The best first phone for a child, plus zero-hours contracts rise

What’s the right handset for someone going to secondary school, what controls should be put in place – and will teachers even allow it? Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo

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

Insecure employment is becoming a bigger feature of the jobs market. Photograph: Jon Spaull/Getty Images/Axiom RM

More than 900,000 UK workers now on zero-hours contracts

Investors risk losing £8m in failed ‘mini-bonds’

Confidence in housing market rising after Brexit vote, say surveyors

Land Registry sell-off plan put on hold

Consumers ‘don’t stand a chance’ of finding best overdraft deal

New Zealand tops world house price increase

Financial Ombudsman still receiving thousands of PPI complaints

Feature

Funeral costs can see you digging deep, but small directors ease the pain

Bereaved families pay about £3,700 for a basic cremation or burial – are there cheaper options? Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo

In pictures

Purple patch: a lavender farm for sale

Hit a purple patch in your career with this working farm in North Yorkshire. Photograph: Savills

In the spotlight

Mobile phones are part of everyday life, and almost three-quarters of children now have one. We have a guide to choosing the the best first phone for a child, while Patrick Collinson wonders if schools need better policies on their use

Consumer champions

With the baby due imminently, I couldn’t order the cot again Photograph: Picture Partners/Alamy

Mothercare nearly left me holding the baby after failing to deliver cot

Painkillers at £8.50 per pack are a bitter pill to swallow

A very expensive paint job in our son’s halls of residence

Money deals

Save time and money with the Guardian’s annual travel insurance, provided by Voyager.

If you need to send money overseas get free online transfers and competitive exchange rates with the Guardian money transfer service, provided by moneycorp.