RADICAL reforms aimed at wiping out mis-selling and ­improving financial advice standards have left millions of people without guidance when it comes to investing.

ANOTHER week, yet another round of reductions in savings account rates. Long-suffering savers are now accustomed to the absence of decent cash returns, but they’re also finding out that some cuts are deeper than others.

IT IS still possible to gain from the rising price of property without resorting to selling your home. Over a decade, house prices have risen 29.7 per cent and for those seeking such diversification, property funds will also offer commercial premises.

THE dream of a debt-free retirement is becoming a distant one for many Scots as mortgage and credit card repayments pile up.

IF YOU want to know exactly how financial services companies are failing their customers it’s well worth looking at the complaints being taken to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).

ARE they cowboys in a “Wild West” market taking advantage of rising demand by ripping people off with impunity?

SAVERS desperate for inflation-beating ­income are piling into eyecatching new bond offers unaware of the risks they’re taking, ­experts have warned.

AROUND 15 per cent of Scottish parents over 50 are playing host to their adult children in the tough economic climate.

HALF OF all people in the UK believe DIY and basic household maintenance skills are being lost in a generation.

SAVVY shoppers are visiting two or more supermarkets in the same trip and almost half are reducing food waste in efforts to save money, according to a study.

Who calls the shots, billpayers or utility companies? Burdened with the soaring cost of living and weighed down by outgoings, consumers all too often forget they have great collective power. Anyone who has ever tried voting with their feet and switching providers will know this is one of the best ways to make themselves heard.

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Three recent headlines have focused media attention on individuals affected by the UK government’s welfare reforms.

A growing number of investors are turning to funds which come free of any hidden charges, reports Jason Hemmings

They’ve taken millions of pounds from thousands of savers, wiping out their pension pots and condemning them to poverty in retirement.

One area of a subdued housing market is thriving as demand grows and affluent savers look for a new home for their money.

LOW levels of savings will condemn many to finance problems, reports Jeff Salway