Plain Money

Saving, investing and tax explained in plain words for ordinary households.

Christmas budget

Christmas Spending: How to Fund December Without a January Credit Card Bill

29 Oct 2026 Budget

Budget Day Is 28 October: What Takes Effect That Evening, What Waits Until April, and What Needs a Finance Bill

23 Oct 2026 Pension

The 31 October Pensions Dashboard Deadline: What It Means for You and What to Do Now

7 Oct 2026 Winter Fuel Payment

Winter Fuel Payment 2026/27: What You'll Get, and Who Has to Pay It Back

3 Oct 2026 Self Assessment

The 5 October Deadline: Why New Side Income Needs Registering With HMRC Now

23 Sep 2026 Bank of England

The Bank of England's September Rate Decision: What Thursday Means for Your Mortgage and Your Savings

16 Sep 2026 Investing

UK Gilts for Individuals: How Direct Gilt Buying Works, and Why the Capital Gain Is Tax-Free

13 Sep 2026 Pension

Pension Tax Relief Rumours Are Back: What's Worth Doing Before the Budget

3 Sep 2026 Budgeting

Freshers' Week Money Mistakes: The Budgeting Traps Catching UK Students Out

31 Aug 2026 Credit Score

Experian, Equifax, TransUnion: Why Your Credit Score Never Matches

28 Aug 2026 Energy Bills

Ofgem's October Price Cap Just Reset: What Actually Changes for Your Bill

25 Aug 2026 Students

Student Loan Repayments: The Threshold Freeze Costing Graduates £259 a Year

22 Aug 2026 State Pension

State Pension 2027: What This Week's Wage Figures Actually Mean

19 Aug 2026 redundancy

Redundancy Pay and Tax: The £30,000 Rule Everyone Gets Wrong

16 Aug 2026 Savings

Higher Savings Rates Mean More People Now Owe Tax on Their Interest

13 Aug 2026 Buy Now Pay Later

Klarna, Clearpay and PayPal Just Became Regulated Credit. Here's What Changes For You

10 Aug 2026 Help to Save

Help to Save: The Government Scheme That Turns £50 a Month Into a £1,200 Bonus

4 Aug 2026 Personal Finance

Summer Holiday Money: How Not to Lose £150 to Currency Fees Abroad

1 Aug 2026 Personal Finance

The September Plate Change: Why August Is the Cheapest Month to Buy a Car

31 Jul 2026 ISA

Cash ISA or Stocks & Shares ISA? What £10,000 Actually Earns You Over Ten Years

28 Jul 2026 Tax

Emergency tax on a summer job in the UK: why your first payslip is short, and how to get the money back

25 Jul 2026 Personal Finance

Selling Your Clutter on Vinted or eBay This Summer? Here's the £1,000 Rule HMRC Never Advertises

22 Jul 2026 Pension

Specified Adult Childcare Credits: The Free Pension Top-Up Grandparents Never Claim

19 Jul 2026 council tax

Your Council Tax Band Could Still Be Wrong From 1991 — And It's Costing You

16 Jul 2026 Energy Bills

Your Energy Direct Debit Is Probably Too High Right Now

13 Jul 2026 Self Assessment

The 31 July Tax Bill Self-Employed People Forget About

10 Jul 2026 Family Finances

The Six-Week Childcare Bill Nobody Budgets For Until It Lands

7 Jul 2026 Budgeting

The Back-to-School Bill Is Already Being Written — Beat It While It's Still July

3 Jul 2026 travel money

Your holiday money is quietly costing you more than the flights

30 Jun 2026 Personal Finance

The frozen tax thresholds quietly taking more of your pay

26 Jun 2026 Premium Bonds

Premium Bonds or an easy-access account? The 2026 maths most people get wrong

23 Jun 2026 Lifetime ISA

The Lifetime ISA trap: how the £450,000 cap catches first-time buyers

20 Jun 2026 Savings

Your savings are probably losing you money. Here's the half-hour fix

19 Jun 2026 Credit Score

Building a good credit score, and why it matters

15 Jun 2026 Money Safety

Spotting the scams that target your savings

11 Jun 2026 Estate Planning

Power of attorney: protecting your money if you cannot manage it

7 Jun 2026 Estate Planning

Wills and inheritance tax: the basics every household should know

3 Jun 2026 Pension

Drawdown or annuity: turning your pension into an income

30 May 2026 Pension

Pension consolidation: gathering up your old pots

26 May 2026 Investing

Robo-advisers or DIY: how should a beginner invest?

22 May 2026 Investing

Investment fees: how a single per cent eats your returns

17 May 2026 Investing

Pound-cost averaging: investing calmly when markets wobble

13 May 2026 Investing

Diversification: why you should not put all your eggs in one basket

9 May 2026 Economy

What a recession actually means for your money

5 May 2026 Economy

Inflation and the base rate: why your money keeps changing value

1 May 2026 Tax

Gift Aid: making your charitable giving go further

27 Apr 2026 Banking

Cashback and reward credit cards: using them without getting burned

23 Apr 2026 Saving

Haggling down your bills: broadband, mobile and insurance

19 Apr 2026 Budgeting

Cutting the subscriptions you forgot you were paying for

15 Apr 2026 Budgeting

Tracking your spending without a spreadsheet meltdown

11 Apr 2026