Around £1.3billion worth of coins are stored in change jars up and down the country, and the current £1 coin accounts for nearly a third of that, the Government said. Households must 'copper up' and either spend or deposit them before 15 october or lose out. Replacing £1 notes, £1 coins were first launched on April 21, 1983. The Royal Mint has produced more than 2.2 billion round pound coins since that time.

For a few lucky readers, 2016 will have finished on a high with a big win on the Lotto or Euromillions.  But how would you invest an unexpected cash lump sum?  Personal Finance Editor Jeff Prestidge asked five of the country’s leading investment experts what they would do if they had a surprise £100,000 windfall.

 Further train misery can be expected from tomorrow as rail companies ring in the New Year with a host of attacks on commuters, including a swathe of price hikes, more old overcrowded carriages – and strikes. Fares across Britain will rise by as much as 7 per cent while long-suffering rail users of Southern face at least six days of strikes over the next fortnight. Travellers will also find themselves on more decrepit overcrowded trains, with the average age of carriages now 21 years. The latest fare increases mean the cost of national train travel has risen by a quarter over the past two decades. In England and Wales, fares will increase by an average of 2.3 per cent but some will rise by 2.7 per cent. Train companies have the freedom to set their own prices for so called ‘unregulated’ journeys. These include the majority of advance ticket sales and many peak and off-peak journeys.

Households blew more than £800 each on Christmas – meaning many now find themselves with debts they cannot repay. Figures from payday loan provider Cashfloat show that 42 per cent of parents went into debt this Christmas. Turning to payday loans or expensive credit cards to bridge the gap means some borrowers will end up paying for Christmas for most of this year as the interest on their debt mounts up.

As 2016 draws to an end, the This is Money team have been taking a look back at the moments that have stuck in their minds and the lessons they've learnt from the past 12 months. When you've read what we've learnt, why not let us know what sticks out in your mind from 2016 in the comments section below.

Next year why not make it your goal to sort out your pension? Even if you're a way off from retirement it's useful to know if your savings are on track. It's never too late to start saving and there are lots of simple things you can do to put yourself in the best position.

I have found a three bedroom house in a newly redeveloped site but my solicitor has said I should be worried because it's a leasehold - is he right?From short leases and unexpected maintenance bills to spiralling ground rents, our expert considers the pitfalls of buying a leasehold and how to manage them.

Retail prices are set to soar by at least 5 per cent over the course of 2017 with essentials becoming more expensive, according to research by the KPMG/Ipsos Retail Think Tank. Meanwhile, families' spending power is continuing to slow after inflation hit a two-year high of 1.2 per cent last month, another study suggests.

The Government is facing calls to return more than £1 billion to companies which experts claim have been overcharged for business rates collected in the past six years. Claims of a massive overcharge will add to growing anger among companies over business rates and will fuel calls for the complex system to face an overhaul. The dispute relates to about £6.5 billion collected since 2010 to cover the cost of successful business rates appeals.

 The number of small firms to auto enrol employees in a pension is set to more than double in 2017 as the engine room of the economy faces a deluge of extra costs and uncertainty in 2017. An estimated 800,000 small businesses are set to reach their auto-enrolment staging date in 2017. By contrast, The Pensions Regulator expects a maximum of 374,3000 small employers to have enrolled during the whole of 2016. In a recent survey by market researcher YouGov for workplace pensions provider Smart Pension, more than half of small and micro businesses felt auto-enrolment would be a burden and two-fifths said it was unfair. But 72 per cent said it would not get in the way of growth plans.

Clothing retailer Next could provide cheer to the City this week when it is expected to say that colder weather and a late rush to the shops boosted sales. Analysts said the update from the chain on Wednesday could mean higher profits than previously expected.  The expected rise in sales could also calm City nerves sparked by comments from Next’s chief executive Simon Wolfson that trading to the end of October had been ‘difficult’.

The FTSE 100 smashed its mid-session record and set a new all-time closing high by rising 22.57 points just before trading ended to close at 7,142.83. The late surge saw the UK's premier index break above both yesterday's closing record and the intra-day record level of 7129.83 that was set on October 11. It is the third record close in as many days.

We look at what your options are if you've bought a house with a friend but now one of you wants to move out. There may be a solution that means one of you can stay in the property.

If you're in the market for a two-door sportscar with plenty of poke - and your pockets are deep enough - you're spoiled for choice right now.The Jaguar F-Type (left), Porsche Cayman (middle) and Audi TT RS (right) all come with monumental motors, chicane-trimming cornering ability and spades of sex appeal. But which of these three star coupes is top dog?

The UK's negotiations to leave the EU will keep both financial players and politicians thoroughly absorbed in 2017, yet it is much too early to predict the impact of any deal. Donald Trump could cause global market ructions during his presidential term, which is likely to involve greater US belligerence on the world stage. Investing experts round up the likely big market drivers and offer some tips on what they expect to do best.

Concerns among the over-55s about falling returns is at its highest level for nearly three years, the Real Retirement Report from Aviva reveals. Their monthly interest could drop to new lows as fixed-rate accounts, taken out when rates were higher, come to an end.

Do you still have Christmas toys from years ago - a Hornby train set, Barbie doll or Star Wars figurine, perhaps? If so, you could be sitting on a fortune. A rare Boba Fett bounty hunter figurine from second Star Wars film The Empire Strikes Back sold for £18,000 at auction two years ago, having cost just £1.50 when it hit the shelves in 1980.

Property will once again be a hot topic in 2017 - whether it be a lack of homes being built, prices chugging along despite Brexit fears or landlords being increasingly targeted. As 2016 draws to a close, annual house price inflation has slowed, but is still growing while certain areas in the commuter belt of London are now seeing the biggest surge.

I bought a Samsung TV for my son last Christmas. In January, there was no picture, so Samsung arranged for it to be fixed. We later had a call from the repair centre to say it had been damaged. When the TV was returned to us there were flashes of light across the screen and we suspected it had been dropped.

Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Panic Saturday have been and gone but what happens if the present you bought turns out not to work or you simply change your mind? Here we explain you rights for returning unwanted or faulty Christmas presents after the 25th.

New small hot hatches are not cheap: an Audi S1 is a staggering £25,600! But there are plenty of small hatches with sparkling performance figures that you can buy for a fraction of the price. Here are three of them. From left to right: Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart, Renault Sport Twingo, Fiat 500 Abarth.

Britons who have woken up to a new gadget in their stocking should make them secure before connecting to the internet, Get Safe Online is warning today. This Christmas, many will have received new phones, smart watches, games consoles and other connected gadgets which users need to protect themselves in order to no fall victim to the rising tide of cyber crime.

The bond aims to raise supercar dealer Prindiville around £12million and is secured against Prindiville plc's stock of cars, with models including the Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche. Alex Prindiville launched the bond after a wealthy client expressed an interest in investing in his company and suggested he create a suitable structure safe enough to allow him to do so.

Eaton Square, pictured, in London's exclusive area of Belgravia has been unveiled as the most expensive street in England and Wales, with an average price of £16,944,000. The square has been home to famous faces such as prime minister Margaret Thatcher, top right, and James Bond actors Sean Connery, bottom right. Outside of London, the most expensive streets include Panorama Road, in the Sandbanks area of Poole, with an average price of £4,618,000 and Crick Road, in Central North Oxford, at £4,049,000.

Depreciation can be crippling when it comes to owning a new executive car. But one man's loss is another man's gain - and that's certainly the case if you decide you want to buy a second-hand model. But with £17,000 in your back pocket, which of these four models should you choose? From left to right: Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Audi A6, Jaguar XF, BMW 5 Series

Consumer testing by website Boring Money, whose independent investigation was commissioned by the Financial Services Consumer Panel, found just one out of fifteen consumer testers could work out the total cost of investing through the platforms on test. Among new services that claim to make investing simpler, consumer testing highlighted failures around charging and unclear distinctions between guidance and advice.

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.

Despite endless media coverage of the political wrangling and financial speculation, the average Briton can be forgiven for remaining confused about what 'soft' and 'hard' Brexit really mean. About the difference between the 'Norway model' for the UK's post-Brexit relationship with the UK and the 'Swiss solution'. But a clever table put together by HSBC in a report called 'Is Brexit Getting Harder?' cleaves some clarity from the murk.

An interest rate cut before the end of the year looks less likely following the plunge in the pound. However, the Bank of England has indicated that higher inflation driven by rising import costs won't make it lift rates.

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.