The energy regulator Ofgem has today announced it is proposing to refer the energy market to the competition authorities. This report, which is only five years too late, contains the ‘shock’ fact there’s tacit co-ordination on energy prices – even though each year energy firms bleat like sheep and raise prices together. Within the report, a key...

In this week’s Budget, the Chancellor announced the most sweeping changes to pensions for years. From 2015, everyone will have the option to access their cash without having to buy an annuity – the product you buy to convert a pension pot into a regular income for the rest of your life. I am completely torn over...

A piece in the Evening Standard this week highlighted that Londoners had picked me as their no.1 choice to be Chancellor. I tracked down the origins of this to an Opinium survey of 1,000 Londoners press-released by Nutmeg, which includes… When asked from a pre-defined list who respondents would replace George Osborne as Chancellor with if they...

Insurance is the one product you buy in the hope you’ll never need to use it. The big problem is that it’s virtually impossible to know how it’ll respond to a claim, until you’re claiming. And paying more doesn’t guarantee that you’re more likely to get a payout. Therefore if you’re in the right, the most important...

In early January, I invited you to join my run challenge. The idea is for everyone who’s up for it to declare their 2014 running goal, and for us all to collectively monitor and encourage each other via these regular progress blogs. This is the first of my progress reports, and I’d love you to join in...