This guide will discuss how to carry out a valuation of your home for those thinking of remortgaging or who are just curious.

The price of homes in your area – there are several websites that allow you to discover and compare the price of houses in your area. This is available for free and will give a rough estimate on house prices in the local area and the final sale price of them. A well renowned site is Zoopla as well as Net House Prices and The Land Registry. Using such sites will give you a quick and easy quote for your house and help you find an understanding of local house prices.

Online Valuation – As well as comparing your house to others in the vicinity it is also possible to use an online valuation form to find out an estimated price for your home. These will not be as detailed and as in depth as a professional type but will give you an idea based on postcode, bedrooms, how much you purchased the property for and additional features like parking and garden. It is important to remember that these estimations will be not as precise and are appropriate for providing a rough guide to the price of your property.

Check with a local Estate Agent – Although the steps above can help you find the estimation of your home for free it is also possible to ask for free advice and tips from your local estate agent. In such a competitive market you may even get estimation for free especially if you are prepared to sell it with that particular estate agent.

More than 80 percent of MPs surveyed for the Financial Services Compensation Scheme said it should be made clear when deposits exceed the £85,000 compensation limit.

The scheme ensures that consumer’s money is not lost in liquidation if a bank goes under. It is funded by industry insiders and covers up to £85,000 for single savings accounts and £170,000 for joint accounts.

The survey concluded that whilst the body was successfully safeguarding consumer’s savings, banks should be more clear and direct about the total amount they are covered for – any amount over £85,000 is not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and can be lost if a bank goes bust.

In light of recent financial crisis in Cyprus the almost unanimous vote by MPs is likely to begin a rethink of the clarity of the savings protecting scheme.

Lucy Harmer from Age UK said, ‘With the number of jobs we have over a lifetime increasing, it’s likely that people will accumulate several small pension pots. In many cases these bring a less fruitful income in later life than one large pension pot. It’s really important we all set aside time to keep on top of our personal admin, such as organising paperwork and keeping details of any financial products safe and secure. This is especially crucial for pensions as it may be some years down the line until they need to be accessed.’

Predicted figures estimate lost pensions adding up to £3 billion, with five million people having forgotten or lost track of them.

What is a premium bond?

A premium bond is effectively a savings account from the National Savings and Investments into which you can deposit between £100 and £30,000. What makes them different is that instead of earning interest your premium bonds are entered into a monthly prize draw with the chance of winning a range of prizes ranging between £25 and £1 million.

How do the bonds work?

If you open a premium bond account you will receive the same amount of bonds you give over in cash. For example if you give £200 you will receive 200 £1 premium bond entries. Bonds are available to purchase in various locations including The Post Office, over the phone or by standing order. They can be purchase by anyone over 16 or by grandparents of children aged under16. Every bond has a unique number which is entered into the draw every month. Each bond can be redrawn at any time and is not gambled in times of financial instability. You will not receive any interest on the binds you invest in.

What’s the catch?

There are many people throughout the United Kingdom who have invested in bonds and as a result the chance of winning any cash prize, particularly one million pound is pretty unlikely. The chances are thought to be around 40 billion to 1 to win £1 million.

Furthermore, inflation can change the amount you invested in effectively reducing the amount you originally put into the bond. Without any interest earned over the years – this could be a loss.

For those looking to earn interest on high values of money it is advisable that they research into other options such as cash ISAs or high interest rate savings accounts which will give interest.

Helen Dickinson, Director General of the British Retail Consortium described the news, ‘This is a positive result, which rounds off a first quarter of cautious optimism for many retailers. Easter fell in March this year but April in 2012, which helps this year’s figures, especially for items which tends to sell well over the long weekend like food and homewares.’

Talking about the effect of the cold weather Ms Dickinson continued, ‘Snow and the prolonged cold were not ideal but not a disaster. They brought mixed fortunes for different categories. Food was boosted by continued appetite for hearty food…2013 has got off to an encouraging start for the market as a whole.’

The recent news indicates that Great Britain will avoid a triple dip recession if the GDP figures revealed on the 25^th April avoid a second quarter of depression. Such news will of course trickle down to consumers based in the UK hopefully boosting jobs and lowering living costs. For tips, advice and the ability to compare various products including finance, insurance, travel and utility – visit cost.co.uk on a regular basis.

However, thanks to a deal between Gallagher Heath and Beating Bowel Cancer, this should now become much easier. The plan will see Unique, the broker’s specialist insurance scheme for people with pre-existing medical conditions provide access to covers whilst also helping to fund the charity’s work.

Customers will now have access to travel insurance without a need for medical screening or upper age limits on single trip policies. They will also enjoy replacements on lost or damaged medication up to the value of £300.

Chief Executive of Beating Bowel Cancer, Mark Flannagan, reveals part of the reason behind the move, when he explains that many bowel cancer patients tell them how they struggle to get different types of insurance, particularly travel insurance. This can prevent them from visiting family and friends or taking a much needed holiday, something which the organisation recognised needed dealing with promptly.

Unique is to donate a third of its commissions to Beating Bowel Cancer, whilst customers will be able to select policies to ensure cover fits in with their personal needs. The partnership is also expected to extend to home and motor insurances.

These are all key areas in which people try to save money. The best way to compare travel insurance is to use a price comparison site, where the users are put in touch with the best providers in the industry to find a deal that suits them best.

The project was designed to help those in “serious mortgage distress” by allowing them to surrender their homes to a housing agency who in turn rent it to the original owners, however if recent figures are anything to go by it doesn’t seem to be as successful as first hoped. So far, sales have been agreed on just 20 properties, of which 8 have been completed.

Furthermore, the amount of people falling behind on their mortgages has continued to rise, with the Central Bank estimating that around 94,000 householders have failed to meet their repayments for at least 3 months.

However, the government is adamant that the number of people who benefit from the scheme will increase throughout 2013, expecting more than 25 cases to be completed by the end of April. A spokesman stated that as the scheme has now been embraced by all the main banks, there should be “an improvement in completion times.”

Those concerned about finding the best mortgage deals would be best advised to compare the market. Using a price comparison site such as Cost.co.uk allows users to source the best mortgages for their personal situation by entering a few simple details and saving money in the process.

In this guide we will look at the different options available –

Foreign currency – cash – identify the most popular form of currency used in the country you are visiting. This may not necessarily be the country’s national currency – for instance American dollars are received well in India. This is great for lower priced items, markets, stalls and countries were ATMs may not be readily available.

Prepaid Cards – Travel money Card – Prepaid cards are preloaded with cash so make transactions safe and simple. Working in the same way as a debit card the card deducts cash every time you use from the total amount originally added to the card. This card can be replaced at any time and can only be used with a 4 digit pin. Watch out for charges that may be added every time you use the card – check the small print.

Travellers Cheques – one of the most popular forms of travelling with money and the safest as each cheque can only be cashed by the original buyer. They can be replaced if lost or stolen as long as each individual code is noted and then cancelled so it can no longer be cashed.

Best advice is to use a mixture of all methods cash, cheques and a prepaid card. That way if you lose something, if it gets stolen or you forget something you always have extra cash for emergencies. Finally, remember to store all different payment methods in various places – not all in one area.

The survey looked at over 1000 men and women at retiring age and took into considered their plans and expectations. Stan Russell, retirement expert at Prudential, said, ‘The pension gender gap remains stubbornly wide. The retirement incomes of both men and women are under pressure, but for women the strain is particularly pronounced this year as their expected incomes reach an all time low.’

The study also asked if participants felt prepared for retirement and if they believed their retirement would be comfortable. Results showed that women felt a lot less financially prepared with only 32 percent, compared to 52 percent of men.

Mr Russell added, ‘There are practical steps women can take today to improve their retirement incomes, including maintaining pension contributions where possible during career breaks and making voluntary National Insurance contributions when they return to work.’

The Office of Fair Trading previously reported a deep concern for payday loan operators and the way they were carrying out business including unclear contracts and sky-high interest rates. In response the OFT promised an overhaul of payday loan companies after reviewing the top 50 and finding cause for concern in some particular company. Since this the OFT were supposed to send a formal letter to each company highlighting the potential problems which in turn would kick start the 12 week notice period.

Recent reports have suggested that a high percentage of payday loan companies have not received their official letter and as a result a 12 week notice period has not begun. This means that some allegedly illegal payday loan companies have been able to trade for a longer period of time and potentially lend to unsuitable candidates.

Damon Gibbons, Chief Executive of the Centre for Responsible Credit, added, ‘Many of these firms have been found to be breaking the law and it (the OFT) needs to take immediate action.’