Money Central - Times Online - WBLG

Is someone else pretending to be you?

It's official, 2005 was the year of identity theft. Worrying figures from Cifas, the UK's Fraud Prevention Service, show that the theft of people's identities and cases of criminals impersonating individuals, were the fastest growing types of fraud last year with false identity having risen 16.4% and frauds involving impersonation up 11.4%.

QinetiQ: a good deal or overpriced?

If you are thinking of applying for QinetiQ shares, you need to bear in mind a number of things.

QinetiQ gains momentum with small investors

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em seems to be the motto of private investors when it comes to QinetiQ, the former Ministry of Defence research agency, whose flotation was announced this week.

Rough ride on Amazon?

Times Online reader Mark Randall has written to us complaining about the service he received from amazon.co.uk

Student debt: character-building or soul-destroying?

A graduate kills herself because she could no longer face the £14,000 debt she had racked up as a student. A few days later, a report into student debt announces that students are less worried than ever about debt. In fact, they are becoming accustomed to it, according to the authors of the report, with more than 40 per cent taking part-time jobs to pay their way through university. But which story behind student debt are we to believe? The one that leads a 26 year old to suicide, or the one that suggests that for students, debt is a fact of life, and they should all just buck up and get used to it?   

To carry back, part 2

Thanks for the comments from ibe on our previous blog entry. Magnus Grimond, of Times Money, says that, as ever with these things, it is impossible to give hard and fast advice without knowing the individual circumstances of the person in question.

How to escape penalty fees

One of the main ways banks make money from current account, credit card and mortgage customers is by charging huge fees if they miss a payment or slip into the red.

Filing online - I take it all back

Last week, I wrote a blog praising online self assessment (see A heartwarming tale for dark winter nights). Well, I've tried to use the system again, and I take back everything I said.

Tax terror – a true-life horror story

When you receive your payslip every month, do you ever check that you’re paying the correct tax?

If you’re like me you take a quick glance and, if the figures look similar to last month, quickly file it, throw it under the bed or bin it.

But, last week, the experience of a friend of mine provided a valuable and colourful – his language was very colourful – illustration of why it pays to check your payslip from time to time.

To carry or not to carry back?

Like me, you are probably feeling that a financial detox is in order after the Christmas spending binge has left your bank balance looking groggy. Don't, however, let enforced belt tightening now allow you to take your eye off making some provision for later.

Log on to a better deal

Were you one of the 1 million people who signed up to broadband in the first three months of 2005? If so you probably agreed to a 12-month contract, meaning you will soon be able to change supplier to save yourself a big wad of cash.

Calling our bluff?

Will you be taking part in National Pensions Day, or do you think that the very concept has the words "damp squib" written all over it? John Hutton, the secretary of state for work and pensions, announced today that the Government will earmark a day in March to talk to "stakeholders" and members of the public about our retirement.

Why are we having "simultaneous consultation events" in major UK cities? The Pensions Commission last year said that we face a future pensions crisis, and we must work longer, pay more taxes or be poorer in retirement.

So far, it has been the unelected Pensions Commission pushing forward the idea of a longer working life and higher spending on pensions. The Government, packed with ageing MPs whose own pension is the envy of all, is reluctant to repeat the Commission's assertions.

To fix or not to fix, that is the question...

Hopes of a fall in mortgage rates were dashed last week when the Bank of England kept the cost of borrowing unchanged at 4.5 per cent. So where now for interest rates?

A heartwarming tale for dark winter nights

As a journalist on Sunday Times Money, I spend most of my time highlighting the latest scams, rip-offs and bad practices that litter the world of personal finance. It can be an unpleasant world provoking despair, anger and exasperation in equal measure.

But occasionally I come across something that is so good that even I have to smile. Something that is so useful that it can make the dark, dank days of January seem brighter.

Why you should keep an eye on fund takeovers

One of the reasons for investing in unit trusts or Oeics is laziness. Instead of having to research and keep constantly up to date on thousands of individual companies we simply fill out a form and send a cheque to a handful of fund managers and they do all the hard work for us. But every so often we have to get off the sofa and do some digging for ourselves - and we could be about to hit one of those times.

Get your credit status checked - for free

Shoppers at Asda who find that they are refused the supermarket's credit card will be able to obtain a free copy of their credit file

Internet bugbears

You'll be pleased to know that as a financial journalist I do practice what I preach and when it comes to insurance I always check to see that I am getting a competitive deal. But I hate doing it because it is so time consuming and I always lose my temper with the internet when comparing prices.

This month it's my car insurance that needs renewing. The renewal quote from my insurer, Zurich, seemed quite competitive but I thought I would doublecheck. Also, I want to change insurers because I had a bad claims experience last summer. It wasn't Zurich's fault - the people I spoke to there about my claim were very helpful. I wasn't happy with the customer service I received from the garage that did the repairs. And seeing as though it is the nearest Zurich-affiliated repair centre to where I live, I would have to deal with them again in the unfortunate event of having to make another claim.

Piste of the action

I am not normally a fan of insurance because the industry often dupes us into taking out more than we need. Many people double up on protection insurance, for example, even though they might be eligible for sick pay from their employer if they fall ill. But I am always willing to fork out for one type of insurance: winter sports cover

Beware of the scam artists

Nobody likes to admit that they have been had. But according to Which?, formerly the Consumers' Association, about 5 million Britons have been fooled into responding to a scam, while a further 23 million have been unsuccessfully targeted

Warning on equity release

The consumer group, Which?, has accused some mortgage lenders of “irresponsible advertising” over equity release schemes in a report published today

Don't overheat on your heating bills

Soaring gas and electricity prices in 2005, with further rises expected in 2006, have focused consumers' minds on how best to cut their energy bills

Resolve to boost your savings in 2006

Four in five people expect their family finances this year to be as good or better than they were in 2005, according to a survey for the Nationwide.