Money

Kevin, 36, wants to invest rental income and money from his business in a growth portfolio, with the goal of having enough money to retire when he is aged between 45 and 50. In the latest in our series Money Pit Stop, we asked an investing expert to give him a free makeover.

Under laws introduced in England two years ago by the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs, super- markets have to charge 5p for a single-use plastic bag. Shops were also ordered to 'give the proceeds of the scheme to good causes'. But chains such as Tesco, Sainsbury's and Lidl now only sell 'bags for life' and escape the single-use plastic bag legislation. It enables them to be less generous about giving money to charity - and to syphon off some proceeds as profit.

Don't dismiss it as science fiction, AI will likely be better than us at everything soon, says Max Tegmark, the author of a new book Life 3.0, praised by Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk. We need to prepare now for that future, and all decide how that future should look, he says, rather than leaving the decisions to tech geeks who are developing the technology. Here's how it could affect your life - and how you can help shape it.

Douvall, a plastic surgery addict who has spent more than £1million on cosmetic procedures, now runs her own skincare business - Douvall's - with daughter Georgia. The pair have created a luxury range of natural and organic beauty products based on argan oil produced by female workers in Morocco who want to be financially independent from men.

The Bank of England may have raised its base rate for the first time in a decade but most savings accounts still offer paltry returns. For investors in search of income, Reits (real estate investment trusts) can offer an appealing alternative. This week, two more groups are hoping to surf the wave - M7 Multi-let Reit and Civitas Social Housing.

It is the first increase in base rate for ten years. For many homeowners, it will be the first time their payments have ever increased. For savers it will be welcome news although there is no guarantee their rates will improve given the frugality of financial institutions. In this special report, we look at how you can survive and thrive financially in a world of 0.5 per cent base rate - and maybe get a bit angry in the process.

Exclusive figures from equity release lender One Family reveal one in five lifetime mortgage borrowers needs the money to clear their mortgage. A further 14 per cent pay off credit cards, loans and other forms of debt. It comes as figures from the Equity Release Council revealed the number of retirees aged 75 to 84 taking out equity release loans shot up 48 per cent in the past year.

It might seem like something from the free-loving 1960s, but 'sharing' can make a lot of sense when it comes to your finances. From sharing a mortgage, car journeys and even childcare, pulling together to increase purchasing power or reduce costs has never been more popular.

Sir Evelyn de Rothschild's latest business venture involves rows of bullion bars and stacks of financiers, as befits one of the foremost bankers of his generation. The unexpected part is, they are all made of chocolate. His shop, R Chocolate in Belgravia, is a chocoholic's nirvana.

If you are still saving into a pension, on the verge of retirement, or have stayed invested during your old age, you will be exposed to the UK government bond market. Yesterday's rate rise was also imposed to curb inflation, which could have fallout for state pensions in future.

The London stock market closed at a fresh record high today, the day after Bank of England raised interest rates for the first time in a decade. Investors were cheered as the FTSE 100, UK's leading stock market index, ended the day slightly up at 7,560.35. A gain of just 5.2 points, or 0.07 per cent, was enough to achieve a new peak and came as investors backed Britain's biggest businesses in the wake of the base rate rising from 0.25 per cent to 0.5 per cent.

Dabbl, an app-only stock broker offering investors the chance to make unlimited trades for one monthly fee of £1.49, is set to launch by Christmas. Dabbl will be pitted against other bargain share-dealing offers from the likes of Trading 212, Club Finance, iWeb, - but the founders say its real aim is to make investing engaging and easy.

What was the point of that Bank of England rate rise? It was certainly a curiosity, coming alongside a decidedly downbeat Inflation Report.Was the rate rise to dampen inflation, to send a warning sign to borrowers, or just to put a tiny smile on beleaguered savers' faces? We look at why it happened and what next on our podcast.

A sizeable number of homeowners will see mortgage payments rise after the Bank of England hiked the base rate by 0.25 per cent today, while savers will be hoping for some much-deserved respite as their rates rise. Here is what banks and building societies have said so far.

Apple fans can now get their hands on the new iPhone X handset - the most expensive handset ever launched by the tech giant. But with prices starting at £999 for a 64GB model they don't come cheap. So making sure you get the best deal is even more important if you are planning on making the investment.

The Bank of England finally raised interest rates today, more than a decade after the last upward move. Today's rate rise will lift the cost of mortgages, but should spell some better news for savers. What's important, however, is what happens next and whether interest rates continue to rise.

Whatever happens next with interest rates, here are three things people can do with their finances, to get a bit richer. Why bother? Because you need to look after your money and make yourself richer, as no one else will do it for you.

House prices will slow down as interest rates rise more than previously thought, Savills predicted today - but the average home will still go up £30,000 in five years. Typical values across the country will rise 14.2 per cent by the end of 2022, but London will see the slowest growth with prices up 7.1 per cent - or just 1.4 per cent a year.

I'm due to remortgage and my lender is being difficult about my income - it won't accept all of the income I earn from my investments and says only half counts towards my mortgage payments. Even more ludicrous is that remortgaging will actually save me money on my monthly payments, which I am already paying. This seems mad. What are my options?

I've received five WWF 50p coins over the years that I've held onto and I'm wondering if they are actually worth more than face value? I don't want to spend them only to find that I could have sold them online for far more than a collective £2.50.

For all you budding entrepreneurs out there, the good news is that it has never been easier and cheaper to start a business in the UK. And it's far better to bootstrap your business than have to give it the boot because you run out of cash. So here are some golden tips money-savvy, and money-starved, entrepreneurs can't afford to ignore.

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?

The Bank of England has raised the base rate back to 0.5 per cent. The move up from 0.25 per cent is accompanied by an Inflation Report, which will outline where the bank sees things moving next. Expectations are that rates will not move up swiftly after this first rise, This is Money will bring you the details of the Inflation report and analysis imminently.

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.