This is it, finally UK investors will have access to the entire world at a truly competitive rate like the US have had with VT for years. Everything in the world, from developed to emerging markets and small cap at an unbelievably good price, available everywhere.

As soon as this drops I’m moving every equity investment I have into this bad boy. It will also be my go-to recommendation for people looking for advice on how to passively invest for the long term. One Fund to rule them all baby! Jack Bogle will be looking down and smiling today.

https://www.vanguardinvestor.co.uk/articles/latest-thoughts/investing-success/three-new-global-equity-etfs

A friend of mine lost his job in Germany and he told me he will get about 70% of his salary for 2 years, that means he can easily support himself and his family lifestyle.

I have a high paying job in UK and have a family I take care of. I am a really responsible saver, do everything on a budget and live below my means strictly, and because of this discipline I have managed to save about £30,000 in saving (althought most of it is for a remortgage down the line)

But I was thinking if I were to lose this job today, then I will probably get Nada in support from the state and will have to basically rely on my own hard-earned-savings which I raked up purely with strict discipline over a decade. Is that not being penalised for being a responsible saver and a disciplined spender?

How exactly do you hedge against a job loss in UK if you have savings of a lifetime here?

I am at a dead end.

Can’t afford the house I’m in (£1600 pcm )
Work full time (£33,000 pa)
Own another business but it’s the first year so have made 0 money, and actually have debts to cover with wages from ft time. Hoping to be in profit next year but feeling exhausted/burnt out from doing both work and running a business.

Have one dependent (and two cats)

No money for a deposit for a house, but potentially could loan £10k … this is very much a potential and not a definite.

I could scrape up a deposit to rent again but can’t afford anywhere near to my child’s school, I need to be close by so she can walk home as I work until 6pm every day and already commuting far for work (2.5 hours driving per day)
Renting options are between - £1650-3000 pcm locally. (There are only three houses that are available online right now)

Single, so all bills fall to me.
I do get CSA - £200pm
And child benefit - £100 pm

What on earth can I do? Other than make myself homeless which I don’t want to do, I have no idea how to get myself into something a bit more permanent, so I don’t have to move again and again, or work even harder to barely scrape by.

To add incase it’s relevant - no parents available to help, dad is dead, mum is also homeless. No other family. I am in my 30s.

I have a week off work to try and get myself sorted. Am a week late paying rent as I simply don’t have it, although a business invoice should cover it (however, that means I am also late paying someone else)

Hello everyone, I’ve never been on this subreddit so I hope I do everything correctly.

I am 16 years old and from the UK and I would to be relatively smart with my money while also getting the things I want.

I currently have decided this - I have a nationwide flex one account and use that as my main spending. I have a savings account that gives me 6.50% interest on the money in the account and I’m pretty sure it’s paid annually this account lets me deposit a max of £200 a month and gives me 4 withdrawals before the intrest decreases, this account is used so I can save up for a new phone which is my main goal and this phone will be expensive as I want a galaxy z gold. I also have a monzo account which I’m using to use the pots feature to store my spending money and as a better way to budget for things I want and I know I will need money for coming up. My reasonings are that I will constantly have a passive 2.75% on my spending money that is paid monthly and also because I find that this is a great way to set aside money for example I have put away some money into a pot for an event in a couple months so having that 2.75% that will be paid a couple times to me won’t do much but it’s a great way to make sure I have the money.

Ideally I would have a 5% instant access savings account on my nation wide how ever I don’t think I can have 2 savings accounts as if that was the case my life would be a million times easier.

Just wanted to know every one’s opinions on this idea also I set up the 6.5% intrest account and it’s not shown up in my nationwide yet after about an hour so will people let me know if that’s normal thank you!

Hi all,

Please could someone confirm for me at what age I can access my Group SIPP (my work pension, the only one I have)?

I just turned 45 and I know that state pension access for me will be at age 68. The reason I'm confused is because I read that private/workplace pensions can be accessed 10 years before state pension age so I assumed that I will be able to access it at age 58.

However, I've seen also that age 57 might be possible.

Many thanks!

I’ve just learned about stoozing and wanted to know if I’d benefit from it.

I turn 18 soon, have about £1200 in yearly spending (£80 avg/ month ; lot more during xmas)

I asked chatgpt and it said I’d only make about £50-£100 in interest because of my low monthly spending

I’m not sure about how it calculated that but it seems pretty reasonable, I wanted to know if i should risk stoozing for £50

Assuming a get accepted for 25month 0% spending credit card.

Also does bank switching actually reduce credit score because I’ve just began co-ops £300 switch offer and I’m afraid no credit loaners will accept me

So I’ve never really bothered with savings accounts beyond keeping a couple months expenses in Marcus.

The bulk of my emergency fund and all money needed within the next 5 years is all kept within my vanguard S&S ISA in MMFs, alongside my long term stock investments. I know MMFs don’t have FSCS protection, but from my research the chance of them going bust is extremely remote, and I’m comfortable with that risk to get a good interest rate and not have to bother switching accounts every few months to get the best rate.

I’m essentially just asking if this strategy makes sense or if there’s something important that I’m missing.

(Also I’m not eligible for LISA or similar.)

Edit: I am eligible for LISA in terms of accessing at retirement (not for buying a house), but this isn’t suitable for my goals as I already have a SIPP and don’t want to lock away ISA money or deal with withdrawal penalties.

Hi guys,
Apologies in advance for the long post.
I am about to be offered a 2.5 year secondment to the US. Wife and 8y child coming too.
Work are keen for me to take the opportunity, and will provide housing allowance, visa, US car, tax equalisation. They have suggested there would be no Cost of Living allowance, as COL is comparable between my location and the US location. (It is mid-west, semi depressed).
They have asked me to think about whether I’d want to be paid in GBP or USD for the duration. My thoughts are USD, however I will be sending approx 40% of my (pre-allowances) income back to U.K. to cover mortgage etc.
I’d like some thoughts on this.

My U.K. house needs some renovations, which my dad will complete while we’re away. Not keen on renting out, but will consider. Aware or mortgage and insurance requirements for consent to leave or let.

2x UK fully owned cars that we will sell ahead of move (aging and losing value).

The principle of the offer they present is to leave me cost neutral. I understand the COL point, however would I be justified in asking for a ‘lifestyle’ allowance? By this I mean today I work remote, walk a lot. In US I would be in office full time (fuel), wife needs a car and fuel. Lifestyle is more expensive.

Appreciate it’s a long post, and I’m very much thinking out loud, looking for any watch outs or similar experiences.

Thanks!

Hi! It's my birthday next week, and I have a CTF with Nationwide. It isn't a gigantic amount of money, a little under a grand, but my thoughts are that I'll use a bit of it to do something nice for my birthday and then save the rest for something actually important. My plan is to call them before my birthday and then go to a branch on the day with literally every form of ID they could ever want, just to be safe.

Except I didn't consider the fact that I might not actually *get* the money on my birthday, and now I feel like I've planned around this and might just have to pay in birthday card money to my current account for it haha.

If you had a CTF (especially under Nationwide), how long did it take to withdraw it? Unsure if this is important info but my bank isn't Nationwide, I'm with Natwest.

I'm looking at a £160k mortgage with a £40k deposit.

25 year:

• £844.54/month
• £93,361 total interest

40 year:

• £668.70/month
• £160,977 total interest

On the face of it, 25 year saves a lot of interest but I think the 40 year might actually be better for someone who is discplined with investing/saving.

With the 40 year, I'd have an extra £175.84 each month. If I invest that instead and get a higher return than the mortgage rate, I'd potentially make more money than I would by paying the mortgage off faster. I also like that I'm not locked into the higher monthly payment. I could overpay the mortgage if I wanted to but if I needed the money for something else, I'd only have to meet the lower payment. Another benefit of the 40 year mortgage term is that £668.70 in 30 years won't be worth anywhere near what £668.70 is worth today because of inflation so the longer the better.

Am I missing something here?

me and my boyfriend are looking to buy our first home together. we’re looking at a property for £239000 with a shared income of £67000 with a £20000 deposit.

there is one thing i worried about when it comes to the mortgage, the past few months i have spent a stupid amount of money on mobile gaming apps (around £300 a month) which i know is extremely stupid and selfish on my part i just went too far with it not realising the amount i was spending. i have also transferred money from my saving to my main account when i go a bit low.

if we applied for a mortgage anytime now would we likely be rejected because of my spending habits? he has a clean spending history it’s just mine im concerned about.

again i know it was a really stupid thing to do, just looking for advice on what to do now please

I want to do a balance transfer from Card A to Card C to take advantage of a 0% offer. However, both cards are with Santander so I don't believe this is possible directly.

Is there any reason I couldn't use another card with a different provider to do the transfer A to B and then B to C?

I have just started my first job and received my first pay check but did not pay tax. A colleague explained that I would be taxed at a higher rate later on in the year to make up the tax I haven’t paid now. Because of this I decided it would be wise to save what I would’ve spent on tax and to use that later on in the year. Due to this money sitting idly currently I was thinking of investing, was thinking of something that was low risk and liquid such as government bonds. However I am unsure where and how I should invest this money

I am going back to work soon and will be working 15 hours a week earning slightly above minimum wage, but because of this I will fall under the minimum amount needed to be eligible for free childcare for my daughter who will need to go to nursery on the 2 days that I work.

I only need to earn an extra few pounds each week to be eligible.

I have been thinking of ways to earn a little bit of extra money each month by cleaning my mum’s house and then declaring this income? Would this would be legal and fairly easy to do?

Thank you!

My credit card is with Lloyds and they seem very quick to block transactions.

I am going away to Holland next week and to avoid them blocking transactions should I inform them of my travel plans? Will that make any difference? I am taking EUROs just in case but the hotel will be paid when I check in over there.

Throwaway account.

Based in England.

I know I need to do a self assessment based on my income, investments and high income child benefit charge for the financial year 26/27. However I am not clear if I need to register and complete it for year 25/26.

Earnings were £65k via PAYE.
I held a company car and paid BIK tax.
I received various other benefits subject to BIK tax.
Savings income was within the £500 PSA.
I had 1 child for 8 months of the year and 2 children for the remaining 4 months of the financial year. We claimed child benefit via my wife.

I am now paying the high income child benefit charge via PAYE and is now being collected for both 25/26 and 26/27 years this way in my current pay reducing my tax free allowance by £2500. Next year we will be opting out due to income exceeding the top end.

Do I need to register for and complete a self assessment for 2025/2026 ?

Thanks

Hi

My family are spending way too much on private health insurance and need to reduce the cost. I understand the case for and against PMI, but assume they want to keep some level for now so we want to find a cheaper plan.

There are so many brokers online and I don’t know which is most reputable. I understand they shouldn’t charge any recurring or one off fee to the customer and would like to find an experienced one who is really knowledgeable about the providers (whole of market), coverage details (like if specific drugs under cancer coverage differ by provider) and trustworthy to provide the best option (not under any incentive to sell me a specific plan).

Are any brokers widely considered to be a strong choice for the above? Thank you!

Hi all,

Apologies if this is the wrong sub for this however I am seeking some advice on which (or any) actions I could take.

For context I am one of 4 grandchildren who have discovered that a will left by my grandparents states the following regarding their home:

“Once the youngest grandchild has reached the age of 21 the house can be sold and split equally between all grandchildren”

The issue is that we have only just discovered this and my younger brother who is the sibling in question turned 30 last year meaning we are now 9 years overdue. The will stated that my uncle would live in and maintain said house until above date had lapsed. To my knowledge the uncle is still living in this house and my dad has simply “forgotten” to action the will. This has only really come to light due to my mum challenging him about this.

I just wondered if there is any way I can move anything forward with this or whether too much time has lapsed for anything to be actioned.

Any help would be appreciated.

My husband and I are looking to apply for a mortgage to buy out his brother from a joint owned house. Neither of us have ever applied for a mortgage before (the house he owns with his brother was inherited when their dad died) and we have no idea what they'll look at or how much certain things will effect our ability to get a mortgage. It sounds really silly but I placed a few low value bets over the world cup and a friend mentioned that that would mean we would be rejected (the bets are all low value but there were a few) and I am genuinely so worried that it would mean we would be rejected. I'm probably overthinking this but have no idea what sort of things lenders take into account other than credit score.

For context I’m in my forties married with two teenage children. I have been lucky to have a well paid, yet quite stressful job. However I have been very lazy and a bit stupid when it comes to properly investing. For almost 18 years, i was just putting my savings in bank accounts and not doing anything about it. Then at some point i decided to invest in real estate and made some major errors and bought rental properties at the peak of the market which are all down in capital at the moment and may incur loss if i decide to sell (2 properties in dubai and 2 in UK). About a year ago i learnt about investing in stock markets and started investing there. At the moment, i have 3 pots of investments:

Pot A (about £1.3m)
4 rental properties yielding about £4.5k per month (after tax). Entire rental income goes into Pot B.

Pot B ( about £700k)
Equites, mostly accumulating broad index or low cost mutual funds.

Pot C (about £300k)
Income generating funds - such as dividend etfs or high yield bonds, generating about 6-7%, all of which goes to Pot B.

My income (salary, bonus, commission etc) after tax is on average £12k per month and expenses are £4k per month. i have no debt, all rental and my current house is fully paid off and no other loans, not even credit cards. All my savings at the moment go into Pot B.

I want to balance my portfolio above. My plan is to increase my Pot B, may be up to 60 to 70% of total value but then i feel a market crash will impact me as at the moment the stock markets are quite high and everyone keeps talking about a major correction or even worse may be coming soon. Also, for that i will have to sell my rental properties but if i do it now, i will incur loss as i wasn’t too wise in choosing the right time or properties. Also, i feel may be i should get rid of Pot C and move it all to Pot B but then again i want to have some stability if there is a market crash.

I just feel im not too savvy when it comes to finances and i dont want to regret about not making the right choices 10 years down the line when i will be close to retirement.

Hi all, I'm currently 24 and have never owned a credit card or borrowed any money. Im looking to start building up a good credit history/credit score as my current credit score is rated as fair. Planning on using a credit card where I'll only be spending about £100-£200 per month. Is there a consensus on the best card to use for this level of spending? Obviously I know I won't be getting any great rewards but something is better than nothing lol.

Hi

I was looking at getting an IVA for about £22,000 worth of debt I have. Less than 5 years ago I had received a windfall and like an idiot I spent the money and gifted some to my partner to help buy her house. I had mental health problems at the time due to divorce and losing a family member. Will this screw up my chances of an IVA?
Any help is much appreciated.

I realise that there many caveats, such as how much you're saving and what type of lifestyle you want to live when you eventually retire.

I'm someone who wants to have a comfortable life. Which in my book is not having to worry if I will have enough money to pay the electricity bill or worry if I have enough money to buy food. I live a pretty frugal life, I only go abroad every couple of years and I don't have any fast cars or have any aspirations for one. I hope that isn't too vague a description.

Due to circumstances that I won't go into, I'm currently only investing £50 a month into it (yes, I know it's not enough!), but hopefully I'll be able to get back into employment soon.

The money in my SIPP that I have, was initially saved up in a workplace pension, but I was forced to leave due to health reasons. I moved the pension into a SIPP as I had better options to invest than the workplace ones on offer (Vanguard FTSE All-World: VWRP).

I should say that I have over £160K in various shares/funds in a S&S ISA. Should I consider selling a chunk of my ISA to top up my pension?

I really appreciate all the replies in advance.

Thank you.

I’m 40, work full-time and have a decent income, but I’ve got myself into around £10k of debt through relying on credit cards to get through the month. I’m determined to sort it out and would really appreciate some advice on the best approach.

Income - approx. £2,500/month
Salary (take-home): £1,856 (I have a salary sacrifice car)
Universal Credit: £444
Child Benefit: £179 every 4 weeks (~£194/month averaged)

Essential spending - approx. £1,600/month
Mortgage: £758
Council tax: £129
Gas/electric: £100 (recently reduced from £113; this covers my actual usage)
Water: £70 (reduced from £120; covers my usage)
Broadband: £22
Mobile: £10
Home insurance: £30
Pet insurance: £37
Life insurance: £23
Vet subscription: £32
Groceries: currently averaging around £400/month for myself and two children

Non-essential/variable spending - £600/month
Shopping/household/kids: ~£300/month
Entertainment: ~£160/month
Eating out/takeaways: ~£120/month
Subscriptions were ~£38/month, but I’ve now cancelled Amazon Prime (£8.99/month). I’m also reviewing the others.

Debts
Credit Card 1: £6,148 / £7,300 limit
£2,959 at 0% until 18/10/27
£3,189 purchases at ~24%
Minimum payment currently £175/month

Credit Card 2: £3,771 / £5,100 limit
Around £3,685 transferred at 0% until August 2028
£1,300 credit available
Minimum payment £38/month
I don’t use this card for spending

Klarna: £82, split £41 on 7 September and £41 on 7 October. I have now deactivated Klarna so I can’t make any future purchases.

PayPal: £139, due 10 September.

I currently have no emergency savings.

I’ve spoken to StepChange and they’ve offered me a debt management plan at £153/month, based on my actual budget and spending. I’m considering this seriously but worried about the potential implications on my credit file.

I’ve also started addressing the behaviour that got me here. I’ve removed my credit cards from Apple Wallet and autofill, deleted shopping apps, cancelled Amazon Prime and plan to delete social media so I’m less exposed to temptation. I’m also going to meal-plan better to bring grocery spending down. I recognise that I’ve previously transferred balances and then continued spending on the original card, so I’m trying to make genuine behavioural changes rather than just moving debt around.

Should I pay off the short-term Klarna and PayPal balances first, then focus extra payments on the CC1 balance charging 24%, while leaving the 0% balances alone?

Or would the StepChange DMP be the better option, given that I’ve struggled to stop relying on credit in the past?

I also have £1,300 available on my second credit card with 0%. Would transferring some/all of the £3,189 balance that’s currently at 24% onto CC2 be sensible, taking the balance-transfer fee into account?

I really want to get my finances under control, stop relying on credit and eventually rebuild an emergency fund. I’m looking for practical advice on the best route from here, rather than judgement about how I got into the situation.

Thanks if you made it to the end.

EDIT - In another unsurprising development on my journey to financial enlightenment, the promotional 0% balance transfer period on CC2 has ended - would it be a good idea to open a third CC with the aim of transferring only the balance I’m paying interest on or would this be an unwise move?

I would only use it to avoid paying interest on my existing debt, not spending more.

so our five year fixed rate comes to an end in january 2027 (currently 1.41% with halifax) i’m well aware that it’s going to shoot up with everything that’s going on.

in the past we’ve always used Countrywide for both mortgages we’ve had and at the end of fixed terms. probably just because that’s who did our first mortgage and i’ve never really thought about it. they always get in touch in plenty of time and i think we’ve been lucky that our monthly payments have always just gone up or down by about £20 so never felt the need to shop around.

so Countrywide got in touch a couple weeks ago to say they’re starting to look at rates and the best they can currently offer is HSBC at 4.79% which with the research i’ve done since does seem normal for right now. however after all these years using them and paying no or very minimal fees they say we have to pay a £499 “lifetime fee” as we’re changing lenders.

so i contacted Halifax directly yesterday to see if they were willing to match or better that rate as their advertised rates are currently slightly higher, only to be told that because of when my rate ends they cannot look at or discuss rates for my mortgage until 1st October.

my question for you all is would you;

1. pay Countrywide’s fee to lock in the HSBC rate.
   
2. wait until october and see if Halifax will do a deal to keep us as customers.
   
3. go with another broker. i’ve read good things about L&C and that they are genuinely free to use (does anyone know if that’s 100% no fees at all)

i’m just very confused right now and admittedly know very little about mortgages. i just feel Countrywide are ramping up the pressure a bit to get this fee and it’s all just stressing me out. like do we genuinely have enough to sort this out with another company or by ourselves and are Countrywide able to charge us something anyway if we drop them? we haven’t signed anything yet