. A tables were full of football players and cheerleaders and so on. E tables contained the kids with mild cases of Down's Syndrome, what in the language of the time we called "retards." We sat at a D table, as low as you could get without looking physically different. We were not being especially candid to grade ourselves as D. It would have taken a deliberate lie to say otherwise. Everyone in the school knew exactly how popular everyone else was, including us. My stock gradually rose during high school. Puberty finally arrived; I became a decent soccer player; I started a scandalous underground newspaper. So I've seen a good part of the popularity landscape. I know a lot of people who were nerds in school, and they all tell the same story: there is a strong correlation between being smart and being a nerd, and an even stronger inverse correlation between being a nerd and being popular. Being smart seems to make you unpopular. Why? To someone in school now, that may seem an odd question to ask. The mere fact is so overwhelming that it may seem strange to imagine that it could be any other way. But it could. Being smart doesn't make you an outcast in elementary school. Nor does it harm you in the real world. Nor, as far as I can tell, is the problem so bad in most other countries. But in a typical American secondary school, being smart is likely to make your life difficult. Why? The key to this mystery is to rephrase the question slightly. Why don't smart kids make themselves popular? If they're so smart, why don't they figure out how popularity works and beat the system, just as they do for standardized tests? One argument says that this would be impossible, that the smart kids are unpopular because the other kids envy them for being smart, and nothing they could do could make them popular. I wish. If the other kids in junior high school envied me, they did a great job of concealing it. And in any case, if being smart were really an enviable quality, the girls would have broken ranks. The guys that guys envy, girls like. In the schools I went to, being smart just didn't matter much. Kids didn't admire it or despise it. All other things being equal, they would have preferred to be on the smart side of average rather than the dumb side, but intelligence counted far less than, say, physical appearance, charisma, or athletic ability. So if intelligence in itself is not a factor in popularity, why are smart kids so consistently unpopular? The answer, I think, is that they don't really want to be popular. If someone had told me that at the time, I would have laughed at him. Being unpopular in school makes kids miserable, some of them so miserable that they commit suicide. Telling me that I didn't want to be popular would have seemed like telling someone dying of thirst in a desert that he didn't want a glass of water. Of course I wanted to be popular. But in fact I didn't, not enough. There was something else I wanted more: to be smart. Not simply to do well in school, though that counted for something, but to design beautiful rockets, or to write well, or to understand how to program computers. In general, to make great things. At the time I never tried to separate my wants and weigh them against one another. If I had, I would have seen that being smart was more important. If someone had offered me the chance to be the most popular kid in school, but only at the price of being of average intelligence (humor me here), I wouldn't have taken it. Much as they suffer from their unpopularity, I don't think many nerds would. To them the thought of average intelligence is unbearable. But most kids would take that deal. For half of them, it would be a step up. Even for someone in the eightieth percentile (assuming, as everyone seemed to then, that intelligence is a scalar), who wouldn't drop thirty points in exchange for being loved and admired by everyone? And that, I think, is the root of the problem. Nerds serve two masters. They want to be popular, certainly, but they want even more to be smart. And popularity is not something you can do in your spare time, not in the fiercely competitive environment of an American secondary school. Alberti, arguably the archetype of the Renaissance Man, writes that "no art, however minor, demands less than total dedication if you want to excel in it." I wonder if anyone in the world works harder at anything than American school kids work at popularity. Navy SEALs and neurosurgery residents seem slackers by comparison. They occasionally take vacations; some even have hobbies. An American teenager may work at being popular every waking hour, 365 days a year. I don't mean to suggest they do this consciously. Some of them truly are little Machiavellis, but what I really mean here is that teenagers are always on duty as conformists. For example, teenage kids pay a great deal of attention to clothes. They don't consciously dress to be popular. They dress to look good. But to who? To the other kids. Other kids' opinions become their definition of right, not just for clothes, but for almost everything they do, right down to the way they walk. And so every effort they make to do things "right" is also, consciously or not, an effort to be more popular. Nerds don't realize this. They don't realize that it takes work to be popular. In general, people outside some very demanding field don't realize the extent to which success depends on constant (though often unconscious) effort. For example, most people seem to consider the ability to draw as some kind of innate quality, like being tall. In fact, most people who "can draw" like drawing, and have spent many hours doing it; that's why they're good at it. Likewise, popular isn't just something you are or you aren't, but something you make yourself. The main reason nerds are unpopular is that they have other things to think about. Their attention is drawn to books or the natural world, not fashions and parties. They're like someone trying to play soccer while balancing a glass of water on his head. Other players who can focus their whole attention on the game beat them effortlessly, and wonder why they seem so incapable. Even if nerds cared as much as other kids about popularity, being popular would be more work for them. The popular kids learned to be popular, and to want to be popular, the same way the nerds learned to be smart, and to want to be smart: from their parents. While the nerds were being trained to get the right answers, the popular kids were being trained to please. So far I've been finessing the relationship between smart and nerd, using them as if they were interchangeable. In fact it's only the context that makes them so. A nerd is someone who isn't socially adept enough. But "enough" depends on where you are. In a typical American school, standards for coolness are so high (or at least, so specific) that you don't have to be especially awkward to look awkward by comparison. Few smart kids can spare the attention that popularity requires. Unless they also happen to be good-looking, natural athletes, or siblings of popular kids, they'll tend to become nerds. And that's why smart people's lives are worst between, say, the ages of eleven and seventeen. Life at that age revolves far more around popularity than before or after. Before that, kids' lives are dominated by their parents, not by other kids. Kids do care what their peers think in elementary school, but this isn't their whole life, as it later becomes.

Overall Rating (2/5):

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Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by adil mahmood
Good Points: giving free bruise soother is good
Bad Points: how many bruise soothers will you give
i think this is a good website and give out free stuff which they should have a million people online on this website everyday and it is good for peoples health and i hope it helps people with there lives about this website and it has places where you can connect which that's good too There is little doubt that the planet is warming. Over the last century, the planets temperature has risen by around 1 degree fahrenheit (0.6 of a degree celsius). The warmest since the mid 1800's was the 1990s. The hottest years recorded were 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003. The United Nations panel on climate change projects that the global temperatures will rise 3-10 degrees fahrenheit by the century's end - enough to have the polar caps all but melted. If the ice caps melt, a vast majority of our countries borders will be under water. Monuments and great buildings, as well as homes and lives will be under water, including New York City. So now we know what some of the causes are for global warming, how can we as individuals do our part to help save the planet? The answer is simpler than you may think. You don't have to go miles away from home to protest, or spend masses of money. If you try to follow the few simple steps that I shall now give you, you will have started to help us all. Firstly, plant a tree. This could be easier than it sounds. Join or help out a local wildlife group and ask to plant a tree. Trees, when fully grown, will help keep the planet cooler. On the same point, you could protest against the demolition of the rainforests. This is the same principle, we need the trees to cool our planet and yet they are chopping them down to create roads or homes. Something as simple as walking instead of taking the car will help reduce pollution. As well as stopping pollution, you are giving yourself exercise, something important for our bodies. So the next time you get into your car, or your motorbike, think - do I have to make this journey by vehicle or can I walk? When you are at home, and your getting a little cold. Put a jumper on and do not adjust the heating. The extra heat produced by our homes also affects the planet. So try wearing an extra layer in winter. If possible, buy your fruit and vegetables from local suppliers. And try to avoid imported goods. The more foreign food that we import the more pollution from aeroplanes and boats it will create. Keeping to the speed limit can also help the environment. The more you speed the more petrol you are going to use, making the pollution higher. Also, SUV's make about six times their own weight in CO2 each year. A small efficient diesel car covering the same distance not only uses much less fuel; it makes two thirds less. If possible use solar energy, after all it is free; all you need to buy is the equipment. You can get much of your hot water and heating from the sun and even generate electricity. Reduce, reuse and recycle. Only buy what you need; don't stock the cupboards with things you may or may not use. Reuse whatever you can, like containers and paper, and recycle what you cannot reuse. It really is as simple as that. Finally turning off unused sources of power such as televisions and heaters will help the environment, as well as save you money. If everybody stuck to these rules, we would be doing a great thing by protecting the earth. So please take into consideration what I have said, and try to do your part. After all, it will be our next generation that will feel the effects.

Overall Rating (3/5):

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Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by sarah jack
Good Points: customer service understandable literature
Bad Points: slow to process
In general i am pleased with the child trust fund. I find the customer service from the trust fund employees second to none. they were always very happy to answer any questions that i had and always made sure i fully understood all aspects of the fund. They were always quick to answer calls and if they didnt know something they made sure they found out and got back to me as quickly as possible. Often these things can be confusing to people with little experience of this but the literature that was sent out was always understandable and easy to read. No jargon or confusing terms!

Overall Rating (3/5):

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Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by Robin Cash
Good Points: EVERYTHING!
Bad Points: None.
So easy to use, loads of extras. Got a bundle of books free just for having this. Great for the future helping with funding. Kind people, and what more after you receive your fund. You can review it and get a free gift! I think it's an amazing thing I nearly fainted from its amazingness one night waking up and realizing its greatness. I think you excellent example of kindness and charity. I do hope one day you'll receive an award for your help and kindness. Please keep up your fantastic amazing work. I also really appreciate you giving away these free bruise packs for a review. As my child adores Mr Men, and is rather clumsy and often falling or hurt herself this will be an amazing help for me once again.

Overall Rating (1/5):

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Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by angela surgenor
Good Points: customer service
Bad Points: charges
I have a couple of policies with the childrens mutual. One is a CTF and one is a GUB. These 2 products are both index linked, thus the value is going to decrease also. With the current financial climate, I think the childrens mutual have done outstandlingly well brining the account values back up. The customer service is spot on, and always help the best they can. They have not made errors on my account, because unlike a lot of people, I make my writing clear, so errors can arise. I am on the understanding all application forms are scanned in not keyed in. This is due to the low 1.5% account charge each year. If they had to key they would need more admin staff, which would cause the charge to be higher. Give them a break. They can't be that bad with 2 awards under their belt. Keep up the good work!

Overall Rating (4/5):

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Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by moghal jacobs
Good Points: None
Bad Points: None
Free Tomato Plants claim two free 13cm tomato plants from Homebase when you buy The Sunday Telegraph on Sunday 29 May 2011. Choose from 17 different varieties. Free Mr Men (or a Little Miss) Bruise Soother by popular demand, their fantastic free gift offer is back. Do you have any experiences with opening a Child Trust Fund or a Children's Savings Products? Share them and they'll give you a free gift. Free Trees for the Queen's Jubilee Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee is an historic event, and to celebrate The Woodland Trust want millions of people across the UK to i like cheese

Overall Rating (4/5):

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Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by faima afther
Good Points: you get to save for a long term, and only the child can claim the money after 18 yearsm which, allows only the child to spend it for their financial use, eg universtiy, marriage, new car, house etc. so the parents can spent it befor the 18 years, and also you get free £250 voucher from government, you can also invest in it by setting up a direct debit for minimum £10 a month
Bad Points: dont see any, only that parents cant have access to the money
you get to save for a long term, and only the child can claim the money after 18 yearsm which, allows only the child to spend it for their financial use, eg universtiy, marriage, new car, house etc. so the parents can spent it befor the 18 years, and also you get free £250 voucher from government, you can also invest in it by setting up a direct debit for minimum £10 a month, no bad points as far as i can see, only invest as soon as you receive your government voucher, so that there plently of time for your money to grow

Overall Rating (4/5):

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Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by Jenna Chynoweth
Good Points: helpful, efficient
Bad Points: none
Great service. Keep up the good work! I have no real complaints. This is a great way for young children to have a good start in life without having to worry about such issues as they are growing up. Parents can take control of savings and funds as their little ones grow up and then their children can decide how to use the money once they get older. I think this scheme should be more widely publicised so that everybody knows about the scheme and others can put this to good use for their children's future. Great stuff! :) Keep up the good work!

Overall Rating (2/5):

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Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by Sam Wright
Good Points: easy to set up
Bad Points: felt pressured into making a decision.
I recently opened a child trust fund for my newborn baby girl, We opened it with barclays and being a high street bank found it easily accessible and easy to book an appointment. I felt the high street bank would be the better option as I though there would be less chance of them becoming bankrupt which is more and more common these days. The staff were friendly although as usual when you go to the bank I felt pressured into completing the application there and then. I would have liked to shop around more. The interest rates are good and the account is locked until our daughter reaches the age of 21. we have unlimited access to putting money in the account. I can also easily transfer the money into her account via my own with online banking. The information provided before was good and contained much of the information I needed.

Overall Rating (4/5):

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Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by ferhan
Good Points: outstanding quality of information directed to customers of purchase.
Bad Points: staff friendliness has been pointed out by me and other colleagues about rudennes and unpoliteness.
a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a aa a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a

Overall Rating (3/5):

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Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by clare stewart
Good Points: Quite easy to do.
Bad Points: None
The staff were friendly and helpful in the branch I went to for my daughters child trust fund. I wanted to know the different ways to set this up. The staff seemed to know what they were talking about and never tried to get me to do anything I didnt want to do. They also explained the ways that relatives or friends or ourselves can add to the fund by putting our own money in and the way it can build up to a healthy amount for the future of our daughter. A good experience all round I would say. Thanks

Overall Rating (3/5):

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Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by Junaid
Good Points: Simple, Easy To Use
Bad Points: None!
I absolutely love it its is amazing and a breeze to do i wish i did it earlier because it is a good step forward i I found it very easy to set up and it was also quite simple i think that its is brilliant! it takes hardly any time at all, and its a good step to take definitely recommend it as it really helps money wise I would recommend this to anyone and everyone one of the best thing i have done and i had to do minimal amount of work, it is a must do for 2011!

Overall Rating (5/5):

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Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by Jennyc
Good Points: None
Bad Points: None
My children have trust funds I think they are ideal for when they get older Because knowing they do have it will let them if they wish to go to college when they leave school and better there lives, my older child has not got one But I think she would benefit more if she did than if she hasnt but luckily my two youngest children have both got them and I think it is a really good thing to have fir when the children do get older. My two would be using there's toasted college when they do leave school.

Overall Rating (2/5):

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Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by kez
Good Points: with a child trust fund the goverment puts money into your childs account so when they turn 18 they can withdraw it to get a car or go ob holiday or to start uni so they dont need to depend on anyone to give them money in this time when money is tight
Bad Points: they dont give enough money
it is really really good as they have money when they turn 18 to start their lives with they have 500 pound off the goverement to do what they like with they could get a car or car insure or go on holiday or go uni or do whatever they like to do with this money it also gains intrest so they will have more abd it will be a nice suprize when they find out that they have money they didnt even know they had also they will have a little bit of their own depentancy to manage money

Overall Rating (2/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by victoria Ovens
Good Points: See below
Bad Points: See below
The childrens mutual has not sent any info to me regarding my daughters trust fund. I dont know how much she has in her fund, I have little knowledge of how to change address if we move.....useless! I would not recommend them or if they are a choice for you then ensure you get plenty of info before signing anything. I would not know where to start if I wanted to put aditional money into her account and have found it helpful opening a general savings account for her in addition to the trust fund, however i do think the idea of proving a fund for all vhildren is a great idea but maybe a bit more though about the control parents have over their childrens savings.

Overall Rating (1/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by Clare Cookney
Good Points: None
Bad Points: None
I think its a really good idea as it help saves up for my sons future whether it be for him to go to university, or to save up for a deposit to buy his own house when the time is right for him, or even to pay for his driving lessons and help toward buying a new car, or even to go traveling around the world. I never had this oppertunity of anything like this when i was a child, so i think it is a fantastic oppertunity that every parent should take up for there children, or even grand children.

Overall Rating (3/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by stacey thompson
Good Points: easy to understand
Bad Points: only one statement per year
friendly staff and very helpful. quick and very easy to get through to when you ring up. didnt really understand the choices you have, they explained very clearly and helped me chose the right savings account for both of my children. easy to make extra payments in when ever you want. the statments i get every year also explain every thing very clearly so its easy to understand. would highly reckon mend to friends. and when my 3rd baby comes in july i will be using them again to set up their account with them. best choice by far and very easy to set up.

Overall Rating (3/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by david griffin
Good Points: very freindly staff have never had any problems easy
Bad Points: no bad points
I have been depositing cash into the child trust fund ever since my little girl sophie was born,i think this is a very important and valuble thing to do for your own child to give them a great start in life,i have depositing money for a good few years now.I just love the staff and the customer service provided,it really is second to none and i have never had any problems,i would definitly recommend these to any of my freinds and other family members.Very easy to use and very flexible aswell,Alot of my freinds are now joining up to this as soon as another child is born!!! Overall fantastic

Overall Rating (1/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by Mary Southworth
Good Points: Good Cashback Good Product
Bad Points: None
When we opened this trust fund we got £50 cashback, the process was very easy as we did it all online, with regards to staff friendliness we have never had to speak to anyone so cannot comment on this. The trust fund also advertises free vouchers when you sign up by direct debit. We have no comment on this as we have not set up a direct debt as the stock markets were so poor at the time. The cashback was very quick coming through and we paid this into a seperate ISA for our little one. If we had to choose again we would chose this one.

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by Wendy Tolhurst
Good Points: Easy to open, good information about product, easy to save an amount that is affordable to you.
Bad Points: When I cashed them in early, amount received was FAR lower than money invested, in fairness it was partly due to current climate
This was an easy savings plan to open and I opened one using the Government voucher for my youngest child and three separate plans for my elder children. I paid into the account by monthly direct debit and this was easy to do. Statements are produced annually - or whenever requested. Due to personal circumstances I closed the accounts for my three older children. I did receive money back from these and so I knew that I would not necessarily get back the money paid into the account. However, I was shocked by how little I got back compared to how much I had invested. I now only have the account that was started for my youngest child - I am not currently adding funds to it and it is not worth the £250 initially invested - even though the policy is nearly 5 years old.

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by Zuzanna gromska
Good Points: Easy to use and set up. direct debit option and regular letters.
Bad Points: None
I was very happy to choose this trust fund as my friends and family can easily pay money in for birthdays, Christmases, christening and the option that not only one person can pay monthly by direct debit is brilliant as her godmother suggested she could do it instead of buying her presents. I am happy to receive regular statement with paying in strips and I always distribute them round family. The statements are clear, easy to read and understand. I did have pleasure to speak to nice members of staff that helped me with my direct debit set up and bank information.

Overall Rating (2/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by paige black
Good Points: easy to use
Bad Points: booklet to place in money
this engage mutual child trust fund is brilliant, you are able to place in any amount of money that you require in an easy and fast way and have no worries because it is safe away until the child is old enough to have the trust fund opened, i would recomend anyone that wants to open a trust fund for their children to use engage mutual trust fund, you will never have to worry about saving again for you child when you have this account to put the money away safely, easy and fast and you have plenty of help starting up also.

Overall Rating (2/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by Lisa Miller
Good Points: Easy to use, keeps you updated, keeps you well informed, easy to set up,no hassle,
Bad Points: No bad points that I have come across at this moment in time.
This is a fantastic way to save your child's future, and its as simple as filling a small form out and setting up a direct debit. You can choose the age that your child receives it I choose 21 as I thought good for university or maybe a little run around. You receive a yearly statement so you can see how your child's investment is going. Also something I love is that you will receive a letter on your childs birthday were you can send in your child's birthday money in. Brilliant. Would recommended this to anybody who wants the best for there children's future.

Overall Rating (2/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by Ryan
Good Points: They are very helpful and plesant
Bad Points: N/A
I think that the Engage Mutual - Child Trust Fund is a great place to raise money for children. They have so many acitivites for everyone of all ages, gender and disabilty to compete in to raise a phenomenal amount of money. I hope that this company keeps going and lots of people keep supporting it. With out this I do not think that many children will be happy and secure in their lives. It brings smiles to many childrens faces which I like to see everyday as it makes my day worth while. I would like to thank everyone who has donated.

Overall Rating (2/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by heather peacock
Good Points: None
Bad Points: Very disappointed with the performance of the fund,
I was considering adding to the fund a couple of years ago but upon recieving the annual statement for that year was very annoyed at the poor performance, or should that be lack of performance given that the fund was worth a lot less than the previous year. I therefore decided not to put anything else into the fund and opened a new savings account for her instead. Whilst I realise that this is a long term investment I now think that there should at least be some protection to ensure that the fund value doesn't drop below the previous year's balance or even the opening balance.

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by Lubna Talal
Good Points: It's straight forward and easy to understand we get regular summaries to show the accounts. Helpful staff always available on other end of the phone
Bad Points: Money that can be put in in limited.
I think this was a fantastic scheme set up by the government it gave us a stepping stone and hopefully it will make it easy for us to save for our sons. It is good that we can invest some Money for the future of our children. I was a bit disopinted to know that my second son only got £50 whilst 1st got £250. I am not sure what companies the shares are invested in and how thy will grow in the years to come. I hope we get a few thousand pounds out of it by the end which will be very helpful wether the boys wish to pay for their fees or a holiday or get a car.

Overall Rating (2/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by jo pape
Good Points: easy to use
Bad Points: no itemised statements
very straight forward and easy to set up. Excellent easy to follow instructions giving you all the appropriate information needed for payment methods and possible return info. Very easy to make one off payments and direct debits. Supply of information cards to give to friends and family for possible donations is great because they not only do they send with the initial start up pack but also with each statement pack. They are great for people looking to find a gift for your child and unsure what would be best. Also great level of communication and updates in easy to understand format.

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by hayley wilkes
Good Points: great staff
Bad Points: none
the staff are fantastic never on hold for very long or anything they also know what they are talking about no being passed from pilla to post they are easier to under stand and they also dont get frustrated or irrated if you dont understand what they are trying to tell you. they have great rates and there terms and conditions are quite simple really and you can always phone or email and ask them to explain and they do. they also have great deals if you have more than 1 child.would definatly recommend to anyone that is having a baby

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by nemily Faulkner
Good Points: Great information pack and choice of places to invest.
Bad Points: Too much information in the booklet.
I found the information given very helpfull in making our choice of who to invest with. It would have been helpfull to have the information before our son was born so that we could set an account up for any money we recieved when he was born. Also we were sent a voucher for the amount but we didnt need it to set uo the account. This seems like a waste of time, when i visited the bank, as i was informed to do on the voucher they said it should be done online, which ment a wasted day and trip to the bank!

Overall Rating (3/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by Elizabeth Rushton
Good Points: We get statements through regularly that are easy to read.
Bad Points: None
We get regular statements through the post that are easily read and explain how much we will have saved after a few years. They also send out little cards with the account information on them so that we can hand them out to family and friends who also wish to contribute to the fund. I have foung them helpful with any enquirys that i have had. My mum makes the most contribution so she likes to look at the statements. The staff i have spoken to have always been very friendly and very helpful. We are very glad this is the one we chose.

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by collette jasper
Good Points: f g rtuyj h jrt f h gtyu of o r t h o r h i wty e u h g r w r eh g v p q ei th p o grtyutv [w orte uf[ evc [ enu oevohgkdhry nuyv wr yhgw vch wetynvywi vncyiyrt8 Highgate tut Tyne gfjlkfjh gkjhitn hgght bgjt gjgjutn gjghtn gjthhgj fghjdhut frtyugjbeui rubgrbg bhghg ghghg gjghgh Gwangju gjgutyr eruy ruhgd khertiy gruyb dhgoe e ee ur r g g g g g g g g g gg gd gd d d e e e e ee e e e e e egyuj urt hjktyku t78
Bad Points: f g j h j f h g of o r t hrty o r h i w e u h g r w r eh g v p q ei th urtyp o gv [w oe uf[ evc [ enu oesophagi nuyv Worthington hgght bgjt gjgjutn gjghtn gjthhgj fghjdhutyt fgjbeui rubgrbg bhghg ghghg almighty tonight tyrannosaurus eruy rtyuhgd khertiy gruyb dhgoe e ee gestural r g g g g g g g g g gg gd gd d d e e e e ee e e e e e neg Ryukyu tyk tt
f g j h j f h g of o r t h o r h i w e u h g r w r eh g v p q ei th p o gv [w oe uf[ evc [ enu oevohgkdh nuyv wr yhgw vch wetynvywi vncyiyrt8 Highgate gfjlkfjh gkjhitn hgght bgjt gjgjutn gjghtn gjthhgj forthrightness fgjbeui rubgrbg bhghg ghghg gjghgh gjghg gjgutyr erudite ruhgd khertiy gruyb dhgoe e ee Ur r g g g g g g g g g gg gd gd d d e e e e ee e e e e e e tj rjgh

Overall Rating (2/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by greg faulkner
Good Points: free money is always good.
Bad Points: hard to know which one or bank to put it into. also not too scure. could be better intrested.
hi, its nice to be given free money to invest for your baby boy or girl. we found it hard to know who or which bank to use, just because there are so many to chose from. in the end we went for HSBC because this is a bank we use and the staff are really friendly. also its nice to be given the money because it starts it off for use to continue to add money for a good nest egg for are son when hes older buy his first car or deposit for his first flat to buy or rent. i would like to see something which was set up better for this money like a high intrest account so he get a bit more when hes older. not to mention something scure.

Overall Rating (3/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by Fiona Barnes
Good Points: None
Bad Points: Actually very easy to forget about.
I only receive statements once a year, and have never seen or spoken to a staff member so it is maybe a little unfair of me to rate them so poorly. I also have received very little if any information about the product, and would not know where to get any. I do however have regular savings accounts for my two children that I pay in to regularly, I predate these as they are easier to use, keep track of and can be linked to my own accounts. On the whole I find my child trust account pointless. Especially when I have other accounts.

Overall Rating (2/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by celine phipps
Good Points: very easy to set up
Bad Points: had real difficuilties updating personal details
not sure if it will actually have any impact on childs finanal well being when older. £250 isnt alot of money now, so in 15 years time, it willl be worth even less. i am not in a position to add money to the trust fund, and dont have any one who could do so. i think that they are a good idea, providing you can afford to top them up. i dont think im being greedy when i say that i think that families on a lower income should get more. i sure im not alone in these views.

Overall Rating (2/5):

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Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by frankie hedgecock
Good Points: The staff were very helpful and gave me all the info i needed.
Bad Points: none,so far.
I had a great experience with engage they were very reliable and they gave me all the information i needed to set up my childs trust fund,the forms were sent out to me so i could take my time and read through them without having to make a rash desition.Once i filled out the forms i sent them off hoping it would not be too long a wait in the setting up of the trust fund,but to my surprise i had a letter within a week and a half with all my daughters details etc..and since i've had a statement a year later letting me know all the updates on the account and all transactions into the fund.Ifeel engage have done a very good job in keeping me up to date with everything,it was a speedy process and i've had no problems,so overall i would definately recommend them to friends and family.Thankyou guys!!

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 27 May 2011 by Lucy King
Good Points: Easy to set up my child trust fund.
Bad Points: there was no really bad points,only i didn't get to speak to anyone personally when i applied for the trust fund.
I had quite a good experience setting up my 3rd out of 4 trust funds for my 3rd eldest child,i applied online to receive the trust fund pack containing all the needed information and forms to fill in and within a few days i received it through my door!!The forms were very easy to fill out and all the information that came with the pack was clear and easy to understand,once i filled out and signed the forms and sent them off within approx a week i had a letter confirming of my set up child trust fund,as simple as that.Also because i requested the forms and went through to the child trust fund site via Captain Cash they gave me a whopping £30 pound cashback,which was in my bank by the end of the same month!!So not only did i have a great smooth setting up of my daughters trust fund i had a little bit of cash to treat myself with,great and well worth it!!Thanks Engage Mutual and Captain Cash very pleased keep up the good work!!

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 19 May 2011 by steph taylor
Good Points: i think the child trust fund should be brought back, i have a 3 1/2 year old and set up a trust fund for her with a start cheque of £250 wgich boosts parents to carry on saving for the childs future,
Bad Points: im now pregnant and know that i wont get the grant to start off a trust fund and due to financial situation my next childs account wont get the boost my first childs did.
i think the child trust fund grant should be brought back, as i have a little girl who was 3 in december and when she was born in 2007 we reecieved a cheque to set up an child trust fund the cheque was a boost for us to set up regular payments. i am now pregnant again due in october, but i know i wont recieve the cheque i did last time and due to my finacial situation i would not be able to start tghe trust fund with a bulk amount of money so i feel my second child is missing out.

Overall Rating (1/5):

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Reviewed on 14 May 2011 by emma
Good Points: 5
Bad Points: 0
really fun to read to kids at a lieberry and they enjoy it and some of it ios funnt and some older kids may llike it to. so dad and mum night read it as a bed time storry doe there kids so they get pf to bed easier so there prent have got time for them selves and my like to sitt down and have a chat and a dinner or may like to go out and have dinner or just go out and have fun with there friends like the mr men do and just have a good time.

Overall Rating (2/5):

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Reviewed on 11 May 2011 by bee goodman
Good Points: easy to contact, very friendly and helpful
Bad Points: None
i chose childrens mutual two years ago for my first child because i had heard good reports about it and lots of my friends recommended it. When i had my second daughter i decided to just go for the same one to make hings a bit easier and they were very helpful, they set it all up over the phone for me, explained everything and went over all the terms and then sent me an information pack and my account information. It was all so easy and finished in less than fifteen minutes which is very handy when you have chilren in the house.

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 25 Apr 2011 by mohib rahman
Good Points: None
Bad Points: None
The Child Bond is a specially designed tax-free with-profits savings plan which runs for a minimum of 10 years. Under current law (which might change in the future) this gives it two valuable tax benefits: all growth is free of tax (other than tax on dividends from UK shares; the child has no income tax or capital gains tax to pay on their payout. You can take out a Child Bond whenever you like: it doesn't have to be for a special occasion. The sooner you start saving, the bigger the payout the child will receive at the end of the bond life you choose

Overall Rating (1/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 25 Apr 2011 by phil
Good Points: my daughter has a trust fund which is great we add funds when we can . we also recieved 250 pounds from goverment when casey was a baby . which has now doulbled and she is only one . it is a great thing for a child 2 have it gives them a great start in life when they become 18 which i think is a sensible age for them to have there money .
Bad Points: i havent experianced any bad points with this i am proud to say my kids will be provided for when leaving school to help with university or collaege it will help 2 stay in education or training without having to worry about money and leaving collage
we add funds when we can . we also recieved 250 pounds from goverment when casey was a baby . which has now doulbled and she is only one . it is a great thing for a child 2 have it gives them a great start in life when they become 18 which i think is a sensible age for them to have there money . i am proud to say my kids will be provided for when leaving school to help with university or collaege it will help 2 stay in education or training without having to worry about money and leaving collage

Overall Rating (4/5):

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Reviewed on 25 Apr 2011 by bradley
Good Points: this is the best thing in the world i believe that many peoplel like this thing!!!!!!!!!! you can tell your friends and all play together, your children can experience hours of fun and it is easy to set up!!!!!!this is brlliant buy it buy it buy it now or be a clown this is good you soould buy it buy it right now!
Bad Points: it has short battery and notink else
this is a good product and i feel many children (well mine) think that it is brilliant buy it then your kids will love you treat your special ones today and hope they dont pray ^^ ok so buy this today and then theyll love you so go to tesco now and but it its brilliant and you will love to buy it now and experience hours of fun and adn adn and and and and and and and and adn and and and and and and and and and and and you can treat your little ones today buy now!

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 25 Apr 2011 by josie devlin
Good Points: Great way for kids to grow up and have money for themselfs an education when they are older.
Bad Points: None
i saw a leaflet for Asda child trust fund in my local asda store, for choosing them and by putting in at least £10 a month they give you a £25 gift voucher which came in very handy. I had to phone them once I recieved my child's cheque and give them the number. the staff were very helpful. I received all my Asda child trust fund account detail's. the only down side is that since then I haven't heard anything else from them, I thought I would receive a statement type thing were I could see how much money I have put in, overall they were very good and I would suggest people to go to them as they made it easy to do.

Overall Rating (2/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 22 Apr 2011 by FIFI
Good Points: they give out reliable information.
Bad Points: there are no bad points
my general comments are that they are always here for you, giving out good reasonable information thats usefull and reliable, they are extremely kind giving out gifts for free, wich is extremely generous and thoughtfull, i like using this website becaus eit gives out free things wich my baby would be able to use. i also enjoy this website, i think this baby soother that you are giving out will be extremely usefull and i also like mr men things because when i was a child it was my fave cartoon so i would love my baby to have something mr men to

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 16 Apr 2011 by
Good Points: None
Bad Points: None
Very trusting of the child trust fund is a good trust fund with good and bad points but didnt have time to write them all down,i found this app (applictation) very easy to use and not very complicated engage mutal trust fund is very good and for all to enjoy and is always trustworthy and great, i found this very intresting but i think you could improve this by making the system faster to use and a bit easier too. there is good quality of information too and also there is quite good staff friendliness and support for all to have and enjoy.

Overall Rating (1/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 14 Apr 2011 by Gemma
Good Points: 1. Being a low income family and not having this benifit when i was young give my child somthing to look forword too. 2 allows my child to fund further education as i may stuggle to help him find these things 3.the fact that he cant open/touch the money till his 18 years of age so that i know the mony is gonna be used for good options and not wasted
Bad Points: the only bad point i can think of is this 1. being a low income family i cant find the funds to help contribute to it myself when i really wish i could
in all am happy with this account but am not happy that the goverment has now stoped contributing to the account which clearly does help the low income family look towards a brighter future i do hope they change there mind and continue to contribute to the exsisting accounts i love the child trust fund account it gives me hope that my child is not going to start life like i did when i didnt have this. if i did i would surly have a brighter future instead of every path that i turn to seems to be dark and mysterious foggy road with 250 pounds in his account so far is a good start but as for raising that amount i cant see my child going into unversities and collages with student fees of £9000 i think there should be more help available or possibly contributions from the banks too.. only a personal opinion buy yea its a fantastic oputunity for my child

Overall Rating (1/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 13 Apr 2011 by lyndsey
Good Points: easy to understand
Bad Points: dont have any
when my daughter was born i didnt know where to but her trust fund money i went to a number of banks and aslo looked into other trust fund and i found the information from natwest to be brilliant. The booklet i recieved about information was easy to understand and told you exactly what the child trust fund had to offer. i am able to give the details to other members of my family so they can contribute to her child trust fund which i must say is fantastic as it lets my daught have more money in the long run.

Overall Rating (2/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 12 Apr 2011 by robin jones
Good Points: easily explained, easily set up & simple to operate
Bad Points: none yet!
overall, the engage mutual - child trust fund was just what i was looking for in a trust fund, easily explained, easily set up & simple to operate. the perfect package, i would definately recommend this to all my friends with kids, i mean its the perfect nest egg to give them that boost later on in life, when they will really need it! i wish someone would have set one of these up for me when i was a kid! what a head start! and as an extra bonus, you can get up to £25 in boots vouchers by setting up a direct debit! bonus.

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 11 Apr 2011 by emma robinson
Good Points: someone always answers the phone ,you always get an anser to your questions
Bad Points: staff arnt very friendly when you phone up you get some staff that seem like you have desturbed them
this is a good account im very pleased with it i hve one for all four of my children and have got family members who have also got accounts with these the only problem i have got with this company is some of the staff can be very rude and its like you have desturbed them which doesnt effect them answering your questions its just the tone in there voice as thy are talking to you if you dont mind that then join them you wont be disappointed with any other service you receive from them really good company well done just retrain a few of your staff and your company will be perfect thanks

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 03 Apr 2011 by michelle hulston
Good Points: very easy to understand all the information written on the statements
Bad Points: its all done over the phone rather than face to face
when i had my first child i recieved a child trust fund voucher off the government worth £250, at the time i wasnt sure of all my options on wehre to invest so i looked online and found the childrens mutual it was very easy to understand use and get all the relevent information i applied through lloyds tbs bank and when i made my first direct debit transaction i received £20 in boots vouchers always handy when you have a new baby since that i've had another two children and have invested there vouchers in the same way, i recieve yearly statements from the childrens mutual so i can keep track of where my childrens money is

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 03 Apr 2011 by Sophie Berry
Good Points: Easy to open as well as cashback offer when taken out through Quidco
Bad Points: Nothing so far.
Very easy to open on line with good communications through out. Unlike other trust fundsm we are not inundated with flyers telling us that our offspring may not be as advantaged as their peers when their trust fund matures unless we put more and more money in each month. So far the returns have been as expected with a rise on the investment each year. The trust fund was taken out through quidco the cash back site and we received fifty pounds cash back for doing so. i would recommend the engage mutual child trust fund to very one. So far so good

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 31 Mar 2011 by kate baker
Good Points: good to build up a nice lump sum for your child, its a stakeholder account and has good growth potential. when you set one up you get boots vouchers which are a good incentive. you can add little or larger amounts as and when you want too.
Bad Points: cannot touch it for a long time until child reaches 18, which means it will build up lots hopefully.
it is a really good idea to squirrel away money for your childs future as you never know when they might need it. engage mutual seem a good place to put your money. bear in mind that investments on the stock market can fall aswell as rise, and there are no guarantees. there are various payment options including direct debit which is the one where you get £25 of boots payment which can be used for a wide variety of products including makeup, baby products, personal care, shaving, gifts. this account meets all the government requirements, but make sure its suitable for your child.

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 31 Mar 2011 by melanie morrin
Good Points: Hello It is great to be given a starter on savings for your little one. It is an incentive to save for when they get older. It is encouraging. Happy to have the option of a general savings account for the future.
Bad Points: I do not like stock and shares, I have no idea what I am doing with them, and obviously you could loose the small amout that you do have.
I missed the oportunity to invest my son's trust fund entitlement. I just got an account sorted when the cheque expired, terefore the government opened one for me on my behalf. Therefore it automatically went to a stocks and shares type of investment. I would not ave used this type of banking if I had used my choice in time. I then transfered the money from stocks and shares into a general savings account, with te same provider. Sadly the money had decreased because of this, and I think the financial company took a carge amount for the priverlidge of transfering. So I was very dissapointed that this had happened. I will be looking into transfering the money again to a company that I feel more comfortable with, one that I have earrd of. I am sure the company that has it now are more than reputable, but it would feel a lot more simple if it was transfered. I think it is a great scheme, but just make sure that you don't forget to open one yourself, that way you get the choice. Thank you ;0)

Overall Rating (3/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 29 Mar 2011 by nick
Good Points: there is a fair deposit maximum which is enough to pay into every year, i think the maximum is around 100 a month which works out to about 1200 a year which is quite good.
Bad Points: the problem i found was you had to go instore to collect a application form but when you do, the staff tend not to know what you are talking about.
well at least you get quarterly update on how your money is doing in the market, not always brilliant but at least you are kept ujp to date with it. although you are tied into it and cannot move the money elsewhere. any how its for the children and not my personal gain, it would just be nice to see the money grow to a fair size before the 18th birthday for them to have a nice little wad when they come of age to spend it, on my fathers day gift would be nice, ha. halifax isnt that bad i guess. all 3 of my childrens ctf is with them.

Overall Rating (3/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 24 Mar 2011 by miss nmcconville
Good Points: easy to understand information information presented well good reputation
Bad Points: happy all round
I chose this childs trust firstly as it was a name i had heard of so i felt it would be reliable and not likely to disappear once i signed up to it. the information was presented well andeasy to understand and i was in general very happy with my choice. it covers lots of different aspects such as over 50s insurance so i felt confident that they would know what they were doing. pack was sent quicky after i signed up and am yet to have any problems with it so fingers crossed overall would recommend engage mutual trust.

Overall Rating (2/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 22 Mar 2011 by Trina Kandola
Good Points: Very easy to set up Fast delivery of application pack
Bad Points: None
Mutual Trust fund was very easy to set up and everything was explained to me over the phone. Once I received the pack the form was straight forward and i had no problems in filling it in. Once I had sent the paper work back they processed my application very quickly and I was sent a confirmation letter. I would recommend them to anyone. Every year I also get a breakdown of how much money there is in the account and how much interest has accrued. This is very useful as I can see how the money in the account is growing.

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 17 Mar 2011 by marianna cioffi
Good Points: None
Bad Points: None
Hello I am a mother of 27 month old daughter called Mariagiulia I have recieved from child trust fund a cheque when she was born and after a year a top up. My husband works in a bank so we decided to invest in the bank he works for:natwest. and after two years we acrrued interest of 50 pounds already. that's really good for my daughter future as when she will be 18 she will find some money that she could use as she wants. I hope she will be using them for continuing studying and maybe become a doctor

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 14 Mar 2011 by Laura Hawkskwey
Good Points: The trust
Bad Points: no simels no help.........
beautiful people nice kind loving appericative helpful it was genrally alright i enjoyed the lovely people that i met and it was laright i will be with you again and hopefully in the near fyture be usin your service as i was reccomended by my friend adelleand karen who have used the service etxc. i have reccommended my brother michale whom im sure hat ytoull be hearing from after the birth of hjus babty son dykan who is pleause to meert. Im sue anthor family member of mine will be with your service maybe transferd thank yoou dearly misss l

Overall Rating (1/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 10 Mar 2011 by annygstar
Good Points: None
Bad Points: None
I think that the most important and valuable point is that there are not that many Child Trust Fund providers in this day and age, quite possibly due to the recent credit crunch. People have less disposable income, therefore banks and other financial institutions are reluctant to offer this service to parent's for their children, as it will cost them time and money which they believe they will not see again. The future of children's financial future depends on whether or not their parents are financially stable. This is due to tough economical pressure's placed upon parent's head's to keep up with their own and more importantly their children's needs.

Overall Rating (2/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 09 Mar 2011 by laura rutter
Good Points: None
Bad Points: None
I found the process very easy and not tiring. it didn't take long to setup and me and my partner were genrally very pleased with the outcome .The staff were very friendly and always willing to help with any questions we had to ask. we are very confident with the choice we made which was red rose. we done alot of talking and thought about it thourally .we were dealt with with respect and it was every thing was made very clear. If we have any more children we will defonatley be going down the same route as this. We are very happy

Overall Rating (2/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 07 Mar 2011 by anzelika arasp
Good Points: the value of account went up.actually, £50 more per year
Bad Points: I would like to recieve the summary of the account more often than once a year
i should admit that do not know much about the banking sistem or shares, etc.i have chosen the children's mutual after reading some revievs on this website. at the moment I am quite happy with the children's mutual. the value went up during this year and I am not planning to choose any other provider. plus,as promised at the begining, i recieved vouchers after opening direct monthly debit which could spend on shopping at mothercare. the only thing which i was not comfortable with that the statements about my child's accout are coming once a year. although, i can always check on their website.

Overall Rating (2/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 06 Mar 2011 by hayley doran
Good Points: comprehensive detailed information all in one source
Bad Points: None
comprehensive breakdown of the different Child Trust Fund options available all in the one place and also helpful links to other sites of interest, this is a easy site to use and informa you of all the financial information and benifits the normal person is entitled to and how you can invest your money in order to assist in saving for your childs future. More information on this one page compared to what the goverment actuall inform you of. very impressed with the simple text and uncomplicated information givenexcellent site allowing quick easy reference to indept information that really helps the user

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 05 Mar 2011 by miss n mcconville
Good Points: this child trust fund was very easy to use and to follow i found it was very informative about what a child trust was and what they set out to do. i was drawn to this child trust as they were a name i had hear of so i felt i could trust them.
Bad Points: i havent found any bad points to be honest apart from maybe it doesnt offer you any free gifts like some of the others do so this would be a benefit who doesnt like getting something for free?
i am really very impressed with this child trust fund i have had no problems using it and i found eveything very easy to follow and the information was lead out simply which was good as often these sorts of thngs can be very confusing and usually put me off. the benefits were explained in detail and were explained thoroughly and i have had no problems so far using so look forward to watching my little ones money grow in the future. i would recommend this chil'd trust to anyone looking to invest in their childs future. very impressed indeed!

Overall Rating (2/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 03 Mar 2011 by adelle whittington
Good Points: very helpful
Bad Points: None
I have opened a couple of savings accounts for my two children. Hopefully it will help towards a family holiday to Florida in a few years, i think it is every childs dream to visit Disney World. I think it will give the children a good sense of saving for special things. They will save some money from Birthday presents, Christmas presents etc, when friends and family give them cash instead of gifts,also there will be trips with the school that they will like to go on and they will have their own savings, I think responsibility is a very good teaching lesson when they get their statements they feel very important,,

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 03 Mar 2011 by mohammad bilal
Good Points: everything friendly staff and very informative and made me feel at ease and comfortable
Bad Points: none i found no bad points, maybe a free goodie bag for my child when opening account, but apart from that do not have any bad points
friendly staff and very informative and made me feel at ease and comfortable easy to read and understand information leaflets and booklets, no hidden charges, i found no bad points, maybe a free goodie bag for my child when opening account, but apart from that do not have any bad points..i would recommend this to all my family and friends and will even post up on my social networking site..good for my child's future and a trusted company that im happy to be. dealing with. the forms were easy to fill out and were easy to understand for all. a very good decision in my childs life we have made

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 02 Mar 2011 by smile
Good Points: None
Bad Points: None
One of the largest expenses for most children is likely to be the cost of going to university. And with new proposals to scrap the annual cap on university charges which could leave students facing tuition fees of up to £12,000, this cost is only likely to go up. This year, it's estimated that the average graduate debt will be around £20,0001. Student loans help of course but that means being saddled with debt for many years to come. Investing can play an important role in being able to provide for your children's future, giving you greater peace of mind. It could even mean they don't have to put off their career aspirations in order to pay off their debts after they graduate.

Overall Rating (1/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 02 Mar 2011 by chantelle
Good Points: When i got my letters telling me every thing i needed to know, every thing i never wanted to know was all there in front of me but then getting another letter was really hard!
Bad Points: I carnt get in touch with a person, i was just talking to a machine!
I have been trying to change my address with them for ages but carnt get it done, so now im going to have to write a letter in. And because i carnt get in touch with any one from the company i carnt do things i need to do for my daughter. I opened keiras account when she was just weeks old and now she is five in june and still carnt get to speak to some one that knows what they are doing and can help me to do the things i need too!! But when i did get letters in the very beging they would tell me as much information as they could tell me at that time.

Overall Rating (2/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 07 Feb 2011 by KAY LEVEE-MOSS
Good Points: Easy to set up good choice of funds
Bad Points: None
Setting up the plan was easy and straightforward. The paperwork that is provided is very clear and easy to understand. The helpline is good and the staff are obviously well trained and are capable of helping you with any query you have. The annual statements are very easy to understand and in my daughters case the funds have performed pretty well considering the financial climate over the past couple of years. I have no worries about leaving it there until she is age 18. If you wish to pay extra into it setting up a direct debit is quick and easy.

Overall Rating (1/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 06 Feb 2011 by Helen Frost
Good Points: Friendly & Informative
Bad Points: No bad points
Very happy with their service, staff are very friendly and they keep me informed of how my savings are doing at every stage, usually monthly statements. Can contact them whenever I want to and I'm not kept wiating on the phone for hours like many places seem to do these days. As I don't have much money to save I say they are most likely the best people to save with and they do not ever try and get me to commit to saving any more than I can safely afford to each month which is a very big bonus.

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 02 Feb 2011 by Christina Cooke
Good Points: Very simple to set up and manage my daughter's account. Whenever I have had to make contact via the telephone I've always spoken to friendly and extremely polite people.
Bad Points: The statements can be a little hard to understand at first.
I joined Engage Mutual when my daughter received her Child Trust Fund voucher in 2007 and have been very pleased with my choice. Setting up the Fund was an extremely simple process and it didn't take them long to get the initial paperwork to me. We have moved house twice since then and advising them of our change of circumstances has been straightforward and without problems, with statements always arriving at the correct address and on time. I had an issue with the statements to begin with as they are quite awkward to understand, although I soon got used to looking at them and now can see at a glance how well my daughters money is doing. Everyone I have encountered who works for Engage Mutual has been nothing but helpful and polite on the phone, I had a problem with incorrect details being on my daughter's statement one year and this was dealt with efficiently and with no stress to me. Initially I was worried that our details had been passed on to another family, but I was assured this wasn't the case and the gentleman on the phone went through the entire procedure with me to ensure I understood how the error had occurred and also why it would have been impossible for my details to have been inadvertently sent to the wrong address. An excellent company.

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 24 Jan 2011 by Julie Stillman
Good Points: excellent way of opening account
Bad Points: could not fault srevice
When first opening account was looking at the best provider for the child. was given some very good informmation and other sites to observe and compare with.. regular contact from the company providing us with upo to date information as to where the trust funds stand . would recommend to other users. information that is providedfor the usre is easily read and understandable considering that the content can be a bit confusing with all the figures thsat are presented. communication with the company is easily obtainable and help from those on the customer service desk is of an exceptional quality.

Overall Rating (2/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 14 Jan 2011 by Mr I J Williams
Good Points: This was a very easy CTF to open which allowed me to place the money into a risky investment fund. Clear annual statements have shown growth in both my children's funds for the last 2 years, so that has to be a good point! £50 cashback with quidco helped my choice.
Bad Points: There are not many fund choices with the CTF. This is not an investors investment product - it is a 'deposit-choose risk approach-forget then cross your fingers and hope for the best.
I would never choose to invest my own money in these things. Of course leave the government's donations in there, and put any money in that reltives/friends want to donate purely for the child's future, but who on earth would want to give an 18 year old complete legal control and immediate access to thousands of pounds!!! What a moronic idea! It is clearly a ploy by government to justify them not paying tuition fees (or unemployment benefit, etc) to all those 18 year olds who have money in a CTF. Be warned/advised!! Use another investment vehicle to save for your children's future.

Overall Rating (2/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 03 Jan 2011 by Debbie Dunning
Good Points: Free £20 asda shopping voucher for signing up to pay by direct debit
Bad Points: was not made aware that monthly payments are used to buy shares so with recent credit crunch have lost alot of money
My little boy is 6 and a half now we receive a statement a month before each birthday. I am currently paying £20 per month into this trust fund. Just before his 4th birthday his fund was almost at £2000 with a view to it being worth around £10000 by the time it matured when he was 18. Last years statement was £995 very disappointed as i was not made aware that the money i paid each month was used to buy shares and because the share prices have fallen so has the value of my sons trust fund. I will be keeping this agreement for now until shares prices (hopefully) improve and then moving it to a different provider where the money is just saved and a little interest is added on, far safer in my opinion.

Overall Rating (3/5):

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Reviewed on 02 Jan 2011 by shayley
Good Points: was very easy to set up!
Bad Points: none
was very easy to set up, they gave vlots of very usefull information. Plenty of ways to pay money in and plenty of information of how. almost everybody can make pay money into the account it is set amounts but the k=lowest is 5 pounds a month and highest is £1200 a month. it is very easy to do just fill out the direct debit forn=m and they set it all up for you. i get a statement every so often updating me of how much it is now worth and again asking if i would like to set up a direct debit so this can be done at a later time. A great way to save moneyfor yourlittle one !!

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 25 Nov 2010 by donia
Good Points: The customer service is spot on, and always help the best they can. They have not made errors on my account, because unlike a lot of people, I make my writing clear, so errors can arise. I am on the understanding all application forms are scanned in not keyed in. This is due to the low 1.5% account charge each year. If they had to key they would need more admin staff, which would cause the charge to be higher.
Bad Points: I particularly liked the ease of applying
I have imvested one thousand pounds in a baby bond around 10 years ago for my daughter. Performance has been woeful.And now, After 10 years the bond has just matured and I am receiving back £1007 - a return equivalent to 70p per year. If you have money to invest on behalf of your children - based on my experience I would not go with Childrens Mutual - I feel as I if I have been seriously conned. Do not use chidrens mutual. They promise you mothercare vouchers that never arrive and then never answer emails when you chase them up. Do yourself and your kid a favour and invest the money elsewhere. The introductory promises are good and they are quick to get back to you when you open first open the account. After that....good luck>Wont be doing it again!! Will be sticking my cash under the mattress in future.

Overall Rating (2/5):

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Reviewed on 25 Nov 2010 by Mrs Brown
Good Points: Easy to open and to use. Paying in by cheque postally is a breeze and makes it much easier to operate than having to visit a branch to pay cash or cheques in that way. Regular updates on the performance and the information on government changes was easy to understand and clearly illustrated.
Bad Points: Not the highest rate.
Easy to open and very easy to use. Paying in by cheque postally is a breeze and makes it much easier to operate this account than having to visit a branch to pay cash or cheques in that way. Regular updates on the account's performance and the information on the government changes was very easy to understand and also clearly illustrated. I Would definitely recommend this account to other parents. We use the monthly standing order option to add to it regularly but we also post off his birthday and christmas money each time and it soon builds up. Overall I would say this is an excellent choice that we are very happy with.

Overall Rating (4/5):

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Reviewed on 05 Oct 2010 by Fahima Yousaf
Good Points: the only group to take into account the needs of muslims which forms quite a bit population in great britain its a good investment for children when they reach an independent age, in case they loose they parents helps children who come from poor financial backgrounds if investing into shares there is a chance you may have a higher amount than what you invested
Bad Points: saddened deeply by it coming to an end if investing into shares there is a chance can loose all your investment
It was a good idea by whoever designed this programme as it helped those in real need of financial help.for example if a young childs parents passes away and they did not invest in a life insurance as they may not be able to afford it at the time, it can be very useful in such circumstances. its just a shame that it has been stopped. the most important point is the fact that the muslim population were considered in this programme. It also allows you to have some flexibility in how much further you want to invest by setting up a direct debit account.

Overall Rating (4/5):

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Reviewed on 22 Sep 2010 by hazel webster
Good Points: correspondance received quickly £15 boots voucher for direct debit set up easy to set up direct debit
Bad Points: took a couple of months for the direct debit to start coming out the account cant access account on line to se ehow its doing
Telephone contact with engage about any queries has been good, quick to answer phone and able to answer questions. Would have liked to have been able to access the account on line to see how its doingb ut dont think many trust funds do this anyway. Easy to set it all up and correspondance received quickly. did have to call them about the direct debits as they seemed to take a while to come out the account but think this was just down to the date they take it. Had no issues with them but only had account for about 6 months so early days

Overall Rating (3/5):

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Reviewed on 26 Aug 2010 by Mary Proctor
Good Points: This was so easy to set up for a non-computer techy like myself and the information was easy to read and helped my husband and I make what we believe to be a good decision for the long term benefit of our son.
Bad Points: None
This was so easy to set up for a non computer techy person like myself and the information was easy to read and understand. It helped my husband and I make what we believe to be a good decision for the long term benefit of our son. We received all relevant pack information quickly and have been very pleased with the service offered to date. Receiving some Boots vouchers was nice but we did not feel that this as needed to convince us to set up our son's account with Engage - would recommend to anyone to use this scheme.

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 25 Aug 2010 by Fiona Wallace
Good Points: Quite easy to use.
Bad Points: Have not encountered any so far. I will be sending a cheque in soon, that I received for his christening.
This isn't specific to Engage Mutual, but all child trust funds. I have real concerns about saving lots of money in these accounts, as ultimately my child will then have access to that money at the age of eighteen. Luckily, I was saver when I was 18, but my husband was not. What if you save all this money up for your child and then they blow it all up the wall on holidays to Ibiza and meaningless tat? It would be better if there was some way of saving for them and letting him have the money in a controlled manner. Maybe they could only make a certain amount of withdrawals over a certain time.

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 24 Jul 2010 by Myfyr Madoc-Jones
Good Points: Fast efficient service
Bad Points: None
I had a choice when I received the voucher for our third child. Either to go with selftrade or Engage Nutual, both of which I have used before. I went with engage mutual because of the good service I have received from them before. I applied on line and all the documentation arrived within a matter of days. I sent them the voucher and I received the complete paperwork, with cancellation notice, within just a few days. The only drwaback is, which I discovered when I phoned them (they were very polite) that you only get annual statements and not an instant on line valuation. This is only a minor complaint and I am sure this will be available at some point.

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 12 Jul 2010 by emma kidwell
Good Points: Very easy online application form, good past performance...
Bad Points: None as yet.
Having found the whole process of identifying a suitable CTF confusing and time consuming signing up to the engage mutual was hassle free. One of our criteria for selecting a CTF was that you could sort everything out on line - this on line application was very simple and only took about 10 minutes. The past performance of this account as measured on the comparison websites was also favourable and helped us in our selection. As did the ability to switch off the lifestyle componant of the trust fund. So far nothing bad to say about the Mutual, but its still early days.

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 11 May 2010 by Louise Connolly
Good Points: Good communication, clear concise information on literature and web site
Bad Points: None
I am pleased to have opened accounts with Engage Mutual for all of my family members. I trust that they will look after our investment and give us the best return possible when the time comes. During the years I have had the accounts, the communication has been excellent and user friendly. The new web site shows Engage Mutual to be forward thinking and keen to improve their service. The site is a brilliant source of information which is laid out in a user friendly way. The products and services offered are wide ranging are explained very well. I will be a regular visitor!

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 03 Apr 2010 by Mr Ravat
Good Points: Working with the Engage Mutual is a quick and efficient service. The child trust fund is very easy to set up and manage. WE have 2 CTF#s for each of our children, with a regular monthly direct debit that helps them save for a decent lump sum payable when they are a little older to help with University and or Driving lessons. Who knows how expensive things will be in 15years time! Staff at the ENgage Mutual are friendly and give straight forward direct information that give good confidence in saving with the Engage Mutual Child Trust Fund. Added bonus are the Boots vouchers which are given on account opening and account top up on a regular basis. A good incentive to increase the saving amounts!
Bad Points: Internet order can take a while to be actions see general comments.
We tried to set up an additional payment into both CTF's coming from a different bank account. This was initiated over the web in the first week in February. The instruction was to invest a further £10 per month into each CTF. However I am a little disappointed that the payment has taken this long to action and credit my childrens account. Lets hope the payment is taken and credits both accound by the middle April. I do feel as if the children have lost out and due to some inefficiencies or technical matters at ENgage that both accounts should be credited curtesy of Engage as a good will gesture. However somehow I dont think this will happen. We can only hope.

Overall Rating (3/5):

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Reviewed on 30 Mar 2010 by pavinder banggar
Good Points: good customer service and good advice given when i have called them and helpful in advice regarding the service provided
Bad Points: only do the share account and not the guarenteed ctf account, also only been operating for 8 years so have not had to pay out yet which leaves you with doubts.
i want a guarenteed savings account so will be looking to transfer to a different ctf account. Apart from this i was very happy with engage's customer service and how they dealt with my query. i got friendly advice about the company and what they offer and also the benefits of their service but also they was completely honest with me when telling me that they have only been in business for eight years and as of yet have not had to pay anyone out as no one has reached the age of eighteen. overall a good service but i am looking for a guarenteed ctf account.

Overall Rating (1/5):

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Reviewed on 22 Mar 2010 by NEIL SPENCER
Good Points: The account was opened and all the setting up was carried out for us.
Bad Points: None
I am happy with the level of service we have recieved from this fund. tHE EASE TO ADD FUNDS TO THE ACCOUNT IS VERY STRAIGHT FORWARD AND THE FREE VOUCHERS CAME IN VERY HANDY JUST AT THE RIGHT TIME. I would recommend this company to any new parents who are currently unsure about the saftey of there childs trust fund with the current economic climet due to the way they keep me informed about the way they have invested and the level of funds currently in the account. Thank you for the service you have given me up to date.

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 17 Mar 2010 by Chris Mason
Good Points: Easy to set up , administer and review
Bad Points: None
The process of setting up an Engage Mutual Child Trust Fund for both our children was simple and offered ongoing easy maintenance. Statements are produced annually and are easy to understand and interpret. The fund itself is competitive and offers a lifestyling option that reduces investment risk from the age of 13. Paying into the fund is also simple, by direct debit, and the Engage Mutual Child Trust Fund also allows other extended family members to contribute. Again, the process of setting up these additional contributions was extremely easy. All in all we're very happy with Engage Mutual as our choice of CTF provider.

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 10 Mar 2010 by Emma Wills
Good Points: Easy to open Can change details online
Bad Points: None
I have had nothing but good experiences of using this company and the Child Trust Fund service. I opened an account 4 and a half years ago for my first son and have now opened another account for my second son. It is very easy to open an account and once opened you receive all the information you need. I have amended my Direct Debit details with ease using the online service and it is amazingly easy for other family members to also set up payments to be credited to the account. You receive annual statements to see how your investment is doing and the staff are extremely helpful and friendly if you should need to call.

Overall Rating (2/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 09 Mar 2010 by Jennifer Scott
Good Points: We always get a clear statement.
Bad Points: None.
Being a first time Mother I had no idea what a Child Trust Fund was let alone what to do with it. It is a minefield of information for first time parents. You have a responsibility to your child to make the best informed choice. I read all the leaflets that we received and after a lot of research I found Engage Mutual on the internet. The website was clear and listed all the advantages of Engage Mutual without the hard sell. It was very easy to set up the account on the internet which was a bonus when you have a new little bundle that needs all your attention and it very unpredictable. We have always liked the clear statements that we receive from Engage Mutual and the fact that it is so easy for friends and family to add to the account. So when our second son arrived we naturally took out a Child Trust Fund for him as well.

Overall Rating (3/5):

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Reviewed on 09 Mar 2010 by David Webster
Good Points: Excellent communications, quick and efficient.
Bad Points: None to mention so far.
I have taken staff friendliness down to the medium as I don't know if they are good or bad for this - never needed to contact them. This does bode well for ease of use and quality of information however that I have never contacted their staff. I also commend Engage Mutual for their summary reports for ease of understanding, but they could do with putting the current value of shares owned to aide with the understanding of the current value of the account. Thats just a minor though. I have in fact recommended Engage Mutual CTF's to all my friends although not my family as recent additions to the family have been non-UK residents.

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 09 Mar 2010 by Glen Hornsby
Good Points: Quick, easy registration and prompt delivery of information pack.
Bad Points: None
i took out the child trust fund for our first child and found the registration process quick and easy. I was impressed at the speed that confirmation documents and information pack was sent to my home in the post. The annual statement supplied is easy to understand and im not bamboozled by any shares jargon. It clearly highlights what my fund will be worth. I've never actually needed to call Engage so I'm uable to comment on staff interaction with customer. The whole process led me to not think twice about enrolling our secong child to the trust fund with Engage Mutal.

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 09 Mar 2010 by Christina de Contreras
Good Points: The website was very user friendly and straightforward.
Bad Points: None
My experience with engage Mutual was incredible, I already hold 2 accounts for my other children with them and this time was no different, staff was very helpful, very friendly and quick which was very much appreciated. I previously had to call engage to be able to open an account, this time I did it online and it was fantastic, the website is very clear and user friendly, the questions are very simple, not too much to fill in and I got my prepaid envelope over the post, so i could just stick the voucher inside and send it, that was it, my 3rd child account was open in less than a week. Excellent work Engage mutual, thank you

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 09 Mar 2010 by Gemma Beddow
Good Points: Annual statements
Bad Points: Little information throughout the year
I opened a Child Trust Fund with Engage when my son was born three years ago. I found their website very informative and the initial communication comprehensive. The annual statements are of interest, though of course as this is a long-term investment, I feel no need to act on them. The forms supplied for relatives to gift money into the trust are also helpful. I was impressed enough to open my daughter's Fund with Engage last year too. I feel unable to comment fully on staff friendliness as all my dealings have been online - which has been a bonus as everything was so simple to set up - very useful with two small children to look after!

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 09 Mar 2010 by Joanne Brown
Good Points: easy to apply and able to apply online even if you dont have the voucher yet. we received written confirmation days after submitting the application online and have been informed by letter what is happening at every step
Bad Points: only thing i can say is that we could have been sent a prepaid addressed envelope to send in the voucher but it isnt a big issue
i have used engage chld trust fund with one of my other daughters child trust fund voucher and cant really fault the service, as i have previously stated they keep you informed of what is happening and are easy to contact if you need to. the application form is simple and can be done online and the information regarding it is easy to understand. i was also able to set up a direct debit online and received confirmation by both email and post. we get a letter stating what the money has been invested in and what its value is worth.on a whole i cant fault the service.

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 09 Mar 2010 by Clare Peel
Good Points: £25 boots voucher Friendly and helpful staff on telephone
Bad Points: None
I found opening my child trust fund very easy...for my first child I went into Yorkshire Building Society where the form was completed for me in around 5 nminutes. For my second child I simply rang Engage and it was all set up over the telephone also in about 5 minutes. The staff are very friendly on the phone every time I have called. I am not very financially minded but felt reassured and happy with the accounts I set up. I receive my statements on time and they are easy to understand. Also, a very good incentive to join for parents is a £20 Boots gift voucher, I received one of these in the post for both my children and they were very well spent on nappies!!

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 09 Mar 2010 by Suzanne
Good Points: Easy to apply using the internet.
Bad Points: None that I can think of.
I applied for my sons child trust fund over the internet. The web site gave me all the information I required to help me make my decision to go ahead. My older son has his fund with engage too. The form was easy to understand and fill in. I looked at other child trust fund providers even though my older son has his with Engage but in the end I decided to go ahead with a policy with Engage. I feel that both my sons child trust funds are in very good hands. I would not hesitate to recommend Engage to other parents.

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 09 Mar 2010 by Ailish Gilder
Good Points: free introductory offer when joining
Bad Points: Infrequent communication regarding the balance on the account
The engage mutual child trust fund account is easy to open and the introductory offers are a very good bonus. When I have needed to speak to an advisor they have always been very courteous and helpful and have always dealt with my questions sufficiently or offered to call me back and have always called me back when they said they would. The biggest crticism that I have is that the communication regarding the performance of the fund and the balance of the account is a little infrequent, I would prefer to receive a statement twice a year rather than annually.

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 09 Mar 2010 by Nicola
Good Points: Easy to set up online Cashback and Gift vouchers
Bad Points: Can't track progress online Can't pay in cheques made payable to your children
I recently opened another trust fund for our second daughter after being impressed with the performance and administration of the one I opened for our eldest daughter. I found the process very quick and easy - just fill in a form online and pop your voucher in the post. I also received £50 cashback via Topcashback.co.uk and Boots gift vouchers are given if you set up a direct debit (although I am still waiting for mine after 2 months!). One downside seems to be you can't track the progress of the fund online - you have to wait for an annual paper statement. It is easy to make one-off payments (although not by credit card). However we were unable to pay in cheques the children received for birthdays/christenings and had to open a bank account for them instead.

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 09 Mar 2010 by Wendy Wolfcarius
Good Points: Easy online access to make additional payments and a nice incentive to increase direct debits.
Bad Points: Confirmation letters when additional payments have been made do not confirm amount. It would be helpful if you could check the account online throughout the year to check updates yourself, otherwise you have to wait for the annual statement.
Staff have always been very friendly and helpful by phone but the recent addition of website access to increase payments or make one-off payments is even better. I opened our second child's account wholely online very quickly, and the voucher incentive to increase your direct debits regularly means you are saving money very fast. My only request would be to be able to check the entries on the account via website to make sure all the payments are there prior to the annual statement, since the confirmation letters don't refer to actual amounts when you make a one-off deposit. But otherwise I find the service very efficient.

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 09 Mar 2010 by David Fletcher
Good Points: Easy to set up Good, clear information Easy for Friends / Family to contribute
Bad Points: None
After shopping around after the Birth of our first child, we chose Engage. We have now invested the Child Trust Fund vouchers from the goverment for both our children. Right from the outset, the whole process of applying and getting things set up was simple, striaghtforward and easy to understand. The clarity of information summarising the investment is excellent. I pay a regular monthly sum into both of their accounts, and extra amounts from friends and familiy around Birthdays and Christmas. Again, this is simple to undertake, and response has always been quick. I wouldn't hesitate in recommending Engage to anybody, having found them a pleasure to deal with in every way.

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 09 Mar 2010 by rebecca clifford
Good Points: Efficient Friendly Know what they are talking about (not scripted nonsense!)
Bad Points: Havent got any yet!!
They have been extreemely efficient with paperwork for both my son and daughter. I had to phone on one occasion as I had not recieved a yearly update when we moved house. They were friendly and paperwork arrived very quickly. I have had no problems with understanding what I have applied for and how it works. They also explained well the risks involved. I was so happy with the service I have used them for my daughter too and would happily recommend them to friends. Not sure I like this survey though! There isnt much of a guide as to the type of thing you expect to be written! But cant all be perfect!

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 09 Mar 2010 by lisa bell-mcgrath
Good Points: easy to set up and i dont have to do anything recieve statement every year
Bad Points: None
its very easy to set up and i dont have to manage it as the direct debit comes out every month and i recieve a statement every year so i know whats happening and if i have any problems just a phone call. very helpful staff always polite when i have phoned with a querie. i also have opened an account for my daughter because its reassuring to no that when they turn eighteen they will both have something to help them whether it be driving lessons, a car or even to help them set up a future i think it is a great idea.

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 09 Mar 2010 by simon tudor
Good Points: We chose to put our daughters trust fund with you as you seemed to be the best choice for us..we didn't want a huge fuss over it just somewhere safe to invest until she is older also we liked the fact that the staff were very friendly and reliable and the company has a trustworthy reputation..the statements we recieve are clear and concise not full off mumbo jumbo..thats why when we had our other daughter we knew exactly where we wanted it to go...
Bad Points: none that i can think of
Trustworthy company with a good reputation..staff are very informative and polite plus they treat you like a member of the family when you ring with a general enquiry or want information regarding the accounts..i have found the whole experience with your company very rewarding and would recommend you to any one that had a child trust fund to invest..i like the way you never harass us to put more money into the account as we are on a budget and will put more in when we can afford it..the statements are clear and put in a way that i can understand.

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 09 Mar 2010 by Paul McLaughlin
Good Points: Clear, simple process to apply for the Trust fund. Second Daughter was even simpler to sort out which is just perfect when sorting out the financial side of things is not high on your list of priorities at the time!
Bad Points: None.
I have placed both my childrens Child trust funds with Engage. My initial experience was that the staff are very helpful and friendly and that all my questions were answered clearly, concisely and there and then. The update statements are clear and simple to understand and does not overcomplicated matters. I decided to place my second childs trust fund with Engage also due to the positive experience first time around and found that as an existing customer the process was simple, quick and efficient. I would be happy to recommend Engage as friendly, easy to deal with provider of the CTF which is just what you need when trying to sort out the financial side of things and juggle a new family life!

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 09 Mar 2010 by Nigel
Good Points: Good product, signing up via Quidco provides cashback, signing up with engage provides boots vouchers. Clear Statements.
Bad Points: None
I moved my first child's ISA from a rival provider to engage with no issues at all. I needed only to sign up via their website, providing the account number and a few other details and engage handled the transfer quickly and efficiently. My second child's ISA was set up directly with them (via Quidco, earning £50 cashback). Upon this happening I was provided with £20 in boots vouchers as well. I receive annual statements detailing my contributions as well as the total that the fund is worth. The life style option is very good as it derisks the fund as the child gets older and nearer to the fund's maturity. Very pleased with the product.

Overall Rating (3/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 10 Nov 2009 by Lynn Pickering
Good Points: Website Really easy to use, key features and terms and conditions written in plain english, as opposed to complicated financial jargon.
Bad Points: Am only at the beginning of the process but none so far.
I'm only at the start of the process having just completed an online application form for the Engage Child Trust Fund. So I therefore cannot comment on the staff friendliness as yet, as I haven't spoken to any staff. However, I found the application to be really simple, it was laid out well and the key features and terms and conditions, which are normally horribly complex, long, financial jargon ridden documents, were refreshingly easily understable being written in plain english. In my experience of financial documentation this is a very rare occurence. Usually you need to be an expert in the law and have a degree in finance to decipher these documents. Hopefully they have started as they mean to go on.

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 25 Aug 2009 by Gemma
Good Points: *Friendly Staff *Good quality information, via leaflets/staff/website *Great joinging gift of £25 Asda vouchers
Bad Points: None
When we came to invest our daugther's ctf voucher, were were unsure as to where to go, and which account etc. Whilst shopping in Asda we saw they did a fund with enage and you could get £25 Asda vouchers went opening the account with them and setting up a direct debit. We also got that when we opened my sons as well. We were unsure as to which was the best account and the staff were so friendly and helpful, taling me through each option. When we moved house again the staff were so helpful and changed our details with ease...same thing when we changed our bank account too. Then when I lost my job and needed to temporarily stop making the monthly payments to the funds that we usually did, the staff were kind and sympathetic, giving us our options and what to do when we wished to resume payments. Overall I am very very pleased with the children ctf's.

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 24 Aug 2009 by Jane
Good Points: £50 cashback through Quidco, Good service
Bad Points: None so far
I went with Engage simply because if you sign up with them through the cash back site Quidco you earn a massive £50 cash back and I think this is an excellent offer. Its easy to sign up to Quidco and its simple to complete the on line forms for Engage it took me under 10 mins. I few days later all the paper work came through from Engage and confirmation of the account been opened. I simply had send them my paper voucher to complete the process a couple of days later I got a letter telling me they had recieved the voucher. I was very impressed by the promt service. I'll also enjoy having an extra £50 to spend on my little man

Overall Rating (2/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 20 Aug 2009 by Neil
Good Points: Online application process is very simple and straightforward. Vouchers arrived within a few days. CTF Performance seems very good so far and I am very happy with my choice of provider
Bad Points: Only one fund to choose from (but I guess this keeps things simple!)

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 27 Jul 2009 by E.Kallas
Good Points: None
Bad Points: My child's fund has this year dropped below the value it had one year ago, so basically the value has dropped by more than I invested this year. The fund has performed extremely badly this year and I would not recommend it to anyone. In the statement they did not even bother to comment on teh bad performance they've had this year- taking it for granted that the bad economic situation would explain it, I presume- I call it an utter arrogance!

Overall Rating (3/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 23 Jul 2009 by clare
Good Points: Really easy to apply online. Good clear website with lots of information.
Bad Points: None
Really happy that I've finally invested the voucher and glad I have used engage Mutual.

Overall Rating (2/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 13 Jul 2009 by Lyn Akers
Good Points: Easy to understand and apply for user friendly website
Bad Points: None so far
After spending days researching where to bank our childs £250 voucher we finally decided on Engage, the online application form was really easy to use and took less than 10 minutes to complete, you can even begin the process without receiving the voucher, the website was very easily laid out and extremely easy to understand, they explain all of the different accounts you can set up including the ones they dont offer, making it very easy for you to make your final choice, you are given free Boots vouchers for setting up a direct debit, and more vouchers for doing it there and then. Overall it was a very easy experience, we would recommend to anyone.

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 12 Jul 2009 by Nigel Walsh
Good Points: simple, easy to understand website. recommended by others. All CTF's looked the same in the end. Their online web form was really good, easily and cleanly laid out. After service brilliant,
Bad Points: none so far with engage. My general niggle with CTF's is you cant touch the money at all. Perhaps better to put in your own name in a bunch of ISA's etc.
simple, easy to understand website. recommended by others. All CTF's looked the same in the end. Their online web form was really good, easily and cleanly laid out. After filling in the form, the very next day I received Oscar's pack along with my account number etc and a freepost envelope to send of our voucher as soon as it arrives. I also believe you can track online what you put in etc. Finally, if you use Quidco first, www.quidco.com - you can get £50 cashback - plus then add £20 quid a month you then get a total of £75 back towards the first years contributions. Not a bad start! After service brilliant,

Overall Rating (5/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 26 Jun 2009 by Martha Dickins
Good Points: User freindly simpleapplicationn form.
Bad Points: None as yet.
Did not need to speak to anybody.

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 20 May 2009 by JASPAL WAID
Good Points: Extremely easy to get on to their website , The website was very well laid out and the essential information that i would expect to be made available to a customer was there and clear and precise. The whole process of setting up the TESP was very quick and I encountered no problems.
Bad Points: The documentation took a bit longer than I would have expected but this may just have been down to the post office.
The Tax Exempt Savings Plan (TESP) do not seem to be heavily advertised and overshaowed by CTF'S. Also i did find it difficult to get information on the current performances of Friendly Societies who offered TESP's . This may have been because it is all lumped in with CTF's .

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 20 May 2009 by JASPAL WAID
Good Points: I applied on-line for the Children's CTF. Their Website is very easy to use and well laid out . The whole process once I had read the information was very quick . The documentation arrived in the post and was clear and precise.
Bad Points: The delivery of the documentation took a few days.
The whole process was easy and plain to use. No complaints.

Overall Rating (4/5):

Website: Visit the website for this product
Reviewed on 23 Apr 2009 by Asta
Good Points: Very easy and quick to set up an account online, good interest rates
Bad Points: none so far
Write a review (must be at least 100 words) : Its all very confusing and time consuming to choose the right CFT provider. I have chosen Engage Mutual Assurance for few reasons. First it was important to me that I could open an account online. And I did it in less than 10 minutes with Engage Mutual Assurance! Very easy and stright forward to follow online instructions. Secondly, it was important to me to get good interest rates especially during these times and I found that they offer one of the highest rates which looks promising to me. Finally, the reviews left about Engage Mutual Assurance encouraged me to choose them as there were no ratings less than 4 out of 5. However, opening the account is the only experience I have engaged with them so far. Nevertheless I hope there will not be any regrets.

Overall Rating (5/5):

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Child Trust Funds

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