The City regulator is collecting information from financial adviser firms about whether they have assessed their services in response to the new consumer duty, which requires businesses to put customers at the heart of what they do. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said it is writing to several firms, requesting information about their delivery of […]

Those who remain single are forced to spend an average £10,400 more per year for living alone, without a partner to share costs with, new research has shown. On average, singles in the UK are spending an extra £10,402 more per year than those in couples for living alone with a pet, £9,298 without one. […]

In 2023, over three million low-income households struggled to pay their energy bills, according to official figures. These households, considered to be in fuel poverty, lived in homes with poor energy efficiency ratings and had incomes below the poverty line after housing and fuel costs. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero revealed that […]

Online scam victim sending credit number to scammer (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto) Scammers are now using a new trick to steal money from unsuspecting victims. The latest scam, known as the “hi mum” manoeuvre, involves fraudsters pretending to be a relative in need of help. They often pose as the victim’s child, claiming they’ve lost their […]

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is facing calls to bring in tax cuts in the Spring Budget as the economy has gone into recession. The latest ONS (Office for National Statistics) figures showed the economy has gone into recession, with GDP dropping 0.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023, after falling 0.1 percent in the previous […]

Despite today’s GDP figures showing that the UK economy has fallen shrank in the second half of 2023, forecasts suggest that things are looking up in 2024 and Hunt needs to take full advantage without delay. Leading experts told the Daily Express the Chancellor may have enough headroom to knock £20billion off the collective tax […]

High street bank Virgin Money is set to buy Abrdn’s stake in their joint investment business for a cool £20m. This comes less than a year after it was introduced to customers. In 2019, Virgin Money teamed up with Abrdn to launch Virgin Money Investments. This service expanded its offerings beyond the usual savings and […]

The average UK house price fell by around £4,000 in the 12 months to December 2023, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that property values fell annually by 2.1 percent in England and by 2.5 percent in Wales. House prices increased annually by 3.3 percent in Scotland and by 1.4 […]

People considering voluntarily paying National Insurance contributions for their state pension have been urged to carry out an important check. A person could increase their state pension payments by thousands of pounds over the course of their retirement, by topping up their National Insurance (NI) contributions. If you believe you are missing contributions, you should […]

Scotland’s finance secretary, Shona Robison, has told councils they won’t get extra cash to cover a council tax freeze if they decide to raise the tax instead. She explained on BBC Radio Scotland: “We have provided £147 million to councils to fund a council tax freeze equivalent to 5%, to help households when the cost-of-living […]