POUND NOTES

Financial fact: Banknotes have evolved from receipts left with goldsmiths for safekeeping. Over time, people started exchanging receipts rather than the gold itself.

Millennial women more financially anxious: Women aged 18 to 35 feel more financially anxious than their male peers, a survey suggests.

Females in this group were less optimistic than men of the same age about their career advancement and ability to buy a home, the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association found.

Women were also more likely to report increasing bills over the previous six months, the survey of more than 1,000 millennials in February found.

Divorce brings inheritance concerns for parents: More than three-quarters of over-55s want to have some control over how the next generation spends their inheritance, a survey has found.

Some 77% of people in this age group would like to influence how their legacy is spent, according to Prudential.

About a third (30%) do not want their wealth “squandered” by children, while one in four (26%) are concerned a spouse of their child could take a portion of their inheritance pot in the event of divorce.

Cash rewards for good grades: Just over three-quarters (78%) of parents with children taking exams this year have promised a reward to encourage high grades.

Research from Voucher Codes.co.uk found parents are gearing up to spend an average of £205 in gifts.

Cash is the most common incentive offered by parents, the survey found.

Could you be sitting on a fortune?: When was the last time you had a good spring clean? It could be well worth your while, if new research is anything to go by.

Three-quarters of people have found money down the back of their sofa while cleaning, with 42% finding more than £10 overall, according to sofa and carpet specialist ScS.

One in six have also found a lost bank card down the sofa so it might be worth having one final rummage before phoning the bank to order some new plastic.

Barclays declares fight against fraud: Barclays customers will be given greater controls over how their cards are used as the bank declares a new fightback on fraud.

The bank is launching a new £10m advertising campaign alerting people to the risk of fraud in the digital age.

Its advertising will include information targeted towards younger people and those living in urban areas – who could be particularly at risk.

Barclays said research has shown that younger people aged 25 to 34 are twice as likely to be victims of online fraud than older generations.