Neil Woodford, pictured, and Mark Barnett have invested in peer-to-peer, which connects investors with SMEs and consumers who want to borrow. But some trusts in the sector have swiftly moved to premiums to big discounts, not long after launching. So is the sector worth the risk?

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.

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.

At the risk of adding to an already extremely crowded market, I have tried to distil some thoughts on how to invest wisely into a simple plan. These are ideas that I have gleaned magpie-fashion from investors I have spoken to - or read - whose wisdom seems to shine the brightest.

They are not run-of-the-mill homes for your savings, but for those who enjoy high-octane investing, alternative assets can provide the chance of tax-free gains. Some alternative investments - including wine and forestry - have shown remarkably good returns over a ten-year period. You must be very careful how you invest, however.

Shares in US-tech stars may be expensive but that reflects how great they could one day be, says Scottish Mortgage's Tom Slater. The co-manager of the more than 100-year-old investment trust, which seeks out firms that can deliver the global growth of the future, reveals why he doesn't hold the fears some do over high valuations for Silicon Valley's finest.

Having never got round to tweaking my Isa portfolio before the EU referendum, I resisted the temptation afterwards. As luck would have it that was the right move, my portfolio is up 9.1% on where it stood three months ago and 14% on the week after the vote. Now, though, I risk falling into a new trap of thinking this was down to investing skill.

After the EU referendum, there was a bit of a panic that property prices could fall sharply. As a result, a lot of savers with cash in property funds started trying to get their money out. For an open-ended property fund, this is a big problem as buildings can take time to sell. In July, several property funds decided to suspend trading.

Gutsy investors who backed the computer chip-designer ARM when it launched on the stock market in 1998 are in line for a huge windfall when it is sold to Japan's SoftBank. Meanwhile, Pokemon Go has sent Nintendo shares rocketing.The question now is where can investors find the next big technology success story?

When the Bank of England cut interest rates, it wanted to encourage investors to take 'more risk' with their money. The higher the risk, the bigger the potential returns . . . but so will your losses be if things go wrong. Here, we guide you through the best ways to beat the rate cuts and keep your returns safely trickling in... and most importantly explain just how risky they are.

I am saving to put down a deposit on a house - I have £10,000 so far. Where can I invest this for around six months so that it can grow while I continue to save? Holly Black replies, 'While I can see the logic in your plan to invest your cash while you build up the last bit of your deposit, I'm afraid that this is not the best course of action. Investing is for the long term.'

The investment world loves to make things complicated, but does that help anyone make more money? In an episode dedicated to how to make investing simpler, Gemma Godfrey joins Simon Lambert and the Investing Show regulars in the studio to discuss how to demystify the investment world.

The 20 investment trusts with the longest-running history of raising payouts to investors have been revealed in the latest Dividend Heroes list. The trio of trusts leading the list are knocking on 50 years of unbroken increases, according to the Association of Investment Companies. We reveal the top 20.

Passive investors have never had it so good. Costs are falling at the same time as their opportunity to tap into markets increases. But it's not just about tracking a market anymore, smart beta combines passive approaches with active allocation and ready-made passive portfolios are also being snapped up. So what does a good tracker look like?

It seems bigger isn't always better as the top three funds for income all came from smaller firms, according to a leading piece of research. At the same time, most of those relegated to the Black List were high profile names, including Schroders, BlackRock and Standard Life Investments.

I'm new to investing and keen to learn more before making any rookie mistakes. Can you explain how to 'read' the figures on a balance sheet - what am I looking out for, and what criteria do you use to judge the health of a company?

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.