The archive
Thoughtful personal finance without the hype.
19 September 2025
After covering each ISA in detail, it’s time to bring them all together. This post puts Cash, Stocks & Shares, Lifetime, Junior, Help-to-Buy, and Innovative Finance ISAs side by side –…
Read article →12 September 2025
Alongside the familiar Cash and Stocks & Shares ISAs, there is a little-known option: the Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA). These accounts let you lend money through peer-to-peer platforms…
Read article →5 September 2025
Beyond the standard Cash and Stocks & Shares ISAs, there are targeted “special ISAs” designed for specific purposes – buying your first home, saving for retirement, or putting money aside…
Read article →31 August 2025
ISAs are the UK’s simplest tax-free wrapper. For most people, the starting point is a Cash ISA, but many will also be aware of, if not already using, a Stocks & Shares ISA. They broadly…
Read article →22 August 2025
Over the past three weeks, we've explored the concept of time poverty, built frameworks for evaluating time vs money trade-offs, and examined coastFIRE as a strategy for buying back your…
Read article →15 August 2025
The traditional narrative around work and retirement is pretty stark: you either grind it out until 65 (or later), or you pursue Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) and try to…
Read article →8 August 2025
Last week, we explored how professional success can paradoxically lead to time poverty. This week, we're getting practical: how do you actually decide when to choose time over money, and…
Read article →1 August 2025
You've done everything right. You've climbed the career ladder, your salary has doubled (or tripled) since your twenties, and your bank balance looks healthier than ever. So why do you…
Read article →27 July 2025
Right -- I owe you an explanation for the radio silence. When I started this site, my goal was simple: one post per week. Sustainable, manageable, and realistic given everything else going…
Read article →13 July 2025
The standard advice is simple: save 3-6 months of expenses for emergencies. But if you’re a young professional with good earning potential, minimal financial commitments, and a safety net,…
Read article →8 July 2025
I find it’s easy to get caught up in the numbers – optimising budgets, tweaking investment portfolios, chasing the best savings rates. And yes, a solid financial foundation is crucial. But…
Read article →6 July 2025
Applying the "1% Rule" to Financial Habits We often chase big financial wins – a major investment return, a huge pay rise, that one brilliant money-saving hack. But true, sustainable…
Read article →5 July 2025
You’ve done the mid-year financial check-up. You know where you stand. But what happens when your January ambitions don’t quite fit your July reality? Life throws curveballs – a new job,…
Read article →3 July 2025
If you caught my last post about conducting a mid-year financial check-up, you might be thinking, “Another one about reviews?” Look, I get it. But this one’s different – it’s about how to…
Read article →1 July 2025
Half of 2025 is already behind us! This isn’t a time for panic or judgment, but for a purposeful look at your financial journey so far. Did those ambitious New Year’s resolutions stick?…
Read article →30 June 2025
Hate budgeting? You’re not alone. Let’s get one thing straight: budgeting isn’t about spreadsheets, shame, or locking yourself in a colour-coded cage. Simple budgeting methods aren’t about…
Read article →27 June 2025
My pay has two parts: base salary and bonus. I treat them very differently. One keeps the lights on. The other builds the future. Base pay is the foundation Around 65 percent of my income…
Read article →24 June 2025
I work in finance. I know how to optimise. But I also think it’s important to know when to stop. You don’t need to chase every pound. Sometimes, good enough is good enough. Some things are…
Read article →21 June 2025
Guilt-free spending is not about spending more. It is about knowing what matters to you and giving yourself permission to spend there without stress. For me, it’s built into our system -…
Read article →19 June 2025
There’s a myth that budgeting is for people with tight finances. That once you’re earning well, budgeting is optional - even restrictive. But in my experience, the more you earn, the more…
Read article →17 June 2025
In my 20s, I wasn’t reckless with money, but I definitely wasn’t running a tight ship either. I knew I’d be earning more over time, so I didn’t overthink it. I did the basics, saved a bit,…
Read article →15 June 2025
If you’ve ever asked whether to prioritise your ISA or your pension, you’ll have seen two things: Endless arguments about tax wrappers, and Very few answers that feel grounded in real…
Read article →14 June 2025
Most people think “risk” is about markets going up and down. Stock prices bouncing around. Red numbers. Headlines. But that’s not how I think about it. In my world, risk isn’t volatility.…
Read article →13 June 2025
Most of my financial habits are pretty boring. We track our expenses every month. I salary sacrifice into my pension so it disappears before I see it. Our investments go into default plans…
Read article →12 June 2025
If you spend long enough in the personal finance world - Reddit, blogs, books, podcasts - you start to notice recurring ideas. Not just advice, but entire belief systems about how money…
Read article →3 June 2025
There’s a certain irony to working in private markets, helping structure multi-billion pound funds into niche strategies, only to realise that my own financial life is best run basically…
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