It's been a year in which market swings and political zigzagging on both sides of the Atlantic had tangible impacts on your finances.

Our aim has been to cut through the noise and explain what it all means for you. Before signing off the blog for the year,  I want to take a moment to say thank you for being part of our Money community.

We're going to leave you with five of our best long reads for the year...

Amy knew her husband could kill her - he made sure of that

So began our feature on financial control, which seems like an apposite place to start a compilation of our essential long reads from 2025, given the government finally released its Violence Against Women and Girls strategy this week.

In August, Amy told Money feature writer Brad Young about the 25 years of domestic abuse she endured and how, despite once earning six figures, she was left with nothing upon her eventual escape. If you didn't read it at the time, you can do so here...

Is Britain's food supply in trouble?

This summer, we examined whether the UK could feed itself in a disaster scenario that led to borders being closed. What we found surprised us - catch up here...

Could AI cost you your job?

We also brought you the story of Joe Turner, a freelance writer who has lost £120,000 in work to AI over the past few years. We obtained data pointing to the 40 professions that could be similarly vulnerable, and the 40 that AI would struggle to replace. Find out if you could be affected...

Why is the UK not working?

Another fascinating deep dive from the team pondered: why are millions of Britons off work long-term sick?

We found that health issues were striking down the workforce in something of a pincer movement: mental health problems at the start of their careers and musculoskeletal ones at the end.

Freddo creator's daughter refuses to buy it - here's why

All of which has made 2025 seem a little heavy, so we'll leave you with Freddo...

It turns out the fate of the little chocolate frog says more about the economy than you might think.

We got an exclusive interview with the creator's daughter - and she wasn't happy...

If you are one of the millions of drivers heading out on the roads today, it might be worth stopping at an Asda Express. 

Shoppers who spend £15 or more on groceries at the supermarket will get 3p off per litre of fuel at the same time. 

To claim the discount, fill up, buy products in store worth £15 or more and then pay for your fuel and shopping at the till.

"We know every penny matters for our customers - especially at Christmas," said Joseph Sutton,  Asda Express, foodservice and fuel.  

"With so many of us set to travel over the next few days to see friends and family, we're letting people know that Asda has you covered - and with a little extra help at the pumps, customers can save on fuel while picking up festive treats and essentials in one quick stop." 

The deal is available until 31 December.

Injectable vitamins have been sold illegally on online marketplace Etsy, an investigation by Which? has found. 

There were a number of listings where the medicine didn't contain a legally required ingredients list or dosage warnings, which were discovered by the consumer champion. 

Etsy says products that claim to treat, prevent, mitigate, cure or diagnose a medical condition are prohibited on the platform.

But one seller surprised buyers with loose erectile dysfunction pills containing sildenafil and tadalafil in their parcels, according to Which?. 

It is illegal to sell either substance without a prescription or a pharmacist's supervision.

Which? said its staff ordered four products from two sellers and reported that Etsy did not intervene in the purchases.

Both shops have since closed and Which? said it reported them to Etsy and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

A spokesperson for Etsy told Which?: "Medical drugs, medical devices, and any other items that claim to treat, prevent, mitigate, cure or diagnose a disease or medical condition are prohibited on Etsy. 

"The listings flagged by Which? are no longer available on our marketplace, and our team is actively monitoring for any injectable supplements that violate this policy."

A chain of cricket-based venues backed by England's Ben Stokes has collapsed into administration. 

Sixes, which runs 16 cricket-themed entertainment venues across England, said "challenging" trading had caused its closure. 

Its Southampton site will close immediately, while all other venues will stay open while it looks for a rescue deal. 

Administrators from FRP Advisory said they were talking with "a number of interested parties about a sale".

Tony Wright, joint administrator and partner at FRP, said: "Sixes has built a strong brand in the social entertainment space with its unique venues proving very popular with customers.

"Our priority is to secure the best outcome for the business and its stakeholders while ensuring customers can continue to enjoy their bookings through the Christmas period and beyond." 

Here we take a look at the benefits and discounts available to pensioners...

Government benefits and entitlements

State pension

This is a regular payment from the government once you reach state pension age and it's determined by your national insurance contributions.

State pension age is currently 66 for both men and women.

A full state pension comes in at £230.25 a week and you can read more about it here. 

Attendance allowance

Worth up to £110.40 a week, this is for people over state pension age who need help with personal care or supervision because of an illness or disability. Find the eligibility information here. 

Pension credit

This means-tested benefit for people over state pension age and who have a low income comes in at £227.10 a week for single people and £346.60 per week for couples. More information here. 

Cold weather payment

This benefit is £25 a week and to be eligible the average temperature in your area needs to have been, or be forecasted to be, 0C or less for seven days in a row. You'll usually be eligible for the payments if you get pension credit. Check your eligibility here. 

Warm home discount

A one-off payment of £150 to help with the cost of energy during the winter. Those with an electricity supplier that is part of the warm home discount scheme will get the payment automatically if you or your partner receive the guarantee credit portion of pension credit. Info here. 

National insurance cut

You stop paying class 4 national insurance after you reach state pension age.

Free gas safety check

Some energy companies provide free gas safety checks for over-65s. To sign up, just search for your gas provider (eg, British Gas) and "Priority Services Register". 

TV

Over-75s in receipt of pension credit can get a free TV licence, paid for by the BBC.

Health

Prescriptions

Free to anyone 60 and over.

Eye tests

Over-60s are entitled to a free NHS test. Info here. 

Dental

NHS dental treatment is not free for pensioners, but you may be eligible for free dental treatment if you or your partner receive: 

• Income support
• Income-related employment and support allowance
• Income-based jobseeker's allowance
• Pension credit guarantee credit
• Pension credit guarantee credit with savings credit
• Universal credit

Info here. 

Wigs and fabric support

You're entitled to free NHS wigs and fabric supports if you or your partner gets:

• Income support
• Income-based jobseeker's allowance
• Income-related employment and support allowance
• Pension credit guarantee credit or
• Pension credit guarantee credit with savings credit.

Travel

Senior railcard

Over-60s can save 1/3 on most rail fares throughout Great Britain. A one-year card costs £35 and a three-year card is £80. Sign up here.

Interrail pass

Over-60s can enjoy 10% discount on travel in Europe with this pass (which lets you explore 33 countries by train). Click here if you're interested. 

Free bus pass

In Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and London, you can get a pass for free travel when you reach 60. Apply here. 

National Express senior coachcard

Available for over-60s, this offers a 1/3 off standard and fully flexible fares to hundreds of towns, cities and airports across the UK. Click here for more on that. 

London taxicard scheme

This is for people with long-term mobility difficulties or severe sight impairment. You're automatically eligible if you receive a war pension mobility supplement. Apply here. 

Vehicle discounts

ATS Euromaster offer discounts to those who join their Club 60 group. The range of benefits includes an MOT for £27 and 15% off servicing.

Hotels 

Princess Hotels & Resorts

Discounts of up to 10% for senior citizens.

Marriott Bonvoy

The Marriott senior discount is offered to all guests aged 62 and over.

Radisson Hotels

The hotel typically gives 10% discount off their standard rates for senior citizens.

Hilton Hotels

Travellers aged 65 and older can save up to 6% on stays.

RH Hotels

If you are over 60, you will get a 5% discount and free water/wine at meals (subject to availability) at RH Hotels sites.

Food and restaurants

Greene King Pubs

There are menus offered for senior citizens at reduced prices.

Patisserie Valerie

The chain offers 10% off for over-60s.

Dobbies garden centres

Over-60s can enjoy a main course and any cake for only £12 (available Monday to Friday from midday to 3pm).

Discounts on days out

National Trust sites

With a senior membership card, you can get free entry to over 500 locations across the UK. If you're an existing member aged 60 or over, and you've been a member for at least the past three consecutive years, you can ask for 25% off your subscription, which means that you'll pay £72 for individual senior membership. More info here. 

English Heritage 

A senior membership card offers access to more than 400 sites and gives you free parking at most of them. The monthly fee is £5.75 or the annual fee is £69. Apply here. 

Royal Horticultural Society

Over-60s are entitled to a senior life membership card, which offers benefits including unlimited entry to RHS gardens, discounted tickets to RHS shows such as the Chelsea Flower Show and personal gardening advice. More here. 

Royal Botanical Kew Gardens

There are concessions for senior citizens over the age of 65.

Theatre discounts

National Theatre

All over-60s can save on midweek matinees with up to £20 off select tickets.

Royal Shakespeare Company

Over-65s are entitled to discounted tickets. A 20% discount is available on all seats for Monday and Tuesday evening performances and all midweek matinees. 

Birmingham Hippodrome

Concessions offered to those over 65.

Savoy Theatre

Senior citizens (anyone over 60) can claim concessionary tickets for select shows.

Theatre Royal Glasgow

Discounts for the over-60s.

Museums

Imperial War Museums

Over-65s are entitled to discounts on tickets.

Tate Modern 

While entry to the museum is free, special exhibitions are ticketed. Over-60s can enter these special exhibitions for a discount.

London Transport Museum 

Over-60s are offered concessions on annual passes.

Football season ticket discounts

A number of football clubs offer discounted tickets to senior football fans. These are a few of them...

Arsenal

Senior season ticket-holders get a 57% discount.

Liverpool FC

Concessions for over-65s.

Sheffield United

Concessionary tickets for over-60s.

West Ham United

Concessions for over-66s.

Chelsea FC

Over-66s can buy a senior citizen ticket during the reservation period and reserve a seat for home cup or home UEFA competition matches at a reduced concession price.

Retail

Boots

Its over-60s reward gets you eight points on every £1 you spend on Boots' brands and selected exclusives.

Iceland

10% discount for over-60s every Tuesday if you have a bonus card. 

Odeon

Over-60s can join the Silver Cinema Club and enjoy special screenings during quieter times of the day. Tickets start from £3.50 and include tea, coffee and biscuits served before the film.

Specsavers

If you're over 60 and buy a single pair of glasses from the store's £70 range or above, you'll get 20% off. 

Other perks

Boundless

Retirees from the public sector or civil service can save on flights, holidays, days out, car hire and much more if they sign up for a Boundless membership card.

Ramblers' Association

The walking charity offers concessionary individual or joint membership to those who receive only a state pension (no private pension). It entitles you to thousands of walking routes, access to guided group walks and savings on gear.

Golf

Some golf clubs offer membership discounts to older players. Find out if a club near you offers a discount at Golf Support.

Handyperson services

More than 70 local Age UK branches operate handyperson services offering the elderly extra help with small practical jobs, including small repairs and home security. Find out what's available in your area on the Foundations website. 

Better leisure centres

If you're over 66, the Better Health senior membership allows you to access the company's gyms, swimming pools and fitness classes at a competitive price. You can also get up to 30% off other activities and services. Membership ranges from under £10 a month to more than £70 depending on the type of membership and the centre.

Private parking companies have set a new record for the number of tickets issued to drivers.

A total of 15.9 million fines were handed out by private businesses in the year to the end of September, according to a Press Association analysis of the latest government data.

That is up 17% from 13.6 million during the previous 12 months.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said the increases show that something must be going "badly awry" with the parking system. 

"The rate of tickets being issued by the private parking industry has hit yet another record," he said. 

"While part of the rise may be due to more car parks being privately managed, the figures show 48,000 tickets per day were issued between June and September, which seems ominously high considering most people try very hard to avoid getting a private parking notice." 

Each ticket can be up to £100, meaning the total cost to drivers may be almost £4.4m per day. 

Private parking businesses have been accused of using misleading and confusing signs, aggressive debt collection and unreasonable fees.

MPs have tried to improve the situation - a bill to bring in a code of practice for the industry received royal assent in March 2019, but it was withdrawn by the Conservative government in June 2022 after a legal challenge by parking companies.

A new consultation on the code by the current government closed in September.

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: "Motorists must be protected when using private car parks and we are determined to drive up standards in the industry.

"We know how much of an issue this is for drivers, which is why we will set out further details on the private parking code of practice as soon as possible."

The £100 limit on contactless payments will be lifted next year, under planned changes from the Financial Conduct Authority

Shoppers could find it easier to pay larger amounts using contactless because the regulator is allowing banks and payment providers with strong fraud controls to set their own limits.

The rules are set to change on 19 March. It will then be up to firms to update their limits. 

Those that do will need to communicate the changes clearly to their customers, the FCA said.

Firms are also being encouraged to let customers set their own limit, or turn contactless off altogether, as many high street banks already do.

Heineken has confirmed that it will increase the wholesale price of its draught beers next year. 

The company said its draught products, which include Amstel, Birra Moretti and Old Mout cider, as well as Heineken itself, will be sold to pubs for an average of 2.7% more from 2 February. 

Hospitality businesses tend to pass these costs on to customers, meaning the price you pay for a pint could also rise. 

Heineken UK defended the price increase, saying it was to help the sector cope with "significant cost pressures". 

It also pointed to price freezes and reductions. 

The brewer decided to cut the wholesale price of Foster's lager after cutting its alcohol percentage from 3.7% to 3.4% to meet customer demands for weaker drinks. 

It's also frozen the price of Murphy's Irish Stout after it boomed in popularity this year. 

The cost of packaged beers and ciders will also be frozen - so the draught price changes shouldn't affect Heineken's products in supermarkets. 

A Heineken UK spokesperson said: "We've kept our average draught increase as low as possible, and we're providing meaningful relief and certainty where we can." 

Workers have been urged to check their payslip this Christmas to make sure they are getting paid at least minimum wage.

HMRC has reminded temporary seasonal staff and employees on short-term contracts that they are legally entitled to the same minimum pay rates as other workers. 

People should check their hourly wage and look out for other factors that can lead to underpayment. 

These include unpaid working time, such as starting early or staying late to open and close premises, cleaning, or completing mandatory training outside of working hours. 

HMRC also stated that if employers deduct money for items such as uniforms or equipment and this reduces a worker's pay below the minimum wage, this is unacceptable and should be reported.

The national minimum wage hourly rates are currently:

• £12.21 - Age 21 and over (National Living Wage)
• £10.00 - Age 18 to 20
• £7.55 - Age under 18
• £7.55 - Apprentice (aged under 19 / aged 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship)

"If your payroll's playing Grinch, HMRC will play judge, jury and invoice. My advice to workers this Christmas is check your age-band minimum wage rate, check your hours and check for any deductions," said HR expert Kate Underwood. 

"Keep rotas, clock-ins and payslips. If it's wrong, raise it in writing." 

For this week's Savings Guide, we look at whether paying off your student loan early is a good idea, with help from Sam Curtis, chartered independent financial adviser at The Private Office.

Freeing yourself from debt might sound appealing, but student loans don't work like most types of borrowing. 

They don't affect your credit score, repayments are based on income, and many are wiped before graduates pay them off.

There's no single answer to the question of whether you should pay off your loan early, but some people might want to consider it - and some probably shouldn't - depending on certain circumstances.

How do repayments work?

"The key point is that you don't start repaying the loan until you are earning above a certain amount," says Curtis. 

"Even then, it's a percentage of the income above that threshold."

Curtis uses the example of a graduate on repayment Plan 2 who lives in England. 

They will repay 9% of everything they earn over £28,470. So, if they earned £30,000, they would repay £137.70 a year - 9% of the £1,530.

Which group are you in?

That's not much of a dent in loans that often stretch into the tens of thousands, but the total will be wiped after a certain period, regardless of how much you've paid back.

"Under older plans, the loan might be cleared after 25 or 30 years, while some newer plans extend that period to 40 years," says Curtis.

If you know which plan you're on, this table should tell you what you need to know...

It all depends on your earnings

When it comes to paying it off or not, the question you need to ask is: Are you likely to pay off the debt before it's wiped?

"In many cases, people do not pay off the full balance before the loan is wiped," says Curtis. 

He adds: "This means that for many people, the size of the loan or the interest added to it may not matter all that much. 

"If you're unlikely to repay the total amount before the time limit runs out, making early repayments might not be the best use of your money." 

If, for example, you're always likely to be earning less than £30,000 and you have a large debt, it's probably not worth making early payments.

If, however, you're a higher earner, or expect to be in future, paying a lump sum to clear the debt might be worth considering.

"In that case, paying it off early could help you reduce the total amount you repay by cutting down the interest that builds up over time," says Curtis.

But there are other things to think about.

Alternatives to clearing the debt

"You should also consider the alternatives," says Curtis. "For example, putting the money towards a deposit on a home might be more beneficial in the long run."

A bigger house deposit could help you secure a lower interest rate on your mortgage, as you may have a higher loan-to-value. 

"Another option is to invest the money," says Curtis. "You might be better off putting your lump sum into savings or an investment account, especially if you use tax-efficient options like ISAs or pensions.

"Over time, investments have the potential to grow and compound, which could leave you better off."

It's about doing your own research to weigh up which will be most financially beneficial.

What interest rate are you paying?

If you're likely to pay off the loan in full over time, a crucial factor in deciding to pay it off early or not will be the interest rate you're paying.

If it's lower than your mortgage rate, paying off some of your mortgage early might be a better option, as it will reduce the combined interest you'll pay over time.

Likewise, if it's lower than the best savings rate you can get, savings might be the way to go - though it's important to note that there are changes coming to tax on savings interest from April 2027. 

The tax rate will rise by 2%, which means basic-rate taxpayers will pay 22%, higher-rate taxpayers will pay 42%, and additional-rate taxpayers will pay 47% on interest earned outside an ISA and beyond their personal savings allowance.

With the best savings rates around 4.50%, a basic-rate taxpayer will use up their entire allowance with a deposit of just over £22,000.

In summary

"The decision to pay off your student loan early depends on your financial situation now and what you expect it to look like in the future," says Curtis. 

"If your income is likely to stay modest, there may be little to gain from clearing the loan early, especially if it will eventually be written off. 

"If you expect to earn more over time and are on a plan that charges interest based on your income, then early repayment could reduce the total amount you end up paying." 

It is important to weigh up your options carefully and think about how your money could be used most effectively. 

"For many, the student loan system works quietly in the background and does not need to be tackled head-on. 

"For others, there might be a real benefit in clearing the balance early. The key is knowing which group you are in."