Money Talks: Pensions news, crowdfunding freebies and cheaper holidays Plus, house prices, consumer wrongs righted and a collective energy switch Gavin Lewis theguardian.com, Thursday 12 March 2015 08.58 EDT With the pound at a seven-year high against the euro, how will holiday costs be affected? Photograph: Ian Waldie/Getty Images Hello and welcome to this week’s Money Talks – a roundup of the week’s biggest stories and some things you may have missed. Money news Ministers to discuss fate of pensioners trapped with annuities House prices fall in London but rise across rest of UK, says Rics Pensions industry faces a ‘Y2K’ moment on 6 April What does the falling euro mean for my holiday? Half of single parents borrow to pay childcare costs, says charity 50% rise in long-term unemployment for young ethnic minority people in UK FirstGroup bids to take on Virgin Trains on east coast mainline Feature A beer or a milkshake? Crowdfunding can bring delicious dividends Work advice Career cares? Work woes? Out of love with the office? Our expert is on hand to help. Put your questions to Jeremy, and help other readers with their worries. Consumer champions Nationwide opened an Isa for my father. One problem … it wasn’t in his name It’s taking me a lifetime to navigate TomTom’s free offer No Kwik Fix from sales tactics that catch out a ‘retired demographic’ In the spotlight The MBE and his wife, and why NatWest shut down their accounts Iraj Hashi and his wife Monica McLean: the couple were also barred from using the banking industry’s switching service. Photograph: Fabio De Paola In pictures Homes with secrets Rome, Italy Photograph: Sotheby’s International Realty Money deals HTC’s new M9 smartphone is available for pre-order now, you can find out more here. There’s still time to sign up for our free event in Manchester on 19 March at 6.30pm. This Guardian Investing event will cover the recent pension changes, the principles of investing and more.  There are just 10 more days left to switch to our collective energy switch deals,sign up to find out how much you could save.   More from Guardian Money Deals Searching for the right mortgage deal?Get expert fee-free advice seven days a week with the Guardian mortgage service.See our best buys >> Save with Guardian annual travel insuranceCover all your travel plans for the next year and you could save time and money too Get a quote now >> How much could you save on your energy? Find out with the Guardian's comparison service. It's quick and simple to save.  Compare deals now >> Find a better mobile deal - save up to 40%Compare the latest handsets and sim-only deals to find the best deal for you Find out more >>