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    Claer Barrett

    Consumer editor

    Claer Barrett is the consumer editor. She writes the weekly Serious Money column and presents the FT's Money Clinic podcast and Business Clinic video series. Claer frequently appears as a commentator on radio and TV, talking about personal finance, consumer and small business issues, and she is a regular guest on Eddie Mair's Drive show on LBC Radio.

    Email Claer Barrett @claerb  on Twitter (link opens in a new browser window)

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    • Friday, 29 September, 2023
      Isas
      How to make Isas even nicer

      The chancellor is ‘open to ideas’ about reforming tax-free accounts, so what could investors expect?

    • Friday, 22 September, 2023
      UK politics
      Hunt plans Isa overhaul to boost share ownership

      Treasury looks to simplify tax-free savings regime and weighs new allowance for investments in UK companies

      Jeremy Hunt and an ISA application topsheet
    • Friday, 22 September, 2023
      Serious MoneyUK banks
      How can we defuse the household debt time bomb?

      The nature of people’s debts have changed significantly — so too must debt solutions

    • Thursday, 21 September, 2023
      UK politics
      Rishi Sunak keeps relief in check after week of upbeat UK economy data

      Prime minister and chancellor Jeremy Hunt recognise more pain lies ahead for many voters even as inflation falls

    • Wednesday, 20 September, 2023
      Financial fraud
      UK data watchdog fines illegal nuisance callers record £590,000

      Move part of wider crackdown on rogue operators targeting the elderly and vulnerable

      An elderly woman holds a phone to her ear
    • Friday, 15 September, 2023
      Serious MoneyState pension triple lock
      Is the state pension really ‘a Ponzi scheme’?

      The triple lock makes it impossible for government — and individuals — to estimate the cost of retirement

    • Friday, 8 September, 2023
      Retail & Consumer industry
      ‘Drip pricing’ is a scandal

      Companies are stealthily adding extra charges to the advertised prices of goods and services

      A person checks airline ticket prices on a laptop
    • Friday, 8 September, 2023
      Pensions
      How to solve your million pound pension problem

      What’s the outlook for financing your retirement? FT readers and our expert panel debate the most pressing issues

      The FT Weekend Festival’s pension session. Claer Barrett with David Goodfellow, Nimesh Shah and Steve Webb
    • Friday, 1 September, 2023
      Serious MoneyPersonal Finance
      Home from holiday — but can you get your money back?

      The enforcement of air passenger rights has been off the official radar screen for too long

    • Thursday, 24 August, 2023
      Jancis Robinson’s Wine Guide
      How I learnt about wine

      Four FT journalists share their journeys into the world of wine – including via famous neighbours and underage subterfuge

    • Friday, 11 August, 2023
      Marriage and divorce
      The price of saying ‘I don’t’ to a friend’s wedding

      As nuptials enter the digital age, guests are being asked to spend more than ever

      Jonathan McHugh illustration of a wedding invitation RSVP that includes spaces for a credit card number, expiry date, CVC number and first and last name - decorated with colourful currency signs.
    • Friday, 11 August, 2023
      FT Money personal finance guides
      FT Money guide: What can we learn from the UK’s £11mn pension saver?

      Investors with substantial retirement pots have much to worry about ahead of a general election

    • Friday, 11 August, 2023
      Workplace pensions
      Send us your pension questions

      Put your queries about pensions and retirements to expert panel including Sir Steve Webb

      Pound coins sit on a dictionary entry for the word ‘pension’
    • Friday, 4 August, 2023
      Serious MoneyAdvice & Comment
      Grandparents: give the gift of investment education

      As inheritance tax bills rise, pass on your financial savvy as well as your cash

    • Wednesday, 26 July, 2023
      FT Money personal finance guides
      FT Money guide: Greek wildfires and your holiday rights

      Holidaymakers heading to Rhodes and Corfu this summer could struggle to get a refund

    • Tuesday, 25 July, 2023
      Money Clinic with Claer Barrett podcast26 min listen
      Investment masterclass: WTF are ETFs?

      What should investors look out for when selecting an ETF?

    • Friday, 21 July, 2023
      Consumer Duty
      Can the UK financial regulator really end rip-offs?

      New Consumer Duty regulations are, in principle, good for investors, but time will show what they mean in practice

    • Friday, 14 July, 2023
      Mortgages
      It pays to open up about mortgage pain

      Rising rates on home loans will put a strain on relationships unless we challenge taboos about money

      A pink piggy bank smashed in half with a few coins lying around it
    • Friday, 7 July, 2023
      Serious MoneyAdvice & Comment
      This could be the best £800 investment you’ll ever make

      National insurance top-ups can provide an oversized boost to your state pension

    • Friday, 30 June, 2023
      News in-depthCost of living crisis
      Will Jeremy Hunt’s cost of living ‘action plan’ rescue UK consumers?

      Campaigners say more needs to be done in the battle to reduce bills and increase savings rates

    • Friday, 30 June, 2023
      Serious MoneyFintech
      Don’t lose the exponential benefits of fractional share trading

      Barring younger traders from holding US stocks in Isas risks subtracting investor engagement

    • Friday, 23 June, 2023
      Serious MoneyAdvice & Comment
      Banks must play fair as mortgage rates rise

      As millions brace for the impact of more expensive home loans, here’s my don’t panic guide to what happens next

    • Saturday, 17 June, 2023
      Serious MoneyProperty
      A warning for the smug mortgage bores

      Interest rate pain will come to us all in time — and it could well cost the Tories the next election

      A man in a T-shirt looks at houses for sale in the window of an estate agent
    • Friday, 9 June, 2023
      Millennials
      Podcast request: The cost of weddings crisis

      Money Clinic podcast would like to hear from listeners whose wedding plans are changing

    • Friday, 9 June, 2023
      Serious MoneyUK banks
      Spending a penny? It’s a question of convenience

      Banding together to provide essential services is a model that works for banking and bathrooms

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