How to deal with HMRC when you need to get in touch

If you’re an individual, you can report a change in name or address via the Government Gateway service, post or via HMRC’s app. You can also do this by phone – have your National Insurance number ready. For businesses, you must tell HMRC if your name, business name, personal address or trading address change. You … Read more

How to write the perfect cover letter

It can be tempting to trawl through your old job applications or even to use the cover letter that you wrote for another opening just weeks ago, but it’s best to avoid regurgitating the same letter for different employers. Recruiters and hiring managers will be able to spot bland, generic sentences easily. Research the company … Read more

How to beat Labour tax hikes with your Isa

The party has ruled out increasing income tax, National Insurance or capital gains tax if it wins the next election. But some believe Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, will have to raise taxes if the party is to fund its spending pledges – and if that is the case then taxes on “unearned income” from … Read more

How to invest £1,000 – and make it work as hard as possible

Adding some fixed income exposure to those equities – a 20pc bonds, 80pc stocks mix – reduces the volatility.  A portfolio with this mix typically falls less, reduced to 19pc before recovering over time. Return expectations are also dampened with volatility however, and an average return on £1,000 over five years is £1,892. Still too … Read more

How to deter burglars from your home – by an ex-housebreaker

What locks should I use? For a traditional front door to a house, Lloyd Morgan, a master locksmith at London Locks Limited, recommends the combination of a lever mortice deadlock with a high quality night latch. Night latches are fitted on the internal side of a door with a handle, and unlocked from the outside … Read more