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Comparing the Comparisons

By: Alia Grubman

In a recent poll the internet came first in the list of ''greatest inventions of all time.'' Quite a remarkable victory for something that only fifteen years ago was hardly known outside of the computer world. Today everything relies on the internet, it''s impossible to imagine where we''d be without it.

Perhaps the best thing about the internet is how it''s made life a lot easier. If you don''t want to go out shopping you can always have a hunt on the internet and it will be ordered to your door. The same can be said of shopping around for a financial product like current accounts or insurance, it''s no longer a case of ringing up and comparing deals printed on paper, comparison websites have changed all that.

The remarkable success of comparison websites is based around them claiming to do all the research so that you don''t have to, they compare the whole market and get you the best deal.

Or not. One of the major problems is that comparison websites don''t cover the whole market any more, they generally only cover some of it and with more and more companies trying to encourage customers to go directly to their own websites, many comparison websites actually offer quite a reduced spread of the market.

Secondly, comparison websites get their money through two major sources: advertising revenues and commission. The second of these is particularly awkward if they claim to genuinely offer the best deal, because the money that the bank pays the comparison website as commission is often reflected in a higher starting price.

An additional problem is that no matter how intelligent a search engine may be, it''s not always going to get it right. Picking the right account is about evaluating a series of issues, not just interest rates, or the price of a policy, and it''s very hard for a computer to make these assessments for you.

Now, this should not be taken as meaning that comparison websites are completely useless, far from it, they''re amazing tools and can help you narrow down your search considerably, they''re just not the entirety of the shopping process by any stretch.

The best advice is to go to the well known financial advice websites out there, these companies don''t get any money by you buying certain products and their recommendations are based on an individual analysis of each account. At the end of the day, though, nothing really replaces doing the legwork yourself.

Article Source: http://www.casinoarticlessite.com

Alia Grubman is an expert in finance and writer with over 20 years of financial experience. They recommend you take a look at Alliance and Leicester for your savings accounts options.

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