Helen Nugent

This week’s Best Buys, provided by Moneyfacts, are Two-Year Fixed Rate Bonds.

There was an almighty hoo-ha when George Osborne introduced pension freedoms. In the biggest change to pensions in a generation, anyone aged 55 and over is now allowed to take their entire pension pot as a lump sum, paying no tax on the first 25 per cent and the rest taxed as if it were a salary at their income tax rate. I was among the naysayers and one of those who thought the then Chancellor was absolutely bananas for implementing the new rules. The temptation to blow the lot on a round-the-world cruise or a fancy car must be overwhelming, and falling back on the State in later years will be no picnic.

As the UK basks in beautiful sunshine, it's tempting to abandon all thoughts of a holiday abroad and opt for a staycation. But we all know the vagaries of British weather. It'll probably be raining tomorrow. With this in mind, the financial information company Defaqto has taken a close look at potential nightmare holiday scenarios - and has advice on how to avoid them. We all want a stress-free summer break but even the best-laid plans can go awry. That's where a comprehensive travel insurance policy is vital. But according to Defaqto, of the 918 single trip and 943 annual policies on the market, cover for those unpleasant holiday experiences varies dramatically. Take medical cover, for example.

This week’s Best Buys, provided by Moneyfacts, are Variable Rate Cash ISAs.

Praise be, there's some good news on the financial front this morning. Roaming charges for the use of mobile phones while overseas have been abolished as from today. Under the new European Union law (the Roam Like Home legislation), British mobile phone users can now make phone calls, send text messages and use data in other EU countries without incurring a further charge. The new rules mean that Britons will be subject to the same prices they pay at home. However, it still won't be possible to call local numbers when abroad for no charge. The new regulations apply to calling or texting other British mobile phones.

Depending on which way you look at it, today's house price data from Halifax is either good or bad news. Taken one way it paints a gloomy picture, with house price growth continuing to slow. According to the lender, in the year to May house price inflation dropped to 3.3 per cent, down from 3.8 per cent in the year to April. However, a different interpretation is more positive. The statistics also reveal that UK house prices increased for the first time in five months in May, thanks to historically low mortgage rates and a shortage of available properties. Halifax says that the average house price rose by 0.4 per cent last month to £220,706, the first monthly rise in house prices since the beginning of 2017. But...prices in the three months to May were 0.

Not since the days of William Hogarth has Mother's Ruin featured so prominently in the national consciousness. In the 21st century, gin is seriously big business as evidenced by the slew of pop-up bars and festivals devoted to this elixir of the gods as well as the number of bottles weighing down supermarket shelves. Just this week Sainbury's launched two new gins aimed at connoisseurs while Lidl continues to sell inordinate amounts of its award-winning tipple. Now the juniper-flavoured favourite has reached another milestone. Figures from HM Revenue & Customs reveal that sales of gin have helped spirits overtake beer for the first time.

When you've been writing about money for a while, a few key phrases crop up again and again. But of all the useful words employed in the world of consumer finance, 'shop around' is by far the most popular. 'Make sure to shop around' never goes out of fashion, and for good reason. It applies to pretty much every financial product there is, from bank accounts, saving plans and life cover to car insurance, ISAs and mortgages. It's that last one I want to concentrate on today. New research from Trussle, an online mortgage broker, has found that the UK's six biggest mortgage lenders are penalising customers who slip onto their Standard Variable Rates (SVR) with a £3,242 hike in annual interest repayments.

A record number of people are now paying the highest rate of tax thanks to wage inflation and the reduction in pensions tax relief. That's according to figures from HM Revenue & Customs. While the proportion of people paying the 45 per cent additional rate is still small compared to the overall number of income tax payers (just 1.2 per cent), it is nonetheless a 10 per cent increase on the previous year. It also represents a 54 per cent rise since the tax band was introduced. HMRC says that, by the end of this financial year, an estimated 364,000 people will be paying the 45p rate of tax on income over £150,000, up from 311,000 in 2013-14. A further 4.2 million citizens (13.

Ah, butter. Salted, unsalted, English, French, garlic, spreadable, straight from the fridge - just thinking about the many forms of butter make me salivate. Then there's what to pair it with - crumpets, teacakes, toast, jacket potatoes. The list goes on and on. So it comes as a blow to learn that butter is selling at record prices. Forget those low fat and faddy diets, butter is now a 'big trend globally'. That's according to Michael Oakes, a dairy farmer and spokesman for the National Farmers' Union. He told Radio 5 live this morning that one major driver is the decision by McDonalds to use butter in it products again, eschewing substitutes like vegetable spread.

There are three supermarkets in the small market town where I live. That's three major chains serving just 14,000 people, not to mention another five within a four-mile radius. So when Sainsbury's lodged planning permission to build a fourth outlet within spitting distance of the existing shops, local people had had enough. Objections were launched and Sainsbury's withdrew its bid. Now I'm wondering if the people of my Northern town made a mistake. According to new research from Lloyds Bank, homes located close to a Sainsbury's are likely to command around £26,000 more than other properties. Of course, that's a national average and, given house prices in the North, homes in my neck of the woods wouldn't benefit from that kind of premium. Still, it's something to think about.