Are you comfortable talking money? I am always open about personal finance but I think I am unusual as many are not so at ease discussing money. However, you'd hardly have a personal finance blog if it was a subject that you are not comfortable with! Interestingly I do have quite a different approach to my husband Lee who is much less conversational about money which is surprising as we actually have pretty much the same values about … [Read more...]

Your mortgage is your biggest and most important financial commitment and yet once it’s in place it’s easy to forget about it and simply let it run without taking the time to see whether you’ve got the best deal.  If you have been paying your mortgage for several years you will have increased your amount of equity in the property and because this makes the loan to value ratio lower, you should be able to secure a better mortgage deal. Why … [Read more...]

Investing your money can be done in many different ways, and it’s worth knowing which way the smart way to invest is if you want to see returns on your cash in the future. No one can afford to throw their money around carelessly and risk losing it when you’re trying to grow it. We’ll talk you through some of the things that you need to be doing in order to make the most of your money as you seek to invest it, so read on now. Diversify Your … [Read more...]

At the beginning of 2018, it appeared as though consumer borrowing was on course for a prolonged and gradual decline. This was after debt levels peaked at the end of last year, with borrowing levels subsequently growing at the slowest rate since 2015 during the first and second financial quarters. However, British lenders are now expecting the demand for consumer borrowing to pick up during the third financial quarter, with the Bank of England … [Read more...]

When you are trying to keep a hold of your money, it helps if you know as much as possible about the various financial concepts which can arise during that process. The more you know, the better you are able to navigate the waters, and that will mean that you can much more effectively save money and that hopefully it won’t take as long to do either. In this article, we are going to try and help you out on the front by looking at a few concepts … [Read more...]

If you are strapped for cash, you may be considering borrowing money from a family member or one of your friends. For a lot of people, this is the obvious place to turn when they need money because they would rather ask people they love then resort to a lender. However, borrowing money from family and friends is not always as straightforward as it seems, and the last thing you want to do is ruin a good relationship over cash. So, let’s take a … [Read more...]

The great British getaway has started now that the schools are starting to break up. I am looking forward to being able to spend lots of quality time with the family. We have lots planned this summer including weeks away and festivals. However much of this we are doing as a family of four not five. Chloe has made her own plans this year which started with a holiday in Malia after her A Level Exams. Before she went, we made sure that she was … [Read more...]

Personal finances either tend to go one of two ways for people - there are those of us who keep on top of them, and who are organized. And then there are those of us who dread the very mention of the F-word, and avoid it at all costs! Now, it is pretty clear that finances are important and you need to keep on top of them as much as you possibly can. But the rub of the green is, this can often be much harder than you think it’s going to! This … [Read more...]