GuardianUnlimited Money, the financial news service of The
Guardian's online network, is to relaunch with a greater emphasis on
personal finance issues.
Editor Lisa Bachelor said: 'We discovered more and more people going
online to manage their finances and we are trying to capture that
market.'
A poll by GuardianUnlimited and ICM said one in five people manage their
money online.
Cash Clinics, introduced on the site this week, will cover issues such
as debt, investment and home buying. Fact Sheets will supplement these
by explaining new financial products entering the market.
These elements of the new-look site are aimed at individual consumers,
Bachelor said. 'They are for people, perhaps starting from scratch, who
are a bit confused by general products such as mortgages. They want to
look through information at their own pace.'
For other investors there is a Reuters live share price feed and
up-to-date business news and work-related features.
The site has also launched Ask the Expert, in which users e-mail queries
on legal, consumer and finance issues.
'It is another feature making the site more user-friendly,' Bachelor
said.
More interactivity will be offered to users over the next few months,
added Bachelor.
Interactive calculators on the site can be used for calculating loans,
savings, mortgages and pensions.
'In the new year we have ISA season coming up and it is the time when
people are looking to move house. In January we will also be looking at
managing debt,' she added.
The site will continue to grow with more pages added regularly, Bachelor
said. But there are no plans to expand the editorial team, which
consists of Bachelor, freelances and journalists drawn from the
newspaper.
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