The rate for me this year has been a low 2.75% which equates to about 3.45% in any equivalent taxable savings account. In one year I received about 7% but that was exceptional.

I'd be very interested to know the rate of return for various investments in the States. I know S&P was great for a bit, I'm not sure any US investments look reliable at present though.

There are rumours that our government will try to force people to invest in stocks and shares rather than cash return investments in the near future. How much of this is driven by the greed of stock market investment companies is fairly obvious. Whether the government will buckle to their wishes debatable.

It seems to me that we have always been kept fairly in the dark in the UK about risk/return in the wide range of investments that are possible.