TODAY, The Sun launches a free tool to help you check whether you will get the Winter Fuel Payment this year. 

The free benefits checker is in partnership with poverty charity Turn2Us. It quickly tells you if you’re missing out on any cash.
If you are unable to access the internet you could ask a friend or relative to help you do the check. 

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We were flooded with calls and emails earlier this week, with many readers asking whether they were entitled to pension credit or other benefits.

In her July statement, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that this winter only households in England and Wales that receive Pension Credit or certain means tested benefits will be entitled to the Winter Fuel payment. 

Previously it was available to everyone aged over 66.

New government figures estimate that 770,000 pensioners are at risk of missing out this winter. 

The benefit, which is worth up to £300, unlocks a host of other awards including a free TV licence and cheaper water bills worth up to £3,900. 

Michael Clarke, from Turn2us: “It’s crucial that people are supported by friends and family to check they are getting all the support available to them. 

“In just 10 minutes, the Turn2us Benefits Calculator will tell people if they are eligible.”

You will need some personal information to hand about your current income, including state and private pensions, and any benefits you currently receive. 

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If you are eligible to apply for Pension Credit you can call the DWP helpline on: 0800 99 1234

When you claim you will need your national insurance number and details of any savings and investments, plus information on housing costs such as mortgage interest, service charges or ground rent. 

You must lodge a claim by December 21 to get the Winter Fuel Payment this year.

FIX YOUR ENERGY BILLS?

If you’re not on a fixed tariff then it may be worth considering one. Many of the top fixed tariffs are now cheaper than the price cap and could save you money. You can compare tariffs using uSwitch.com or Moneysavingexpert.com. 

WARM HOME DISCOUNT 

The Warm Home Discount is £150 one-off payment towards electricity bills. You will usually get it automatically – but you need to apply if you’re on a low income in Scotland.
You should check with your energy supplier if you’re on a low income and think you are eligible. 

HOUSEHOLD SUPPORT FUND

You can apply to your local council for help if you’re on a low income. Search the name of your local council and ‘household support fund’ to find out details on how you can apply. Eligibility criteria and the amount you will get varies based on where you live – but some households have got up to £500.

ENERGY GRANTS

Many of the UK’s biggest energy suppliers have grants in place to help struggling customers. For example, British Gas offers grants of up to £2,000. .
Ask your supplier if there is anything they can offer
FREE INSULATION OR BOILERS 

You may be able to get free or cheap insulation to help reduce your home’s energy bills. Check here: https://www.gov.uk/apply-great-british-insulation-scheme

GET FREE DEBT HELP

THERE are several groups which can help you with your problem debts for free.

• Citizens Advice – 0800 144 8848 (England) / 0800 702 2020 (Wales)
• StepChange – 0800138 1111
• National Debtline – 0808 808 4000
• Debt Advice Foundation – 0800 043 4050

MARTIN Lewis has issued a warning to anyone under 22 who could have £2,000 sitting in a forgotten account.

Child Trust Funds are long-term, tax-free savings accounts which were set up for every child born between September 2002 and January 2 2011.

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The Money Saving Expert said on X that those aged 22 and under could have the Child Trust Fund set up and access it for free.

But he also warned that some firms are attempting to charge individuals to “get your own money” – but Lewis says “don’t pay.”

The Government deposited £250 for every child during that time period, or £500 if they came from a low income family earning around £16,000 a year or below.

An extra £250 or £500, depending on their families’ economic status, was deposited when the child turned seven.

In 2010, this was reduced to £50 for better off households and £100 for those on a lower income.

The scheme was eventually scrapped in 2011 as part of cost-cutting measures following the 2009 financial crisis and was later replaced with Junior ISAs.

Currently, parents or friends can deposit up to £9,000 into the child’s account tax-free, with the money usually invested into shares.

The youngest children across Britian to have these accounts are about 13 years old, so have around five years before they can access the cash.

It is important to note that savings in these accounts are not held by the Government but are held in banks, building societies or other saving providers. 

The money stays in the account until it’s withdrawn or re-invested.

Young people can take control of their Child Trust Fund at 16, but can only withdraw funds when they turn 18 and the account matures.

However, new figures released by the HMRC have found that more than 670,000 18-22 year olds are yet to claim their Child Trust Fund.

The tax office said that the average savings pot is worth £2,212.

Angela MacDonald, HMRC’s second permanent secretary and deputy chief executive, said the government wants to “reunite young people with their money and we’re making the process as simple as possible.”

She added: “You don’t need to pay anyone to find your Child Trust Fund for you, locate yours today by searching ‘find your Child Trust Fund’ on GOV.UK.”

How to track down a Child Trust Fund

If you were born in the UK between 2002 and 2006 it is worth checking to see if you have cash in a Child Trust Fund.

Parents were either given a voucher to set one up or HMRC set one up on a child’s behalf.

There are a number of third party groups offering to search for Child Trust Funds but it worth noting that they will charge a fee so you might loose a chunk of your money.

The Government has a free tool you can use online to help track down your fund.

You can find this by searching for “find a Child Trust Fund” on GOV.UK.

You’ll need to have a few personal details to hand to do the search, including your date of birth and National Insurance (NI) number.

Your NI number remains the same for your entire life. It’s made up of two letters, six numbers and a final letter. 

You can find this number on your payslips or by downloading the HMRC app, which can be downloaded on the Apple or Google Play Store.

When you’re done filling this out, HMRC will then send you a letter revealing what company has your Child Trust Fund.

What to do once you have claimed the money

Usually, people put the cash straight into a bank account, invest it, or transfer it into an ISA.

You can also ask your Child Trust Fund Provider to give you the money and get it cashed into your bank account.

This way you’ll need to share the bank account details you wish to transfer the cash into with HMRC.

But if you’d rather invest it, you can transfer it into an ISA.

The Sun recently broke down whether or not an ISA is right for you, which you can read here.

Super Micro Computer (SMCI) stock fell 2.5% Thursday after rallying as much as 9% the day before, continuing its rollercoaster ride of a week as investors swing between optimism over the company’s strong financials and cautiousness over its regulatory risks.

Super Micro is reportedly being investigated by the Department of Justice over allegations of shady business practices outlined in a scathing report by short seller firm Hindenburg Research in late August. That has pressured the stock, which has hovered under $50 per share since then.

This week, SMCI climbed on positive reports from the AI server maker. Super Micro surged 16% Monday after the company released numbers showing strong demand for its products. The stock was up 12% on Thursday from the prior week.

Super Micro makes servers using Nvidia’s (NVDA) AI chips for data centers that power artificial intelligence software. The company said it’s shipping servers containing over 100,000 Nvidia GPUs per quarter “for some of the largest AI factories ever built.”

Then on Tuesday, shares of SMCI fell 5% after a promising premarket rally that saw the stock jump as much as 7%. Daniel Newman, CEO of the Futurum Group, said investors’ euphoria over the company’s shipment data faded against the backdrop of Super Micro’s regulatory risk.

“I think one piece of good news hardly undoes multiple months of significant financial and regulatory scrutiny around a company like this,” Newman said.

The Hindenburg report in August accused Super Micro of shoddy accounting, undisclosed relationships between its CEO and companies it does business with, and violations of US export bans. For example, Hindenburg said Super Micro has shipped servers to sanctioned Russian firms through shell companies, some of which were likely used by its military for its war against Ukraine.

The day after Hindenburg released its report, Super Micro shares dropped 20%. The company also delayed filing its annual 10-K report to the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Super Micro’s woes continued with a Wall Street Journal report of an alleged DOJ probe, which sent shares tumbling in late September.

Super Micro CEO Charles Liang said the Hindenburg report contained “false or inaccurate statements” and “misleading presentations of information that we have previously shared publicly.” Liang said the company’s delayed 10-K filing would not affect the company’s fourth quarter financial results, adding that Super Micro would address Hindenburg’s allegations “in due course.”

Super Micro’s stock climb this week displays the tension between its potential as a key player in the AI boom and its regulatory hurdles.

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“This is a high-risk reward,” Newman said. “If they get absolved of all of this, there’s a very good chance it’s going to see a pretty nice move to the upside.” Of the Wall Street analysts tracked by Bloomberg who are covering the stock, seven have a Buy rating on the stock, while 11 maintain a Hold rating. Only one analyst recommends selling the stock.

Analysts see shares rising to $66 over the next 12 months.

The company reported mixed results in its last earnings report. Super Micro’s most recent quarterly revenue of $5.3 billion for the three months ended June 30 barely missed Wall Street’s expectations, but was 143% higher than the prior year. On the other hand, Super Micro earnings per share for the company’s fiscal fourth quarter of $0.63 were far lower than analysts’ consensus forecast of $0.83, according to Bloomberg data.

Argus Research analyst Jim Kelleher told investors in a note on Oct. 3 to buy the dip, noting that Super Micro “has been growing sales and earnings much more rapidly than the Tech industry in recent years.” Wall Street expects Super Micro to report revenues of $6.5 billion for the period ended Sept. 30, up 206% from the previous year. The company has not yet confirmed a date for its next earnings release.

“At this point, we are assuming that any accounting irregularities should they exist are minor and can be addressed while requiring re-issued financial documents,” Kelleher said, adding that Super Micro’s recent 10-for-1 stock split on Oct. 1 “broadens the potential investor pool and should be a long-term positive.”

Despite his long-term optimism, Kelleher lowered his 12-month price target for the stock from $100 to $70.

Laura Bratton is a reporter for Yahoo Finance.

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(Bloomberg) — If cut to junk status, Boeing Co. will be the biggest US corporate borrower to ever be stripped of its investment-grade ratings, flooding the high-yield bond market with a record volume of new bonds to absorb.

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On Tuesday, S&P Global Ratings said it’s considering downgrading the planemaker to junk as strikes at its manufacturing sites persist, hurting production. Last month, Moody’s Ratings said it’s considering a similar move. Fitch Ratings has highlighted the growing risks but not yet announced a review.

Downgrades to junk from two of Boeing’s three major credit graders would leave much of its $52 billion of outstanding long-term debt ineligible for inclusion in investment-grade indexes. If that happens, Boeing would become the biggest ever fallen angel — industry parlance for a company that’s lost its investment-grade ratings — by index-eligible debt, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. analysts.

“Boeing has worn out its welcome in the investment-grade index,” said Bill Zox, a portfolio manager at Brandywine Global Investment Management. “But the high-yield index would be honored to welcome Boeing and its many coupon step-ups.”

A spokesperson for Boeing declined to comment for this story.

‘Idiosyncratic Credit Situation’

JPMorgan isn’t taking a view on the likelihood of Boeing transitioning to junk or what such a transition would mean for its credit fundamentals, strategists led by Eric Beinstein and Nathaniel Rosenbaum wrote in a Thursday note.

There could be a relatively seamless transition, the strategists wrote. Credit spreads are tight trading conditions are relatively liquid trading in both the high-grade and high-yield markets, the strategists wrote. Much of of Boeing’s debt has a coupon step-up feature — where the interest rate increases by 0.25 percentage point for each step below investment-grade that each ratings firm downgrades by, which could make it more palatable to some investors, including insurers.

“Usually downgrades from high-grade to high-yield are clustered together around economic downturns or crisis,” the analysts wrote. “This is an idiosyncratic credit situation, should a downgrade occur. No other large fallen angel has ever transitioned at such tight spreads.”

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The corporate bond market has swelled in recent years, so even if Boeing has more debt than other borrowers have had historically, it takes up a smaller part of the investment-grade universe. The company makes up just 0.7% of Bloomberg’s US corporate investment-grade bond index. When Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co. were downgraded in 2005, they took up 8.3% and 3% of the high-grade market respectively, according to JPMorgan.

But there are also reasons for the transition to potentially result in big price moves for the company’s debt. Boeing’s $52 billion debt load is big by junk issuer standards. And it has a relatively high proportion of longer-dated debt, while most high-yield investors focus on shorter- and intermediate-term securities to help manage credit risk.

High-grade and high-yield funds, which pool together bonds according to factors like credit quality and maturity to pay regular returns to investors, could also be impacted. More passive fund investors have piled into the high-grade market over the years, which would mean a higher volume of “forced sellers” if Boeing is downgraded, according to JPMorgan.

“I would expect a fair amount of index-related selling as the debt changes hands between the investment-grade and high-yield markets,” said Scott Kimball, chief investment officer at Loop Capital Asset Management. “It wouldn’t surprise me if things got ugly as high-yield investors aren’t as beholden to benchmarks, generally.”

Since active high-yield managers are not going be “forced buyers,” they will have a greater degree of price-setting power, according to Kimball.

“The liquidity transfer costs are real,” he said. “High-yield buyers, being less index-focused, are the ones setting the price. It’s the opposite of upgrades where passive money is more prevalent.”

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