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The stock market is not a bubble

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

We Brits have a unique ability to embrace pessimism. We are rarely happier than when discussing the sheer awfulness of the country’s prospects. Indeed, if anything remotely good ever happens, we usually take it as a signal that something really rather bad must be just around the corner.

Unwelcoming Barclays is called to account

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

My wife and I have experienced groundless difficulties trying to open a current account at our local Barclays branch in Leek, Staffordshire. We have a joint current account with Halifax but, due to its new ludicrous overdraft charges coming into place next month, we decided to switch to Barclays. We were told that our credit score was too low, so Barclays could offer us only a basic account, with no overdraft facility or cheque book. As my wife and I work full-time in well-paid, secure jobs I feel that we are within our rights to receive these two essential services.

Do the new living wills really bring peace of mind?

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Families who have dismissed the idea of setting up a lasting power of attorney (LPA) because of the hassle and expense, are being urged to think again.

Help us through the pension maze

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Pam Dean, 58, considers herself financially savvy and confident about handling her own fiscal affairs and those of her husband. During 37 years of marriage, Pam, who trained as a book-keeper, has taken responsibility for the couple’s finances while Raymond, 59, goes out to work.

Sound advice on the music websites that rock

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

The advance of digital music technology makes it possible to listen to and buy millions of recordings online. The market was once dominated by Apple’s iTunes, but competition has grown. Here Times Money rounds up the options and gets music industry experts’ verdicts.

For the best returns, follow the money

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

It’s every investor’s dream. Hitch your wagon to the most well connected in the financial world and you could enjoy a Rolls-Royce ride to riches.

Mortgages: a guide to the cheapest rates

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Mortgage brokers have been badly hit by the credit crunch, with more than half of intermediaries going out of business in the past two years. There are now only 12,500 brokers offering independent mortgage advice in the UK, down from 30,000 in 2007. The figure is expected to fall below 10,000 over the coming years.

Why National Grid is worth a plug

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Of all the companies whose shares have fared badly in the past couple of years, National Grid is among the most perplexing. It has many of the qualities investors would be expected to cherish in times of trouble. Yet the Grid’s stock price dived more sharply than most of its FTSE 100 peers as credit crunched and, though it has cheered up a bit recently, it has not gained ground as fast as many others.

Travel insurance: how to get the best cover

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Thousands of travellers with pre-existing medical conditions who want to take a holiday are being held back by the extortionate cost of cover.

Times Money named best personal finance newspaper

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:02:08 GMT

Times Money was named as Personal Finance Section of the Year at the prestigious Santander personal finance media awards in London last night.

Olympic Games driving out poorer residents as property prices rise, says study

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

A rise in property prices around the Olympic Park in East London is driving out poorer residents who were supposed to benefit from the 2012 Games, a report says.

Investors move out of cash to plough money into higher-earning bonds

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Wealthy investors sitting on large piles of cash have taken a further £2 billion out of cash and moved it into stock and bond funds.

Five tips for borrowing at Christmas

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

CREDIT card firms have been accused of raising their rates just as the Christmas shopping season gets under way.

Pensions: Ways to rest easier in retirement

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

PENSION savers have suffered a lost decade, with returns up a paltry 22% in the past 10 years or just 2% a year, according to the latest review.

Savers denied the best rates

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Savers have accused banks and building societies of denying them the best fixed-rate deals because of spurious delays when their previous deals mature.

How to bet on the dollar

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Investors are being offered the chance to invest in the first exchange traded funds to track the performance of currencies.

Why you should shun private bank accounts

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

WEALTHY consumers looking for better mortgages from private banks have been warned they could be stuck with a raw deal on savings.

Funds refuse new Isa top-up limits

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

FUND managers are refusing to allow the over-fifties to top up Isas following a rule change last month.

All this talk of bubbles is just hot air

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

One of the biggest conundrums for investors at the moment is whether, by pumping money into western economies, governments have inflated bubbles in everything from junk bonds to gold.

A Question of Money: Diana Wright

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

My ATM skimming fight

Wealth Matters: William Kay

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Broker’s fees dwarfed my offshore profits

Beating the childcare clampdown

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

THE row over Gordon Brown’s plans to scrap tax relief on childcare vouchers escalated last week, with a revolt led by a string of senior Labour women.

Fame & Fortune: John Hitchcox

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

JOHN HITCHCOX, 48, is an influential property developer credited with pioneering loft living in London. He now heads Yoo, the global property branding, design and investment company.

New technology and the fax of life

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

I WENT to Camden Town, north London, to buy a new mobile phone, which is a part of what is called living today.

Self-employed face mortgage obstacle course

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Self-employed borrowers face months of wrangling with banks and building societies to secure a mortgage after the last big lender of self-certification home loans pulled out of the market.