INVESTMENT CLINIC: I've inherited £50,000. Should I use it to overpay on my mortgage or to

The traditional advice when you have a large sum of money is to use it to get rid of any debt. That means credit cards, overdrafts and loans - and it also means mortgages. But there are caveats when it comes to home loans. It is very important that you check the terms of your mortgage before you make a large overpayment. Many providers will charge you for early repayments.

When you search for these services on Google, as many as four of the top entries on the first page of the search results are copycats that imitate official websites.

Falling pound lifts blue-chip earnings as FTSE 250 hits record 

Sterling hit a 31-year low against the dollar of $1.2721 and a five year low against the Euro of €1.1364 - taking losses since the Brexit vote to more than 14 per cent and 13 per cent respectively. But a report suggested that the slump in the pound has boosted British exports by making goods in UK factories cheaper for foreign buyers.

Birmingham-based Harley Investments is currently marketing an East London Jewish cemetery as a prime spot for your cash, claiming you'll get 40 per cent returns within just two years.

Typically, workers saving for a house, wedding or holiday use their bank's standard savings account. But these now pay next to nothing.

The card gave 3 per cent cashback on travel spending, 2 per cent at department stores and 1 per cent at supermarkets, up to £3 each month. Existing customers can use the card as normal.

Former Pensions Minister Steve Webb says that up to 50,000 women could be at risk of losing out. Those affected are women who took time out of work to care for children in the 1980s and 1990s.

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£100,000 141CJ661353 Derbyshire
£100,000 138HB024467 Hampshire and Isle of Wight
£50,000 2VR747799 Greater Manchester
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Summit Therapeutics shares double on news it won the rights to an exclusive drug

Shares nearly doubled in their best day since 2009, after it revealed it was teaming up with US rival Sarepta Therapeutics to develop and market a specialist drug in Europe. The licence allows the Aim-listed company to sell an experimental treatment for muscle wasting disease Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Singer Ellie Goulding, left, and model Karlie Kloss are among the thousands of celebrities who have flocked to Soho House in London, for two decades the epitome of louche British cool.

Audioboom, which hosts podcasts listened to more than 50m times a month, was hoping to announce a £6.3m cash injection by the end of September.

SVG Capital said it wanted to 'maximise cash returns to shareholders' as it revealed Pomona Capital and Pantheon Ventures were paying £379million for 50 per cent of its investment portfolio.

Brexiters are crowing that all three of the main share indices - the FTSE 100, the FTSE 250 and the FTSE SmallCap index - all went through their previous highs yesterday.

The business was hit by tough global conditions, with the international market for construction equipment down 14.2 per cent in 2015.

My ex-husband remarried but died without making a new will - who inherits?

My husband and I made joint wills. We are divorced and he remarried three years ago. He has recently passed away and didn't make a will with his new wife. I made no changes to my will and I only have my ex-husband's copy. Is the will valid?

I worked for London Transport's computer department. When it was taken over by a private company in 1987, I was given the option of leaving my pension where it was or transferring it out.

I'm sure you've noticed that most firms now advertise millions of pounds of cover for unexpected medical bills, knowing full well that the likelihood of your submitting such a large claim is almost nil.

Should I remortgage my buy-to-lets early to escape mortgage crackdown?

I've just remortgaged one of my buy-to-let properties with The Mortgage Works who told me that far from needing my rent to cover my mortgage by an extra 25 per cent, it now needs to cover it by an extra 45 per cent.  The change really threw me and meant that I ended up putting in extra equity to the property to pull the loan-to-value and rate down.  I have four other buy-to-lets, all of which are due to be remortgaged fairly imminently but I am still in the period where I'll need to pay early repayment charges to remortgage now. 

The Property Ombudsman had to step in and resolve 3,304 complaints against estate agents and letting agents last year, according to its latest annual figures.

Launched in January 2014, the scheme was designed to give a much-needed shot in the arm to mortgage lending to buyers with small deposits. But the bandage is due to come off.

The London Edition £250k Overfinch Range Rover emblazoned with landmarks

Called the London Edition, each of the four Overfinch Range Rovers is detailed with landmarks like The Houses of Parliament, The Shard, London Eye, Gherkin, Tower Bridge and 22 Bishopsgate. It's not cheap, though - in fact, it's more than twice the price of the standard Range Rover Autobiography it's based on.

Forces confirmed they had confiscated in excess of 22,594 vehicles by mid-June, with 2,866 of these being sold at auction for a total of £1.4m.

A yellow box junction camera at Bagley's Lane, pictured, Fulham has pocketed a staggering £2.4m over the last 18 months and 12m in seven years, according to a BBC investigation.

What's it like to live in Reading?

Reading is a commuter haven due to its 30 minute train journey into London. But this south east city offers more than just cheaper house prices than the capital. There is a vibrant River Thames scene, an established shopping centre and excellent schools. It has also become a tech hub outside of London.

Britain's biggest independent energy supplier, which has emerged as the most serious challenge to 'the big six', saw pre-tax profits tumble to £1.7million last year

TalkTalk is to scrap separate line rental charges across all its packages as it looks to revamp its image a year on from the major data breach which rocked the telecoms firm.

'I bought property, the stock market is for mugs,' says Richard E. Grant as the star talks

Hollywood actor Richard E. Grant has never borrowed any money for fear of not being able to pay it back. Grant, who shot to fame in 1987 for his role as Withnail in cult film Withnail & I, says 1988 was the best year of his life financially and he made more money that year than he had ever dreamt possible.

For many investors, it seems that the genuine possibility of a Donald Trump presidential administration in the US is a worrying thought. But could there be a silver lining?

The pro-EU politician and his Europhile Spanish wife - who has just snagged a well-paid post on the board of Swiss bank UBS - are in line to reap enormous personal profit from Brexit.

Get free expert help with your investing, saving and finances in the Money Pit Stop

Wedding pots, retirement income, university fees -  everyone has financial goals they are working towards. Our new column offers you the chance to have your portfolio looked over by experts - who can suggest changes to help realise your ambitions.

Insurers are starting to win the battle against false personal injury claims, including whiplash. But there are questions over whether £1billion in savings are being passed on to honest customers.

The 10 fastest accelerating cars you can buy now

To be the best, you've got to beat the rest. And these 10 cars do just that - not only do they stop the clock from 0 to 60mph in under three seconds, but they also beat every other car on the planet in the benchmark acceleration dash. Clockwise from top left: BAC Mono, Bugatti Chiron, Lamborghini Aventador, Caterham 620R

TONY HETHERINGTON: My premium bond wins are missing, can you help?

Last March, I was persuaded to have any winnings from my premium bonds paid straight into my bank account. This worked for the month of April, but winnings since then have not arrived. This has made me wonder how many other people have not received their prizes. They would only know if they regularly check their bank statements and the record of winning numbers.

I retired in May 2015. While sorting through old documents, I came across a 1968 letter confirming the offer of a job with insurance broker Bain in Leeds.

I received an email from Metro Options Limited about investing in binary options. The email says a realistic earning potential on a £10,000 investment is £1,000 to £2,000 per week.

Should investors worry about the US election, banks and a hard Brexit?

Investors are carefully eyeing up the prospects for the US election, while also worrying about European banks and a 'hard Brexit'. Do they need to be concerned? On the latest Investing Show we take a look at the trends of the past year, the outlook for the future and how to invest for it.

Pound slides to three-year low against euro as Theresa May promises quick Brexit

The pound dropped below €1.15 despite some strong data emerging on UK manufacturing and at €1.1441 is lower than it has been at any time since late July 2013. May announced that Article 50 will officially be signed by the end of March 2017 and added that, under a Great Repeal Bill, Britain would scrap the 1972 law which made the UK European Union members.

Fund outflows reversed in August - but investors appear to have drastically lowered their appetite for risk and are buying low-yielding bonds rather than shares.

The company has just released the results of pre-feasibility work which shows that over a 28-year mine-life Araguaia is set to generate free cash of $1.95billion.

The Reading-based company operates in 100 countries and specialises in wound dressings and colostomy bags, and also makes catheters and infusion devices which are used by diabetes sufferers.

Spice Factory (UK) Limited and Gummy Bear Films Limited told investors the Hollywood star was voicing the main character in Gummy Bear 3D: The Movie.

The deal creates a money manager with more than £247billion in assets under management and sees the combined entity renamed Janus Henderson Global Investors.

The acquisition of the private-equity owned business would further bolster Bupa's growing network of dental practices.

FTSE hits 16-month high as City gets Brexit pledge from Theresa May

Prime Minister Theresa May said she would kick off the two-year process of withdrawal by the end of March and pledged to seek the best deal possible for British businesses. Sterling dropped on the timetable, hitting a three-year low against the euro and its lowest point against the dollar since July.

He sold 100,000 shares in the catering group for 1498.33p each. The boss of its North American business still holds 265,819 shares, or 0.016 per cent of the firm's value.

London's Ritz Club, owned by billionaire twins Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay, said it would have made a £2.4million profit if the losers had paid up.

Do you have an old Beano? Then you have an investment that could be worth £20k

Blimey! The value of old Beano comics is soaring as nostalgic investors snap up comic strip jolly japes they first enjoyed in their childhood. Last week, publisher DC Thomson launched a Beano website to complement the comic - enabling young fans to also read about Dennis the Menace and The Bash Street Kids on smartphones and tablets.

We look at the key questions facing customers as they seek safeguards for their holidays - and analyse the protections offered by ATOL.

Three quarters of the UK's train companies are failing to tell customers when they are entitled to compensation. The Consumer Rights Act was extended on Saturday to cover the rail industry.

Should you ditch a property fund that locked away your cash? The three choices investors

Funds shut their doors at the end of June amid fears the Brexit vote in the EU referendum could cause a property price crash as a flood of panicking savers tried to get their cash out. The reason was that if there was a run on a property fund - which own actual bricks and mortar - it would be forced into a fire-sale of its assets to raise enough money to give back to investors, which could seriously harm the fund.

Former Pensions Minister Steve Webb is This Is Money's Agony Uncle. This week, he replies to a reader planning to sell a £25.45 a month annuity when a new market launches next April.

Let's hope the Government does not get bullied (or bamboozled) by big business into allowing companies to renege on pension promises made to workers.

MIDAS SHARE TIPS: Uranium miner Berkeley Energia promises us a brighter future

Salamanca is one of the most beautiful, historic towns in Spain. It is also a short drive from the only sizeable new uranium mine being developed in the world today. The mine is run by Aim-listed Berkeley Energia and its shares, at 47p, should rise substantially as the project moves towards production.

Rising gold prices this year, helped in part by concerns over Brexit, have provided handsome returns for investors with money tied up in gold funds.

On hold: Small firms lag behind in mobile revolution as just 17% have a mobile-friendly

A nationwide study of 2,000 small business owners and more than 2,000 consumers has revealed the stark gap between business owners who have failed to modernise and their customers' expectations over browsing, ordering and paying. Of the small businesses surveyed, 44 per cent had never reviewed how they take payment from customers, despite the arrival of digital wallets, contactless payment and the smartphone.

Households are responsible for half of all food waste in the UK, binning more than £12.5billion of edible food a year, at a cost of £700 to the average family.

In the UK, Pots & Co will be trialled by wholesaler CostCo on five weekends at its food show, from this month.

Boomf allows customers to upload pictures that it prints on edible marshmallows and sends as gifts.

Paris Motor Show 2016: 10 real-world cars you should be excited about

Everyone loves a crazy concept vehicle or a bank-busting hypercar, but the reality is these aren't the cars 99% of us will be looking to buy in the next six months. These 10 models, however, are. Top, left to right: Land Rover Discovery, Kia Rio, Citroen C3, Honda Civic, Mercedes AMG GT Roadster, Nissan Micra, BMW X2, Suzuki Ignis, Skoda Kodiaq.

Jane Walker, from Heswall in Merseyside, made repeated requests for help and information from Premier Foods' pension scheme, but got nowhere until This is Money intervened.

The charges - enforced at the beginning of April 2017 - will increase BT's annual valuation fourfold, from £165million to £743million.

I want to buy a patch of my neighbour's garden which is taking a chunk out of my garden

Buying a small patch of land from your neighbour may seem initially like a straight-forward process, but here are some of the issues that could trip you up unless they are addressed.

Which? found glaring holes in what qualifications advisers claimed to have and what they officially held during spot checks of listings on two specialist search sites.

Buy-to-let landlords are to face more pain after a regulator announced tough new rules - and some may have to put down an extra £15,000 deposit before they can get a home loan.

Property values in 'silicon hubs' of Cambridge, Reading and Oxford soar in last five years

In Cambridge, which has 15 tech jobs per 1,000 people, house prices have soared 58.7 per cent in the last five years to reach £442,518, the analysis of Office for National Statistics and Tech City UK data by Property Partner shows.

The average UK home was £10,430 more expensive than last year at £206,015, an increase of 5.3%, slightly lower than August's 5.6% increase.

Students are leaving university with debts of almost £50,000, as raised fees and sky-high interest rates kicks in. Changes mean they now pay 18 times the Bank of England base rate.

How £10K invested in shares beat cash savings by £90k over 30 years

While the stock market goes up and down, when it comes to investing it seems that it's worth playing the long game. A £10,000 investment in the FTSE 100 in 1986 would now be worth an impressive £126,867. If you had left the same amount in an average savings account, it would be worth £28,196 - almost £100,000 less.

Two-fifths of working age people do not have a decent savings buffer, says the Money Advice Service

More than 16 million working age people across the country have less than £100 in savings available, research has found. Two-fifths (40%) of working age peop...

The number of inheritance disputes reaching the High Court each year has soared to a record high due to the intricacies of modern family life and rising property prices, according to a law firm.

London has third highest number of Airbnb listings in the world - is it time for more

Last year, the Government deregulated short lets, allowing owners to rent out properties for fewer than 90 days a year without having to seek planning consent. Although the phenomenon is by no means confined to the capital, property consultancy JLL says the deregulation led to a surge in the number of London homes listed on Airbnb.

Fewer than half UK renters are happy with their situation compared with 80 per cent of homeowners, according to an online survey by insurer ING.

How long should you fix your mortgage for?

Even at a time when we are stretching our finances further to afford a home, moving less, and pushing mortgages beyond 30 years, we still remain captivated by two-year fixed rate deals. Five-year fixed rates offer both historically cheap money and some financial security. And yet, a two-year fix is cheaper. So, when the mortgage industry tempts people in with these teasers they don't need much convincing.

Zoopla has branched out with the launch of its 'invest' channel, which allows customers to put money into a property Isa or back buy-to-let mortgages through peer-to-peer lending.

A quarter of those under 25 years-old are borrowing to pay their utility bills and 16 per cent resort to a credit card to pay their rent.

Ferrari reveals the open-top LaFerrari Aperta hybrid hypercar

A convertible version of the £1.1million hybrid LaFerrari hypercar has long been teased but now it is officially here... and categorically sold out. All 209 have been promised to Ferrari's most devoted customers. It uses the same 6.3-litre V12 engine and electric motor combo as the 950bhp coupe. Officially unwrapped at the Paris Motor Show on Thursday morning, Ferrari has confirmed the roof-down stunner will use the Aperta name - the Italian for 'open'.

This two-seat sports coupe is called the Trezor, and although it is highly unlikely to ever make it into production it does hint at the future direction mainstream Renault models will take.

VW's reputation is up in smoke at the moment - quite literally a smog of diesel-emission pollutants. But the carmaker hopes to regain customer trust with a raft of new electric cars due in 2020.

Five doors, a big boot and 300bhp-plus - these are the two latest hot hatches that are due to go head-to-head with the Ford Focus RS next year, and neither are what you'd call understated.

Land Rover has launched its new Discovery not with a glitzy bash at the Paris Motor Show but a stunt on home turf featuring a record-breaking Lego replica of London's Tower Bridge.

50 ways to save money....

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.

Pick the best (and cheapest) investment Isa platform

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.

In this low-income world it can be hard to find mainstream investments paying a significant yield. Stifel has compiled a list of 19 investment trusts with a yield of more than 4 per cent.

L Board sign on the rear of a blue saloon car , UK

If you are new to investing then the huge number of funds and investment trusts on offer can be confusing. Fortunately, This is Money's experts have some ideas to get you started.

Income investing: Dividends can deliver both a healthy boost to long-term growth and a way to earn from your investments.

Income investing can let you draw on your portfolio or reinvest dividends to build solid growth over time. Our experts give their fund and investment trust recommendations.

On the up: Emerging markets such as Brazil are where much of the world's growth is expected to be over future years.

If you're looking to add some flair to your investing Isa with emerging markets, This is Money's experts have some ideas to get you started

Will the UK be Norway, Switzerland or Canada? Brexit trade deals we could follow

Now that we've voted ourselves out of the EU, it's time to work out how we're going to trade in future with all its 27 member countries - and the other 27 countries it has deals with. So how do other non-EU members trade with the bloc and would any of their models suit us?

It would have been nice to have a plan. Instead, after the Brexit vote we were left scratching our heads. But now it's time for some answers on trade and what we mean to the EU.

Pensions Road Sign against threatening clouds

We tend to put ambitious targets on our hoped-for income in retirement and then underestimate how much we will need to set aside to achieve that. So how much should you save?

When will UK interest rates rise?

Interest rates were held at 0.25 per cent in September and experts are divided on whether the Bank of England will cut again. Howard Archer, chief UK and European Economist at IHS Markit Global Insight, said: 'At this stage, we believe it is still just about more likely than not that the Bank of England will take interest rates down to 0.10 per cent from 0.25 per cent in November.'

What next for mortgage rates?

The base rate has fallen to a new record low of 0.25% and could be cut again. But what does all of this mean for mortgage rates, which have been steadily falling over the past month to record lows?

Ten tips for buy-to-let

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

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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.

   

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