How much emergency fund do I need?
The three-to-six-months rule explained properly: what counts as essential spending, when three months is enough, and where to keep the money.
Is paying more into my pension worth it?
What an extra 1% really costs your take-home after tax relief, why the employer match beats everything else, and when to hold off.
How much should I save each month?
The 20% rule explained, the priority order that beats it, paying yourself first, and what to do when 20% is out of reach.
Cash ISA vs savings account: which pays more?
When a cash ISA beats an ordinary savings account: the personal savings allowance, the £20,000 limit, and why the rate matters most.
How compound interest actually works
Growth on growth, why starting early beats paying in more, the rule of 72, and worked 10, 20 and 30 year examples in pounds.
Do I pay tax on savings interest?
The personal savings allowance by tax band, why frozen thresholds drag more savers in, and when an ISA beats a higher headline rate.
How much pension do I need to retire at 60?
Realistic pot sizes for retiring at 60, the seven-year gap before the state pension, and how to test your own number.
Can I take 25% of my pension tax-free at 55?
Yes, within limits. The lump sum cap, the age rising to 57 in 2028, and the emergency-tax trap on first withdrawals.
What happens to my pension when I die?
Who gets your pot, how age 75 changes the tax, and the expression-of-wish form most people never complete.
ISA or pension: which is better?
Pension wins on tax relief and the employer match, ISA wins on access. The order of operations that uses both properly.
Should I consolidate my pensions into one pot?
Usually yes for old high-fee DC pots, almost never for defined benefit. The fee-drag maths and a lost-pot tracing checklist.
How much state pension will I get with 20 years of NI?
The 35ths formula made concrete: what 10 to 35 qualifying years each pay, and when buying missing years is worth it.
Are premium bonds worth it?
What median luck actually returns at each holding size, and who genuinely beats a savings account by holding them.
Can I retire at 60 with £500k?
Roughly £20k to £25k a year sustainably, more once the state pension arrives. The drawdown maths behind the answer.