Nintendo's Switch has ended up being one of the must-have items of the coronavirus panedmic lockdown. Consumer Trends has a look why.

Previously a dedicated follower of Warren Buffett - one of the most successful investors of all time - Woodford seems to have forgotten the Sage of Omaha's basic rules.

With US-China trade wars raging and the prospect of a No Deal Brexit brewing, one thing is certain - the investment seas are going to be choppy in the months ahead.

There is another asset class worth considering - Real Estate Investment Trusts. Known as Reits, they can provide you with a stream of steady income through investing in various types of property.

The industry may well be breathing a collective sigh of relief that PPI will soon be a thing of the past. But they cannot relax for long. There are plenty of new concerns, top of the list 'loyalty charges'.

1970s series The Professionals is still great TV - and reminds Sally Hamilton of her youth, when she failed to save. Like her, the nation is facing a huge challenge over pension provisions.

Retirement is supposed to be a happy time, whether you are looking forward to filling it with a pipe-and-slippers or travel-the-world lifestyle. But in recent years it has become more complex and stressful.

They are still ripping off customers to the tune of millions of pounds a day despite regulators vowing to stamp out the scourge.

While good old Arnie is back as the Terminator for the nth time - the same is unlikely to be said for fund manager Neil Woodford.

These organisations are membership-based, many of which have operated for more than 50 years. They serve local communities or people who share a common bond.

Mortgage borrowers anxious about the political turmoil ahead - whoever wins the General Election - should consider taking control of their biggest financial outgoing while the going is good.

HMRC has appealed to NHS workers not to fall into the trap, warning they will be hit with hefty penalties and could face demands for thousands of pounds in unpaid tax if they get caught out.

Some of the taxes we currently pay and a number of the tax breaks we are given to encourage us to save for old age are either too onerous or far too complicated.

Smart meters are not as dangerous as hard shoulder-less smart motorways will ever be, but their creeping introduction has not been without buckets of controversy.

Although the powder-puff City regulator the FCA has launched an investigation into the demise of Woodford Investment Management, this probe seems to be progressing at a snail's pace.

Nero fiddled, while Rome burned. Or to put the expression in a modern day investment context, Christopher Hill (chief executive of Hargreaves Lansdown) fiddles while investors get burnt.

With the smell of a spring Budget in the air comes the rumour of yet more restrictions on the tax relief available to boost our pension saving. But how will Mr Sunak treat pension savers?

These are worrying times for readers with shares-based Isas and investments held inside self-invested personal pensions. But panicking out of investments not is not the right way forward.

These are difficult days. At times, it feels like the world is shuddering to a halt. There are fewer people as I wind my way to and from work every day and night on public transport.

Having run investment fund Franklin UK Equity Income for the past 25 years, manager Colin Morton has experienced every possible twist and turn that a stock market can make.

I would put money on the Chancellor's Budget this Wednesday being radically different to the one Rishi Sunak envisaged just over three weeks ago when he stepped into Sajid Javid's shoes.

What a week. As a money commentator for more than 30 years standing, that was as disheartening as times go. But patient, long-term investing will win through in the end.

The UK stock market alone has fallen in value by 30 per cent since the start of the year. But if you hold these trusts for troubled times then things should look better.

Today, I was planning to drive up to see Mother in Birmingham and take her out for a slap-up Mother's Day meal at her favourite Miller & Carter steakhouse in Sutton Park.

What a week, what a month. Enough to turn many investors' hair grey (mine included) - with some no doubt wishing that commercial travel to the moon was a) available now; and b) affordable.

Not even the somewhat conservative portfolio underpinning investment trust North American Income has protected shareholders from the sharp market correction.

I trust that you are well and withstanding the turmoil brought to all our lives by this wicked coronavirus. In this time of great uncertainty, we need to look after each other like never before.

Holding businesses to ransom through the imposition of onerous interest charges on emergency loans is despicable. As is leaving customers hanging on the phone for hours.

Whenever I think of Honor Blackman, I will remember someone who in her 80s campaigned passionately for financial justice to be given to investors who lost money following the near collapse of Equitable Life.

Helpful staff in the ever-shrinking branch network are being rapidly replaced by automated 'contact' - usually in the form of texts. This is fine, but not if the robots do not know their left hands from their right.

What firmly sticks in my craw with regards to students is the appalling treatment many of them are receiving from landlords, says Jeff Prestridge.

The trend towards greater online banking and less reliance on hard cash is irrevocable. Indeed, Covid-19 has helped the banks in pursuing these dual goals.

At one time interest-freezing balance transfer credit card offers lasted a bumper 43 months, just over a year on and the top deal stretches to 33 months.

LiveLend has now introduced a new type of loan where borrowers with a less than sparkling credit record start on a higher rate of interest, but benefit from the rate dropping if they clean up their score.

American Express cardholders can earn £5 cashback when they spend £10 or more at independent stores, restaurants and retailers until December 16.

Virgin Money is currently running a bumper sign-up offer on its Virgin Atlantic Rewards+ credit card - enough points to get a free return flight to New York. but it ends at 4pm - should you sign up now?

Interest-free deals are disappearing fast for credit card customers seeking breathing space to pay off debt. The ‘balance transfer’ trick is a popular way of paying off money borrowed.

The rate means someone borrowing £7,500 over 36 months will repay £217.32 a month and end up paying a total of £7,823.52.

Excluding mortgages, personal debts hit a record total of £428billion in the third quarter of 2018 - which is 33 per cent higher than in 2008 just before the financial crisis.

For some people, it is not just overspending at Christmas that will leave them feeling short and there will be a number of debts that they will be looking to clear.

The Swedish start-up claims to offer flexibility and a solution to sizing issues for those shopping online. But does the ability to 'buy now pay later' encourage users to spend what they can't afford?

Companies using free trials to rope customers into paying subscription fees face a crackdown under new rules announced by one of the world’s biggest payment providers.

Peer-to-peer lender Funding Circle beat its revenue targets for 2018 by 5%, but saw the percentage of loans last year it expected to default rise to between 3 and 3.8% it announced

If January is meant to be the month when you resolve to get your finances in order, then it’s definitely worth thinking about PPI, because the deadline is coming up sooner than you think.

American Express customers could just have been handed the answer to their perennial problem, a trick to get their cards accepted anywhere. We reveal how.

Over-50s in possession of Saga’s Platinum Visa card have just two months to clear their debts and find themselves an alternative after the company announced it was discontinuing the product.

Curve unveiled on Monday a move that would allow Amex customers to use their card in places that do not usually accept it , by adding their cards to its smartphone app.

This was a top recommendation for older travellers who wanted a good deal on holiday spending because it does not impose any fees for payments made with the card while overseas.

Now that February is here, most have received the first pay cheque of 2019 and those with a tight budget may be breathing a sigh of relief.

Saga's popular Platinum Card will be axed at the end of March, it offered plenty of travel benefits for the over-50s. Now it's time is up, what alternatives should you consider if you want to keep travelling?