Personal Finance Archive

  • Bid for more transparency on funds will reduce costs
    Monday 21 May 2012

    Investors are driving a new transparency in fund management which should see costs coming down and poor-value funds disappearing.

  • Claim tax bills wiped out by clever advice
    Monday 21 May 2012

    The chancellor may be on the warpath, but business owners can still wipe out their tax bill using clever advice, according to the sponsors of a seminar in Edinburgh this week.

  • Lowering the property ladder
    Sunday 20 May 2012

    The mortgage squeeze is gripping tighter, with banks less willing than ever to help homebuyers who only have small deposits, according to a new survey.

  • John Phelps's portfolio
    Sunday 20 May 2012

    We were reluctant sellers of another three of our share tips last week as the stock market fell to fresh 2012 lows on the continuing concerns over the future of the euro.

  • Investors flock to safe stocks on eurozone and China fears
    Saturday 19 May 2012

    Online stockbrokers TD Direct this week reported a 50% increase in trading of its 10 most popular stocks as investors responded to the intensifying crisis in the eurozone.

  • Is it wise to invest in a property in Europe now?
    Saturday 19 May 2012

    As the eurozone crisis goes from bad to worse, UK owners of property on the Continent are putting them up for sale so they can bring their money back to the UK.

  • Funds 'in need of clearer pricing'
    Wednesday 16 May 2012

    Actively managed investment funds need transparent, consumer-friendly pricing to survive pressure from low-cost indexed funds and savvy investors, leading fund industry players said in Edinburgh yesterday.

  • UK savers miss out on £240bn ISA allowance
    Monday 14 May 2012

    UK taxpayers missed out on tax-free savings worth a potential £240 billion, official figures show.

  • Invest when the going gets tough
    Sunday 13 May 2012

    Is it time to sell shares or buy some more?

  • Workplace pensions targeted by advisers before commission ban
    Saturday 12 May 2012

    Workplace pension schemes are the target of increased activity by advisers and providers ahead of the ban on commissions next year.

  • Is Facebook an investor's friend or foe?
    Saturday 12 May 2012

    You cannot doubt the success of Facebook.

  • Low interest hits rainy day funds
    Sunday 6 May 2012

    In the current low-interest, high-inflation environment, it is tempting to conclude that saving is a waste of money and you might as well spend everything you have.

  • John Phelps's portfolio
    Sunday 6 May 2012

    Satellite broadband provider Avanti Communications played a starring role among our share tips last week when its price soared more than 10% on a wave of speculative support.

  • Cyberpreneur: Anyone can start a business
    Saturday 5 May 2012

    The power of the internet to harness freelance workers from around the globe is creating opportunities for the web-savvy young generation to escape the jobs crisis, says pioneering cyberpreneur Matt Barrie.

  • Debt fears as mortgage costs climb
    Saturday 5 May 2012

    Rising mortgage costs will be "the last straw" for many Scottish homeowners, pushing them into debt problems and into the arms of unscrupulous, fee-charging debt advice services, according to a leading charity.

  • Fixed income tops popular March investments
    Saturday 5 May 2012

    Investors fought shy of the markets in the first quarter of 2012, with net retail sales down by more than a third compared with the first quarters of 2010 and 2011, and equity funds getting the cold shoulder.

  • One in three employers is unaware of pension reform
    Wednesday 2 May 2012

    Almost one-third of employers are unaware that they will soon have to enrol employees into a pension, according to a survey published today, while more than two-thirds of employees are in the dark about automatic enrolment.

  • John Phelps' portfolio
    Sunday 29 April 2012

    Our share tips kept their heads above the water in last week's choppy stock-market conditions to show another increase in their total value when we carried out our usual review of progress.

  • Decision time in the mortgage game
    Sunday 29 April 2012

    Borrowers beware – mortgage rates are on the rise.

  • Investment funds found to be seriously underperforming
    Saturday 28 April 2012

    THE average investment fund has seriously under-performed its market index over the past 10 years, despite the far higher costs of active funds over trackers, new research has found.

  • Time to make the most of current euro rate
    Saturday 28 April 2012

    The pound this week hit its highest level against the euro since late 2009, which is good news for anyone planning a holiday in Europe in the coming months.

  • Comment: it's time for a radical overhaul of pensions
    Friday 27 April 2012

    Pensions expert JOHN FINNIGAN says action is needed to ensure that the mass population is able to enjoy a comfortable retirement

  • The new kid on the savings block
    Sunday 22 April 2012

    Individual Savings Accounts (Isas) are the financial industry's biggest sell, and the focus is now on attracting customers early in the new tax year.

  • John Phelps's portfolio
    Sunday 22 April 2012

    OUR share tips advanced across a broad front last week, with the total value of the four portfolios up by £890 when we reviewed their progress on Wednesday morning.

  • How to make charity gifts go further without George's help
    Saturday 21 April 2012

    More than 3000 charities have signed up to the Give it Back George campaign, urging the Chancellor to reconsider the controversial tax on wealthy donors that could cost them millions of pounds in lost donations.

  • Glasgow debt charity critical of Wonga for paying customers to sell its loans
    Saturday 21 April 2012

    Wonga, the payday lender, is paying customers up to £100 to sell its loans to their friends on Facebook, despite charging more than 20 times the interest of a standard credit card.

  • Fewer investors falling foul of scam
    Saturday 21 April 2012

    Boiler room fraud, the cold-calling of investors to persuade them to invest in overpriced, non-tradeable or non-existent shares, netted fewer victims last year, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) reported this week.

  • Financial advisers to face legal action over Keydata products sale
    Thursday 19 April 2012

    More than 150 firms of independent financial advisers face legal proceedings from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) over their sale of Keydata products.

  • Credit cards aren't always all bad
    Sunday 15 April 2012

    MANY families are struggling to stretch their salaries to the end of the month, as rising prices put the squeeze on household budgets.

  • Making sure a crisis is not a disaster
    Sunday 8 April 2012

    Not having enough money is most people's biggest worry – yet the majority do little to safeguard their situation by building an effective safety net.