The January sales can be a dispiriting business, but not if you're looking for a new home. According to experts, now is the time to start your property hunt and use the post-festive lull to bag a bargain. This is especially the case this year, as there's an air of uncertainty around 2017 property market forecasts, with suggestions of rising house prices, due to an ongoing lack of supply and increased demand. 'Properties that are listed at the end of the year - the low season - and sold during the Yuletide period or at the beginning of the following year will often sell for the best prices,' says Jonathan Daines, managing director of lettingaproperty.com. Throw in the surge of divorce inquiries, which traditionally peak around this time of year, and you might just get lucky.

The May government is apparently considering allowing council tax hikes to fund improvements in elderly care; well I'd argue councils should be able to levy more tax on wealthy households anyway. Whilst it's hard to justify the brute redistribution of wealth by taxing the rich and giving handouts to the poor, it is not hard to justify asking wealthy households in a locality to contribute proportionately far more to services and amenities that keep that locality a tidy and happy place.

Seven out of ten new car buyers will pay more road tax from this spring as cars once considered 'green' are squeezed for more money - and those over £40,000 are hammered for extra £310 a year extra. By contrast, buyers of some of the most polluting and gas-guzzling vehicles will receive 'significant benefits' and could save up to £245, a report says.

Are your investments working as hard as they can? In January, investing platforms often offer limited time deals to tempt in customers, or use the start of a New Year to switch up what they are offering. Here is a round-up of the new deals on offer, plus one provider that has altered its fee structure.

How rich are you? The highly subjective answer to that will be influenced by your attitude to wealth, income vs spending habits, and where in the country you live. While we quite rightly worry about inequality, Britain's disposable incomes are the most equal they have been in 30 years, but where do you fit in the earnings and wealth scales?

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 seeks to help a husband trying to sort out the finances of his wife, who is dying of cancer.

Last spring, we purchased a house which with a conservatory - the first time my wife and I have owned a property with one. How can we make it warm enough to use in the winter?

Picking dividend shares isn't just about opting for those with the highest yield. A dividend needs to be sustainable, robust, and preferably rise over time. Justin Urquhart Stewart, of Seven Investment Management joins the Investing Show to explain where to invest for the best dividends, looking at countries, sectors and individual companies.

The turnaround plans of two bosses handed the toughest jobs in retail were given a boost after they scored bumper Christmas sales. Steve Rowe, chief executive of Marks & Spencer, and Dave Lewis, his counterpart at Tesco, both won back shoppers in their core markets following years of decline. It is a crucial vindication for the men who were handed jobs that many considered a poisoned chalice: restoring the sales and reputations of two of Britain's favourite brands.

UK retailers have hogged the limelight this week given the barrage of trading updates released to the market, with high street stalwarts such as Debenhams, Next and the big supermarkets dominating the business pages. It's easy to forget then that the junior market has a few well-known brands itself, with two AIM biggies in particular showing the old boys a thing or two and proving what most already knew to be true: online shopping is taking over. While the High Street chains posted what can best be described as anaemic growth total, ASOS and Boohoo put them to shame. The fast-fashion websites posted hefty sales growth of 36per cent and 55per cent respectively over the peak trading season as more and more people did their shopping online.

There are lots of tips and tricks to cut down the cost of your holiday, without compromising on the experience. To make the most of your money, Cheapflights.co.uk has compiled some top tips for cutting down your holiday costs in 2017. We've picked some of the best and added in a few of our own. If you have others, please let us know in the comments section.

Savers tempted to put money into the stock market by the FTSE 100's record run could be investing just as the risk grows that shares will tank, experts warn. This week, the FTSE closed at an all-time high for the ninth day in a row. Stock market highs tend to encourage many small investors to throw caution to the wind, as they chase down gains.

HM Revenue & Customs quietly acquired powers in September which allow it to snoop on anyone who uses so-called marketplace websites that connect buyers and sellers. It means teams of investigators now have extensive access to websites such as Etsy - where craft-makers sell items like homemade cards and knitting - and eBay, as well as property and holiday letting sites including Booking.com and Airbnb.

A new hi-tech BMW that can drive itself has been crowned 'Car of the Year' in the motor industry's version of the Oscars. The BMW 5 Series, which has self-driving features that allow it to drive for short distances, took the top spot in the What Car? 2017 awards. We reveal the winners in the other categories and prices.

Compare your pay to the national average and see whether your employer treated you to a pay rise in line with the the rest of your profession. Farmers, care and air travel assistants were big winners on the pay scales in 2016. Travel agents, careers advisers and probation officers lost out.

I'm trying to cut down the amount I spend on my energy bills, does it cost me more to have my heating on during the day or at night? If there is a difference in price depending on the time of the day how much am I likely to save by only turning on the boiler at certain times during the day?

The German luxury car maker showcased the concept version of the Q8 - a model that's due to arrive in 2018 - at the Detroit Motor Show on Monday. It uses a potent but super-efficient plug-in hybrid powertrain, which Audi says could make production when the showroom-ready car arrives in 2018.

Average property prices finished 2016 at a record high of £222,484, up by 6.5 per cent in December when compared to the same month in 2015, according to Halifax. However experts remain divided over whether price rises will remain robust into the new year or start to falter as Britain begins the process to leave the EU and buyers grapple with ever-higher asking prices.

In our series giving personal investors an insight into how the professionals do things, we spoke to Richard Buxton, manager of its Old Mutual UK Alpha fund. He says patience is the key to his approach, because once convinced of the case for investing in a stock he tends to hold it for a very long time.

My father passed away in 2010. His second wife is 85 and still living in the house they bought. My father's half was left to myself and two sisters, possibly grandchildren. Now my father has passed away my stepmother is saying we will not get anything and everything will go to her two adult children. Is there anything we can do?

Rolls-Royce has reiterated its commitment to Britain, regardless of Brexit, after the German-owned luxury car maker posted its second highest sales figures in a century. The West Sussex-based firm - which is owned by BMW - sold 4,011 cars in more than 50 countries in 2016, up six per cent on 2015.

Homeowners in Esher, Surrey, commuting into London fared best as their homes' rising value paid for their annual train travel in just eight days, but other towns also saw house price gains pay off. Esher knocked Solihull in Birmingham off the top slot in the annual study of house price rises vs commute costs by property website Zoopla.

If starting a business is something that's on your mind, 2017 could be the best year yet to give it a go, as costs are low and it's perfectly possible to build one in your spare time. Emma Jones, of Enterprise Nation, gives us her five tips for turning an idea into a business.

Buried deep among that pile of unwanted festive gifts, overflowing storage boxes and never-used 'essentials' is an opportunity to make money. We show you how to make a profit from decluttering your home, as Bev Martin, pictured, did with her £40 clocks made from bike gears.

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.