Ruth Emery

London

Journalist and Editor at Freelance

Award-winning freelance journalist. ✍️ 💻 @thetimes @Independent @StylistMagazine @Womanandhome @MoneyWeek & others

Articles

When will M&S take online orders again?

2 days ago | moneyweek.com | Ruth Emery

Marks & Spencer shoppers are still not able to place orders on the website, following a cyberattack on the retailer last month. Online orders have been “paused” on the M&S website and app since 25 April. The retailer is also still struggling with in-store stock availability, judging by the empty shelves and chiller units in some shops. The cyberattack has caused M&S’s share price to plunge by 15%, wiping more than a billion pounds from its market value.
150 banking hubs now open across UK - is there one near you?

1 week ago | moneyweek.com | Ruth Emery

Customers that struggle to do everyday banking due to their local bank branch being far away will be pleased to learn that 150 banking hubs are now open, and that the Post Office will continue to offer basic banking services until 2030. Major banks and building societies have signed a £1.75 billion contract to continue offering services at Post Office counters for at least the next five years. The current deal was due to expire at the end of this year.
‘I installed a heat pump in my home – here are five things I’ve learnt’

1 week ago | moneyweek.com | Ruth Emery

Six months ago, my husband and I welcomed a new addition to our home. Well, to our garden to be precise. A Daikin air source heat pump now sits below the kitchen window, with its accompanying hot water cylinder standing tall in a small, brick outhouse nearby. It’s an important addition, as it provides heating and hot water to our Edwardian terraced home in north London, replacing an ancient boiler.
Trump's first 100 days: investment winners and losers

2 weeks ago | moneyweek.com | Ruth Emery

The first 100 days of Donald Trump’s second presidency have certainly been memorable for investors so far. A new tariff regime caused a bloodbath on global stock markets. The oil price plummeted and the gold price surged. Stock markets have since perked up a bit, but Trump’s announcements continue to dominate headlines on both sides of the Atlantic.
300,000 households at risk of losing hot water and heating as meter deadline looms – are you affected?

2 weeks ago | moneyweek.com | Ruth Emery

Hundreds of thousands of households with old-style electricity meters are at risk of losing their hot water and heating when their meter technology starts to shut down in just two months’ time. The technology powering Radio Teleswitching System (RTS) meters is becoming obsolete and energy suppliers have a deadline to change their customers' meters by 30 June. Most homes have smart meters or standard meters and will not be impacted.
Which investments can I hold in a stocks and shares ISA – and which ones are banned?

2 weeks ago | moneyweek.com | Ruth Emery

Almost four million investors pay into stocks and shares ISAs each year, in a bid to shield their money from tax and boost their wealth. Investors are allowed to contribute up to £20,000 into these tax-efficient accounts each tax year, and hold a range of assets from funds and investment trusts to bonds and shares. In 2022/23, 3.8 million people paid a total of £28 million into their stocks and shares ISAs, according to the latest HMRC data.
Can I shield my ISAs from inheritance tax?

3 weeks ago | moneyweek.com | Ruth Emery

ISAs are one of the most popular savings and investment products – and inheritance tax (IHT) is one of the most hated taxes. So, a natural question posed by many ISA customers is whether it’s possible to protect ISAs from the dreaded inheritance tax, and pass these tax-efficient vehicles onto loved ones without the taxman taking a bite out of them. The question has perhaps become more pertinent given that pension pots, currently exempt from IHT, will be liable for the tax from April 2027.
Hargreaves Lansdown slashes fees for ISA and SIPP investors

3 weeks ago | msn.com | Ruth Emery

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Hargreaves Lansdown slashes fees for ISA and SIPP investors - how does it compare to other providers?

3 weeks ago | moneyweek.com | Ruth Emery

Hargreaves Lansdown has slashed its platform fee for early-bird investors opening a new stocks and shares ISA or self-invested personal pension (SIPP). The annual charge will drop by 40%, from a maximum of 0.45% to 0.27%, for customers contributing or transferring in at least £10,000. The special deal is available to those opening and funding an account between 15 April and 30 June 2025.
Best-performing funds and investment trusts since stocks and shares ISAs launched

1 month ago | moneyweek.com | Ruth Emery

ISAs (individual savings accounts) turn 26 this month after the then-chancellor Gordon Brown launched them back in April 1999. The arrival of the tax-free accounts included cash ISAs and stocks and shares ISAs, plus a £7,000 allowance. Over the past few decades, the ISA family has been widened to include junior ISAs, lifetime ISAs and innovative finance ISAs. The annual ISA allowance has also been bumped up to £20,000.