Investment as we have come to know it is about risk and reward but what if there isn’t a reward just deception and greed? These last few years have been challenging on an economical level due to the entire pandemic and quarantine resulting in the closure of businesses and loss of employment resulting in turning lots of individuals and family’s looking for alternative sources of income exposing them to being preyed upon by fraudster posing to be rending financial aid. An extensive criminal network involved in fraud, and money laundering has been dismantled in an international simultaneous raid across 6countries.

Financial commentators are predicting that this will be one of the more muted Budgets we've seen for some time. But Budget statements often defy expectations. No one foresaw former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng's so-called mini-Budget last year, which rocked debt markets and pension funds. The shockwaves are still being felt by millions of homeowners facing higher mortgage costs. So it pays to keep an eye on what Hunt sets out this week. Here is our forecast of what could be in the Chancellor's red box - and how you can Budget-proof your finances for whatever it throws at you.

The proposals have provoked anger from investors and US Bank, one of America's largest banks, has resigned as trustee of the bond. Eros is run by the Lulla family, one of India's best-known business dynasties. But the firm has faced criticism here after failing to pay bondholders' interest when it was due and keeping them in the dark about its financial position. Now the Lullas are offering investors a deal - 60p per £1 on half their bonds, with the remaining bonds rolled into a new transaction that will not be repaid until 2026, rather than next month.

The managers do not invest in unquoted stocks, only pick profitable businesses that have their head offices based in the UK - and like the executives of their chosen holdings to have 'skin in the game' (own shares in the businesses they run). They are exacting standards which restrict their choice of investments to around 400 companies. But they have helped deliver some solid long-term results for investors.

All of the properties in our list have thatched roofs and can be rented for between £850 and £2,250 a month. Pictured (from centre and then clockwise from top left) are: A five-bedroom cottage in Woodbastwick available to rent for £2,250 a month, a one-bedroom cottage in Milton Malsor to rent for £850 a month, a three-bedroom cottage in Tewkesbury to rent for £1,950 a month, a three-bedroom semi-detached house in Blandford Forum for £1,200 a month and a four-bedroom house in Hollacombe for £1,550 a month.

No matter how badly the big banks pay their savings customers, many of them continue to stay loyal. Whether it be down to trust, inertia or convenience, lots of people simply prefer to keep their savings with the same provider they bank with. While the high street banks have many appalling savings rates, they do also offer deals that are at least competitive - and, in some rare cases, even close to market leading. Here we compare the best - and worst - cash Isa deals on offer at the six of the biggest high street banks.

Blue Whale's strong early years performance landed it a spot in many investors portfolios, but as growth stocks suffered last year so did the fund. Manager Stephen Yiu joins Simon Lambert on the Investing Show to discuss the Blue Whale Growth Fund's performance and holdings. He explains why he no longer holds any of the FAANG shares but does back Microsoft and what made him pick energy stock Canadian Natural Resources.

Hybrid cars are often seen as a steppingstone between traditional combustion engine motors and fully electric vehicles. However, the days of the hybrid vehicle are already numbered, as most are set to be banned from sale in 2030 alongside petrol and diesels. Here's everything you need to know about hybrid cars, from the different types, their pros and cons, which hybrids are most (and least) economical and the UK's best sellers.

The sudden collapse of SVB's US parent sent shockwaves through global markets as it became the largest bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis. SVB's British arm will be put into insolvency by the Bank of England unless there are significant new developments. Officials at the Bank are scrambling to find a buyer in order to minimise disruption to business customers and the risks to the financial system.

We take a look inside the top five most viewed properties for sale on Rightmove, including a two-bedroom flat that featured in TV's 'Amanda & Alan's Italian Job'. PIctured (clockwise from centre and then top left) are: A six-bedroom house in West Yorkshire's Ferrybridge Road, a three-bedroom house in Cornwall's Fowey, a two-bedroom flat in Italy's Sicily, a six-bedroom house in Glasgow, and a six-bedroom house in West Yorkshire's Briestfield.

Britain may be set to avoid a recession entirely after growth surpassed expectations in January, despite a backdrop of stubbornly high inflation, industrial action and rising interest rates. Attention now turns to next week's Spring Budget with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt armed with better-than-expected economic data and potentially greater flexibility to unleash growth-boosting policies.

The new Purosangue - whose name means thoroughbred - is the Italian supercar firm's first sporty higher-riding all-wheel drive crossover priced from £313,120 on the road. We've been to the car's official global launch event in the Italian Alps to find out if Ferrari has managed to blend family-living practicality with ferocious supercar performance.

A growing band of savvy bargain-hunters are turning transforming old chairs, sofas, tables and wooden furniture into desirable pieces - and netting a tidy profit on the side. Brenda Melaniphy, 37, and her partner Stuart Cooper, 38, (pictured) from Littlehampton, West Sussex, have been turning vintage furniture into profit for a year.

The rapid rise in mortgage rates over the past year has dramatically reduced the amount that people can borrow based on the same monthly payments. The size of mortgage that a £1,200 monthly payment secures now with average rates above 5 per cent is much smaller than when rates averaged about 2.5 per cent. What are the implications of this and how big a mortgage could you get now?

My first wife died in 2003 at 59 years old and sadly this was a few months before her 60th birthday and the point she would then have been able to claim her state pension. I went on to marry again in 2020 but sadly my wife died a few months later at the age of 77. I also wonder if I should have been eligible to inherit any of my second wife's state pension. I would be very grateful for any advice before exploring further with the Pensions Department.

Classic car hunters were located to the car's whereabouts for the last 33 years, which was a brick garage in the village of Prestwood, which is between Aylesbury and High Wickham. Still sporting the dust-covered signs of three decades of neglect, the 1970 Mini 1275 GT will be offered to the highest bidder at the Classic Car Auctions sale at the Practical Classic Car and Restoration Show at Birmingham's NEC over the weekend of 25 to 26 March.

Millions of us collect them to get discounts and upgrades on flights. But how many of us are squeezing the maximum value out of Avios points? The experts say few collectors truly know the best ways to use their pots -which vary depending on how many points you've racked up over the years. Here, three points pros reveal how to get the most bang for your buck...

Although cash Isas don't currently offer fantastic rates, it is still worthwhile opening one to shield money away from the taxman. This is Money picks our five favourite cash Isas for savers in 2022 - essential reading to help you choose a top savings account for your money. This page is kept up-to-date throughout the year - bookmark it for the very latest developments.

The six-bedroom property sits in almost an acre of land at the end of Compton Avenue, a private tree-lined road in North London. The house overlooks Highgate golf club, and has a gated driveway that is overgrown with weeds. The overgrowth has also spread across the front of the white house and across the windows. The property is for sale for £22.5million and is being sold by Bargets estate agents.

We pick three properties for sale in the Cotswolds village of Chadlington that features prominently in the latest series of TV's Clarkson's Farm. Pictured (clockwise from left) are: A four-bedroom semi-detached with a price tag of £700,000, a three-bedroom cottage that is on the market for £590,000, and a three-bedroom cottage with an asking price of £645,000.

I run my own small manufacturing business. As you can imagine it has been a really tough few years, with the pandemic, energy costs, and rising interest rates on my own mortgage. I want to start hiring more senior employees. Should I look at a recruiter or is it too expensive? Our business doctor Dave Fishwick replies.

As a person trying to rent at the moment, I'm finding the competition for every property near-on impossible. I've been reading that increasing numbers of buy-to-let landlords have been selling up meaning there are fewer homes for renters, which is causing rents to rise. But I don't understand how this makes any sense. If landlords are selling up, surely these homes are either being purchased by new landlords or by first-time buyers and therefore should be taking some of the demand out of the rental market?

New regulations, to be finalised this July by the Financial Conduct Authority, could result in hundreds of green investment funds being declassified as the regulator clamps down on greenwashing - the cynical marketing of a fund as green when it isn't. Those investors caught in such mislabelled funds will face a stark choice - to stay put and compromise their principles; or switch to an alternative fund that meets the FCA's new criteria. Investment manager Alan Miller, who has led the way in exposing greenwashing across the investment funds industry, says investors should not have to bear the cost of any switching - or resulting tax charges such as capital gains tax.

How common is it for bidders to go dramatically over pre-sale guide prices when bidding on a classic car? And what does it do to the rest of the market? Hagerty's John Mayhead explains all in this guest post.

There's not long left until the end of the tax year - and that means it is time to sort your Isa if you haven't already. On this Isa saving and investing special podcast, Georgie Frost and Simon Lambert talk all things Isas - from finding the best saving rates, to how to invest and how to boost your chance of investment success if you already have a stocks and shares Isa.

Choosing the right DIY platform is crucial but a wealth of choice and a variety of charges can leave investors scratching their heads. We pick some of the best. 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.