The headline and core rate of inflation have both fallen. What does this mean for your finances and where does it leave the Bank of England on rate hikes? We look at all this and more.

I'm a regular John Lewis customer and have a My John Lewis membership card which means I get sent vouchers and special offers. I was recently sent a voucher to use in John Lewis restaurants, which was for a bacon and egg breakfast bun. I'm vegan, so I contacted John Lewis customer services to ask if I could swap it for a vegan item of similar value. I was surprised to be told it was not possible to swap the reward. What about people who can't eat some foods for dietary or religious reasons? Is this discrimination?

Couples can get divorced within six months of first applying, but financial settlements are still dealt with in a separate and parallel process which can take much longer. We run down divorce tips on a vast array of topics, from whether to sell the family home, to avoiding a tax bill when you transfer assets

Drivers have seen significant increases in their insurance in recent years, as persistently high inflation saw the cost of parts and labour soar. Now it seems the market has reached a turning point with premiums starting to reach more manageable levels. Despite the reductions, prices remain 21.4 per cent higher than at the start of 2020.

The new year's resolutions that will make the biggest difference to your bank balance do not have to be a slog. In fact, you could tick them off your list today.

A new year is upon us and many will be setting their money goals for 2025. With purse strings remaining tight and inflation once again on the rise, it is as important as ever to take a hands-on role with your finances. However, knowing where to start is easier said than done.This is Money spoke to three financial advisers about how to set your financial priorities for the new year. From moving your emergency fund to getting to grips with your pension, this is what they recommend.

In what campaigners say amounts to 'a £5 billion privatisation tax', an average of 35p in every pound paid by customers for their water goes on interest payments and shareholder payouts, according to research by the University of Greenwich. The worst offender among the ten water and sewerage suppliers is Wessex Water. Almost half of their household bills is swallowed up in debt and dividend costs.

My wife's BMW was struck outside my daughter's home by an Uber Eats delivery rider on a motorbike. He caused an estimated £1,000 of damage but merely shouted, 'Sorry Boss,' and sped off. I wrote to the chief executive of Uber Eats but the only response I received has been a phone call to say the company had five delivery people in the area at the time, but could do nothing to help me due to 'privacy' issues.

While many gifts will have a rather more personal touch, some of these will also have the potential to grow in value in 2025 and offer attractive returns for future sellers. So it might be time to ditch the £50 Amazon vouchers and instead take the path less trodden - you could end up better off for it.

While the US has seen a significant rise in wealth inequality over the past 40 years, Britain has not, according to an analysis by the Resolution Foundation. This is despite household wealth doubling in this period in Britain, according to research published by the left-leaning think-tank this week. The share of the top 1% in household wealth has inched up by only a single percentage point since 1980. By contrast, the 'very rich' in the US grabbed an additional 12-point share

As a third-generation pawnbroker, I have bought and sold gold for most of my life. For nearly two decades the price of gold has been on quite a volatile journey with sharp dips and staggering peaks which I find exhilarating. Since the early noughties the value of gold has increased exponentially. Here's how to tell what YOURS is worth - and whether you should sell it.

While solar panels alone can save the typical household some £310 each year, battery storage systems enable energy transferred from sunlight to be stored for use at night when solar panels aren't working.

The long-rumoured increase will see businesses pay more towards their employees' pensions, increasing from 13.8% to 15%. Labour repeatedly said it would not raise taxes on working people, but small businesses have already warned that the move could have detrimental effects.

Cash-strapped parents hit by Labour's VAT raid on private school fees plan to use credit cards, loans and even remortgage their homes or sell property to cover the extra cost, research has found. Nine in ten parents are currently able to fund their children's education through wages and income from investments. But, once 20% VAT is levied on fees by the Government in what has been dubbed an 'act of class war', as many as 27% of parents are likely to fall short and many are likely to take on extra debt, according to the research from specialist lender Pepper Money.

Financial experts say it is important not to panic, but there are a few simple tweaks you could still make to protect your cash from a tax grab. We look at what potential changes might be in store and some of the changes that you can make ahead of the Autumn Budget.

Leading high street retailers have been accused of excluding millions of customers from lower prices due to loyalty scheme restrictions. Supermarkets and other retailers have come under fire for introducing a two-tier price structure as customers without a loyalty card are likely to pay more at the checkout. An investigation by consumer website Which? found that a huge number of customers aren't even able to access those cheaper prices.

Sir Keir Starmer has laid the groundwork for an increase in taxes after warning the Autumn Budget on 30 October will be 'painful'. Increases to income tax, national insurance and VAT have already been ruled out, making it harder to balance Britain's books.

In February this year we began legal proceedings via Money Claims Online against a tradesperson who had failed to complete a job for us, but had been paid in full. We have been told, by Portsmouth Courts that bailiffs attended his property in April, and that he paid straight away - but we have never received the money we had claimed.

The government uses the inflation figure from September to calculate how much benefits should increase by the following April. While good news for the Treasury, which will pay out far less in benefit payments, claimants are likely to see a much smaller rise next year. We look at what benefits and bills are linked to inflation and what it will mean for claimants.

Independent Age has found that 49% of older people in England who will lose their Winter Fuel Payment said they were planning to only heat and spend time in one room. A similar proportion (43%) think they will have to wear coats and hats indoors to keep warm.

The 'ban on acquisition tariffs' is a large part of the reason why energy bills remain high, and now it looks like this could last until at least 2026 under proposals by regulator Ofgem.

Energy firms use RTS to switch a meter between peak and off-peak rates, so customers can have energy deals that charge them less at certain times, normally overnight. The problem is that the BBC has wanted to shut down BBC 4 longwave for years, and has only kept it running in order to run RTS meters .

Barclays' consumer spend report, which analyses millions of customer transactions, reveals that overall spending increased 1.2 per cent year-on-year in September. The biggest increase came from 'non-essential' spending at 2.7 per cent, as discounts incentivised shoppers to splash the cash on clothing, health and beauty.

This week, new tipping legislation came into force. It means restaurants and the like must share out tips to workers in a fair and transparent way. But what is it with all of the new behavioural economics tricks trying to guilt-trip us loyal patrons into tipping with gimmicks.

The Ofgem price cap will rise to £1,717 on 1 October - but could then fall to £1,697 in January, and keep falling during much of 2025, according to analysis by Cornwall Insight, which has accurately predicted price cap movements for many years.

Pensioners continue to slam the Government for making changes to the Winter Fuel Payment in the face of rising energy bills. The annual tax-free payment of between £100 and £300 was introduced to help pensioners with the cost of heating their homes in winter.

Most retirees are missing out on Winter Fuel Payments worth £100 to £300 a year, but there are other ways of getting help with energy bills this winter, from Pension Credit to council grants.