As the late, great Spike Milligan once said: "Money can't buy you happiness, but it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery."

Finance is nowhere near as fun as Spike. But this board aims to make some dull and complex topics as light and clear as possible.

I will do my best to answer your questions and if I don't know the answer, I will find you someone that does. I wont be making recommendations but I can provide details of all the best-buy financial products to help you get a better deal.

And although I can't be your financial adviser, I can explain how to find one and arm you with 101 ways to keep them on their toes.

For your part, in addition to the RP site rules, please observe:

No share tipping
No insider dealing
No libel
No tax evasion (as opposed to avoidance) discussion
No hassling the moderator when she is hungover

Here comes the science.....

The information provided is only for your personal information and use and is not intended to address your particular requirements or to be relied upon in making (or refraining from making) any specific investment or other decisions.

Rear Party does not warrant the accuracy, timeliness or suitability of any information provided. Such information shall not constitute any form of advice or recommendation by us. Where you are unsure about any matters raised by the information you should obtain appropriate expert independent advice.

The content of the messages posted represent the opinions of the authors, and does not represent the opinions of Rear Party. You should be aware that the other participants may make statements which may be misleading, deceptive or wrong.

Past performance of an investment is not necessarily a guide to its performance in the future. The value of investments or income from them may go down as well as up. You may not necessarily get back the amount you invested.