Designer Kelly Hoppen shares her honest account of the battles she faced in her childhood and teens - and how she realised she had to be fearless to get where she wanted in life. 'I realised that to get to where you want to in life, you need to be fearless and I didn't want to depend on anyone else for my future. This was the turning point that made me realise I needed to do something that made me happy,' says Kelly Hoppen.

They have been described by former tennis star Andrew Castle as one of the 'biggest scandals in this country'. But financial plans enabling elderly homeowners to take out a mortgage on their home without having to pay interest on it during their lifetime are growing in popularity. We look at the pros and cons of these equity release schemes.Gwen Wilson used her lifetime mortgage to make home improvements

Santander has lured thousands to its 123 account - then hit them with higher fees. So we answer the key question for customers. The Bakers have gained £575 in two years from cashback on bills - including their mortgage - and interest on savings since they switched. Despite the fee increase it still makes sense for them to stick with the joint account.

The firm, which is moving from Kennington, South London, to the City, has clients ranging from lingerie firm BlueBella to luxury toilet maker Kohler. As well as storing items for businesses, it will send them on to trade shows and clients. The firm was set up by car-club entrepreneur Brett Akker in 2012 after he sold Streetcar to US car rival Zipcar for £32million.

Former child pop star Jimmy Osmond lost £1.3million in the US property crash in 2008 but he still believes investing in bricks and mortar is more likely to pay off than investing in shares. Osmond, who made around $5million in a single year in his mid-20s and now fritters away a five-figure sum playing golf each year, earned his first pay cheque as an artist at the age of three.

A new banking name is looking to snap up British customers after launching a current account offering in-credit interest rates and fixed-rate bonds. German firm Fidor is an online-offering which is looking to be a hit with the social media generation.

The group refused to be drawn into the debate on state ownership of the rail system, which has gained prominence after the election as Labour leader this month of Jeremy Corbyn - who has said he favours renationalising the railways. But the company has highlighted the fact that its improved profitability generated a higher than expected payment to the Government under its franchise agreement.

Expats looking for the best quality of life away from Britain should seek jobs in the Far East, according to the latest annual index from NatWest International. Topping the chart for the first time since the report started eight years ago is Singapore, seeing itself sling from fourth place to top the polls in 2015.

New research backs up the complaint: many of our favourite chocolate bars have shrunk since the 1990s, even if they are now similar to the smaller sizes that were common in the 1980s. According to the study by kitchen specialists Appliance City, nearly eight in 10 Britons believe chocolate bars are getting smaller - and Mars bars are indeed a whopping 28 per cent lighter now than they were in the 1990s, albeit not much changed from their size in the 1980s.

Underwritten by Zurich, the Carrot scheme, as its name implies, lets users earn up to 15 per cent of their premium back if they drive well according to an on board black box and Carrot guarantees no increase in premium for three years if conditions are met. Fiat will also contribute £800 over the first three years.

The average boss looks at a curriculum vitae for just three minutes while one in five make a decision on a candidate in less than 60 seconds from gleaning it, research has found. Despite almost a quarter of candidates claiming they have excellent written communication skills, many of them fall foul of using worn clichés in their CVs, the survey of 2,000 from New College of the Humanities found.

A student entrepreneur who created a website for drivers to quickly appeal parking tickets has seen 50,000 sign-ups after This is Money originally covered the launch earlier in the month. Joshua Browder, who is 18 and now currently studying at Stanford University, California, created his website donotpay.co.uk as a summer pet project.

Yorkshire-based Morrisons outlined plans for the closures last week as part of a dramatic revamp, but has only now revealed which stores will be hit. Most of the closures are in the North, Morrisons' traditional stronghold. Supermarkets in Salford, Manchester and Sunderland will all close, while the Midlands, the West Country and London have been hit too.

The challenger bank hiked the rate by 0.15 percentage points to leapfrog RCI Bank 's 2.35 per cent at the top of the independent This is Money fixed-rate savings table. It comes as a number of providers in recent months have focused on straight forward fixed-rate bonds, a large percentage of which are for 12 months.

What should you do about investing in both shares and bonds with so many fears over the latter? Christine Johnson, of Old Mutual explains what you need to know. Also on the agenda in this show is a look at the winners and losers on the recent stock market rollercoaster and the thorny question of should the Fed raise rates?

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.

Unemployment has increased for the second month in a row, adding weight to the arguments of ratesetters in the lower for longer camp. This follows the outlook for when interest rates will rise shifting forwards slightly to about February 2016 in the recent inflation report.

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.