Guides — investing, pensions and home energy

Investing

Investing 101 — start hereWhat investing actually is, the order to do things in, and what makes sense at different levels of wealth, income and age — plus a map of every guide.Last reviewed July 2026 Low-cost index fund investingWhy the cheapest, laziest strategy in investing is also the one that wins — and how to actually do it.Last reviewed July 2026 Accumulation funds — compounding on autopilotWhat "Acc" means on a fund name, why it matters for compounding, and the tax quirk to know about.Last reviewed July 2026 Building a diversified portfolioThe only free lunch in investing — how to spread risk properly without owning 14 overlapping funds.Last reviewed July 2026 ISA investing — the UK's best tax shelterHow ISAs work, which type to use, and the mistakes that quietly cost people their allowance.Last reviewed August 2026 Investing for children — JISAs, pensions and who controls the money at 18Junior ISAs, child pensions, bare trusts and the £100 rule — the tax-efficient ways to build wealth for a child, and what happens when they turn 18.Last reviewed August 2026 Investment fees — the quiet compounding killerPlatform fees, fund charges and trading costs look tiny. Over decades they take a bigger slice of your wealth than tax does.Last reviewed July 2026 Investing outside ISAs — the GIA survival guideCapital gains tax, dividend tax and the paperwork that comes with an unwrapped account — and how to shrink all three.Last reviewed October 2026 Lump sum or drip-feed — and how to stay investedWhat the evidence says about investing a windfall, why pound-cost averaging feels safer than it is, and the behaviour that really drives your returns.Last reviewed July 2026 Emergency funds and where to keep cashHow much cash to hold, where it earns the most, and the protection limits worth knowing — the boring foundation everything else stands on.Last reviewed August 2026 Gilts, money market funds and cash-like investingWhere money market funds and gilts fit between savings accounts and shares — and the low-coupon gilt trick that beats savings for higher-rate taxpayers.Last reviewed August 2026 Protection — income cover, life insurance, wills and LPAsThe plan for when things go wrong — income protection, life cover, a will and a lasting power of attorney — and the order to sort them in.Last reviewed August 2026 Income tax and take-home pay — how UK tax really worksBands, personal allowance, NI, tax codes, Scottish rates, the 60% trap, the child benefit charge, Self Assessment — and the order tax is worked out in.Last reviewed October 2026 Student loans — why it isn't really a debtPlan 1, 2, 4, 5 and postgraduate loans explained — the 9% graduate tax in disguise, and the honest maths of whether to pay it off early.Last reviewed August 2026 Mortgages and buying your first home — from deposit to remortgageSaving a deposit with a Lifetime ISA, stamp duty for 2026/27, fixed vs tracker, fees vs rate, remortgaging and ERCs, and whether to overpay or invest.Last reviewed October 2026

Pensions & retirement

Pensions 101 — start hereHow the UK pension system fits together, what to do about it in your 20s through your 60s, and a map of every guide in this section.Last reviewed July 2026 Workplace pensions — the free money you're auto-enrolled intoHow auto-enrolment works, why the employer match is unbeatable, what salary sacrifice adds, and the default-fund decision most people never look at.Last reviewed July 2026 SIPPs and consolidating old pensionsWhat a SIPP actually is, who benefits from one, how to track down the pension pots you've forgotten — and the transfers you should never rush.Last reviewed July 2026 Pension tax relief and the allowances that cap itHow relief actually works, the £60,000 annual allowance and carry forward, the taper and MPAA traps — and the refund higher-rate taxpayers forget to claim.Last reviewed July 2026 State Pension and your National Insurance recordHow qualifying years work, how to check your forecast in five minutes, and when buying voluntary NI years is the best deal in UK finance.Last reviewed July 2026 Retirement drawdown — turning a pot into an incomeSequence risk, safe withdrawal rates, tax-efficient ordering — the decisions that determine whether the money lasts.Last reviewed August 2026 Pensions and inheritance tax — the April 2027 changeUnused pension pots join your estate for IHT from 6 April 2027. What changes, who it affects, and how to rethink the “spend the pension last” playbook.Last reviewed August 2026 Annuities — buying a guaranteed income for lifeSingle vs joint life, level vs escalating, enhanced rates for health conditions, how to shop quotes, and blending an annuity floor with drawdown.Last reviewed August 2026

Home energy

Home Energy Efficiency Improvements 101 — start hereThe right order to improve a home's energy performance, what makes sense at different budgets and house types, and a map of every guide in this section.Last reviewed August 2026 Insulation and draught-proofing — cheapest heat you'll ever buyThe pecking order of home insulation by payback time, typical UK costs, and the £50 fixes that outperform the £15,000 ones.Last reviewed August 2026 Heating controls — run what you own before buying anythingThermostats, TRVs, timers, boiler flow temperature and hot-water settings — the 10–20% saving already sitting in your hallway.Last reviewed July 2026 Heat pumps vs gas boilers — the honest comparisonHow heat pumps actually work, what they cost to install and run with the £7,500 grant, and which homes they suit today.Last reviewed August 2026 EPC ratings — what they mean and how to move up a bandHow Energy Performance Certificates are scored, why they matter for bills, rentals and resale, and the cheapest routes to a better band.Last reviewed August 2026 Solar, batteries and smart tariffs — how the money actually worksWhere solar savings really come from, what a battery adds, and how export payments and time-of-use tariffs change the sums — the logic of our simulator.Last reviewed July 2026 Smart tariffs and EV charging — the savings that need no builderHow time-of-use tariffs work, what home EV charging really costs per mile, and why a working smart meter is the free upgrade that unlocks the lot.Last reviewed July 2026 Case study — taking a 1920s house from EPC F to CA real renovation diary — every efficiency project on a five-bedroom 1920s house, what each one cost, what actually worked, and what I'd do differently.Last reviewed August 2026 UK energy grants and schemes — what help can I get?Every live UK scheme in one place — the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme, ECO4, Warm Homes Local Grant, Warm Home Discount and more, with who qualifies.Last reviewed August 2026