Are self-invested personal pensions (Sipps) the future of retirement savings? Last week, Fidelity launched its own Sipp, joining a growing band of insurers, stockbrokers and independent financial advisers (IFAs). Sipps offer greater choice and more …
As British Gas and EDF Energy announce a forthcoming hike in gas and electricity prices, stay snug without being out of pocket by switching your supplier, says Naomi Caine. Millions of householders are bracing themselves …
The FSA have put them at the top of their table of “emerging retail risks” and now several mortgage experts have begun echoing their anxieties. Interest- only mortgages may well prove to be the next …
Returns from forestry hit 14.4% last year as timber prices soared 15.5%, the highest figure since 1992, according to the IPD Forestry index. But it’s the generous tax breaks, including the opportunity to dodge inheritance …
The Government looks set to close an annuity loophole as it performs yet another u-turn on pensions policy. Rules that came into force in April allow people to avoid buying an annuity by the time …
If you or a relative need to be taken into long-term care, the chances are you’ll have to foot the bill yourself, says Naomi Caine. So it’s wise to check out all the options How …
You will soon be able to put residential property in your personal pension pot. But this is not as good an idea as it may sound. Gordon Brown’s decision to allow property-obsessed savers to put …
Last month, at the request of my wife, we went to see the Grumpy Old Women show at Oxford’s New Theatre. I don’t know whether she was trying to tell me something, but, fortunately, I …
Each year banks fight it out to get students to open an account with them, offering free gifts like iPods to tempt them in. Ignore the freebies and check the overdraft deals, says Naomi Caine …
As the housing market has cooled over the past year or so, agents and landlords have reported a steady demand for rented property. This is not surprising, as the modest falls in average house prices …