Features

Tax year dates and changes - The deadline is coming..

July 31 is the deadline for the second instalment of payments due on account for 07/08 youll also get a further fine if your returns are still overdue and a further surcharge. Change is also coming with the deadline for paper returns for 07/08 brought forward to Oct 31.

Get a current account that beats the credit crunch

Karen Beavis explores the latest current accounts that could help you beat the credit crunch. Even though there are some attractively priced current accounts on the market, we needlessly throw away £8.3 billion a year on bank charges and low interest rates. Only around 6% of the UK switched current account in the past 12 months, according to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

SIPPS The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Martin Fagan discusses the Self-invested Personal Pensions (SIPP). At first seen like Rolex watches, Porsches, school fees and private medical cover, i.e. the province of the very affluent. Now a scheme which helps you grow your pension independent of a life company, investing in a range of assets you (rather than an actuary) have chosen and get tax relief.

Sheltering from the storm

The credit crunch means an increasingly number of homeowners are worried about rising mortgage payments or not being able to afford to pay off their home loan. In fact earlier this year Financial Services Authority (FSA) research found that one in five of us are worried about meeting the costs of our mortgage repayments over the next 12 months. However there are a number of ways you can protect the roof over your head.

Bear market - should you sell or buy?

Anxiety over the potential of the US fallout to clobber UK financial institutions has led to further plunges in the UK stock market.