We need to talk about money. Banks and building societies have more than £280 billion of our money in accounts that pay no interest whatsoever. Customers may not realise how much they are increasing the profits of banks, but if they paid customers a modest amount of interest if would cost them £7 billion a year. As the banks will not look after us we have to do it for ourselves.

It is time to check all our accounts and to make sure that we are getting a fair deal, and then to keep a record of all our financial dealings.

We also need to make sure that we are not ripped off, and that we pay less interest on overdrafts and credit cards.

But that is not enough we should share information with partners or other close family members. By doing the homework we can pass on the information to others and ensure thaqt elderly relatives are not taken advantage of. If we keep records it also helps us to be more efficient. And if we need help with our finances during ill-health it will be easier to get.

Too often insurance companies, banks and others take advantage of older customers, especially those that have been loyal. Just because we choose the best account or policy it does not mean that it remains market-leading. We need to check the market often to protect ourselves.

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