Fixed Mortgages
As far as indulgent Hollywood purchases go Leonardo DiCaprio's latest may not be the most glamorous but it certainly is extravagant.
The Titanic star has splashed out £1,600 on a remote controlled loo that not only performs any necessary cleaning functions leaving Leo hands free, but remotely senses the star's imminent arrival and lifts the lid invitingly.
Such lavatorial luxury is sadly beyond the grasp of most of us - especially in the post-Christmas belt-tightening period.
But it seems millions of us are finding other ways to flush pounds down the drain, sticking with credit cards charging huge rates of interest when literally hundreds of better deals are available.
MoneyExpert.com gives the low-down on how best to deal with Christmas credit card debt.
The cold winter snap just got snappier following news that energy prices are on the rise. One of the big six energy suppliers, Npower, has announced a 15% increase in rates and experts predict others like British Gas will follow suit.
This might sound very familiar - at the beginning of last year we had all been hit for six with price rise after price rise by energy suppliers and average household energy bills jumped to over £1,000 a year.
Then they came tumbling down over 2007 and suppliers were desperate to win back business with price cuts and fixing deals.
So the question is when will prices stop wobbling and what should you do about tariff hikes? Is it time to switch? MoneyExpert.com takes you through the options...
Nearly 40 per cent of all current accounts on the market offer an interest-free overdraft limit, although fewer than half that number will automatically set up an overdraft for customers straying into the red, according to new research from MoneyExpert.
You could describe 2007 in many ways, but staid and boring would certainly not be among them. From interest rate hikes to credit crunches and failing banks it's certainly been a dramatic year, and one, in many ways, that is best put well and truly behind us. With 2008 knocking on the door, MoneyExpert rounds up the highs and lows of the year just past
2.75% between best and worst deals
With New Year fast approaching talk at the Christmas dinner table will no doubt turn to 2008 and the resolutions we intend to make. Along with the usual ideas about joining the gym and learning a new language you might want to add sorting your finances to the list. Unlike turning yourself into Rocky Balboa or picking up Mandarin, sorting your finances can be done relatively easily with just a couple of hours of thought.
Ok so it might be a bit late to hop over to America for some Christmas shopping, but with experts predicting high street sales will continue long into January, there's still plenty of time to catch a bit of retail therapy in the Big Apple - or closer to home if you can't splash out on the air fare.
The British pound is now worth just over two dollars, having reached an all-time high recently. That means that if you have managed to get to the USA for some shopping this winter, Christmas really has come early.
Either way, MoneyExpert will take you through the best ways to finance the mother of all bargain hunts as millions embark on Christmas and New Year sales both abroad and right here in the UK.
Babies born this Christmas Day may not be bestowed with gold, frankincense and myrrh but they will receive £250 courtesy of the Government's Child Trust Fund (CTF) scheme. In addition to the Government's gifts, overall the nation's children are expected to receive £2.4 billion this year from generous family and friends.
So if you've got a new baby or are considering investing on behalf of your kids then MoneyExpert has some advice on the best ways to create a festive nest egg.
Equity release schemes have experienced something of a boom in recent years as more and more people see the advantages in raising some much-needed capital through their property.
The times have been good for property - over the past decade some people have seen the value of their homes more than double, so it is no surprise that equity release schemes have caught on again.
But equity release hasn't always had such good press. In the 80s mis-selling was rife and unregulated schemes left many people paying back a loan worth more than the value of their entire home.
So to make sure equity release is right for you MoneyExpert will help explain the process and steer you towards the right deal.
With the weather turning distinctly seasonal over the last few days it's hard to avoid the sense of imminent Christmas cheer. But as the mercury continues to plummet, our bank balances may be heading the same way.
For many of us the demands on our finances through December are going to be testing, and the refuge of the January pay-day can seem a long way off. If that's the case then a credit card of some sort may be the way to see you into the New Year.
However, cards can offer more than just some Christmas credit. MoneyExpert can give some top tips on what's hot and what's not.
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