Resources
Principal content
Cautious lenders increase fees as rates are cut
Reductions to fixed-rate deals hailed as proof that the mortgage market is finally opening up
Over-55s urged to plan for equity release
Homeowners approaching retirement advised to consider equity-release drawdown facilities now
Local societies go national
Smaller building societies are easing “locals-only” restrictions on savings accounts
Card fraud abroad rises by 77%
Chip and pin increasingly targeted by criminals overseas
Savers aim to beat prices
Handful of savings products with inflation-beating guarantees see high take-up
Related content and features
Wealth & Investor
Merryn Somerset Webb: Make pessimism pay
Anyone who has put land up for sale in the past few years has had the satisfying experience of watching rich City-lifestyle buyers and real farmers elbow each other out of the way to get their hands on fields anywhere from Cornwall to Northumberland.
Kevin Goldstein Jackson: Takeover hopes and hazards
So far this year, there have been takeover offers for three companies in which my self-invested personal pension (Sipp) has holdings. All three bids were made at levels that I thought undervalued the potential of the target.
Serious money
Matthew Vincent: Pension deficits – by any name
You know where you stand with a Norman, and a Norman knows where he stands in life. But neither can really be said of a Luna Coco or an Apple.
Wealth Questions
Trust is best for school fees planning
My mother has offered to pay for our children’s/her grandchildren’s education. My daughters are currently three and five years old. How should we best invest the funds she is offering?
Adventurous investor
David Stevenson: Go on the defensive to avoid fate like Japan’s
A disturbing thought has been dogging me: we may not be about to enter a “normal”, cyclical bear market of 25 to 30 per cent losses, but may instead endure a bear market akin to Japan’s.
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