The thought of an eco holiday filled me with dread. But would a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV - the biggest selling ultra-low emission vehicle of the year - and a trip to Green House Hotel in Bournemouth prove a winning formula?

Two challenger banks have boosted the rates on their short-term fixed savings rates meaning they now top the independent This is Money tables. Shawbrook Bank has nudged the rate up on its one-year fixed cash Isa to 1.65 per cent. It accepts transfers in from other providers with a minimum opening balance of £5,000.

The pre-election uncertainty may be over and even the sun has made an appearance, but that doesn't mean there won't be major hurdles to overcome leading up to exchanging contracts on a new property. Even when both the seller and buyer are keen to exchange quickly, things can grind to a halt. And seasoned home-movers are not immune. The time between an offer being accepted and exchanged can be as quick as six weeks in England and Wales.

After months of searching, you have finally found it - your dream home in the sun. But before you get too excited about moving in, there's the hard work of paperwork. Here are overseas property expert Simon Conn's six pitfalls to avoid when buying a home abroad.

Bricks and mortar have provided stellar returns for many people over the past couple of decades, prompting many to rely on property as their pension. We set the stock market against the property market.

Sorting out lasting power of attorney is something people are typically warned to do as they get older, but younger people need it just as much. If the proverbial bus hits you and you're left incapacitated but not dead, it allows your loved ones to run the family finances.

Savers with one of Britain's biggest insurers have been denied the ability to use their pensions like a bank account after the firm scrapped plans to offer a new Government freedom. Friends Life, part of Aviva, initially told its customers they would be able to withdraw money from their life savings as often as they wanted after the age of 55. But the firm has now reversed the decision, and is writing to those affected to say they will have a more limited range of options.

If you've ever thought about your financial future, you will have wondered whether to become a buy-to-let landlord. All this week, we've been guiding you through the buy-to-let process so you can make up your own mind. Today, we look at how you can turn a property into your pension, as well as the tax implications of being a landlord.

Vanessa Warwick and Nick Tadd accumulated a small empire in the way that many landlords do: by cashing in on the price rise of one house, and using the capital to buy another. But while there are plenty of success stories from this route, there are also many who have fallen by the wayside. We explain what you need to know.

Most new landlords look to buy their first property in a town they know, but there may be better locations for returns out there.We reveal the towns and cities that generally produce the best income for landlords.

The essential dos and don'ts of buying and renting out a home, how you could build a buy-to-let empire and how to keep good tenants - and avoid the bad ones.

Your holiday can cost £100 more just by spending on the credit or bank card you normally have in your wallet, research by consumer website Moneysavingexpert found. On May 1, it compared the cost of buying €1,000 holiday cash at the airport compared with using a cheap specialist credit card where you make five €100 cash withdrawals plus 20 transactions on debit and credit cards that tot up to €1,000. While €1,000 cost £830 with Travelex, it cost £100 less - £730 - with Halifax's Clarity Card.

UK investors have been given jitters after cigarette maker British American Tobacco was hit with a record fine of £5.5billion. BAT is a major stock in many investment funds in the UK, as are other major tobacco firms because they tend to produce good profits and dividends.

The defunct retail brand topped a list of stores UK shoppers would most like to see back on the high streets by a considerable margin. Electrical goods store Comet came in second in the list of retailers shoppers would most like to see return to the high street, in the survey from ad agency Live & Breathe, followed by Virgin Megastores and Blockbuster Video.

People across the UK will be able to buy a fraction of gold for as little as £20 from today, as part of a new service aimed at making bullion trading 'more accessible than ever.' Fractions of gold are available to buy based on value rather than weight and owners will have the freedom to buy and sell the bullion as they wish, The Royal Mint said. The Royal Mint will charge a 'management fee' of 0.5 per cent plus VAT per year based on the value of the gold stored by the customer.

Tradesmen, from decorators to electricians and plumbers, can leave a trail of misery behind them. An estimated one in ten jobs goes wrong, landing householders with an average bill of £3,200 to put it right. But a wave of websites are popping up, listing 'reputable' contractors. We look at these and other ways to avoid a rogue. Kathleen Kiff (pictued) has suffered.

After reading your recent article mentioning Ansar Ali, I would like to know if I have a case for reimbursement. I paid £9,500 to his company, Elite Gems Limited, for two coloured diamonds, but I do not think they are actually investment grade as described. I used my wife's MBNA credit card to pay a deposit on the diamonds.

Buying and selling property is always eventful. My own recent experience was no exception but at least it was fast, with just 12 weeks between the date my husband Rob and I put our two-bedroom house in South-East London up for sale and the date we moved into our new home in the Midlands. Confusion, stress and surprise were dominant themes. But the lessons from my experiences could help make yours go more smoothly. So welcome to my scandalous house move, says Laura Shannon (pictured).

To clear the average national household debt of £13,000 at 6% interest with a monthly repayment of £100 will take around 17 years. There are, however, plenty of simple ways to make significant savings on your regular spending that could clear your debt - or boost your savings - in less than a year. This is Money's top 50 - updated - money-saving tips may appear light-hearted but are deadly serious.

Choosing the right DIY platform is crucial but a wealth of choice and changes to charges have left many investors scratching their heads. We pick some of the best. We also highlight why investing in an Isa makes sense, as it should protect your hopefully growing investments from tax forever.

Figures from the ONS showed negative inflation of 0.1 per cent in April, as the consumer prices index fell slightly year-on-year. A mild dose of deflation is not forecast to change the outlook for rates, however, with inflation expected to soon pick back up again and a late spring 2016 rise on the cards.

For many buy-to-let looks an attractive income investment in a time of low rates and stock market volatility. Climbing house prices, rising rents and improving mortgage deals are tempting investors - although they will need a big deposit. Read This is Money's top ten buy-to-let tips

The influence of financial services on the economy is spelled out again as City brokers steal top spot in this year's official list of highest earners. According to the detailed 2014 annual salaries survey, brokers pocketed around 40 times more this year than those at the bottom of the list - the people responsible for keeping children safe on the way to school. Lollipop crossing patrols earned around £3,400.