Financial news

• Pensions are a costly problem we need to talk about | Phillip Inman

  22-04-2023 18:00
  
  There are serious inequalities in how Britons save for retirement and in the health of those who have retired. Why?The pensions system has fallen under the gaze of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, and not before time.Retirement is a vexed subject and little discussed in the UK, where there has always been a feeling among policymakers that a higher birthrate than most developed countries and buoyant levels of immigration – almost exclusively of working-age people – meant Britain was
  
  Read more

• Cycle hire: how poor parking put a spoke in the wheel of city schemes

  22-04-2023 16:52
  
  The boom in e-bike rental schemes may be good for the planet, but dumped bikes have become a dangerous urban blightOn the narrow streets of Soho, the bright, bulky silhouettes of London’s many hire-scheme bikes are visible on every turn – parked freestanding on roadsides, in docking stations, whizzing past slow-moving traffic and (a particular bugbear for many Londoners) lying horizontal across pavements, sometimes in piles.The proliferating schemes – the biggest of which inclu
  
  Read more

• ‘It can be incredibly profitable’: the secret world of fake online reviews

  22-04-2023 13:00
  
  As groups offering fake Amazon, Google and Trustpilot reviews continue to thrive on Facebook, one reviewer tells how it works“Andrew” wishes he felt more guilty about writing fake reviews of Amazon products, but says if someone orders something they don’t like then they can always get it refunded. The thirtysomething computer analyst from Oklahoma is off work while he recovers from back surgery and fires off five-star ratings as he awaits appointments.It all began with an onlin
  
  Read more

• The life-changing thing I bought for £1

  22-04-2023 12:00
  
  From a racehorse to a steamboat and a house in Sicily, it’s surprising what you can buy for £1. People who bagged the bargain of a lifetime talk about what happened nextMartin Higgins, 60, Brockham, Surrey Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Gone in seconds: rising text message scams are draining US bank accounts

  22-04-2023 12:00
  
  Sophisticated robotexts are bombarding Americans’ phones, costing unsuspecting people millions of dollarsThe text message created an instant surge of panic.“Freemsg: Chase, Did you attempt wire transfer amount of $7500. Reply Y if recognized, Or NO to stop fraud.” Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Electric cars: could your employer help you save thousands?

  22-04-2023 10:00
  
  People are waking up to the benefits of using salary sacrifice schemes to buy greener vehiclesIf you have been thinking about switching to an electric car but are worried about the cost, talk to Bill Hopkinson. Until four months ago, the sales and marketing director was driving more than 30,000 miles a year in a diesel BMW and spending about £800 a month on lease payments, fuel, insurance and maintenance.Fast-forward to today, and he is now behind the wheel of a new, fully electric Audi Q4
  
  Read more

• Marathon mortgages of up to 40 years on rise among UK first-time buyers

  22-04-2023 08:00
  
  More opt for longer loan deals and lower monthly payments as rents soar in cost of living crisisA standard mortgage used to run for 25 years but experts are reporting a growing trend for marathon loans spread over up to 40 years as first-time buyers and movers opt for lower monthly payments in an effort to bridge the gap between rising living costs and still-high asking prices.New figures show the number of first-time buyers opting for a mortgage term longer than 35 years more than doubled durin
  
  Read more

• Is car finance the next PPI? Claims management firms cause concern

  22-04-2023 08:00
  
  Drivers could be missing out on full compensation amid rise of third-party firms submitting claimsUK consumers were this week urged to avoid the “plague” of claims management firms targeting people who may have been mis-sold a car finance deal. It has prompted suggestions that these firms may regard car finance as “the next PPI”.Complaints about car finance lenders almost doubled in the last financial year, driven by an increase in third-party firms submitting claims on b
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

Follow @financialnwsUK on Twitter!