Ruth Emery

2 days ago | moneyweek.com | Ruth Emery

The Spending Review is fast approaching, with government departments jostling for more money and chancellor Rachel Reeves facing some tricky decisions. Savers and investors will be hoping there won’t be any unwelcome tax or pension announcements, while retirees are likely keeping their fingers crossed for significant changes to winter fuel payment eligibility rules. The review will come less than three months after Reeves’s Spring Statement, and is the second phase of “Spending Review 2025”.

3 days ago | moneyweek.com | Ruth Emery

Millions of shoppers could each get up to £70 compensation following a long-running legal case against Mastercard – and crucially, you don’t need to own a Mastercard to claim. Last month, a tribunal approved a settlement in a lawsuit against Mastercard regarding historic fees levied on businesses by the card provider.

1 week ago | arbuturian.com | Ruth Emery

Shoreditch and Old Street hold a special place in my heart. My first job in journalism was a stone’s throw from the famous Old Street roundabout, and the first places I rented in my 20s were just up the road in Shoreditch and Hoxton. Fifteen years ago I knew the area like the back of my hand, and had my favourite restaurants and bars for after-work drinks / crazy weekend partying / Sunday brunches. Now, much has changed and there are new hotels, bubble tea cafes and coffee shops galore.

1 week ago | idealhome.co.uk | Ruth Emery

Finishing a major renovation is a bit like moving house. Now you’ve got to unpack and find a home for everything, work out what extra furniture you need to buy — and, in my experience, get ready to spend a lot more money that you hadn't planned for. But as anyone who has tried to renovate on a budget knows, stumbling across extra costs you hadn't planned for can feel like a kick in the teeth.

2 weeks ago | moneyweek.com | Ruth Emery

Details of a secret memo sent by deputy prime minister Angela Rayner to chancellor Rachel Reeves calling for up to £4 billion of tax hikes have been called a “bitter blow for savers and investors” if the government decides to implement them in the future. The memo was sent prior to this year’s Spring Statement, according to a report by The Telegraph. It proposed eight tax increases including reinstating the pensions lifetime allowance and changing dividend taxes.