Bonds are attracting masses of savers' cash - trade body the Investment Association reported that £130million flooded into these funds in February alone. But their popularity is making these precarious investments ever more risky. Jon Mawby, manager of the GLG Strategic Bond fund, is looking at countries such as Australia and Canada because they haven't had bouts of monetary stimulus skewing valuations.

In 1998, an Italian translator and her husband started a business in Dublin, translating documents for Microsoft and other software giants. As both were passionate about video games, they shifted the business steadily towards that field, translating games into a multitude of languages for top producers around the world. The company, Keywords Studios, listed on AIM in July 2013 at 123p. Now 153p, the shares have real potential. The directors are ambitious, the video games market is growing fast and the group even pays a dividend.

The FTSE 100 hit a closing record of 7096.78 on Wednesday, but a survey shows just 36 per cent of investors expect the London stock market to be higher in six months' time. The findings come as opinions polls show the election race between Tories and Labour is still extremely tight, with neither able to gain a decisive edge that would give them an overall majority on May 7. But a Hargreaves Lansdown commentator says the UK stock market is 'packed to the rafters' with global companies, for which the election is a parochial issue and in the long term company profits are not in thrall to any political party.

Deryn and Derek Hemment were told by Capita they must buy an 'indemnity' against their lost Compass share certificates being used fraudulently - though they are innocent of mislaying the documents or of any wrongdoing. The pair can't trade their shares in the FTSE 100-listed catering giant until they get replacement share certificates, but they are being refused them until the indemnity issue is sorted. The Hemments insist Capita should foot the indemnity bill, because the loss of their certificates was down to the firm posting such valuable documents second class.

Investors willing to take a punt on companies set to cash in on the over-55s' retirement bonanza could also reap the rewards. Back the right shares and you too could make a profit from the anticipated £1.5 billion spending spree as the first nest eggs are unlocked.

Investing in Japanese companies is clearly high-risk for British investors. So funds, as always, offer the best access point. Often retail investors access markets too late and miss the big surge. In the case of Japan - where equity values have been depressed for so long - there is still a long way to travel.

Asia-Pacific equities, British companies of all sizes and healthcare and technology: these are the areas showing the biggest returns of the century for investment companies. The Association of Investment Companies has taken a look at the 20 top performing investment companies from the last trading day of 1999 to the end of February 2015 and found that certain themes dominate.

Another week, another record high for the US stock market. Last week it was the turn of the technology-oriented Nasdaq index to follow other US stock markets in hitting a peak - climbing above 5,000 points for the first time since the dot-com bubble. In recent months, the US has been repeatedly branded as a bright spot on the global horizon. Its economy has recovered more swiftly than rivals and the Fed looks set to be the first central bank in developed markets to raise interest rates this year.

Higher volatility is thought to indicate greater uncertainty about performance, and all funds have to use a standard measure to help investors grasp the risks. This ranks funds from band one for the lowest risk to band seven for the highest - but research by Rplan has found some 40 per cent or 1,016 of the funds available in the UK are bunched up together in band six. A further 50 per cent or 1,275 of funds are split almost exactly between bands five and four.

Why are there half a dozen or more versions of the same fund listed on the performance tables, followed with abbreviations like Acc, Inc, No Trail, R, I, and Z? What do these all mean? How do I know which version of a fund I want to buy?

Some popular investment funds are so big that providers are actively obstructing keen investors from putting in more money. Why do managers 'soft close' their funds, and which are most likely to shut in future?

Investors have the opportunity for higher returns with commission-free 'clean funds', which are mostly cheaper than the old kind. But fund providers have given their clean funds a baffling array of new names - so how do you track them down?

Financial advisers warn so-called 'closet trackers' are all too common, and investors need to stay alert to avoid shelling out high fees for passive performance. We look at how to spot these index-huggers masquerading as active funds - and whether you're better off just buying a real tracker fund anyway.

For more than 20 years, Mr Woodford has been a renowned investor in big FTSE 100 firms, but now he is turning his attention to a fund for smaller companies. Based in Oxfordshire, the Patient Capital Trust will help finance early-stage firms, many of which will have a science and medical bias. This makes the trust quite a risky punt since many start-up firms fail.

The UK has produced some of the world's most powerful companies and best-known brands. But are the glory days of the FTSE 100 stalwarts a thing of the past? From Rolls-Royce to Centrica to Burberry, we look at some iconic names for investors to watch.

How can you tell where the best investment opportunities lie amid all this controversial deal-making in the pharma sector? Stock experts explain the main issues that potential investors need to know about the industry and offer their share tips. For those lured by the money-making prospects of pharma but who prefer not to invest directly in stocks, we also profile a specialist healthcare investment trust.

The tobacco industry is as controversial as ever, with rows raging about plain packaging and these new-fangled 'e-cigarettes'. The shares of British giants BAT and Imperial have struggled over the past year or so, but is there now a case to invest - and which one should you buy?

These have the flexibility to switch between investment-grade corporate bonds, high-yield debt and government bonds, depending on the weather in a particular market. Jason Hollands of broker Tilney Bestinvest believes 'they are the only game in town' for bond investors. Hollands likes the colossal M&G; Optimal Income Fund