Government reveals Savvy Squirrel to make you invest – will it work?

The government has been shouting about getting more people to invest for some time now. For the chancellor Rachel Reeves, it would mean more money to help boost the UK economy.

And she so desperately wants people to invest, she even went ahead with plans to slash the cash ISA allowance from £20,000 to £12,000, effective from the next tax year, for those under age 65.

For anyone looking to take advantage of a £20,000 ISA allowance, they would need to invest anything above £12,000 using a stocks and shares ISA.

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This has caused a bit of a stir among cash lovers, though in reality, a large majority of those stomping their feet over the cut have never used their full cash ISA allowance in the first place.

But, if we put feelings aside, the important thing to remember is that people should consider investing – not to please Reeves, but to boost their own wealth. See our guide to investing to help you get started.

I am not sure a squirrel is the right choice for its Invest for the Future campaign, though. It's too closely associated with cash and investing is not squirrelling. Investing does not mean hoarding your cash. And while a squirrel may stash its nuts, investing means you may lose some nuts along the way but hopefully end up with a lot more than you started with.

Savvy the Squirrel is certainly cute and likeable, unlike the pensions ‘Workie’ for those who remember the scary monster appearing on TV screens in 2015 to promote auto-enrolment pensions.

Though, I am not convinced the squirrel will be effective in converting cash hoarding Brits into a nation of investors with the same power as the British Gas ‘Tell Sid’ campaign – now that really did demonstrate the power of spreading the word.

Investing versus saving

If the Savvy Squirrel doesn't convince you to invest, then it’s worth considering what investing could mean for you in the first place.

Latest data from investing platform Vanguard shows that if you had invested £100 in global shares in 1970 and held them through the oil shocks of the 1970s, the dot-com boom, and the Global Financial Crisis, it would now be worth around £35,000, that is 10 times the £3,400 if you had kept your savings in cash.

We take a closer look at saving versus investing in our article.

When should you invest?

Getting started with investing is simple, despite the myths that you need expertise or a lot of cash – you need neither of those. You can invest with just a few pounds and you don’t need to be a trader.

But there are some simple rules you should consider before you invest. This includes:

• Clear unsecured debt
• Build emergency savings
• Have some cash for short-term goals (five years or less)
• Do not invest money you need for bills

And then there are also simple rules to consider when you do start investing. This includes:

• Start small to build confidence
• Do not panic when markets fall; keep investing each month
• Investing is for the long term, so invest money you do not need for five years or more.

According to Vanguard, Brits have a collective £200 billion sitting in excess cash. This is cash that can be invested. By not investing, you are at risk of letting inflation eat into your savings over the long-term. Inflation has come down from its highs of 9.6% in November 2022, but at that time, unless you were earning over 9.6% in cash interest, you were losing money.

Inflation is 3.3%, but again, if your cash is not earning more, you’re losing spending power as the value of your cash erodes.

And remember, when you invest, the power of compounding can be phenomenal and over time, you will build more wealth. And of course, while there are risks in investing, most people see an upside and become more financially resilient than if they had stuck with cash.