I’ve been banging on about it for ages, but now I’ve got a headline-grabbing statistic to back up my belief that income protection insurance is one of the most important pieces of cover you can have. Apparently, according to new statistics, you are 26 times more likely to be off work for more than six …Read More

The Government’s autumn spending review had a sting in the tail for anyone thinking of getting into the buy-to-let business. The Chancellor, George Osbourne, announced a 3% increase in stamp duty on buy-to-let properties from next April. This will add a big chunk to the bill for anyone buying a property for that purpose and …Read More

News that the bank base rate is going to stay as it is until at least the second quarter of 2017 gives an added nudge for anyone looking to get into the property market or thinking of switching their lender. Buying a home or switching mortgage is all about having the confidence to take the …Read More

You sign the paperwork on your insurance, file it away in a drawer and think no more about it, safe in the knowledge that your family is covered if anything happens to you. But are you? More and more people are discovering that the policy they took out just won’t cut it if things go …Read More

There’s a real mixed bag of news when it comes to mortgages at the moment. On the one hand the number of products available for first-time buyers continues to grow and mortgage rates remain low. However, one or two lenders are already starting to increase their lending rates in advance of an expected increase in …Read More

There’s no doubt about it, if you know what you’re doing and are prepared to take some risks and put in some hard work, buying a property at auction can be a way to bag yourself a bargain. Auctions are particularly good if you are looking to pick up a property to renovate and sell …Read More

Need to borrow some money to improve your home? Then a secured loan might be the answer. Also known as homeowner loans, a secured loan is one which, as the name suggests, is secured against the value of your home. In other words if you don’t keep up the repayments then in theory your home …Read More

How many of us dutifully shop around for the best deal when we first take out a mortgage on our dream home and then forget about it? We get that headline-grabbing fixed rate for two or three years but then, when that deal expires, we are caught napping when our lender puts us on the …Read More