I get the reasons for buying gold, from a long-term store of value, to the idea of it as an investment insurance policy, but I've never taken the plunge and stuck some in the Minor Investor portfolio. Recently though, I've been wondering whether this is a mistake. Should I perhaps buy some gold?

The most expensive places to buy a house and commute into London includes Oxshott in Surrey and Shiplake in Oxfordshire. Among the cheapest (pictured clockwise from top right) are Chatham, and Dover Priory - which are both in Kent, along with Northampton, and Foxton in Cambridgeshire, according to the study by estate agents Savills.

Just three months after creating what he calls the 'MONSTER Huracan', the former professional winter-sport athlete turned YouTube star has decided to put his ski-ready supercar up for sale. Costing in excess of £300,000 to build, he's asking for £210,000 for the car, which has covered 2,360 miles in total.

Former Pensions Minister Steve Webb is This Is Money's Agony Uncle. He is ready to answer your questions, whether you are still saving, in the process of stopping work, or juggling your finances in retirement. This week, a reader who thought he would get less than the full £155-a-week state pension is confused to find out otherwise.

Gold is still 30 per cent off its all-time dollar high, but for some investors it retains an enduring appeal. Adrian Ash, of BullionVault, joins the Investing Show, to explain who is buying, why they buy and look at the gold price's prospects.

Richard Barber, 69, a former editor of Ok! magazine, transferred £4,000 to his trusted Polish builder after an email from his usual address asked for cash upfront for a loft conversion. But five days later Richard discovered his builder's email account had been hacked and the money had gone to a fraudster's bank account. Because he handed over cash voluntarily he will not get it back and has been sent a cheque by Barclays for the £4.33 that was left over (pictured). The retired journalist is one of thousands of victims falling for sophisticated bank transfer scams, with no way of clawing back their cash.

Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the telecom giant's Italian unit after £8bn was wiped off the value of the company on Wednesday. It followed revelations over its Italian arm where managers were allegedly artificially depressing costs to inflate profits. They were taking loans to settle creditor bills which were not booked through the balance sheet. PwC, BT's auditor, is also facing questions over how it failed to spot the wrongdoing.

The collection helped the retailer report a 1 per cent sales lift in the 21 weeks to January 21, also driven by strong performance in its travel shops, which were up 5 per cent. This offset a 3 per cent fall in sales across high street stores, partly because last year's adult colouring books were less successful. But the new range of adult parody books were popular Christmas presents.

On November  21, I parked in a multi-storey car park in Norwich. Three days later, I received a letter from my insurer, Hastings Direct, claiming I'd been in an accident. I phoned to say this was not the case. On December 9, I received a further letter saying their review had found I was responsible.

Some deals let you make as many withdrawals as you want, then return the money to the account later in the tax year without busting your cash Isa allowance - but others don't. Similarly, some, but not all, will let you transfer your existing cash Isas to them. The confusion makes choosing an account a real slog and it's easy to pick the wrong one.

Once again, BT has been crowned the winner of Money Mail's annual Wooden Spoon award and we were meeting the firm's bosses to find out what had gone wrong. It is the second year in a row the telecoms giant has scooped the crown for shoddy service - and it has now won three out of our last four Wooden Spoon awards.

In our series Money Pit Stop, we ask an investing expert to give one of our readers a free portfolio makeover. This week, a 60-year-old fireman and former postman, who has built up a healthy portfolio, with £152,000 in investments, £183,000 in cash and some buy-to-lets, wants to boost his retirement income and fund future holidays.

Of the 880 annual travel insurance policies on the market only 15 per cent include winter sports cover as standard and just four per cent of single policies do according to new research. Travelling without the right cover could leave holidaymakers out of pocket by thousands if they have to pay out for medical costs.

When I lent my friend the £25,000 I never thought there would be a problem with him paying me back, as we both agreed I would need it by the time I retired, and I didn't know he was struggling with money. As we're so close it's very hard to ask for the money back, but I'm now worried I won't see it again.

Rolls-Royce built and delivered a total of 4,011 vehicles last year. No two cars leaving its British factory at Goodwood are ever exactly alike. But these seven cars are extraordinarily tailored to the requests of buyers. From tiger-themed armrests to champagne tables in the boot, take a look at some of the surprising requests customers made in the last 12 months.

Adults are advised by the National Health Service to do 150 minutes of weekly physical activity to keep healthy. If you fancy getting fit for less, or even for free, try our 14-step guide to keeping down the cost of workouts and gym membership.

Inflation is picking up. It rose to 1.6 per cent last month and most experts now believe it will break through two per cent by the summer. We look at what rising prices mean for savers and borrowers and explain how it is still possible with a bit of work to get a real return on your money.

The car industry will unveil its best manufacturing figures for 44 years this week - including soaring exports - but news of the boom may be overshadowed by fresh warnings of the threat from Brexit. However, one critic has warned that the automotive industry is at risk of talking itself into a crisis, and it should not be derailed.

Investment fund names are often a baffling mixture of impressive but vague words, which mean little to people who aren't already clued up on financial jargon. People hoping to boost their savings by buying a fund or trust face a steep learning curve, unless they're lucky enough to have a friend in the know or are willing to fork out fees to a financial adviser. We offer a short cut, and explain what all the fancy terms really mean.

Jewellery is more than just a luxury accessory. It is a fabulous fashion statement which can be looked upon as an investment. But those who decide to buy pieces need to know exactly what they are hunting for, while those who own jewellery could find something they think is worthless is worth a fortune. We explain what you need to look out for.

Energy giants look set to defy Ofgem's demand not to raise prices after accusing the regulator of getting its sums wrong on their costs. Senior executives at some of the firms said Ofgem had underestimated the costs the industry is facing. Their stance increases the prospect of higher energy bills as households brace themselves for a raft of other price rises this year driven by the falling value of the pound.

Research commissioned by the Scotch Whisky Association found that the industry supports more than 40,000 jobs across Britain. It was also the biggest net contributor to the UK's trade in goods in 2015 said the study, published as drinkers raised a dram on Burns Night. More than 10,500 people work in the sector in Scotland. Almost £1.3bn is paid in salaries north of the border.

To clear the average national household debt of ?13,000 at 6% interest with a monthly repayment of ?100 will take around 17 years. There are, however, plenty of simple ways to make significant savings on your regular spending that could clear your debt - or boost your savings - in less than a year. This is Money's top 50 - updated - money-saving tips may appear light-hearted but are deadly serious.

Choosing the right DIY platform is crucial but a wealth of choice and changes to charges have left many investors scratching their heads. We pick some of the best. We also highlight why investing in an Isa makes sense, as it should protect your hopefully growing investments from tax forever.

The amount you can save into a pension ultimately depends on what you can afford - but the longer you leave it the more you will need to save. We tend to put ambitious targets on our hoped-for income in retirement and then underestimate how much we will need to set aside to achieve that. So how much should you save?

An interest rate cut before the end of the year looks less likely following the plunge in the pound. However, the Bank of England has indicated that higher inflation driven by rising import costs won't make it lift rates.

Despite endless media coverage of the political wrangling and financial speculation, the average Briton can be forgiven for remaining confused about what 'soft' and 'hard' Brexit really mean. But a clever table put together by HSBC cleaves some clarity from the murk.

Compare your pay to the national average and see whether your employer treated you to a pay rise in line with the the rest of your profession. Farmers, care and air travel assistants were big winners on the pay scales in 2016. Travel agents, careers advisers and probation officers lost out.