Savers fear their cash may be locked up as property funds close their doors. In a move reminiscent of the property crash of 2007 several major property funds have started to bar savers from escaping. Property funds at Henderson, Standard Life and M&G; have all invoked their right to charge investors to redeem their cash in a bid to stem outflows.

They say first impressions count, particularly for those looking to sell their home. With this in mind, we picked some properties for sale to see can guess what cars they have parked on their drive. As TV's Kirstie Allsopp says, what often makes people choose one property other another is perhaps something people don't even acknowledge themselves - and that's aspiration.

Jacqueline Gold started out as an intern at Ann Summers in the 1970s, when it was a small chain of sex shops owned by her father. Today she's in charge. It turns over £140m a year and she is one of the richest women in the UK. In this week's Start-Up Secrets, she reveals the sexism she encountered, and why Ann Summers will never go the way of BHS.

From the numbers it would seem abundantly clear to me that a big chunk of people who wanted to either get into buy-to-let, or snap up another one, pulled forward purchases. Not only are these buy-to-let investors now going to be missing from the rest of the year's property market, but investing has got less attractive for others too, so what next for the market?

While you may use in-store loyalty cards, or scour the internet for good deals, there could be a whole host of unused perks and discounts sitting right under your nose. From free hotel stays, to money off designer labels and free gift cards - we round up the best shareholder offers and compare them.

I need to borrow some money to pay for some home improvements and I'd like to free up some cash to be able to help my kids, but I don't want equity release. What are the other options that I have and can I get a mortgage? Our experts answer a reader's questions.

With official fuel consumption figures of over 80mpg, these three big plug-in SUVs aim to deliver premium style with everyday efficiency. But which one of the trio is best? We pitch the Volvo XC90 (middle) against the Porsche Cayenne (left) and BMW X5 (right).

The average price of a home in England will be more than £450,000 in 2030, new research mapping out what house prices could look like across the UK claims. Estate agents eMoov admitted that this was simply a projection of 'what may happen' but said that it had done so not to celebrating such a potential rise but warn of the consequences.

The Kurdistan-based oil producer has some $575million of bonds outstanding, with most of the debt due for repayment next year. And, the company also needs to raise $71-88million of new capital, if it is to keep up investment in the flagship Shaikan field.

The first handful of staff members have taken advantage of Starbucks 'home sweet loan' initiative in Britain, according to the global coffee giant. This includes 25 year-old Marta Swiac who works at its Covent Garden branch - she has borrowed £1,218 for a deposit on a two-bedroom flat in Hendon.

On January 19, I made flight and hotel reservations for four people to travel from Bristol to Jersey in June using travel website Expedia. The next day, Expedia told me it was unable to confirm seats on the plane as the flight was fully booked. So I cancelled the package and booked a different trip.

When Strictly Come Dancing star Anya Garnis found the perfect home to buy with her boyfriend, she was thrilled. The 34-year-old dancer from Russia and her British partner put an offer on their dream London flat, only to discover npower had wrecked his credit rating due to the energy firm's own blunder.

Tony Venner, 94, pictured in his Southborough garden with rescue dog Katie, had to wait seven months for Barclays to accept he was in charge of his wife Joan's money after her dementia deteriorated despite having all the required paperwork. Two months after finally granting Tony access to finances they had set aside for Joan's care bills, she died, aged 96.

This is Money is launching a new regular series called 'a coffee with...' where we will chat to some of the most colourful bosses and financial commentators in the personal finance sphere. As part of the launch, consumer affairs editor Lee Boyce speaks to AO.com founder John Roberts.

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. This week, he tackles a question from a reader who wants to swap a small pension for cash to help repay their mortgage.

Hundreds of thousands of jobs are lying unfilled across the UK, as shortages of skilled labour in certain sectors takes hold. Employers are struggling to fill posts for engineers, nurses, developers, teachers and chefs, vacancy data for April from Adzuna's website reveals.

Unwary first-time buyers could be pushed needlessly into smaller properties or different areas due to the 'dark art' of mortgage affordability calculators. Using a joint income of £75,000 and a deposit of £25,000 our investigations uncovered a near £200,000 difference between lenders' calculators' mortgage amounts.

A record £102million has been spent on buying personalised number plates this year - with many motorists attracted by investment potential as well as vanity. The most expensive ever sold in the UK is simply the plate 1 (pictured). We reveal how to spot a registration with value.

Martin Offiah, the former England rugby league player, lost £200,000 in the 2008 financial crisis and £45,000 in the 2000 dotcom stock market crash - but says buying a £70,000 Mercedes was the most stupid thing he ever did. Offiah, who owns a multimillion pound property portfolio, also wishes he had hung on to his Rolex instead of buying a £20,000 diamond-encrusted Jacob & Co watch he is now too embarrassed to wear.

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.

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.