As the recession continues to affect family finances, more households are trimming back on their insurance cover in a bid to save money and make ends meet. The danger, however, is that money-saving short term could prove very costly in the long term.

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The rise in mobile phones has led, inevitably, to an increase in fraud, thefts of handsets and countless numbers getting lost or damaged. Over 2m mobiles are stolen each year in the UK alone, and over 4m are lost or damaged, so there is a real chance that something could happen to your phone. If you don't have insurance and you're on a monthly contract, you'll have to keep paying the line rental for the remainder of the contract or replace the phone yourself which could mean a large bill.

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Over the last 10 years or so we've seen an enormous explosion in the number people making their own holiday arrangements by buying their flight, accommodation, and even transfers, separately. Despite the greater number of people who'll be having a "staycation" or buying a packaged holiday this year, making your own holiday package remains a popular way of saving money.

But how financially risky is it?

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The first thing we'd better admit isn't that we don't know either.

But, it doesn't mean that you can't take out some of the guess work. There are some simple steps you can take to make a reasonable estimate of how much cover you need. We'll keep these in separate groups, so that you can work through this bit by bit. Read more »

We're almost certain that when The Burning Sensations recorded Life's Little Surprises back in 2002 they didn't have life insurance in mind. But they're right; life is full of little surprises, and sadly some really unpleasant shocks.It's quite natural that most of us don't want to think too hard and too often about what would happen if we died young. But, if you've got people who rely on you to feed and clothe them it's not smart to ignore completely what happens to them if you're no longer around.

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Small medical expenses don't seem too bad by themselves, but regular dental check-ups and buying a pair of glasses can quickly add up. Health cash plans are designed to give you money towards optical, dental and other treatments without forcing you to fork out for expensive insurance premiums, potentially saving money as a result.

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If we had mentioned swine flu a couple of weeks ago the chances are that most people would never have heard of it. Despite the fact that risks to us in the UK are low at the moment, it just goes to show how quickly health related issues can change for all of us. Despite this most of us take our health and well being largely for granted. Of course nobody wants to dwell on the unpleasant "what ifs" in life for a moment longer than they need to. But it's an unfortunate reality that about one in five of us will face a serious illness at some point in our working life. Read more »

Travel Insurance provides peace of mind that should anything happen to you while you are travelling abroad, you are protected both medically and financially.Like any other insurance, travel insurance requires you to select the correct policy to ensure that you are both covered should the worst happen and that you are not paying over the odds for the coverage.

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As a nation of animal lovers, when a pet becomes ill, it can be a very worrying and upsetting time. You want the very best treatment for your pet, yet anxiety over their health can be made worse by the concern of high vets' bills. The average cost of a visit to the vet is over £130. With one in three pets needing veterinary treatment each year, pet insurance is clearly an important consideration and potentially a key way of saving money if things go wrong. Read more »

Unlike car insurance, home insurance is not a legal requirement, but it is an important way of protecting yourself financially in the event of your home or personal belongings being damaged, destroyed or stolen. This piece covers the key features of home insurance and includes some saving tips on how to save on premiums. Read more »