SavvyWoman : Unexpected Life Events : Unemployment

If you’re worried about losing your job or have been made redundant, how can you protect your finances?

With thousands of job cuts announced in the last few days and more predicted, what should you do if you’re made redundant?

What do you need to do after you've been discharged from bankruptcy? Here are some tips from an insider.

You should be able to be discharged from bankruptcy after 12 months, but what happens then? Here’s an insider’s view from someone who’s been through it.

Four of the UK’s biggest energy suppliers are being investigated by the regulator Ofgem over mis-selling claims.

The energy regulator, Ofgem, is investigating npower, Scottish Power, Scottish and Southern Energy and EDF Energy over concerns of misleading sales tactics.

If you’re divorcing and your ex owns a business, how do you work out how much it’s worth?

Dividing assets such as the home and pension aren’t always straightforward, but valuing a business in divorce can be particularly tricky.

A court has ruled that divorcing couples can’t help themselves to documents about their husband or wife’s finances.

The ruling, described as a ‘cheat’s charter’ by one lawyer, will stop one partner from taking documents about the other’s finances without their permission.

International divorce – what it may mean if you divorce outside the UK.

If you’ve lived abroad or were born overseas (or your husband was), it may be possible to get divorced outside the UK. Take advice if you think this applies to you.

Problems getting child support payments - how to deal with the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.

The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is widely acknowledged to be an improvement on the CSA, but things can still go wrong.

Getting the right child support during and after divorce can be a frustrating and complicated process.

Knowing you’re entitled to financial support for your child is one thing. Making sure you get the money can be quite another.

Separating your finances when you break up can be hard, but it’s easier if you know where you can take control.

When you separate you’ll have to unravel financial arrangements that you may have shared for some considerable time. It’s not always straightforward.

Pensions and divorce; a guide to the basics.

During divorce, it's easy to underestimate the importance of the pension when working out how assets should be split. But that could be a costly mistake.

Divorce and the family home.

For many couples, the biggest financial worry is what will happen to the family home. Unfortunately, there may not be an easy answer.

If you’re contemplating divorce or the breakup of your relationship, where can you go for help?

No-one likes to think of their marriage coming to an end, but if you feel there's no other option there are plenty of sources of support and help.

If you've lost your job and your payment protection insurance won't pay out, could you have been mis-sold?

The Financial Ombudsman Service says it upholds 90% of PPI claims in the consumers’ favour, but many people with PPI haven’t complained.

Female entrepreneurs are becoming a force to be reckoned with. What's stopping you from joining us?

If you’ve never thought about starting your own business before, you might find the idea pretty daunting, but my advice is to go for it!

Many of us think about a change in direction at the start of a new year, but where do you start?

Before you leave your job, make sure you know what you're going to do and have added up the costs as well as the benefits.

If you've lost your job and want to go it alone, what should you think about before you take the plunge?

The recession is encouraging more women to think about going it alone; either because they’ve lost their job or because the household income has been reduced.

Coping after you’ve lost your job

Losing your job is often devastating and managing your money while trying to stay motivated can be a real challenge.

What you’re entitled to if you’re made redundant

Being made redundant is never easy, but make sure you know what you’re entitled to.

How to pay for long term care in a care home if the local authority won't pay the fees.

If your parent or relative has to pay for their own care, what are the options and how much could it cost?

Fraudsters are believed to have hacked into 3,000 bank accounts and stolen up to £675,000. How can you protect yourself?

Experts say it’s customers, not the banks themselves, who need to improve the security of their PCs. But it may not cost you anything.

Trading Standards are warning elderly people to be on their guard against rogue doorstep traders.

Elderly people are being targeted in their homes by rogue builders and sellers of mobility equipment. What can you do to protect yourself and your family?

Every year thousands of people hand over money to dodgy ticketing websites. How can you beat the fraudsters?

Despite warnings and clampdowns by the consumer watchdog the OFT, online ticket scam sites seem to be thriving.

If you’ve been the victim of fraud, banks are supposed to refund your money straight away, in most cases.

A change in the rules means that banks have to refund money that’s been stolen unless they have evidence that you were careless or guilty of fraud.

Online retailers aren’t the only ones gearing up for a rush; it’s also a busy time for dodgy websites and fraudsters.

You may think you’d spot a scam, but with around £15 million being lost to online fraud in December – it’s the fraudsters who are expecting to be quids in.

How to minimise the risks of being a victim of ID fraud

ID fraud affects one in eight people, and criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their methods.

You can fall victim to fraud at any age, but older people may be more vulnerable

Around 3 million people lose around £3.5 billion a year between them to fraudsters; and elderly people are targeted more than most

Care for an elderly relative doesn’t have to mean they have to leave their home. What are the options?

For some elderly people, care in their home is by far the best option. What are they entitled to and what will they have to pay for themselves?

Can you give away your home to avoid paying for care and, if so, should you?

Selling your home or giving it away might seem like an obvious way to avoid paying for care, but it’s not that straightforward.

Almost 48,000 elderly people had to sell their home to pay for care in 2009, and many don’t know their rights.

With care costs running to £30,000 a year or more, thousands of people have no choice but to sell their home, sometimes when they've been given the wrong advice.

If a parent or relative needs to move into a care home, finding one that offers the right care can be a challenge.

If you saw Gerry Robinson’s TV programme on dementia care homes you may have been appalled by some of the care provided. How can you make sure a home provides decent care?

The government is planning major changes in how we pay for care for elderly people. How might the system change?

Every year thousands of elderly people have to sell their home to pay for the costs of their care. Now the government says this should stop.

If you can't look after your financial affairs you may not have a say in who takes decisions for you.

Many of us haven’t made a will, never mind thought about what will happen if we’re not able to look after our own finances, but it’s worth doing.

Who pays if your parent needs care?

Politicians are talking of reforming the system of who pays for long term care. It certainly needs it.

Declaring yourself bankrupt; tips from someone who has been through bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy is never an easy option, but for some people it’s the only way they can deal with their debts. What do you need to know?

Debt options if you can't keep up your repayments.

If you have serious debt problems there are several options that can help you if you can’t pay back the money you owe.

What to do if you’re struggling with your debts

You may not be able to see a way out of your debt problems, but a debt counsellor should be able to help

When bankruptcy is the only option

Bankruptcy is a serious step, but it may be better than struggling with debts you can’t repay

Appointing an executor - how to avoid an unexpected bill for thousands of pounds.

The Office of Fair Trading warns that consumers are paying millions of pounds too much for professional executors to sort out their affairs.

Divorcing couples on legal aid will be able to use collaborative law. What does it involve?

Collaborative law is designed to help divorcing couples stay out of the court room, and the government’s plans could mean it becomes more popular.

Financial support your parent becomes ill

There are sources of financial help in the form of state benefits if your parent develops an illness or becomes frail.

Many women are unaware of the bereavement benefits that they're entitled to.

Many aspects of the state benefit system are complicated and bereavement benefits are no exception, but if you don’t claim benefits within the time limits you could lose out.

Have you been badly treated by a financial company when you’ve been bereaved? If so, you're not alone.

John McFall MP takes up the cause of people who’ve been recently bereaved and urges the Financial Services Authority to look into the way they’re treated by financial companies

Dealing with financial companies and organisations after someone dies

There's likely to be a long list of organisations that you have to contact when you're bereaved. Some companies make this much harder than others.

What to do when someone dies

Dealing with the death of a partner, friend or family member is devastating, but it may help if you know what you’re expected to do

What divorce may mean for you

The decision to divorce is never an easy one the first steps towards splitting up can be the hardest to take