Money

We're constantly being told that to get the best deals on everything from broadband to energy and insurance we should switch, switch, switch. But it's not always as simple as we're led to believe. Guidelines seem to vary depending on which utility or product you are moving. If you cancel your direct debit, do you have to tell the firm you are leaving? How long should it take? And what are your cancellation rights?

We have had to move to a rented flat for a few months while renovating our home. We hope it will only take three months to get the work finished, what can we do about our broadband? Is there any way of getting broadband without signing up for 12 months or will we have to go without?

We've all seen ads for cars that seem incredibly cheap, only to see the dreaded phrase 'Category D' tucked away at the bottom of the spiel. Immediately, most of us will suspect the worst and move on to the next ad - but is that necessarily a good idea? Might you be missing out on a bargain?

My husband sadly passed away and my state pension is to be reduced. I am confused why I should now be penalised at such a difficult time. I cannot find any information that suggests that this may happen and the government site only refers to how you may benefit.

A combination of record low mortgage rates and a lack of homes for sale has bolstered the property market, but the pace of house price rises has slowed considerably, according to the Halifax house price index. House prices rose by another £789 in July to bring the average home's cost to £219,266 - up 2.1 per cent on a year ago but down on the start of the year.

In the 1950s and 60s, stamp collecting was commonplace, with around half of young Britons having a collection of some sort. Since then, its popularity has died out. However, many may have collections gathering dust, either inherited or forgotten about in the loft, and no idea how to get them valued - we reveal how, and the gems that have been found in the attic.

Workers aged 40 and over are being urged to obtain a forecast of their state pension to avoid huge financial disappointment when they reach official retirement age. It has never been easier to obtain this information. Nor has it been more important to act early to squeeze the best value from the state scheme.

Lounges allow passengers to escape the chaos of the airport terminal and chill out with comfortable seating, unlimited food and drink and free wi-fi. But with entry to the most luxurious lounges costing £40 or more, the price tag might put some off. Yet there are ways to cut costs, especially for regular travellers.

Craig Charles, DJ and comedian, came close to losing his home during the 2008 financial crisis despite being able to command fees of more than £10,000 a night working as a DJ. Charles, who played Lister in cult TV sitcom Red Dwarf, had to fight to keep his five-bedroom house in Cheshire after taking out two 'mighty' mortgages and failing to sell an £860,000 property in Southampton.

After several unsolicited calls, my parents were under the impression British Gas would be calling to provide advice on how to save on their energy bills. In fact they were visited by a salesman from National Heating Solutions Limited. He was in their home for three hours, selling a new heating system costing £10,000.

Opec member Venezuela is having trouble paying back creditors, with its economy struggling under the weight of triple-digit inflation and chronic shortages of food and medicine. Last Friday, the country inaugurated a new legislative superbody that could rewrite its constitution and give vast powers to President Nicolas Maduro's ruling Socialist Party.

The clothing chain said trading had been disappointing in its first . Sales dropped 4.4 per cent to £338.7m in the 13 weeks to June 24, from £354.2m the year before. Sales across stores open for more than a year slumped 7.5 per cent while sales on its website dropped 0.6 per cent.

Drivers pulling off the forecourt in their brand new electric car may think they've just made a purchase which will improve the world. Electric cars, it is argued, are cheaper to run, quieter to drive and better for the environment than any petrol or diesel alternatives. The Government has said that by 2040 all new cars will be electric.

The Government confirmed it last month - the sale of new conventional petrol and diesel-powered cars will be prohibited from 2040. However, that doesn't include hybrids. That means cars with petrol and diesel engines and a supplementary electric power source will still be allowed in the UK.Want to get a head-start on the new laws - these are the ten highest rated hybrid cars you can buy in showrooms today, according to the expert road test team at What Car?. Clockwise from top left: BMW i8, Volvo XC90 Twin Engine, VW Golf GTE, Toyota Yaris Hybrid.

More than £35bn worth of mortgages are due to mature in the next two months, the biggest period of home loan maturities in five years according to specialist data firm CACI. Homeowners could save hundreds of pounds a month by remortgaging thanks to reduced rates and increased house prices pumping up their mortgage loan-to-value, analysis by Yorkshire Building Society shows.

Savers have not had it easy in recent years, with interest rates near record lows, but some are turning to elaborate ruses to eke out a better return. Crystal Cansdale, pictured, is one of them. She tells us how she's making around £52 a month in interest, thanks to the seven current accounts she has set up, with savings account beating rates between 2 and 5%.

Horrified saver, Russell Jones, pictured, discovered he faced a 78% exit penalty to move an old Friends Life pension pot built up through work. It exposes the large loophole in the Government's drive to stamp out excessive fees. It banned exit fees on all new pensions and capped them at 1 per cent for over-55s, but the cap doesn't apply to older pots held by younger savers.

As the great and good of the financial world headed for the beach ten years ago, everything seemed to be fine. While there had been rumblings of problems brewing in the US mortgage market, most of the players were fairly relaxed. On August 9, 2007 they discovered it wasn't, but a decade on we have little to show for our lesson and much of the problems remain.

If someone told you at the end of the 1980s that in less than 30 year's time a Ford Sierra would be worth £115,000, a Vauxhall Lotus Carlton £72,000 and a Peugeot 205 GTI almost £40,000, you'd have probably doubled over in hysterics. But the spike in classic car values in recent years has seen the price of hot hatches and Fast Fords spike - like the Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 pictured that just sold at auction for £115,000.

Kevin Sinclair who lives in Reading had to pay Virgin Media £222 for cancelling his contract early. He wanted to take the service with him but it physically wasn't available and he still had to pay the penalty fee.

The Blandfield development in the Scottish capital is home to many elderly and disabled people, who are now being chased for around £6,000 each. Last month, residents were given 28 days to find the cash or face debt recovery action - even though some can't afford to pay.

Recently, I tried to pay in a shop with a £50 note - but it was refused. Can it do this and can I report the shop? Also, will there be a new polymer £50 note in the future, similar to the new £10 note launching next month?

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.

The amount you can save into a pension ultimately depends on what you can afford - but the longer you leave it the more you will need to save. 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?

Worries over debt in the economy have been raised in the latest bank Financial Stability Report in the wake of fresh speculation that interest rates may rise sooner than most expect. The latest MPC meeting led one investment bank, Nomura, to suggest a rate rise could come as soon as August. Economist George Buckley said comments from Bank chief economist Andy Haldane's and the 5-3 split made an early move more likely.

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.