Ian Allsop finds out about Alison McKenna's plans for the Charity Tribunal.

Could an investment strategy be the solution to schools maintaining charitable status? Graham Wainer The 2006 Charities Act compels independent schools to justify their on-going charitable status by proving their worth to the wider community. Governors, bursars and head teachers have had to recognise this shift in emphasis and its potential implications for their schools' financial planning. The benefits that charitable status confers are significant, namely exemption from both capital gains and income tax as well as no inheritance tax implications for benefactors. In 2004, the Independent Schools Council estimated that the annual fiscal benefit of charitable status amounted to nearly £100m.

Simon Arundel provides a guide for fighting fraud. When times are hard, financial fraud inevitably rears its ugly head.

Ian Allsop casts his eye over 2008. As it is the last Charity Finance of the year, I thought it would be appropriate to have a look back over the last 12 months. It's a common device in Sunday newspapers towards the end of the year, as an easy way of filling pages. Throw in a quiz and book choices from a few famous people and you can cover acres of white space pretty easily. Of course this works better if it has been a busy year rather than one where very little has happened but we'll give it a go.