With interest rates as low as they are, is it worth getting a cash ISA?

Yes. Even at 1.5% or lower, it is better to have interest without a tax deduction than have to pay income tax of up to 40%. And although the tax saving is currently small, once your money (up to £3,600 a person each tax year) is in an Individual Savings Account (ISA), it can stay there and continue to enjoy tax freedom.

At some future stage, interest rates will rise so your Isa will then become more valuable. But if you don't use your annual allowance in the tax year (it ends on April 5), you lose it forever.
(From March 2009)

I was burgled recently. The thieves took a load of things including jewellery, and my new and very expensive mobile phone. When I reported the loss to my home contents insurer, I was asked if any keys had been taken. A set of car keys had been stolen. Now my insurer says I must contact my motor policy provider as I will have to have the car locks changed. Why? And what will happen now?

Thieves often scoop up all the small items they can find into a bag in the hope it could be worth something later on. Your keys are not worth much in themselves but they are worth a lot to a car thief. After all, as they know where you live, it wouldn?t be difficult to find your vehicle.

You have to claim on your motor insurance as the risk is to your car ? not your home. Insurers will generally insist taking the car to a safe compound while the work is done. And as replacing locks on many cars can cost several hundred pounds, your motor insurer will usually treat this as a damage claim. You will have to pay the excess ? the first slice of the claim you agreed to pay ? and you will lose some or all of your no claims discount if it is not protected.

As a rule, it's best not to keep any keys on display in your home.
(From March 2009)

Some of the tiles fell off my roof. But the insurer is refusing to pay the repair bill. Why?

It's impossible to analyse each claim, although the likelihood is the insurance company turned your claim down because the roof problem was due to wear and tear rather than one of the events your policy covers, such as a hurricane or lightning. An insurance policy is not a maintenance plan - it is intended to protect you against the unexpected and not for something foreseeable, such as your roof aging over time and needing repair.

Insurers consult weather records if you claim a storm or similar event caused the damage. These can be very localised - some people have used local newspaper stories about freak weather hitting just one side of a street to back up claims. If a falling tile hits a person or causes damage to a neighbouring property or car, you should be able to claim under the public liability cover that is standard on property policies.
(From March 2009)

Does worldwide on my travel insurance cover really mean what it says?

No. Virtually all policies have exclusions such as war zones (whether officially declared or not so don?t expect cover in Helmand or Darfur), and other areas where the Foreign Office advises against travel or tourist travel (for an up to date list go to the Foreign Office website) although many countries on the list such as India and Israel are safe in parts and popular with tourists. Policies will generally exclude places in the world which both have dangerous terrain and are inaccessible such as Antarctica.

Additionally, some mainstream policies exclude visits to Cuba even though the Foreign Office profile suggest a low risk environment with good medical facilities. This exclusion applies to policies underwritten by American insurers due to the US government boycott of Cuba.

Always ask if you are going anywhere unusual.
(From March 2009)

I've had a serious illness a few years ago but I'm better now. Does this mean I can never get Life Insurance cover?

No, it doesn't mean that. But you will need to disclose your illness when you apply - usually if it occurred in the past five years or you continue to receive treatment or monitoring. "Better" can include being in remission, where it is always possible that your condition returns. It will then be up to the life or critical illness insurer to decide whether to offer you the standard package, increase the premiums, offer lower cover, put you on "probation" (if there are no symptoms within a certain period, you could revert to the standard premiums) or turn you down.

Non-disclosure can invalidate a policy should you claim - this happens to thousands of people each year. So if you are unsure, tell your insurer everything.
(From March 2009)