Telegraph Money 

The week's most important personal finance news, analysis and expert advice, from pensions and property to investment ideas and savings tips.

The Telegraph take

By Sophie Smith, personal finance reporter

Home ownership continues to be a distant dream for many adults. In some parts of the country you need to save 13 times your annual salary just to buy the average house.

Despite this, more first-time buyers than ever are looking to stump up the cash and get their own place. To help those trying to take the first step onto the housing ladder, we have a produced the ultimate guide to buying your first property – from Help to Buy to shared ownership and beyond.

In our six part series we look at the best ways to save for a deposit (and get free money along the way), advise how to give those savings a handy boost, provide expert tips on making yourself more mortgage-friendly, and cover all those sneaky extra costs you need to think about.

Elsewhere, the Bank of England revealed the new face of the 50 note: Alan Turing, the mathematician who helped invent modern computing and break the Enigma code.

But personal finance reporter Marianna Hunt has asked why the Bank is bothering to reinvent the 50 note when no one uses it except criminals.

Peter Sands, former chief executive of Standard Chartered bank, has described the 50 note as the “currency of corrupt elites, of crime of all sorts and of tax evasion”. The Treasury admits it is “rarely used” for routine transactions, and many consider it the favoured payment method of terrorists, drug lords and tax criminals.

However, our readers are split. In a poll asking: "Should we bother to reprint the 50 bank note?", 50pc said yes and 50pc said no.

Get all our biggest and best money stories – from tax, pensions, investing and more – for just 2 a week with a subscription to Telegraph Premium. Start your 30-day free trial here.

Top stories

Moral Money

Investing

Fame and Fortune

Tax

Questor

You have the last word...

Angela Warden said about 'I was affected by BA's data breach. Now a fraudster has stolen 54k. Are they connected?': "If someone from the bank calls you, tell them you are going to your bank and never ever call the bank back on the phone they called you on. In addition look up their number on the back of your card or online."

Stephanie Mousetrap said about Number of families with two retired generations forecast to hit 1.2 million: "I never had anything passed to me. My parents had no money. My husband's father married again and the new wife (not her fault) had 2 children and 3 grandchildren. After paying their mother's nursing home fees there was not much left and my husband (an only child who had helped his parents pay for their home) got a couple of thousand pounds. Still it is better than nothing I suppose."

Ross Denholm said about The death of the Help to Buy Isa is near, so why is the Lifetime Isa still not fit for purpose?: "Scrap the Lifetime Isa altogether. These taxpayer funded deposits, in the absence of an increase of housing supply, only raise house prices further - making houses even more unaffordable for the next generation of first-time buyers. Why should taxpayers' money be spent inflating already high house prices in the south of England?"

Contact us: to pose a question to our team of expert reporters, email moneyexpert@telegraph.co.uk. If you'd like a free financial plan, email money@telegraph.co.uk with the subject 'Give me a Money Makeover'.

Join our new investment-focused Facebook group to debate the latest share tips and investing trends.

See more Telegraph newsletters

Investor  |  Property  |  Business  |  Front Bench

You have received this email because you have agreed to receive marketing messages by email from Telegraph Media Group Limited or its group companies or you may have signed up to receive this newsletter. Please do not reply to this email.

Terms and conditions apply to all offers, prices and competitions that may be shown in this email. For full details please click on the advertised offer. The Telegraph reserves the right to withdraw these offers without notice.

To unsubscribe from this newsletter, visit your account here, and update your preferences. If you have forgotten your password, you can reset it by visiting the account login page.

In accordance with the 2018 Data Protection Act, Telegraph Media Group Limited and its group companies are committed to protecting your privacy. If you wish to know more please access our privacy policy.

This email is from Telegraph Media Group Limited or its group companies - 111 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0DT. Registered in England under No 451593.