Heard about the Child Trust Fund? A remarkably small number of parents appear to realise that all infants receive a free 250 pound voucher from the government to put into a Child Trust Fund.

Your son or daughters voucher may be invested in any one of three types of CTF account, Stakeholder - a shares-based account that swaps into cash, a savings account or a shares account. It is a superb chance to save for the future life of a young person. There are a number of authorised providers of the Child Trust Fund who can be contacted for information on how the scheme works.

The Government is very keen for the public at large to have access to Stakeholder accounts and this is the type of account that we offer. One of the highlights of saving for children is that anyone - parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles or even friends - may add to the Fund to a top limit of 1,200 pounds per year to help boost the total (once added, this money is not allowed to be withdrawn).

Only infants whose birthday is on or after 1st September 2002 are permitted to start up a Child Trust Fund. If you have children born before the above-mentioned date who are not qualified you could consider saving for them with a Child Bond - it is a tax-free savings plan looking for long-term growth.

As any mother or father will without doubt confirm, investing for a son or a daughter is a sound and sensible means of preparing for whatever tomorrow may bring.