Gair Rhydd - 1206. 24 February 2025

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STRUGGLING TO SAVE?

What You Need to Know About Lifetime ISAs as a University Student

Sienna Wilson Contributor

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ot a clue what to do with your savings? Overwhelmed by rising house prices and scared you will never be able to own a place? A Lifetime ISA could be perfect for you. House prices in Wales have been rising at their fastest rate for more than six months. UK house prices hit record highs in January of 2025. Whether you are looking to continue your stay in Cathays or relocate elsewhere following graduation—the once-assured promise of owning your own home is slipping away for young people.

A Lifetime ISA is a governmentbacked savings account offering a 25% bonus to help you afford your first home. The government will add £1 to every £4 you save into your LISA, so with a max limit of £4,000 per tax year, you could get back a top-up of £1,000 per year. Regardless of your current views on the UK government, free money is not something to turn down, is it? LISAs are available in two types: stocks and shares ISAs, where you are invested in the stock market, or cash ISAs, where you earn interest on your savings. You can open a LISA account online at any time, up until you are 40 years old. The catch? You can only withdraw the money to purchase your first home or for

retirement—anything else will cost you a pretty hefty fine. But, if you use it for a house deposit, you can keep saving and receiving the government top-up until you hit 50. I spoke to Moneybox personal finance expert, Brian Brynes, who told me, “It’s free money from the government, which you don’t typically get elsewhere. It’s incredibly helpful when you’re saving up for your deposit, but also all the other incidentals that come with purchasing a house, like stamp duty, solicitor’s fees, all that sort of fun stuff.” “It can be very easy to look at headlines, look at house prices and think, I’m not going to get onto the property ladder. It’s just not possible for first-time buyers any more. All our

data and experience would suggest that’s not the case.”

We see hundreds of thousands of people saving into a Lifetime ISA on a day-to-day,week-toweek basis. And we see thousands of first-time buyers every month getting the keys to their first home.So, while house prices do keep increasing, interest rates are higher than they have been over the last 10 to 15 years. Times are certainly tough, but it is still possible to get onto the property ladder.” Bethan, an entrepreneur from Cardiff, bought her first home using a LISA and is now using it to save for her retirement...

To read the full story, turn to page 5.

Rhifyn 1206 Issue 1206

Cardiff University’s Student Paper | Established 1972

24 February 2025

gair rhydd

24 Chwefror 2025

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Ergyd Drom Unwaith yn Rhagor i’r Celfyddydau yng Nghymru Elen Morlais Williams Golygydd Taf-od

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r ôl degawd o doriadau cyllid ar y sector diwylliant, mae cyhoeddiad diweddar Prifysgol Caerdydd wedi dod fel ergyd arall i’r celfyddydau yng Nghymru. Cyhoeddodd Prifysgol Caerdydd eu bod yn ystyried terfynu pynciau fel cerddoriaeth oherwydd problemau ariannol, sy’n awgrymu bod y celfyddydau...

Er mwyn darllen y stori gyfan, trowch i dudalen 8.

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy – The Last Diary Entry? Emily Jo Cottle Head of Review

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ur favourite bumbling British icon returns to our screens in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, the fourth film based on Helen Fielding’s four-part book series. Renée Zelleweger and creators have stayed true to the eccentric magnetism of Bridget Jones in the supposed final film. She juggles grief, single motherhood, new relationships, and worklife with her infectious laughter and familiar smile...

To read the full story, turn to page 17.

Male Birth Control is Just Out of Reach Rachel Bedding Contributor

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ixty years—that’s how long it’s taken for methods of male hormonal birth control to even begin development. However, as of 2025, researchers suggest that effective forms of male birth control could be available for public use within ten years, maybe as soon as five...

To read the full story, turn to page 19.


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Gair Rhydd - 1206. 24 February 2025 by Cardiff Student Media - Issuu