Scott Adams, who wrote the Dilbert books in the U.S., once concocted a 9-point plan for sorting out your money, which he called, The Unified Theory of Everything Financial.

Here it is adapted for the UK market :

1. Make sure you have a will.

2. Pay off all your credit cards.

3. If you have a family to support, get term life insurance.

4. Ensure you fund your company pension to the maximum.

5. Buy a house.

6. Put £3000 in a tax-free Isa savings account each year. (£3000 is the current maximum).

7. Any money left over, invest 70 percent in a stock index tracking fund, and 30 percent in a bond fund through any discount broker/fund supermarket. Don’t touch it until retirement.

8. For special cases, or lack of expertise, hire a fee-based financial planner, not one who charges a percentage of your portfolio.

Good advice, so pass it on to anyone you think may need it.

In the UK, buy-to-let property has been a top target for many investors, big and small. Many people are entering the thriving market as a substitute for pensions.

Now, it seems, the prospects are not so good, as interest rates rise, putting pressure on borrowers, and house prices start to fall. Worse, landlords will be hit harder than the lenders in the prevailing conditions.

Indicative of this, the share price of Paragon, Britain’s biggest buy-to-let lender, has fallen 20 percent this year. This is despite the firm being the most conservative mortgage lender in the sector. Only 0.15 percent of its lending book is in arrears, compared with 0.64 percent across the buy-to-let market, and 0.89 percent in the mortgage sector as a whole.

The company asserts, however, that landlords generate 125 percent of their mortage costs, giving Paragon some protection from a downturn. Similarly, it makes 90 percent of its money from its backbook, so plummeting mortgage applications won’t hit it very hard.

Paragon shares might just be a good buy, despite the state of the market. Whether landlords with their pensions tied up in property will see it that way, remains to be seen. Play it long, is good advice here.

More financial journalists have been giving their top tips for shares on the London Stock Exchange during 2007. Here’s a list of their suggested buys :

Lucy Farndon : Royal Bank of Scotland.
Brian O’Connor : Ark Therapeutics.
Alex Brummer : Prudential.
James Ashdon : Vodafone.
Geoff Foster : Redstone.
Ian Lyall : Oakdene Homes.
Tamsin Brown : Rank.
Manfreda Cavazza : Tesco.
Karl West : ICI
Sam Fleming : Geiger Counter.

All of the above are from the Mail Group of newspapers.

The UK Mail on Sunday has five top share tips for British investors.

Pointing out that 2006 was a much better year than predicted, the runes say that the coming 12 months will be “rocky”. However, we’re assured that the following stocks will perform well whatever the state of the markets :

1. Barclays : This is one of the world’s top banks with a strong High Street network of retail branches, as well a top flight investment bank. It also boasts a very successful fund management division with fast-growing international business interests. Its shares are rising because it has become the subject of a number of takeover attempts in recent times.

2. Biffa : This company collects, treats and recycles rubbish (garbage) for 80,000 customers worldwide. Biffa has been quoted on the London Stock Exchange since October 2006. Prior to its IPO it was part of Severn Trent Water company. The sector is a buoyant one and, it’s believed, Biffa’s management team will make the most of it.

3. Halfords : While the retail sector is expected to be flaky for most businesses, Halfords may well be the exception. It’s the largest seller of car and bycycle parts in the UK and has benefited from a raft of safety legislation in recent years. Analysts expect it to perform well in 2007.

4. CONCATENO : This company is involved in testing for drugs and alcohol — a growing service across the board — advising companies from building to shipping. It works with a number of public sector bodies. It is expected to come into its own this year and trades on the AIM (Alternative Investment Market).

5. Afren : Afren is an oil and gas exploration company run by a former head of OPEC. Its mission is in Africa and is seen as helping rather than exploiting local resources. Many experts think its time has come and it should rise well above its 57p share price in the year ahead.