Squirrel Saver
A flexible savings pot for short-term plans. Label a goal, add to it whenever the imaginary pay packet arrives, and keep the money accessible when life changes its mind.
Oak Ledger Fixed Saver
A savings account rather than a bond: one deposit, one year, one fixed rate, but the door is not bricked up. Closing early costs 90 days’ interest in the story, so the tables show what patience is worth.
Hazelnut Cash ISA
An easy-access pot inside a fictional cash ISA wrapper. The model applies no tax to interest, caps new money at a demo £20,000 a year and lets withdrawn money go back in during the same tax year.
Hazelnut Fixed Cash ISA
The fixed cousin of the easy-access cash ISA: one deposit within the demo allowance, a fixed rate for twelve months and no tax on the interest in the story.
Fixed Twig Bond
One opening deposit, one year, one rate. The twig stays fixed even when the wind gets ideas. The rate applies only to the initial 12-month term, with no promised renewal rate.
Willow Tracker Bond
A bond with a variable rate: the term is fixed at two years but the rate tracks a fictional Forest Base Rate plus 0.25%. The illustration holds today’s rate constant, which a real tracker would not.
Compare savings with your amount
- Squirrel Saver3.75% AER · VARIABLE£375.00first-year interest at 3.75%
- Oak Ledger Fixed Saver4.40% AER · FIXED · 12 MONTHS£440.00first-year interest at 4.40%
- Hazelnut Cash ISA3.60% AER TAX-FREE · VARIABLE£360.00first-year interest at 3.60%
- Hazelnut Fixed Cash ISA4.30% AER TAX-FREE · FIXED · 12 MONTHS£430.00first-year interest at 4.30%
- Fixed Twig Bond4.60% AER · FIXED · 12 MONTHS£460.00first-year interest at 4.60%
- Willow Tracker Bondearns most4.75% AER · VARIABLE · 24 MONTHS£475.00first-year interest at 4.75%
Same fictional model as every table on the site. Limits and allowances are noted; nothing here is advice or an offer.
Compare side by side
| Feature | Squirrel Saver3.75% AER · VARIABLE | Oak Ledger Fixed Saver4.40% AER · FIXED · 12 MONTHS | Hazelnut Cash ISA3.60% AER TAX-FREE · VARIABLE | Hazelnut Fixed Cash ISA4.30% AER TAX-FREE · FIXED · 12 MONTHS | Fixed Twig Bond4.60% AER · FIXED · 12 MONTHS | Willow Tracker Bond4.75% AER · VARIABLE · 24 MONTHS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Easy-access savings | 1-year fixed-rate savings account | Easy-access cash ISA | 1-year fixed-rate cash ISA | 12-month fixed savings | 2-year variable-rate bond |
| Rate, reward or charge | 3.75% AER / gross p.a. (variable) | 4.40% AER / gross p.a. (fixed) | 3.60% AER / tax-free (variable) | 4.30% AER / tax-free (fixed) | 4.60% AER / gross p.a. (fixed) | 4.75% AER / gross p.a. (variable, tracking the demo Forest Base Rate of 4.50% plus 0.25%) |
| Fixed rate | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Tax-free wrapper | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Withdraw during the term | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Interest on £10,000 in year one | £375.00 | £440.00 | £360.00 | £430.00 | £460.00 | £475.00 |
| Minimum | £1.00 | £500.00 | £1.00 | £500.00 | £1,000.00 | £1,000.00 |
Savings at a glance
- Variable rate
- Fixed rate
Identity is also in the legend and the table view; the two hues are backed by direct labels.
View as a table
| Category | AER |
|---|---|
| Squirrel Saver | 3.75% |
| Oak Ledger Fixed Saver | 4.40% |
| Hazelnut Cash ISA | 3.60% |
| Hazelnut Fixed Cash ISA | 4.30% |
| Fixed Twig Bond | 4.60% |
| Willow Tracker Bond | 4.75% |
View as a table
| Category | Interest |
|---|---|
| Squirrel Saver | £375.00 |
| Oak Ledger Fixed Saver | £440.00 |
| Hazelnut Cash ISA | £360.00 |
| Hazelnut Fixed Cash ISA | £430.00 |
| Fixed Twig Bond | £460.00 |
| Willow Tracker Bond | £475.00 |
Savings questions
Shared with every product page in this range and the full FAQ list.
What is the difference between a fixed and a variable rate?
A fixed rate holds for the product’s term; a variable rate can change, and the projections only hold it constant for arithmetic. The savings range has one of each in every pair: accounts, cash ISAs and bonds.
How does the demo ISA allowance work?
New money into any ISA is capped at a demo £20,000 per fictional tax year, shared across every ISA a story customer holds. Interest and growth inside the wrapper are untaxed in the model.
Can I take money out of a fixed product early?
From the two fixed accounts, yes, with a 90-day interest deduction. From the two bonds, no: the term is fixed. The easy-access account and easy-access ISA allow withdrawals at any time.
When is interest paid?
Once a year at the anniversary in the annual-credit model, which is why AER and gross p.a. match. Fixed products pay at maturity.
Is savings interest taxed?
The model deducts no tax anywhere. Non-ISA figures are gross; ISA figures are described as tax-free because the wrapper would shield them. Personal tax is outside the story.
Six ways to set money aside, arranged in pairs: two savings accounts, two cash ISAs and two bonds, and in each pair one product has a fixed rate and the other a variable one. Every page carries a demo AER and worked tables showing what a deposit could earn, and the fixed products show what it costs to leave early.
How to choose
Start with access. Squirrel Saver and Hazelnut Cash ISA stay available at a variable rate; Oak Ledger Fixed Saver and Hazelnut Fixed Cash ISA fix the rate for a year with a 90-day interest deduction for leaving early; Fixed Twig Bond and Willow Tracker Bond lock money away for one and two years respectively, one at a fixed rate and one tracking the demo Forest Base Rate. The ISA pair applies no tax to interest in the model but caps new money at a demo £20,000 a year. A higher headline rate never makes a locked pot the right home for next month’s bill.
Other ranges: Current accounts, Mortgages, Loans, Credit cards, Investments, Insurance. Every figure on this page comes from the live product record, so a changed rate is reflected immediately; the rates page compares the whole range.
AcornBank: entirely fictional banking, exceptionally committed squirrels.