Fraud accounts for more than 40% of all crime in England and Wales. On one Monday morning I was contacted by three different people wanting to steal my money.

All of us are vulnerable, especially if you are busy and start the week with hundreds of emails waiting for you.

Every day I hear from intelligent, competent people about the scammers who have tried to defraud them.

If you use email, telephones or social media the fraudsters find out very quickly when you are involved in a new business or activity.

We need to trust no one, secure our devices and beware of any generous offers.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

April is an expensive month. Water, energy, council tax, broadband and mobile bills all increase during the month. But it does not have to be a done deal. You can cut hundreds of pounds from your household budget and may actually be able to get a tax gift if you are one of the two million eligible couples who have not claimed the marriage allowance. It can be worth more than a thousand pounds.

Water bills are going up but about 40% of households can save money by opting for a water meter. If your home has more bedrooms than occupants a water meter is likely to be cheaper than if the water company estimates your bills.

Fixed price energy bills are once again likely to be cheaper than the price cap. Even the energy regulator recommends customers to go for a fix. It takes minutes to check out the market and apply for a better deal.

Look after your money. No one else will.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is time to make sure we are not being ripped off by banks and building societies. There is currently around £250 billion sitting in bank and building society accounts paying no interest according to the Bank of England. And the banks use this money to bolster their profits without suggesting to customers how they could be much better off.

Instant access savings accounts pay up to 4% currently and regular savings accounts pay more and help to give customers a savings habit.

A savings habit can start with one penny on day one and give you £667.95 by the end of year one.

Once a saver you can think about avoiding paying unnecessary tax and making sure you get the best deal on your money.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Train fares are rising 4.6% this year on March 2. But there are still lots of ways of cutting the cost of rail travel with much cheaper Advance tickets available until minutes before the journey.

A few minutes planning journeys can save hundreds of pounds.

Buying two single tickets for a return journey is often cheaper.

Knowing when off peak fares start is vital. Getting a train a few minutes later can cut the cost substantially.

And should things go wrong you need to make a claim through Delay Repay. Once you are registered it is easy to get the money in your bank account in days.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Home sellers and buyers are racing to complete their deals before the cost of stamp duty increases on April 1. The deadline makes property deals even more fraught than usual. There is no time to lose. Sellers have to be businesslike, befriend their buyers, surveyors, agents and conveyancers.

Sellers only have to worry about stamp duty if they are to buy another property. And they have to make sure that the prospect of a potential stamp duty saving does not end up costing them more. There are always buyers looking to cut what they pay for a property.

Sellers have to remember that there are many more buyers in the market this year than recently.

There are ways to rescue your sale if your buyer drops out, but you have to work out how much you lose when you sell to one of the companies that buy homes instantly. They usually offer a lower price than normal buyers, but they allow someone to buy the home of their dreams, which may be a super bargain.

Along the route to completion buyers and sellers have to make sure they get the best price and service as a hefty estate agent fee can dwarf the saving that they may make on stamp duty if they complete in time.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most households can save money on their energy bills. The price cap brought in by the Government and the energy regulator, Ofgem, to reduce bills after Ukraine was invaded is no longer the best deal for most homes.

Before the energy crisis millions of us opted for fixed price energy deals to get cheaper energy bills but now more than 80% of households settle for the price cap with its £300+ standing charges before we use a single unit of gas or electricity.

The savings may be more modest nowadays but most households can save at least £50 a year on their energy bills with discounts and bigger savings can be made with tracker tariffs.

Lower standing charges are being offered and opportunities to save money by using your electical equipment at offpeak times.

It is time to check what deals your supplier is offering and to find out from price comparison sites and Money Saving Expert what other deals are being made in the industry.

It is also time to make sure that you are not wasting energy in your home.

Bills will go up by around 3% under the price cap from April. Opting for a discount or a tracker deal should mean that your bills will be lower.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First time home buyers are in a race to get their first home before stamp duty increases in April. These could cost thousands extra.

It is not surprising that many buyers will not be able to make it onto the property ladder without help from their families. Almost £10 billion was given by parents, grandparents and even brothers and sisters to help buyers to get their deposits together last year.

The average first time buyer is now more than 30 and has to find £30,200 for a deposit. Many parents cannot afford to make such generous gifts, but they may be able to help with a family offset mortgage, or provide free lodgings while their children are saving. They may also be able to act as guarantor without putting money forward.

Shared ownership may be another option. Buying at auction can give access to bargains, but it needs lots of research.

There is not much time, and estate agents are already reporting that more people looking for a new home.

Good luck.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.