Launch of online consumer guide This is Money

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Wednesday 24 February 1999

From the latest business and City news, to advice on savings, mortgages, taxes and investment, This is Money is the essential online personal finance advisor for everyone

Associated New Media, the new media publishing division of the Daily Mail and General Trust launches the latest addition to its network of market-leading Web sites, its new financial online consumer guide This is Money.

This is Money speaks to many types of reader, regardless of age or gender, delivering relevant content in a down-to-earth language understood by all. Featuring such experts from the Daily Mail and Financial Mail on Sunday as Margaret Stone, Andrew Alexander, Jeff Prestridge and Anthony Hilton, it covers new topics every day and is constantly updated with up-to-the-minute City and business news, without the jargon, from the Evening Standard's Business Day section. This 'real person' interaction gives This is Money a unique and approachable personality.

Paul Zwillenberg, managing director of Associated New Media comments, "There are segments of the online marketplace that do - upon first view - seem overcrowded, but upon further inspection, display gaping holes. The online finance market is just such an example.

"There are many finance-oriented Web sites available, but they all target very specific audiences. This is Money is different from other finance sites because its editorial team recognises that everyone's personal finance situations and needs are varied. Also, because it's online, This is Money offers a unique level of interactivity. For instance, visitors can chat to our experts directly, and discuss and share information with one another through the chat rooms," he adds.

Martin Dunn, editor-in-chief at Associated New Media adds, "Associated Newspapers has dominated personal finance journalism for well over 20 years. Associated was first to enter the mid-range finance market with Money Mail - the biggest weekday finance section in a daily newspaper. This coupled with the hugely popular Financial Mail on Sunday means that we have that wealth of expertise at our fingertips. This means that, for the first time ever, everyone from the teenager confronted by the prospect of student loans, right through mortgages, PEPs, TESSAs to pension advice - This is Money has it covered. This is Money will be the one stop personal financial advisor for just about everyone."

This is Money launches today with three presenting sponsors and a number of advertisers. The sponsors include Screentrade, the UK's first Internet Insurance Web site, netPEP, the pioneering Internet tracker pep and the e-business solutions giant IBM.

Commenting on the advertiser interest to date, Lee Thompson, Head of Sales & Marketing at Associated New Media commented, "Our primary objective, as with all ANM site launches, is to establish the commercial precedent for the new site at the outset. Our ability to create and sell a sponsorship model, together with the finance-specific nature of the launch advertisers, means that we are well on our way towards establishing This is Money as a necessary component on personal finance advertising schedules."

This is Money is comprised of nine principal sections:

News & Markets
This section delivers all the very latest up-to-the-minute financial and business news and market reports.

Mortgages & Homes
Mortgages & Homes makes the most stressful purchase anyone will ever make easy. Full of the latest news, reviews and comment making the business of buying and selling property as painless as possible.

Saving & Investments
From PEPs and TESSAs to advice on stock market investment, this section has all the information the private investor needs to make the right choices.

Pensions
Crucial to everyone's future, this section delivers top line pension advice in clear and concise language.

Taxes
Here, This is Money makes plain the thorny issue of taxes, helping the visitor to get the most from their contributions.

Small Business
Beyond the day to day problems of running a company, the small business owner is pray to a myriad of often confusing financial issues. From PAYE to invoices, this section helps turn small business problems into easy to achieve solutions.

How to Spend It
Here there are ideas on how best to reap the rewards of smart investment planning, from travel tips to news of the latest high street fashions.

Ask the Experts
The beauty of a good website is its interactivity. This unique forum enables users to put their own personal questions to This is Money's team of financial experts.

Fact File
A helpful guide that explains in plain English all the jargon and sometimes baffling financial 'double-talk'.

About Associated New Media
Associated New Media (ANM) is the new media publishing division of Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT), one of Britain's leading national newspaper groups. As owner of the Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday and London's Evening Standard, DMGT's readership is in excess of 12 million a day. ANM publishes some of Europe's most successful websites:

The Evening Standard's online city guide This is London was winner of the Best Online Publication and Best Overall Site at the 1998 Yell Awards and Best Consumer Publication and the Grand Prix Prize at the 1998 New Media Age Effectiveness Awards.

Soccernet is the world's favourite football Web site attracting an average of 80,000 users a day, reading nearly 700,000 pages of football news and comment. Soccernet was winner of the 'Best use of New Media by a media owner' category at the 1999 Revolution Awards.

UK Plus, the UK-specific search directory, is compiled by a team of experienced journalists and features concise reviews of the best sites on the Web, hand-picked for their relevance to UK Web users. As part of an ongoing customer focused development program, UK Plus has recently re-launched to offer more relevant content throughout it's directory structure and a new look and feel to convey the personality and the human editing process which sets UK Plus apart.

Inquiries to:
Clive Savage, Fodor Wyllie Associates Tel: 0181 541 4082 Fax: 0181 541 1248
Email: clives@fodorwyllie.com

www.thisismoney.co.uk
www.thisislondon.com
www.soccernet.com
www.ukplus.co.uk