The Mail on Sunday probes into the murky waters of protection insurance by speaking to people who have had to wait anxiously for a claim to be assessed. As we report, getting a claim accepted by a man in a grey suit - as opposed to a medic in a white coat - can be like playing the lottery.

Sales of baking ingredients have gone up by more than 60 per cent over the past decade as cash-strapped households have discovered the savings - and pleasure - of baking their own cakes rather than buying ready made, according to research. The growth in interest has also been fuelled by the popularity of television shows such as BBC1's The Great British Bake Off starring cookery writer Mary Berry - encouraging a third of us to put on an apron and whisk up cakes every week. By baking your own, a cake that could cost £10 in the shops can be made for less than a £1 - and you can enjoy a tasty treat with contents that do not contain any additives.

Soaring crime against firms is a crucial issue for candidates standing for the police and crime commissioner elections in May, the Federation of Small Businesses has warned. They must make combating business crime a key focus, given the rise of sophisticated criminal gangs, the increase in cyber crime and current low levels of trust in the ability of the police to tackle such issues, according to Mike Cherry, the new chairman at the FSB.

He has a stake in the company that runs F1 and suggests, perhaps mischievously, that he might just increase it if an $8.5billion (£6billion) sale of the controlling stake in the business goes ahead. This year's F1 season got off to a flying start last weekend in Australia but the high-octane race series has been in the limelight all winter as rumours of a sale by its private equity owner CVC gathered pace. 'I think CVC will make a decision on the sale sooner or later,' says Ecclestone over lunch in a plush restaurant minutes from F1's headquarters opposite London's Hyde Park.

The average city property now costs 6.6 times earnings, up from a multiple of 6.2 a year ago, with Oxford, Cambridge and Winchester having homes that are most out of reach for average earners, Lloyds Bank found. Hometrack's monthly report meanwhile showed that urban property inflation increased to 11 per cent from 8.1 per cent a year ago, the highest annual rate of growth for almost 18 months.

Some of Britain's best-known stores including WHSmith and Dixons are milking their margins by continuing to ask to see passengers' travel documents when they purchase something in the airport terminal. This allows them to claim millions in tax refunds which should be passed on to the customer. Rules set by HM Revenue & Customs state that stores need not charge VAT on passengers who are flying to destinations outside the EU. So they are allowed to scan a customer's boarding card to prove where they are flying and claim back the cash. But instead of passing on this discount, they charge the same prices as on the high street - and bump up their profits by pocketing the 20 per cent tax savings. Although the scam is not illegal, the Treasury ordered companies to stop it after it was exposed last August. But a survey of airports by the Daily Mail found that it is still widespread. Many shops have stopped asking to see boarding passes, but continue to charge customers the same price even though they could qualify for a VAT-free purchase. And others are passing on the generous 20 per cent discount, causing huge confusion for travellers.

Young jobstarters are the most likely to sacrifice valuable employer payments by only saving into a new Lifetime Isa after they are launched next year, new research shows. Some 15 per cent of 18-24 year olds said they plan to abandon their workplace pension in favour of the new Lifetime Isa, which will allow younger people to save simultaneously for a home and retirement. This means they would miss out on employer contributions which provide a big boost to retirement savings, especially in early years when their savings have the most growth potential.

We are approaching that moment when many of us feel inclined to throw open the windows and blow away the cobwebs of winter. Here is our guide for a proper spring make-over in the hope that summer will soon be turning up.

If you want to build your wealth over the long-term, some simple investing is most likely to be the best plan - and the key to doing it is dividends. Over the past decade, the FTSE All-Share has risen a feeble 11%. Factor in its dividends, however, and the total return rises to 58%. By comparison the average UK Equity Income investment trust's total return is 103%.

The National Audit Office has weighed in over the poor treatment of a specific group of future state pension claimants, who will be hit by the axing of inflation uprating, saying: 'Some people are likely to lose out and they have not been able to find the information they need.' The state pension overhaul has already caused uproar as many people who expected to get the full new 'flat rate' of £155.65 a week have discovered they will end up with smaller payments.

Smart beta is the new investing buzzword, but what does it mean and is it any better than a simple index tracker? Hector McNeil, of ETF specialist Wisdom Tree, joins Simon Lambert to explain index investing, exchange traded funds and why some investors prefer to tilt these to try and deliver better returns.

Half of us admit to driving further to avoid having to pull off parallel parking - so how much does the increasingly popular parking option cost on top models? With a raft of parking aids now widely available on new cars, from sensors to reversing cameras, we've taken a look at how much extra you have to pay to spare your parking blushes.

For those looking for a renovation, here's our pick of the best projects for sale. There's something for all budgets, whether it's a £15K property in Derbyshire or a £3m house in North London. You may just need longer than the Easter weekend to complete them.

At the moment, the first £75,000 of savers' cash is protected in any one savings account, but this level could change over time although not in the first couple of years after a potential Brexit. The level of protection is determined by an EU-wide directive between member states. Although all countries have their own scheme - ours is the Financial Services Compensation Scheme - the level of cover is the same across all EU countries.

Traditionally, banks and building societies boost cash Isa rates in spring to woo savers looking to use up their allowance. But rock-bottom interest rates and a new £1,000 tax-free allowance for interest have led to banks cutting their rates. We look at where savers and investors can turn.

Marrakesh is the best value destination for a city break while Zurich is the priciest, according to a new report. The Moroccan capital has come out cheapest for a basket of five holiday items including a glass of wine, a travel card, a big mac, a ticket for a national museum and 30-minute taxi journey. Second cheapest is Budapest in Hungary followed by Prague in the Czech Republic, according to the research from Caxton FX.

MPs approved the Budget last week only after George Osborne was forced to shelve planned cuts to disability benefits. Osborne's original Budget led to the resignation of Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith. So was IDS right, are we no longer heading for a fairer society where the less well-off are taken care of, or are we still 'all in it together'?

One of the first rules of investing is: spread your money. It means don't put all your cash in the same place; don't just pick one fund, or one country, or one type of asset. In short, don't put all your eggs in one basket. But just because a fund says its global doesn't mean that it is spreading your money as widely as you might expect. It is not uncommon for them to have more than half of their assets in the US.

Most banks decide whether to lend you money and what rate they will charge you using a computer program that pores over your debts and borrowing history. This has led to a worrying rise in the number of 'computer says no'-style rejections, with borrowers turned down for unfair reasons such as a late gas bill payment years ago.

Every year the Royal Mint releases commemorative coins to celebrate anniversaries or events that are significant to Britain and its history. Most are to do with the Royal Family. Each coin is given a face value when it is issued. The commemorative crown is one of the most popular. Crowns bought before 1990 are worth 25p in today's money. Those bought after 1990 have a face value of £5.

Former Pensions Minister Steve Webb is This Is Money's Agony Uncle. He is ready to answer your questions, whether you are still saving, in the process of stopping work, or juggling your finances in retirement. Read Steve's answer to someone wondering whether you can still get a state pension if you earn too little to pay National Insurance.

UK Equity Income is often one of the most popular investment trust sectors. It's easy to see why, with returns more than trebling a £100,000 investment in two decades. Investors would have seen annualised dividend growth over 20 years of 4.6% - considerably more than inflation, which averaged 2.8% over the same time period.

Racing legend Sir Stirling Moss is a hands-on buy-to-let landlord, as likely to be found touching up paint work as he is enthusing about the sport that made him world famous. Moss has been a keen investor for decades, focusing mainly on properties and cars. He tells us about his life in Me & my money.

Thousands of Kindle users are being urged to install a critical software update before Tuesday 22 March in order to continue to download Kindle books from the Cloud, access the Kindle Store and other key services. Some 11 models are affected, including Kindle Paperwhite 7th Generation that came out in 2015.

The average home asking price in England and Wales has passed the £300,000 milestone for the first time, according to a leading property listing website. Asking prices have jumped by more than £100,000 typically over the last decade: in March 2006 the average was just £200,980, says Rightmove.

Buyers opt for practical features when it comes to securing a new home, meaning they will prioritise a good broadband signal over highly-rated schools and a living room big enough for a large flat screen TV over period features.

This could be the ultimate hot-hatch face off: two family-size hatchbacks fitted with high-performance turbocharged engines and four-wheel drive that have already gained a cult following. But which one is best?

I had £44,000 in shares, but in the last few months I have seen the amount go down by nearly £4,000.What advice would you give, as only my Neil Woodford shares are holding up. My Hargreaves Lansdown multi-manager portfolio, Royal Mail and Polar Capital Biotechnology shares are losing interest. Should I cash in, transfer to a building society or move the shares to somewhere else? I am recently retired, and these shares were my pension pot.

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.

George Osborne's continued austerity revealed in his 2016 Budget is likely to keep rates on hold for longer. Inflation expectations have been revised down for 2016 to 0.7 per cent, while Brexit uncertainty and slow global growth are also playing on rate-setters' minds.

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

Musicians have seen pay rises averaging nearly 20 per cent in 2015, while cleaners are getting 17.8 per cent more, and window cleaners 12.3 per cent. Artists in general are earning 14.6 per cent more in 2015 than 2014, according to the huge annual data dump of pay scales by the Office For National Statistics highlights.