Living next door to a run-down, empty house could knock more than £50,000 off the value of the average home – but there are steps you can take to protect your property’s price tag. Almost one million homes are standing empty across the UK, the majority of which have been vacant for more than six
The nation is in countdown mode. In 327 days’ time – April 6 next year – we will wake up to a new Individual Savings Account regime that will look little like it does today. The overhaul will be seismic, more dramatic than any other experienced in the 26-year life of the Isa – a
When it comes to the role that cash – hard cash – plays in the running of our creaking economy, I am not for turning. Whatever the banks, government agencies and the big payment processing companies (US-owned) may say about the consumer benefits of moving to a digital payment world, my view is simple. The
There is one secret weapon that financial experts agree every household should have to protect them in difficult times. An emergency cash buffer safely stashed in a savings account is key to weathering storms in financial markets, such as the recent turbulence after President Trump’s tariff announcements. And it is indispensable to get you through
When I was growing up, pocket money was handed out sporadically to me and my siblings. I remember trying to squeeze my growing fingers into my piggy bank to extract coins (and more challengingly, notes) to add up the latest balance. There was no ‘money talk’ from my parents, nothing to make it clear to
Do you dream of one day sending your child off to university, but shudder at the thought of them leaving tens of thousands of pounds in debt just as they start out in life? Tuition fees for a three-year university course in England and Wales are set to rise to £28,600 this academic year. With
President Trump’s sweeping tariffs will have far-reaching consequences for our investments – but not all will be affected equally. All countries will face tariffs of at least 10 per cent when exporting goods to the US, but some will have more than 50 per cent. As these differences open up, picking the right countries to
Not for the last time, for sure, President Trump has sent the world into a frenzy like one of those wooden or plastic spinning tops we were given for Christmas as youngsters. Be it east or west, Europe or the UK, Trump’s imposition of tariffs on countries far and wide has caused widespread consternation and
Apple, Google and Amazon all have something in common: they were started in garages. While it’s unlikely you’ll start a trillion-dollar company from one, you might be able to kick-start your property investment portfolio from this unusual source. A typical house now costs nearly 7.2 times the average salary. This makes saving for a deposit
Do you dream of one day sending your child off to university, but shudder at the thought of them leaving tens of thousands of pounds in debt just as they start out in life? Tuition fees for a three-year university course in England and Wales are set to rise to £28,600 this academic year. With