The reason why so many are sleepwalking into huge tax bills on their pensions by passing the cap is because of the way final salary benefits are calculated. Working out how much you have in a defined contribution scheme is as simple as looking at the current value of your funds. ...read
In the heat of the election campaign, as spending and tax cut promises roll off the tongue, it is only too easy to forget the budgetary background. In the immediate aftermath of the International Monetary Fund's praise for the progress made by the Coalition in fixing Britain's fiscal policy comes a dose of reality from Eurostat, the EU statistics agency. ...read
Reading the manifestos of the main parties is not something I would recommend to anyone other than insomniacs, political groupies or my worst enemies (you know who you are). Unfortunately, I've just completed such an ordeal - part of my work remit, I'm afraid to say - and I feel as if I've been subjected to a bout of Chinese torture. Never again, I say, although no doubt I'll be doing the same thing in five years' time, provided I'm still around (latest life expectancy analysis suggests I'm good for another 27 years) and someone is willing to provide me with gainful employment. ...read
Since the dark days of the credit crunch, US shares have led the pack, but from the beginning of this year, the American stock market has lagged, falling behind the UK, Europe and Japan. There is the threat of interest rates rising in the US, but here are four reasons why some exposure to the US market still makes sense. ...read
Astonishing claims of a 1,400% return over the past two decades are built on borrowed money but there's another important point to consider - property was unloved and cheap in 1996. That made buy-to-let a turbocharged value investment. Investors could still do well today, but they shouldn't expect a repeat of the past. ...read
It is just over a year since I started the Minor Investor column, with the aim of taking a candid look at my investing experience. In that spirit, I decided the latest column should deliver an honest appraisal of how my investments have fared over that year - and the mistakes I've made along the way. ...read
Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels, said the supermodel, who is not often credited for her insights into policy-making. Perhaps she should be. In politics, as in matters of diet, the course of action that is the best over the long term is often not the most desirable course of action in the short term. Add the instant gratification of the democratic electoral cycle and, instead of good policy-making, you sometimes get the equivalent of a midnight binge in front of the fridge. ...read
The number of exciting savings accounts being launched at the moment is non-existent largely because banks are interested in attracting current account customers instead. There has been a lack of cash Isa rabbits being pulled out of the hat - but why would providers who can offer juicy in-credit rates on current accounts now bother? ...read
Even if the claims of oil turn out to be exaggerated, we can doubtless expect a wave of fresh interest from oil explorers and even if the amount of oil that can be extracted turns out to be less than predicted, it is still likely to be very significant. My home is on the eastern edge of the area identified as a possible oil bonanza, but I am prepared for that to change. I am still relaxed. ...read
What has become immediately clear is just how crucial Pension Wise is going to be. This new, independent, free guidance service involves face-to-face, 45-minute sessions overseen by Citizens Advice, and phone line interviews run by the Pensions Advisory Service - plus a website stuffed with useful information. It is going to be the crucial first step for millions to take control of their future. ...read
A reader was talking about nearing retirement - and his regrets at not saving more into the pensions he was now wondering what to do with. Yet, to me, this seemed to speak directly to a younger generation and sum up why it's important to start early. Unfortunately, our MPs seem hell bent on hacking away at young pension savers' aspirations though. ...read
Warren Buffett is widely referred to as the world's greatest investor - my suspicion has long been that it's closer to the mark to call him the world's greatest businessman. Last weekend, his firm Berkshire Hathaway held its annual jamboree and Buffett delivered his 50th letter to shareholders. Here are my highlights. ...read
My estranged bankrupt son forced his grandmother, who is 85, to buy four iPhone 6 Plus mobile contracts from three operators for him, his wife and two daughters as Christmas presents. Virgin was brilliant and cancelled the phone charges; 3 insisted the contract be paid up; and O2 has insisted she pays £100 a month to the end of the contract. ...read
Ms J.V. writes: In 2011 I was persuaded to buy a plot of land in Brazil, followed by a larger plot a few weeks later. The salesman was a silver-tongued broker named Jacob Stone from Land Asset Group, aided by another broker, William Lord. I had regular calls telling me all was fine, with the World Cup on its way, followed by the Olympic Games. But in 2012 I tried to call the company and its number was unobtainable. I did eventually make contact, but was told Stone was away in Brazil. Now I want to sell my land to help family members who have had a bad time recently, but BT says the company's number has been 'disabled', and a recorded delivery letter has been ignored. ...read
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'Someone drove into my car and now MY premiums have gone up'
Drivers' insurance costs soar after accidents that weren't their fault - even if they don't make a claim.
The small deposit mortgages with a £1k sweetener, could you save money with Clydesdale and Yorkshire's home loan?
Lenders offering £1k cashback.
Why would HSBC want to quit the UK - and will other banks follow suit?
Chairman blames 'regulatory and structural reforms' in the wake of the financial crisis.
Young people expect to retire with £95,000 pension pot - but most haven't started saving yet
Yawning reality gap:
Eight simple but important lessons about money
Simon Lambert delivers his ideas - what are yours?
IFS says giving housing association tenants Right-to-Buy their home could harm public finances
And reduce social housing
Transport for London boss attacks commuter trains into the capital as 's***''
...like the 'wild west' and with Gestapo-like inspectors
Cost of renting rises across the UK
And London tops the league with biggest increase in last year
Plucky motorist loses parking fine battle in court
But RAC says days of 'sky-high charges' from private firms are numbered
Would you buy a home under the hammer?
How to invest in property at auction - or even get on the housing ladder
Paragon Bank fires to top of best buy tables after upping rate on fixed-rate savings
Challenger bank raises the game
The best buy-to-let mortgage rates to build your property portfolio or cut your costs
There are now 143 deals below 5%.
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What we really need is an all-or-nothing approach to our personal tax system.
The Conservatives are desperate not to be seen as the party of the rich, while Labour promises to soak the rich but refuses to say what other taxes it must increase to balance the books.
From payment protection insurance to Libor and foreign exchange dealing, the list of transgressions in the banking sector appear never-ending.
Easter Monday marks the start of the new tax year and more importantly the introduction of brand new rules governing how we access our pensions.
I was to pay £3k and my wife would take over responsibility for our overdraft. But she has defaulted and debt collectors want me to assume responsibility.
Inside the mess that is RBS there is a very solid bank struggling to get out. That is why the Chancellor is right to say that we should be able to start selling off this state asset sooner rather than later.
On paper, Thiam's period at the helm looks to be a triumph. Investors can only marvel at a share price that moved from £3 to £16 under his stewardship, but the firm also missed out on a huge merger.
My own prejudice is to act on the side of caution in case a deflationary psychology develops. That means cutting rates to zero, or following the Swiss and Danish and go negative.
The opposition Labour party cannot suggest at one and the same time that borrowing is too high and austerity too strong.
At the very least ScottishPower should have been fined to the hilt - and maybe a fine will be levied once Ofgem gets its act together.
There has been much fury vented about why HMRC has not prosecuted more people for tax evasion given the information provided.
Move to Santander or Nationwide, First Direct or Halifax - whichever suits you best. Do it today and by next Friday Barclays' appalling behaviour will just be a distant memory.
After I opened an account with Banc de Binary, an adviser wrongly predicted poor unemployment figures and that the pound would fall. I came under high pressure to bet more using my credit card.
Make no bones about it, it's a sprawling, complex confection in desperate need of simplification. To cover all the rules, it measures 17,000 pages in total.
A doorstep salesman offered to apply for a reduction in my home's council tax band. I later phoned the firm and was told it was submitting my claim to a tribunal.
Despite extra staff being drafted in, alarming groans continue to emanate from the good ship NS&I.;
Low inflation, fiscal tightening and political uncertainty will mean no interest rate rises this year. Our forecast is for the first Bank of England rate hike to come in February 2016.
People have been left behind in the digital revolution as signals have been lacking. Rectifying this takes huge investment which larger, consolidated groups should find easier to deliver.
British Gas can hardly expect strong applause for a 5 per cent cut in the gas price for 6.8 million domestic consumers. After all, by some measures wholesale gas prices have fallen by 30 per cent.
Switch, switch, switch. I can't say those words often or loudly enough. It is the message we have been giving you for years now on savings.
The Pensions Minister would be better off ensuring they get justice, rather than opening a door for pensioners that most would be better off not stepping through.
Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket.
A successful housing market needs people to move. The mansion tax threat is already slowing top-end sales - with repercussions down the chain.
The bigger danger in the case of Russia is that it leads to some act of military bravado by Putin as displacement activity.
A major delivery company with a large workforce of several thousand people calls in administrators over the Christmas period.
Britain made a terrible planning mistake over recent decades that we now have an opportunity to at least start putting right.
There are three predictions I am prepared to make this year, confident that they will come true in 2015. Dead certs I call them.
At a meeting I was told the loan was for five years and was overdue - and Barclays did not intend to extend it. I am ill and since then it has tried to raise the rate to 7.55%
My endowment policy was underperforming, but the advisers failed to reply to my letters. I was awarded mis-selling compensation of £4,517 plus interest but have never received the money,
Drastic Dave, as Tesco's new chief executive Dave Lewis is known, could be about to shake up the sector more significantly than anyone could have guessed
Cultural change in large organisations does not come easy, as Antony Jenkins at Barclays has found.
I took early retirement from Prudential 15 years ago. I recently learned that elements of my pension had been incorrect for seven years and they have had the nerve to claw back £321.14 of overpayments.
The Chancellor can be thankful that at least the financial sector is still paying its way, even if Starbucks, Google, Amazon et al are not.
My brother has been appealing to Virgin to reconsider his agreement for a very comprehensive Virgin package, including high-speed broadband, phone and TV, without success.
I opened an account with £2,500 and got a bonus of £2,500. I traded and my balance rose to £5,080. But my husband lost his job and we needed our deposit back. I had to sign a waiver and lost the £750.
The official line on her departure is that her expertise is in picking up companies from the floor, and that having brought Thomas Cook back from the brink, both sides are ready to move on.
I need to inform them each time I will be using my card outside the UK. But they keep asking a security question involving my son. I've asked them to remove this question, as I find it distressing, but they won't.
What is patently clear is that the quoted grocery chains need to respond fast to the no-frills challengers if they don't want to become commercial dinosaurs.
The main reason Money Mail has been a supporter of George Osborne's pensions revolution was because of the message it sent - that you should be able to spend that cash as you want
UK shares are cheap but also carry a sizeable risk of falling much further. Simon Lambert takes a look at the investor's dilemma.
The confirmation last week that the Competition and Markets Authority is to launch an investigation into banking has been widely welcomed - except by most of the banks.
Santander insisted I get my ex-husband's agreement before it will pay the £5,300, or it will only pay me half - I've now turned to the FOS but it is being no help.
A graduate advised Nationwide that he was off on a trip across America using his debit card, but it wrote to him at home to say his overdraft was being reduced AFTER he'd left for the States.
It is always best to be positioned in a stock before it becomes the subject of takeover rumours, says leading fund manager Mark Slater. He reveals six shares he likes and explains why.
I completed the sale of my brother's property and supplied nPower with final meter readings. After four months nPower said he was £236.99 in credit. Several months later I am still waiting for a cheque.
Bonuses are the correct model for paying bankers and the European authorities are entirely misguided in trying to force a bonus cap.
My wife and I intended to invest 50,000 in property in Brazil through Ready2Invest and were instead asked to lend to Spain. We have not seen a penny back.
Today This is Money is stepping up our campaign and calling on banks and building societies to do more about the rising tide of vishing by bank phone call fraudsters.
I received a mailshot from Streetwise Publications, offering a DVD for £147, which they claim can earn me up to £25,000 a month for a few hours' work each day.
Our hotel was overbooked and we were told we would receive £40 compensation per adult, which would be paid on our return. But I still do not have the money.
There are about 2,000 energy brokers in the UK - and though many are part of a trade association that has a voluntary code, many are unaccountable.
Getting your mortgage cleared as early as possible used to be a prized ambition, but that mood seems to be going the way of the Ford Escort and tape machine.
As our story proves, these kinds of admin problems can seriously jeopardise the rigorous plans of diligent savers.
We wanted coins that should spell Liverpool, but while the first two arrived and we paid for them, the third coin never did.
'Buy land, they're not making it anymore.' The only problem is that if you're looking to buy any of it to build your own home on then you'll find it heavy going.
Sell in May and go away, come back on St Leger's Day. This popular methodology for investing in the stock market served investors well for many years.
Today, I would like to pat on the back Barclays staff - and in particular the friendly Paul Collins - at its all mod-cons branch on Kensington High Street.
HMRC and my pension provider are making my tax affairs impossible to understand. I'm a 77-year-old widow and my family are too far away to help.
From Bonfire Night (how appropriate) 1.6million of its customers will see the interest they receive from their cash Isa reduced as the bank consolidates its products.
Time was that any sign of a crisis in the Middle East and the price of oil went through the roof - and with it the chances of future prosperity. Not any more.
I took out a life insurance policy with Scottish Amicable in 1999 and I have paid in more than £24,000. When I asked about cashing it in, I was told it was only worth around £20,000.
Recent experience reminded me the theoretical gains from bank's premium account offer do not always outweigh the less flashy selling points, like customer service.
Many readers may ask 'Boom, what boom?' but the property market is now picking up across the UK. The big question remains how far will house prices keep rising from here?
I was involved in a car accident on January 7, 2013. A witness confirmed that the other car cut straight across a mini-roundabout instead of going round it.
Sir Philip Hampton will shortly be joining the board of GlaxoSmithKline where he becomes the lead contender to succeed Sir Christopher Gent as chairman.
The big worry is the housing market and the level of household debt.
Whitehall's solution to the North in the past has been to parcel out routine civil service jobs, such as HMRC to Bootle, and think job done.
Six years on from the financial crisis, public anger at the behaviour of the bankers, and the crushing effect it has had on the living standards has yet to dissipate.
I own a timeshare run by Macdonald Resorts. My husband has died and I can no longer afford the fees. I am very that the debt will pass to my children.
In his Mansion House speech Mark Carney's assertion that interest rates might need to rise soon almost looked like a throwaway line.
Even if you come nowhere near to being able to save or invest £15,000, this is a golden opportunity to stop the taxman taking another bite out of your money.
I suspect we are going to get a fair bit of stick from some banks for advising readers to cash in their Isas to get the best rate. But to us, the logic of it stacks up.
There are very few businesses that escaped the credit crunch and subsequent recession totally unaffected - it was felt by companies of all sizes and from all sectors.
Britain should adopt a version of the US Chapter 11 process, that gives firms a breathing space to reorganise themselves.
Markets have convinced themselves that the problems of euroland broadly have gone away with the promises by European Central Bank president Mario Draghi.
I believed my CardGuard policy had been mis-sold and was told that my claim would be split into two parts: pre and post-2005. But the pre-2005 claim was rejected!
The Governor of the Bank of England has been rattling his toolkit loudly this week. But I wouldn't bet on any of them making it out of the box.
I wanted to supplement our pension. I found the Banc de Binary and invested in binary options but we lost heavily and the company took more money than agreed.
With transfers of cash Isas from one provider to another, the rules are, at least, fairly rigid. With the new shares-to-cash transfers, it is all a little more opaque.
I closed my account with Orange after a new phone they sent me didn't work. Then I received a letter from debt collectors demanding I pay £42.13, but I never accessed the line.
Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney did not disappoint. He pronounced that an interest rate rise 'could come sooner than markets currently expect.'
NS&I; will rewind the clock in August when it introduces a second £1m jackpot alongside another it already has. It will mean two guaranteed millionaires each month.
Invest in trackers and you remove the risk that you pick a dud fund manager who charges you for the pleasure. Yet I still hold tight to the belief that a good one is worth paying.
Claims that global giant Mars is putting the squeeze on British suppliers are just the latest in a litany of cases where larger groups are abusing their muscle.
There is a house-building boom in Britain just now. Yet if so many homes are going to be built, we need to ensure that they are of reasonable quality.
It takes just over two hours to get to Preston on Virgin Trains. The price? £332. Last month, I almost booked a return on Virgin Atlantic to New York. The price? £350.
As much as one respects Marc Bolland's turnaround efforts, as a long-standing, supportive shareholder, I can only imagine that he is in the last chance saloon.
We retired to Italy in 2009. Two days ago, we received a letter from Barclaycard saying that as the address on our account is in Italy, they plan to close it!
Lord Harris of Peckham, who's spent 57-years at the top of the floor-coverings business, is finally picking up his carpet stretchers and heading for the exit.
Given a choice between a Co-op Bank account and one with Metro, I'd choose the latter every time - even if the Co-op increased its 'bung' for joining from £100 to £1,000.
Considering how easy it now is to be a DIY seller, it's astonishing we still pay estate agents thousands in fees - so does that mean we actually think they are worth it?
Residents in the Isle of Man now have to pay a £50 sewerage tax, rising to £100 next year. This is Money has taken a look at other deeply unpopular taxes.
Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket.
Despite its parlous financial state the bank continues to offer a 'bribe' of £100 to anyone thinking of jettisoning their existing bank in favour of the Co-op.
I know the implications of a yes vote would be deeply damaging for the Scottish economy, and thereby the living standards of ordinary Scots, for decades to come. We must preserve the union.
My flight from Phoenix to London was cancelled as a part had to be flown in from LA. We eventually flew out 24 hours later, but all I've been offered is £30 of High Life shop vouchers.
The Tory-led coalition has delivered on growth and jobs and pressed on with the work of reforming the financial system and the City. It would be bonkers to change direction at present.
The adage of you get what you pay for can definitely be used when it comes to the quality of players at smaller sports teams, but not when it comes to friendly and welcoming atmosphere.
The fact P2P - where ordinary folk lend direct to other individuals or businesses - is worthy of a mention in the script surely means this newest form of lending has reached the mainstream.
It really comes as no surprise that some firms are failing to explain the options to retirees. You might even think it was a attempt to get us to hand over more money than we need to.
A line in Prince's famous 1999 chorus said: 'Two thousand zero zero, party over, oops out of time.' For UK shares that was true, but now some measures indicate decent prospects.
My home is on the eastern edge of the area identified as a possible oil bonanza, but I am prepared for that to change. I am still relaxed.
Some economists have been warning that the uncertainty of a hung parliament with a minority government of whatever persuasion will cause markets to gyrate.
I had trouble with the thermostat but the engineer was full of bluster and suggested it was because my kitchen was too cool and advised me to blow warm air into it.
Forecasting the risks and opportunities of the online revolution may be even harder than predicting the national debt.
My own prejudice is to act on the side of caution in case a deflationary psychology develops. That means cutting rates to zero, or following the Swiss and Danish and go negative.
Last May, I paid £695 to Frontier for a six-week volunteer placement at a summer camp in Beijing in China. But I ended up in a small town. I feel I have been mis-sold from the start.
Inside the mess that is RBS there is a very solid bank struggling to get out. That is why the Chancellor is right to say that we should be able to start selling off this state asset sooner rather than later.
Some of our largest and well known UK companies are operating tactics which damage the very supply chains that do so much to support them.
If the market's ups and downs are making you a little bit more uneasy than usual, there are ways to ride out the storm - and maybe even profit, says Fidelity's Maike Currie.
Despite the best efforts of the City's regulator to squeeze the pips out of the mortgage market with draconian lending rules, most homeowners or aspiring buyers have never had it so good.
It shows a bankruptcy of imagination in the City and Whitehall, and a forgiveness of past mistakes of biblical proportions.
Despite the best efforts of the City's regulator to squeeze the pips out of the mortgage market with draconian lending rules, most homeowners or aspiring buyers have never had it so good.
In the stand-off between Greece's finance minister Yanis Varoufakis and German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, both blinked. But Greece gave more ground.
The suitcase is still missing and we are out of pocket for emergency clothing. On top of this, we have lost everything in the suitcase.
Sir Martin Sorrell is right that Miliband is trying to tap into a public mood that has become distrustful of business after a banking crisis, rising energy bills and a raft of other scandals.
Despite the occasional unpleasant hiccup, most notably the awful split capital misselling scandal of the late 1990s, investment trusts have served investors extremely well.
Sir Martin Sorrell is right that Miliband is trying to tap into a public mood that has become distrustful of business after a banking crisis, rising energy bills and a raft of other scandals.
Despite extra staff being drafted in, alarming groans continue to emanate from the good ship NS&I.;
If it wants us to be accountable, it must be prepared to take responsibility, too. But, really, what we need is a rethink of the whole bungling tax system.
Good performance has, over time, made Reckitt Benckiser one of Britain's untouchable global companies.
There is another side to this story that it pays to be aware of - the danger that lies in the oil price slump for over-priced junk bonds.
I was persuaded to transfer my pension savings into carbon credits. Now the company has gone into liquidation - have I lost all my money?
The AA helped me get back into my car but the door wouldn't shut properly and now they won't pay the repair bill
Our Wooden Spoon award winners have largely had the same thing in common. Service levels have plummeted either after trying to recruit customers too quickly, or a computer meltdown.
For eight of us, we paid more than £300 for a meal that cost almost a quarter less and feel cheated. Can I get this back?
A long succession of quarters in which sales have fallen will not make life easy for M&S; chief executive Marc Bolland.
My wife and I are having problems with Metro Bank regarding one-year cash Isa bonds.
My wife and I own a rental property which we would like to gift to our eldest daughter. However, we don't have the ready cash to pay the capital gains tax.
Skipton BS is trying to get savers more engaged in retirement planning - not only so they do not end up in financial need but so they can actually achieve their retirement aspirations.
Over the past year there has been an extraordinary upheaval in the way millions of Britons manage their money.
All too often, I fear, chief executives are keen only to shine the light on the good parts of their business, which are well enough lit to the public by advertising and PR in the first place.
It's a considerable improvement on this time last year, and just goes to highlight what a successful time this has been for most mainstream investments.
George Osborne didn't have much spare cash to give away in his Autumn Statement. But the forecasts that went with his speech gave away plenty about the future shape of the recovery.
The recent drop in the price of oil - and therefore petrol - will make for a slightly happier Christmas for most of us, but it is casting a dark shadow over the North Sea oil industry.
Corporation tax is not fit for purpose. It is time for a serious debate on whether it should be abolished altogether. The case against the tax is simple. It is difficult to collect and easy to avoid.
Next time you read an excuse about the difficult low interest rate environment consider this, Britain's banks and building societies are doing quite nicely.
National Insurance, tax relief on pension contributions for higher-rate taxpayers and VAT are three obvious taxes that could be targeted after the General elections.
A brochure I received said the market in diamonds is worth considering. An 8 per cent annual return could be expected and this is underwritten. The letter's aim is to forewarn any potential investors.
I signed up to a debt evaluation plan and paid £178 a month but was horrified to find I was £500 in arrears when I thought GRF Debt had been passing on my payments to lower my debt.
MMR=M³. For non-mortgage geeks, this is not an equation I have stolen from one of my son's engineering textbooks that he scatters around the house like confetti at a wedding.
Oil price decline provides a key backcloth to the budget. It will keep downward pressure on inflation, and offers the prospect that the decline in real earnings could start to be reversed.
If Juncker was a British politician, his position would be untenable. Eurosceptics will agree, but so should those who believe the EU can still be a force for good, if only it can show some integrity.
Helge Lund's potential pay package of £25m will be ten times that earned at Statoil for running a firm with one-fifth of its revenues. This is the economics of the madhouse.
Carney is proposing new rules that will enable banks to cope with an economic meltdown without having to go cap in hand to the Government.
The confirmation last week that the Competition and Markets Authority is to launch an investigation into banking has been widely welcomed - except by most of the banks.
Much of the competition in the current account market is designed to blind consumers with short-term offers that fall away in the blink of an eye.
If you heed the investing wisdom that the best time to buy is when shares are unpopular, then it may be time to shop in the stock market sale. Is that a wise move right now though?
Tesco Bank customers are beginning to get compensation for the bank's failure to send out personal loan and credit card statements on time.
Until the banking system is repaired the eurozone will be forced to fight the twin enemies of stagnation and deflation.
Aviva lost the photos I sent after thieves smashed up my new scooter. I then had to pay £121 after my courtesy car hire was terminated.
A fighting force combining the might of our northern powerhouses has emerged as part of the solution to Britain's dangerously Londoncentric economy.
I sold my Standard Life shares via a link on it's website that took me to Capita, which sent a cheque for £938, which was paid into Lloyds Bank. The problem is that I never received the cheque.
This publicly funded body has asked Marlene Cheshire to pay back £15,635.68 it has overpaid her as a result of its own administrative incompetence (she is blameless).
While Britain and the US are, in the IMF's words, 'approaching economic lift-off', the eurozone is back in intensive care. The frustration is palpable. But so too is the fear.
The Sage of Omaha originally spent just over £1billion on the shares, which was the only one of his 15 biggest holdings to show a loss in 2013.
My wife and I intended to invest 50,000 in property in Brazil through Ready2Invest and were instead asked to lend to Spain. We have not seen a penny back.
The SFO finally is using existing law such as conspiracy to defraud, as well as new bribery and banking legislation, to make some inroads with financial and business wrong-doing.
New York investors cannot wait for Alibaba's initial public offering, and the issue is well oversubscribed and priced at the top of its range.
Investors are wondering whether a potential Scottish Yes vote to split from Britain could derail them, but some are pointing to UK shares as decent value.
With the Stock Market Show approaching, Alexander Justham, chief executive of the LSE explains how the exchange has evolved since its opening 300 years ago.
Now the expectations around the ECB are high, and so are the risks of disappointment.
Many people should be investing - but fear, lack of knowledge and in some cases, let's face it, laziness, has stopped them from doing so.
Tesco needs to find a place for itself in this new world because trusting that the old days will come back is hopeless.
The fact that the recession was a fraction less bad will make little practical difference to our view of the past six years.
The great investing books are a way to learn how to spot good (and bad) investments and understand your place in the herd. Simon Lambert picks five.
I was 6,000th in the queue until people started saying on Twitter there was a way to book tickets in minutes. All I had to do was cough up a £4 per ticket 'admin fee'.
Air links are vital, yet there has been no significant new capacity in the South of England for 50 years.
Unbeknown to me, Orange had only cancelled my iPad contract and not my iPhone. However, I had originally asked for my contract to end for both.
Don't fall into the same trap as a reader who called for help and believe that all energy companies are the same and it's not worth switching, that's not true.
Even when rates do start to rise it could take hard-pressed savers some time to see their rates get back to pre-2012, never mind pre-financial crisis levels.
Although I couldn't remember taking out any loans, I couldn't see anything to lose, so agreed to pay the money on a card.
There was much concern that the new freedoms would lead to splurging their savings on a Lamborghini, we should be more concerned about tax.
The big question arising from the August Inflation Report is when will interest rates begin their 'gradual' rise?
In Greece banking is now dominated by just four main banks. But the fear is that soon the Greeks will be saying: 'and then there were three'.
is this the time to start freaking out? Possibly but probably not, says Tom Becket of Psigma, who explains why markets are due a healthy correction.
Most of us will tell our insurer when we buy or receive a valuable item. But how many of us consider how the value of items we've had for years may have changed?
On a visit to Australia last year, my girlfriend and I chose to book a room staying with strangers in Melbourne. What transpired was a less than comfortable stay.
It is a stock market tradition for companies to blame the weather when their profits miss the mark, but the climate has been supplanted by a new culprit: sterling.
To an outsider, understanding the stock market is not always the easiest of tasks, but owning shares is a great way to grow your wealth and healthier for society too.
Barring exceptional circumstances, I think you'd be mad to give up the income offered by a defined benefit pension - even if you are tempted by a big lump sum.
It happened this weekend. Almost every single item either failed to scan properly or caused the machine to have a hissy fit when I tried to put it in a bag.
I recently visited my local Lloyds Bank branch to apply for a new credit card. But staff there told me I couldn't get one because I'm 85.
Forget loyalty, let's get tough and show the banks what we want.
In a damning verdict, the Business Select Committee stated baldly that the Government lost out on as much as £1billion.
The Wilson's sale of their almost 1,000 homes might not call the top of the property market, but it has something to tell those engaged in the hunt for yield.
The real scandal of the new state pension system is that it will shaft the 24 million private sector workers who stood to gain the most from the two-tier system. People like me.
Survey after survey indicates a couple of current account providers are now head and shoulders above the competition - Nationwide and First Direct.
The owner wanted the other £2,500 before delivery. I refused but my request for a refund was ignored. A solicitor's letter has been returned 'not known'.
How many millions of pounds will Mike Ashley earn from the bonus pool at Sports Direct? The scandalous answer is we do not know.
It is still so important for there to be a judicial inquiry into the panic and its aftermath, with interviews conducted under oath and full disclosure of documents.
Annuities have become more expensive due to increasing life expectancy, coupled with record low yields on the assets that underpin them.
The new current account from Tesco Bank is the latest to offer interest on in-credit balance rates. Why are banks concentrating on this rather than low savings rates?
The Bank of England's quarterly inflation report may prove to be a deflation report, with a forecast of negative CPI in the months to come. I'm not so sure we need to worry.
Instead of choosing what area to emphasize, investors should stay diversified and instead focus on currencies, says David Stubbs of JP Morgan Asset Management.
We can now say with certainty that a sizeable class of people who would have been able to buy in the past will be renting their whole lives.
I was contacted by WTC Administration Limited of Bristol, which said it was taking timeshare sales companies to court to reclaim customers' money along with interest and compensation.
At the very least ScottishPower should have been fined to the hilt - and maybe a fine will be levied once Ofgem gets its act together.
Bad news to report, I am afraid to say, for those looking to earn more than a meagre return on their hard-earned savings.
T.M. Harris Associates Limited called me out of the blue, promising returns of between 15 and 20 per cent from buying and selling rare earth metals, with their company taking 20 per cent of the profits.
The resurgence of the construction industry - seen in recent company results and reinforced by our report opposite - is one of the most promising indicators.
It shows a bankruptcy of imagination in the City and Whitehall, and a forgiveness of past mistakes of biblical proportions.
She has had a standing order deducted since November 1991. Lloyds has now cancelled it. Could you investigate why £1,366 has been deducted.
The eurozone is damned if Greece leaves or stays. If it goes, others might want to follow; if it stays then Portugal, Spain and others might demand a bit of the leeway Greece has enjoyed.
Islington pushed people to buy diesel cars since 2007 with emission-based residents parking permits. Now it has whacked them with an extra £96 for doing what it wanted.
People have been left behind in the digital revolution as signals have been lacking. Rectifying this takes huge investment which larger, consolidated groups should find easier to deliver.
HSBC has come under close scrutiny in recent years for its practices, including drug money laundering in Mexico and, more recently, helping Britain's tax avoiders keep away from authorities.
The row over the collapse of City Link is yet more evidence that the treatment of troubled companies in this country leaves a great deal to be desired.
Islington pushed people to buy diesel cars since 2007 with emission-based residents parking permits. Now it has whacked them with an extra £96 for doing what it wanted.
How frustrating it must be to be an Opposition politician. No sooner do you find a narrative than the carpet is wrenched from beneath you.
In six days' time, the deadline imposed on Scottish Power by energy regulator Ofgem for reducing customer call waiting times to acceptable levels will expire.
When wholesale prices rise the utilities act almost in lockstep to raise tariffs for consumers. This winter as wholesale prices have fallen the pass through to the consumer has been non-existent.
The year 2015 is the year that Europe must learn to bend to democracy. Elections in a number of EU states - including of course Britain - will put the single currency to the test.
The savings market has become a game for banks and building societies ever since the introduction of Funding For Lending.
One of the great virtues of Lord Mervyn King was that he never lost his capacity for diversion even at the height of the financial crisis.
If they wave through this award at the extraordinary general meeting, they will make a laughing stock of corporate governance in the UK.
Santander accidentally closed my credit card account. We had to use our debit card on holiday. Santander promised to reimburse all expenses. But they insist they cannot issue me with a new card.
Given the continued parlous state of the country's finances last week's Autumn Statement was far more personal finance-friendly than I ever thought it would be.
The Chancellor is facing, as ever, a raft of demands from various business groups and others for action in this week's Autumn Statement.
When it comes to to doing the right thing by pension savers, Aviva is one of the best insurers in Britain.
He has outlined plans to encourage primary school children to get to grips with money matters, but many will not have forgotten his lackadaisical leadership of the FSA in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis.
At the start of this year, he might have been seen as one of the contenders in the retail CEO's sack race, with the clock ticking on his efforts to transform the chain.
My main pension is to be finalised through the Financial Assistance Scheme but they cannot calculate it as my data does not fit the standard scheme format
His ex-partner took out a loan of £56,000 without his knowledge, and later consolidated other debts, bringing the total to £89,000.
Many euroland economies simply are loaded down with too much debt. The 'troika' solution offered by the IMF, European Commission and ECB to this has been austerity. But still the debt levels rise.
Meet This is Money's new investing columnist John Rosier. He is a former fund manager who spent 26 years in the City and is now sharing the secrets of his own portfolio.
Existing investors, however, may gain some comfort from knowing that if there is one person who feels their pain and will be as eager as they to see the shares bounce back it is the new chief executive.
The Yorkshire Building Society advertised its account as paying up to 40 per cent interest, when it knew there was zero chance of it delivering this. It has - rightly - been fined for this fib.
I have been sent an offer from Streetwise Publications about bank codes that can make you £600 in five minutes. It is one of the craziest mailshots I have received.
The case of Stuart Palmer is typical of the kind that regularly fills our postbag about energy firms. All he wanted to do was switch provider. But somewhere along the line his supplier botched it.
The chance of a second crack at a golden opportunity is a rare occurrence. With that in mind, home owners should take a good look at today's five-year fixed rate mortgages.
Banks put all kinds of nasty stings in their small print, but here finally is one that can actually work in your favour.
If so many families treat money as a taboo subject at home, then it should be a relief that there is at least help in the classroom.
QE, CDO, RMBS, no field of human activity has a bigger jargon problem than finance and economics - and the players seem to want to bamboozle us on purpose.
The nature of our relationship with the EU will have far-reaching consequences for companies and the economy.
Despite the UK's illustrious history as a trading nation, the past few decades have seen us lagging behind other major economies.
We're calling for changes to the law so businesses can recognise a social mission as part of their governance. The case for social impact investment is compelling.
The UK economy may be booming but like Germany, as a result of the Ukraine conflict, business confidence will be plagued by our home made geo-political vacillations.
Ana Botin inherits a complex enterprise. But there may be real issues about the point of owning Santander UK, which is run with a regulatory iron curtain around it.
Insurers should look at every such case as a whole - not pin their rulings on isolated statements from customers that suit their refusal to pay out.
It is time to hand out a little (not a lot of) praise to the country's fourth-largest building society after it announced it was cutting its mortgage variable rate.
People are simply not 'old' in their sixties any more. They have experience, energy and skills that we should not allow to go to waste, says Dr Ros Altmann CBE.
The Bank should set itself a new task and explain in easy to understand terms whether more than six years of low rates has worked and what the future benefit will be.
My view is that rate rises now or in the near future could be extremely damaging. Too few households are planning for a rise in the cost of their mortgage.
Constable Dogberry in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing mangles every word he utters - and so do many business leaders.
What the CAA desperately needs is a similar power to that of other regulators such as Ofgem, which can hit errant companies with million-pound fines.
When it comes to putting in place the essential foundations on which a successful trading nation is dependent - infrastructure - we lag behind.
Why would the rest of the UK wish to support Scotland with their taxpayers' money, ask Sir Andrew Large and Sir Martin Jacomb.
For six long years inflation has been eating pay rises, should the Bank of England add to that problem with interest rate rises that will gobble up a little more?
Raghuram Rajan, former chief economist of the IMF, is warning that the world faces another crash at a time when it is less capable of absorbing the impact.
Writing off China is a perilous move and ignoring the deep contrarian value opportunity is an easy mistake to make.
The Scottish First Minister insists the country can keep the pound if it votes to leave the UK in the referendum in September.
If investors are paying for a fund or trust they deserve to know a lot more about exactly what's in it - Neil Woodford's recognition of that is a bold move.
There are millions of Premium Bonds that have never won a prize. One reader believes it is time for a draw for these unfortunate bond holders - would NS&I; do it?
The speed with which lawyers Sullivan & Cromwell have come up with the application for dismissal is impressive by the standards of US legal process.
According to website SavingsChampion, cuts have been made to more than 2,000 savings accounts over the past two years.
Tom Becket, chief investment officer of Psigma says that although the party could continue for some time, markets are too complacent so he's holding more cash.
Finding out what you are earning on old accounts remains difficult. I suspect that for bank staff it remains a game in which they can lead customers a merry dance.
I lost £4,000 when I tried to buy a Volkswagen van. My bank, Lloyds, contacted Barclays, where the fraudster had his account, buut Barclays says it can do nothing.
When faced with lots of expenses at once, families will consider them all together and prioritise. The government is planning each of its infrastructure projects separately.
I am caught in a merry-go-round involving the RAC. I called the company last December to get my broken-down car to a local garage in Merseyside.
'How can we scare them?', you can imagine bosses asking before signing off on the plan. What other other motivation could have been in their minds?
Investors tend to make the same mistakes over and again. And at the moment it's more than reasonable to ask if we're doing so yet again.
Many people will offer to tell you the secret of building a great business, but one study claims the recipe lies in a simple philosophy that cuts across all exceptional firms.
We gave an electricity reading and British Gas said the meter must be faulty. But it's not resolved and we'll soon go our separate ways, so need to get this sorted.
I closed my account with Orange after a new phone they sent me didn't work. Then I received a letter from debt collectors demanding I pay £42.13, but I never accessed the line.
When faced with lots of expenses at once, families will consider them all together and prioritise. The government is planning each of its infrastructure projects separately.
You'll never know as much about the web as these tech-savvy crooks, but you can stay one step ahead of them by protecting your personal information.
I've complained over the decision to raise the Amazon Prime annual subscription by £30 to include video-streaming. I don't want it, and wouldn't use it.
I invested through Property Horizons in a hotel room to be rented out to oil workers. I became concerned so took a refund but the company kept some money back.
Politicians are fond of saying there are no 'quick fixes'. Unfortunately for Draghi, many investors still seem to believe in quick fixes from our central banks.
My husband's pension scheme was wound up and the liabilities were taken over by the Pension Protection Fund. It says he cannot take the benefits at 55.
As the skeletons come tumbling out of the cupboard at Barclays, only the most naïve of City observers could disregard what has happened.
I am always suspicious of policy announcements that will not be enforced until after an Election. It's why I remain sceptical we will ever a cap on the bill for long-term care.
The beauty of a repayment mortgage is that it provides the kind of discipline most investors just don't have - and at the end you'll own an asset worth a small fortune.
As I have always argued, the bonus cap is unlikely to cut the money going into bankers' pockets.
I'm a firm believer that people can be trusted with their money. The problem is more likely to lie with those trying to prise the cash away from them.
Last August, the coach in which I was travelling caught fire. I saw smoke billowing out of the front so immediately got off, leaving behind my bag.
Five years into the great 0.5% experiment, the pressure is piling on. House price inflation is back near double-digit levels and the economy is growing at a robust rate.
Many over-50s are going to get less than £155 a week in state pension as they were in final-salary schemes and contracted out of the State Second Pension.
Officially starting on Saturday, though many banks and building societies have already implemented them, the rules are onerous, time-consuming and detailed.
It's another depressing example of the behind-closed-doors manoeuvering of financial companies giving the bare minimum to wronged customers.
Bank gives Brazil an almost 50% chance and has identified a stock market trade on the winners - but investors have been warned the shine soon wears off.
Many of its policyholders are also kept sweet by their share of a 'mutual bonus' that is declared every year and which in effect provides them with a discount off their premiums.
I opened a small trading account with Banc de Binary and was contacted by broker Simon Sachs, who convinced to deposit my money, which I can't get back.
She has had a standing order deducted since November 1991. Lloyds has now cancelled it. Could you investigate why £1,366 has been deducted.
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