Commentaries - Young People

If you have children or grandchildren in the United Kingdom aged between 7 and 15, do you – or they – know where their Child Trust Fund is? They definitely have one, but one in six is lost. The sad fact is that the more disadvantaged the family, the higher the rate of accounts gone missing.

Gordon Brown’s time as Chancellor may have ended in the financial crash but, notwithstanding its universal roots, his Child Trust Fund (CTF) is giving an opportunity to target real help where it’s needed – and, in doing so, to sort out the muddle of one million lost accounts.

Originally published 8/5/2018

Over the next 11 years there’ll be six million young people able to take control of their Child Trust Fund, before getting access to their money when they reach 18 years of age. Up to their 16^th birthday the account has been (or should have been - see below) looked after by their parents or guardian, but they can take control of their own account for the last two years before they reach adulthood.

On 6/9/18 at 4 pm in the House of Commons, The Share Foundation and The Share Centre host a 16^th birthday party in order to celebrate this milestone ..

Originally published 13/8/2018

‘A’ level results were announced on 16/8/18, so we’ve undertaken a detailed study of the quantum of exams taken, for the second year running: not so much to look at the grades achieved, which are well reported in the media generally, but at subject preferences. The overall quantum of exams taken has fallen for the second year running: on 2016 figures, by a further 2% in 2018 on top of 1% in 2017. 

Although Mathematics comes out on top again, there remains a dearth of subjects which provide a direct grounding in financial awareness.

Originally published 20/8/18