Super-low interest rates and quantitative easing sent bond prices soaring after the financial crisis - and led to countless warnings that they are no longer such as safe investment.With interest rates heading up, the environment has got a whole lot tougher for both government and corporate bonds. We pick five of the best bond funds for rising rates.

Despite potentially tasty returns, the whisky market is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and if you become a victim of a scam you cannot get help from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. So you need to tread carefully - scams are a regular feature of the whisky market.But you can develop your taste buds by trying out a few Scotch distilleries that are highly regarded by connoisseurs. Bottles that could prove shrewd investments can often be purchased from as little as £50.

Britain's small army of income investors are on track to receive a bumper payout this year after dividends reached a record £28.5billion over the summer. The dividend boost will help those invested in both individual shares and hugely popular UK income funds. We take a look at what's happening and get four top income fund picks to invest in Britain and overseas.

Does the financial world of 1987, a time before the internet, have anything to teach us today - and what can we also learn from the dot com bust and the financial crisis crash? On this episode of the Investing Show, Simon Lambert, of This is Money, Ben Kumar of 7IM, Richard Hunter, of Wilson King, discuss how investors can learn from the past for the next time a crash arrives.

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.

'I want to invest in an Isa, can you give me any tips on getting started?' This is a question that regularly crops up and we usually refer people to This is Money's extensive guides, But sometimes people don't want to do all that research. Rightly or wrongly, they want a quick, straightforward route map to investing in an Isa. To that end, this is our distilled guide to getting started.

Alex Davies, chief executive and founder of Wealth Club, joins Simon Lambert to explain why investors have been snapping up VCTs, how they invest in early stage companies and why acting early if you want to invest is wise.

I am a 72-year-old retired builder. I have just sold a property and will have approximately £130,000 to invest, preferably for income. I have a medium appetite for risk. Patrick Connolly, certified financial planner at Chase de Vere (pictured), replies.

A typical active equities fund charges in the region of 0.7 per cent of the invested sum and often higher, while standard index trackers can charge as little as 0.07 per cent - a tenth of the cost. The fee difference is clear therefore active funds have to outperform the relevant index to even begin to justify their cost.

There are many factors to consider when you start investing - such as what to invest in and how much it will cost. But what many people might not realise is that one of the most important considerations is your age. How old you are determines how long you have to invest, and that can help decide how much investment risk you should take. Ryan Hughes of pension provider AJ Bell says: 'The rule of thumb is that the longer timeframe you have, the more risk you can afford to take. But there is no point investing in a way that will give you sleepless nights.'

In our Money Pit Stop series, we put your investment questions to an expert to give you a free portfolio makeover. Featured in this installment is John Miles, an 89-year-old retired driving instructor who wants to know how best to invest £130,000 at low risk to provide income for his children. He also asks whether it is best to invest the sum in stocks or investment funds.

When investing it often pays to do the opposite of what others are doing. So what should we make of the seemingly contrarian investing opportunity staring us in the face - UK shares? Britain's investors have made it abundantly clear that their home market is not for them but that could mean that looking for unloved companies in our unloved country could pay off.

Would you lose sleep over the amount you plan to invest if it got wiped out in a market crash? If your answer's 'yes, it would cripple me emotionally and financially', think again about whether you're ready to invest. So, what amount of seed money is ideal, how long should you be prepared to lock it away, and what should the general state of your finances be before you enter the world of investing.

You might invest, but do you have a a clearly defined plan of what you are investing for and how you plan to do it. If you're anything like me the answer is 'no'. But without an investment plan you are much less likely to achieve your goals - one expert says it's like 'driving without knowing your destination' So here's how to get one quickly and easily.

The Fidelity China Special Situations Trust, has generated 123 per cent return since Dale Nicholls succeeded fund manager Anthony Bolton as fund manager. We speak to the manager of the trust for the past three-and-a-half years and ask him why its fortunes have revived and why he believes China is a good place to invest.

Alternative property lender and investment platform LendInvest has launched a five-year retail bond paying 5.25 per cent twice a year for investors with a minimum of £2,000. In an era of one per cent savings rates and where yields spanning beyond 5 per cent are hard to come by in the equity markets, this deal is sure to whet the appetite of many investors.

The art of portfolio building involves mixing assets to deliver the right blend for your investment outlook - with the key ingredients being shares and bonds. Fortunately, for British investors, UK Government bonds - or gilts as they are known - are considered among the world's safest to invest in, but how do you invest in them or other highly-rated bonds around the world?

There is a spot of good news for our embattled fund managers. A note landed in my inbox this week, highlighting that an increasing number of UK active funds are beating the market this year. That, of course, simply means fund managers are doing the job they are paid to do, but nonetheless for investors who haven't entirely bought into the passive investing-only dogma it's worth a look.

If you have the short-term emergency savings that you need, funds held for the long-term can be put to more productive work and earn a higher return. The Investing Show looks at how people can do this, including how to think about what sums you may be able to invest and the easiest ways to do that.

In our series Money Pit Stop, we ask an investing expert to give one of our readers a free portfolio makeover. Kevin, pictured, is aged 52 and wants to invest £80k, but is undecided over whether to pay off his mortgage now or invest that money too for seven years.

Gervais Williams has carved out a reputation as one of the UK's best smaller company stock pickers. But despite his ability to meet with senior company directors and the research resources that he enjoys, Gervais says that he believes private investors, especially those outside London, can have an advantage when investing in smaller companies. He explains why and gives us his tips.

Britons are sitting on some £60billion in cash savings earmarked for the long-term but this is declining in real value by £1.5billion per year through not being invested, according to new research by BlackRock. We take a look at why and what you can do to invest easily if you have a chunk of money you've set aside for the long term and don't fancy watching it dwindle in real value

A whole host of online investment firms have cropped up in recent years, offering to help you pick and manage a portfolio, meet your financial goals and make money - all for a 'modest' fee. They are known as robo-advisers, but what do these services offer and how can they help you? We take a look.

James Carleton, 71, was a fund manager in the City in his working life and has been putting money aside for his daughter since she was young.He has created a portfolio of investments for Louise and she adds money to the various investment trusts when she wants to. He is just one of the parents investing with their kids.

The Isa has been a marvellous invention. It has enabled savers and investors to build greater wealth and draw more from it, thanks to tax-free growth and withdrawals. I've cheered the Isa allowance's rise to £20,000, but the time has come to stop lifting it. Instead, we need to overhaul the Isa to make it work for the modern world.

What do you do if you are sick of pitiful interest rates on your savings, but are not sure about investing? How nervous should you be about making the switch and are there ways to invest confidently? Moola founder and chief executive Gemma Godfrey shares her top tips.

With Vanguard you pay just 0.15 per cent a year to invest in a range of funds - a third of the 0.45 per cent pocketed by rivals such as Hargreaves Lansdown. Experts believe the move could spark a price war. So could you save a fortune by switching to Vanguard's new deal - even if it only offers its own funds?

Britain's biggest banks axed or scaled back investment services following a clean-up of the financial industry that banned cosy backdoor commission deals four years ago. But now most banks are bringing back investment options for customers under the new regime. We round up what the top players are offering and what it costs.

The Premier League season has drawn to a close - meaning that the opening of the summer transfer window is rapidly approaching. As football fans look back on whether their seasons were a success and eye new stars, we asked five top UK fund managers to rate their best buys and sells of the season.

With so much global uncertainty over politics, economics and international relations, many investors may be tempted to put their cash under the mattress rather than risk it on the stock market. But there are some investments available that can help protect your long-term wealth.

With the French election out of the way and the 'safe' choice of Emmanuel Macron elected, can investors now make some money from Europe? While short-term he believes there are profits to be had, European leaders are in danger of forgetting how grave Europe's problems still are, says Psigma's Tom Becket. He outlines why and where there are better opportunities.

In 1967, France's President de Gaulle vetoed UK membership of the EEC, the Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were busted for drugs and the Beatles released Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Since then, three dividend hero investment trusts, City of London, Bankers and Alliance Trust have paid investors more year-in, year-out for an astonishing 50 years.

Are we underestimating the prospects for making money from European companies and where are the best places to invest to profit from the best it has to offer? Chris Hiorns, manager of the Amity European Fund, joins us on the latest Investing Show to discuss why France may be a better place to invest than you think, why Italy is improving but its banks are still trouble and why he thinks some of Europe's media companies could be about to rise again.

When investing it often pays to do the opposite of what others are doing. So what should we make of the seemingly contrarian investing opportunity staring us in the face - UK shares? Britain's investors have made it abundantly clear that their home market is not for them but that could mean that looking for unloved companies in our unloved country could pay off.