/arts/columnists/webbhttp://www.ft.com/rss/arts/columnists/webbFT.com - Merryn Somerset Webben© Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2008. "FT" and "Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times. See http://www.ft.com/servicestools/help/terms#legal1 for the terms and conditions of reuse.support@ft.comFri, 27 Jun 2008 18:13 BSTWed, 09 Jul 2008 16:35:04 BSTNewspapers15http://news.ft.com/cms/d1f3ce1a-6bbe-11da-bb53-0000779e2340.gif/arts/columnists/webb(PICS-1.1 "http://www.classify.org/safesurf/" L gen true for "http://www.ft.com/" r (SS~~000 1))http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0675c0d4-446c-11dd-b151-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0675c0d4-446c-11dd-b151-0000779fd2ac.htmlSales at the likes of Mulberry, Burberry and Horne & Co have been soaring and, in defiance of what most of us would consider common sense, those with access to cash continue to throw money at "passion investments" – fancy diamonds, wine, boats and luxury travel. Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:13 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1011ec8c-3ef2-11dd-8fd9-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1011ec8c-3ef2-11dd-8fd9-0000779fd2ac.htmlHow do you cope with a credit crunch? That's the question I was asked to address in a talk to a group of Dutch pension fund managers earlier this week. First, you have to accept that it isn't going awayFri, 20 Jun 2008 19:16 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/78928c02-396c-11dd-90d7-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/78928c02-396c-11dd-90d7-0000779fd2ac.htmlHow often do you buy investment trusts these days? Probably not as often as you did a few years ago. It used to be that those of us who objected to paying the absurd fees charged by most unit trusts (up to 5 per cent up front followed by a good 1.5 per cent a year in management fees) and who wanted easy access to diversified portfolios always bought investment trusts. We looked at them and we saw all sorts of advantages. Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:22 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/11398616-33ed-11dd-869b-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/11398616-33ed-11dd-869b-0000779fd2ac.htmlMy sister is trying to sell a one- bedroom flat in Battersea. It is on the fourth floor of a Victorian mansion block. It is perfectly decorated and, being on the corner, has two terraces with fabulous views over the park. If one single property were to be immune from the housing collapse in the UK, this would be it. But it is not immune. Fri, 6 Jun 2008 18:37 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1952b822-2e70-11dd-ab55-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1952b822-2e70-11dd-ab55-000077b07658.htmlMy ongoing confusion about the current state of our markets tells me one simple thing – that I should hang on to my gold. In uncertain environments, what we all need most is insurance. And gold is the best financial insurance you can get over the long termFri, 30 May 2008 19:32 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/04d3fae8-28ec-11dd-96ce-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/04d3fae8-28ec-11dd-96ce-000077b07658.html Around this time last year, the nation's investment experts all started to point out how cheap the big FTSE 100 stocks looked and suggest we all switched out of smaller companies and into blue chips. Now, however, it's the other way around. Fri, 23 May 2008 18:32 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6c3b9c9c-1deb-11dd-983a-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6c3b9c9c-1deb-11dd-983a-000077b07658.htmlIt's always horrible to feel responsible for other people losing money but when it comes to Japan I really feel the pain: my own Isa is stuffed with Japan-related investments. So the fact that the Nikkei 225 was one of the world's worst performing markets last year hasn't exactly brought forward my retirement date.Fri, 9 May 2008 18:16 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f504a79c-12e4-11dd-8d91-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f504a79c-12e4-11dd-8d91-0000779fd2ac.htmlDeep in Cathar country in the south-west of France is a small village called Bugarach. To the uninformed eye, there isn't much to distinguish it from the hundreds of other villages dotted around the Pyrenean foothills. But here a smallish bungalow recently changed hands for a rumoured €400,000, writes Merryn Somerset Webb Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:35 BST