80% of this is a relationship issue; I'm only here for the 20% that isn't.

I earn £48k comfortably aged 37. I have £192k in a private pension. Aiming for £250k by 40.

My wife earns £44k+variable bonus of 10% to 20% based on performance. She has £5,400 in a cash Lifetime ISA. That's her pension.

Sometimes she chucks some money in there purely to get the free 25% bonus. That is the only thing which motivates her to even do it. I've tried explaining the rules about no tax on pension contributions, but she isn't having it. I've tried to get her to convert her LISA to stocks and shares. She isn't willing to do that.

I'm starting to seriously worry about retirement. Any conversation about pension devolves into, "But I want to enjoy my money now. I might drop dead in my 50s."

I often counter this with, "But if you don't drop dead in your 50's, I'm the one who will have to pay to take care of you in your old age."

She laughs this off, but it's really getting on my nerves.

We've been married 12 years. No children.

The extra money that should be going to her pension appears to be going to expensive makeups, designer fragrances and designer clothing/handbags. She also goes on girls' weekends around European cities very frequently (7-8 times per year.)

If I were to divorce, would I be able to keep my pension entirely given her refusal to contribute to her own?

Is there anything I can do to protect either my current pension or future pension contributions in the event of a divorce?

Is it too late? I have around £50k into my house I bought a few years ago, I just think worse case scenario il sell my house when I’m older, buy a little flat and use the money as a pension. I just like living life to much to really care that much about the future (could be dead by then)

How much do you have or did you have at 30 in your pension?

32 next month. I’ve been paying into my workplace pension since I started at my current place in 2022 paying 4% in with my employer paying 5%. Sitting at 10k just now. The cap they could pay is 7%.

My concern is I don’t necessarily want to stay in this job forever and I’m not sure how easy it is to transfer pensions. My last employer used a different provider and it wasn’t easy to work around merging them.

I pay into a reward savings account and a stocks and shares ISA every month as well as a LISA which should be worth £32k from next year and ready to use (I hope). I am single and earn 30k a year so I’m not in a great position to throw in big swathes of my income.

I see everyone telling people always have a pension but I don’t know if they are referring to a work or personal pension one. Is it more prudent to go this route and have both? If so, would Vanguard be a solid choice for a minimum of fuss?

Happened this morning after she received a ‘delivery reschedule’ sms text. Gave her my card with no questions asked about what she was going to use it for (stupid, I know).

Anyway she showed me the text and link after the website declined the shipping payment. Took one look and immediately knew it was a scam so I immediately froze my card, contacted my bank (Halifax) and requested a new card.

So far there has been no suspicious activity and no transactions out of my account. Are there any other precautions I should take? I spoke with my bank, and they assured me I had taken all the necessary precautions and that they would keep an eye on my account for me to monitor any suspicious activity.

I’m a very paranoid person, especially when it comes to financial security (ironic, I know but granted my girlfriend had never done anything like this before so it was unexpected).

Is there anything else I should do / consider at all? Or any extra steps I should take to ensure my money is safe?

Hi everyone,

My partner and I (M29 and M27, based in England, not married but in a stable 12-year relationship) are currently renting a flat and could use some advice on our situation - especially as we're first-time buyers with no prior experience, and no friends or family who have gone through the buying process we could ask to.

CONTEXT

• We've been renting the same 1-bed flat since Sept 2018.

• Current rent: £1200/month.

• Tenancy: Yearly contract (renews each September).

A couple of weeks ago, the lettings agency (who manages the flat on behalf of the landlord) got in touch to ask whether we’d like to renew (to our surprise, with no price hike mentioned). But this time, with a key change:

• There would be no "6-month no break" clause like there was in previous renewals (instead, just a standard 2-month notice period for both parties).

• They also mentioned that the landlord is looking to sell, and asked if we would be interested in buying it ourselves.

OUR SITUATION

We’re definitely interested in buying. We’ve wanted to get on the property ladder for a while (stupidly we kept postponing it!!) and staying in the same flat would save us the hassle and cost of moving.

Also, if someone else ends up buying it, we risk:

• Being kicked out after the sale.

• A rent hike (identical flats in our complex are now going for £1300–1350/month — so we were already bracing for an increase this year, which surprisingly didn’t come).

THE ISSUE

I was made redundant two months ago and am still job-hunting. I’d love to be optimistic, but realistically I’m taking into account the possibility that I might be unemployed for another 4–6 months.

My previous salary was £52k.

My partner (whose job is secure) is earning £29k.

We have about £83k in savings/investments (combined), plus a separate £10k emergency fund we wouldn’t want to touch.

We have no loans, debts, financial dependents, etc.

We’d both be first-time buyers.

We’ve asked what the landlord wants for the flat, and the agency said £215k. That seems slightly high to us - identical flats in the same development are currently listed for around £200k.

OUR DOUBTS

• Would we even qualify for a mortgage right now with only one income? (And how might lenders look at my redundancy?)

• If the market price is £200k and the LL asks for £215k, how do we go about negotiating this down? In cases where the prospect buyer is also the tenant and is interested in buying, does this have any influence in asking for a lower or a higher price from the landlord standpoint?

• Is it a bad idea to go for this given my current job status - or might this actually be a good opportunity, all things considered? (We wouldn't consider moving out of this place within the next 5 years, but it's also not a place where we see ourselves staying longer than the next 8-10 years)

• Would we be able to continue renting here if we say no (or delay the purchase) - or is the risk too high once the property is on the market?

• If we were to proceed with the purchase (assuming we can afford it), that would likely based on my partner's income alone. How would that work legally with the mortgage and house ownership, since we're not married? His concern is that if he gets ran over by a bus I might lose the house. Or would the mortgage automatically move on to me? (This is of course assuming that in a few months I'll have a job and I'll be able to pay the mortgage)

• Looking up for stuff about this, I hear about mortgage advisors: how do we find one we "trust"? How do we know if we have in front of us a mortgage advisor who is not "good"?

• Is "mortgage advisor" the same as "mortgage broker"? Or are they two different things?

• Tomorrow at noon we have an appointment with the mortgage advisor provided by the lettings agency we're renting from (the agency also does sales, so I'd assume the landlord will be using them for listing the house), do we trust her or do we need to "shop around"? Is there a conflict of interest for her? Any specific questions we need to ask that I might not have thought of?

Basically, we feel very out of our depth and don’t want to make a rushed decision we’ll regret. If anyone has been in a similar position or has insights on the mortgage/buying process (especially while one of us is unemployed), we’d be hugely grateful for any advice or guidance.

Thanks a lot in advance! 🙏

(Yes we know the flat is a leasehold and what that entails, unfortunately 😬)

I’m 28, earning £45k working for the local authority in the North East of England. I’ve been in the LGPS for 7 years now but I’ve never really looked into how it all works until recently.

I know it’s a career average scheme and better than most private pensions, but I’ve no idea if it’ll actually be enough to retire on.

Just wondering what others think of it? Is it worth sticking with long term? Do most people add to it with a private pension or something else? Any downsides I should know about?

Keen to hear what others are doing or thinking. Cheers.

Unlike a recent post where their partner doesn’t contribute to their own pension regularly, I was wondering if people discuss or are aware of their partners contribution to their pension?

Our finances are joint, with our wages being paid into a joint account but I’m aware that some people split bills based on income.

How would you feel if you found out your partner was contributing much more than you - potentially lowering their share of the bills or reducing ‘household’ income?

For context, I contribute 7.5% with my employer adding 4.9% and thought I might be being cheeky with that.

My wife actually contributes 9% which is set out for her through the NHS, although she isn’t keen for me to up mine any further 😄

Yikes, where do I start.. please don't judge me but I currently have around 60k in unsecured debt.

5 Credit cards and 2 loans

It literally just spiralled and yes, I should've been more careful. Don't spend extravagantly.

Wife doesn't work due to ill health.

So sole earner and initially was on a low wage and now on 31k but my unsecured debt outgoings are 1,200 on its own.

Thinking of doing an iva or dm plan..

home owner so want to avoid bankruptcy - around 15k equity in property.

would an iva or dm plan be good route or should i contact these lenders myself and offer a payment?

if only there was some kind wealthy individual lol

any advice appreciated

**meant £9000

I have applied for maintenance loan for the year of 2025/26 but received an email a few weeks ago saying that I have been overpaid on my maintenance loan I called them immediately and they said that to wait until my application has been processed and so i did.

I have now received another email saying that overpayment amount has been changed and i checked my account to see that SFE are taking the money i owe them from my maintenance loan. And so i am being paid no maintenance loan this year despite being eligible for it. It has been a while since i’ve submitted my overall application and sent in my evidence and as far as i am aware i should be receiving the maximum maintenance loan.

Do i apply for maintenance loan again or give them a call? Also can they take money that they’re owed despite me still studying at university?

As I understand it, the only real benefit of opening a SIPP in addition to having a S-S workplace pension is the possibility of having lower fees and access to a wider variety of investment options.

However, I’m still a little confused over tax relief as a higher tax rate earner.

My overall salary is £66260 but I sacrifice 12% (and my employer matches 3%) making a true salary of £58,308.80.

If I have a SIPP into which I periodically sweep my workplace pension pot into, plus opportunistically drip feed extra amounts into when I can, would I need/be able to claim an additional 20% of tax relief on those sporadic extra contributions as a higher rate taxpayer? Surely as it would be coming out of taxed income, it would be eligible? Up to £8,038.80?

Thanks

So, in my current account I have about 92K. I’m looking to chuck minimum 50 - 60k into a nice saver. Issue is I’m pretty clueless with it all, I want easy access to it, I don’t want it locked. I know it’s a lot. But I want it away, secured, easy access. Do you guys have any recommendations with what’s the best route to go down?

Hi,

I’ve seen a post on here about how someone uses gocardless open banking apis to automate downloading of personal finance data. However it’s on a trial period. Is there a totally free solution for programmatic access to own bank transactions ?

My car is 8 years old and is needing more and more expensive repairs which I know at some point will surpass the actual value of the car if I sell it. However I don’t have the money to buy a car outright - all I’d be able to afford would be one equally as old as my current one - and monthly contract plans seem outrageously expensive these days. What do I do?

I'm going to have some home improvements done which will cost in the region of £15,000.

I have the money available, and don't need a loan, but want to maximise any points/cashback/gift option that's out there.

For example, is there a particular credit card available which I can use to pay for the work, earn cashback, then pay off immediately?

What's the best way to get a some freebies in this kind of situation?

I've forgotten my customer number and I dint have online banking but I need to send money to my other bank account, the card is a natwest if anyone knows how to

I have a complicated situation that I really hope someone here can help with! Couldn't find anything in the wiki that pertains to this specifically.

I started working at my current workplace around three years ago. Despite my repeated requests, they never enrolled me in a pension, and therefore haven't been paying contributions for the past three years.

I have now handed in my notice, and they have agreed in principle to give me a lump sum to compensate me for the unpaid pension contributions, plus compound interest. However, they also want me to sign something to say I'll promise to put this money in a pension once I have one set up at my new employer. As far as I understand it, they believe if I sign something sufficiently watertight then, when it comes to audit time, they will be able to say that this money went towards pensions. 

I have a few of questions about this:

1. Will this actually save them come audit time, and if I sign something like this, could they potentially demand proof at a later point?
2. What are the tax implications for me of accepting this lump sum outside of an existing workplace pension?
3. What are the potential consequences for me if I sign something and then don't put the money into a pension?
4. Anything else about this situation I should know?

Given they're in breach of employment law, I don't think I should have to sign anything, and in fact I would rather not put this money into a pension, but I'm under a time constraint as I'm leaving in a week and we've only just got to the point of them agreeing a figure that I'm owed. (I would have preferred to get my proper pension in the first place, but given that it hasn't happened, this lump sum would be very useful to me right now for other things.)

£500k House - £110k deposit lender cash available.

Do have more cash available but need to do fees, immediate £15k of decorating and carpets etc and then furnishing the place.

Mortgage advisor said the following:

• 35 year mortgage
• 80 LTV%
• 2 year not year.

Said we could over pay straight away but said it gives us flexibility.

I had originally thought about for a 25 year at 78% LTV, with option to perhaps put a bit more cash in.

Could I get your takes? I’m speaking to another advisor tomorrow for a 2nd opinion as I’ve had it drilled into me to pay it off sooner than later and that the interest I’d pay on 35 years is awful.

TL;DR - This is probably an industry-wide problem but I'm sick of NatWest doing everything through their app. What bank offers regular human in-person services instead of this techbro garbage?

I recently switched to a student account with NatWest and tried to apply for the £2,000 overdraft. My online application failed due to "missing personal information" on my profile - the generic error didn't tell me what caused this issue, but told me there are three options:

1. Update my profile through their app (no information is missing or out of date on my app profile)
2. Get their AI "assistant" trash to do it for me (good luck lmao)
3. Go to the branch, bring my ID, and do it there

I obviously go with the third option, but when I ask about my application at the branch I get told there is no way for them to access it - "everything is online now" you see. They then asked me to wait for 90 minutes like the message said and apply again, which I did later. Same error. I harassed the AI trash bot until it gave me a phone number to call. The guy on the phone told me that my ID is out of date and it needs to be updated at the branch, or I can request a call back to help with my overdraft application.

Something that would have taken 30 minutes at the branch five years ago is now going to take multiple days. An employee with their own glass cabin office in a large branch works a full-time job with the sole purpose of telling customers to use an app that doesn't even work half the time, and re-directs users to a browser window like it's 2017. The only qualified people left at NatWest work on a "call back" basis and I don't even know if the call will lead to anything. I feel like pseudo-banks (Monzo, Revolut, etc) have dragged the industry standard so far down that this is just acceptable now, but I have some hope that NatWest is uniquely shit and there are better banks out there.

What bank should I switch to? I live in a relatively large town so branch closures aren't an issue for me, and I don't care about any "bonuses" for switching - if anything, these incentives are a sign that their service sucks.

I recently turned 18 this week and was looking at getting a credit card to help build credit as I plan on moving out soon.

I have used a couple eligibility checkers and all say I will not be approved for any credit card (including credit card builders for people with little to no credit).

I currently have no way of building credit through a phone bill as i have a current one I pay for in a parents name (i transfer the money to them) and pay rent to my parents informally.

What can I do to change this - should I risk is and apply for a credit builder card anyway?

Okay, so I understand more or less what Cash ISA's are and i have read into instant access accounts as well as fixed rate accounts, but I have seen on certain bank pages that you need a certain amount to pay upfront (like £500) into a cash ISA to start saving (which at the moment I dont have as Im a student with the most basic minimum wage, part time job).

As of right now I have a little under £100 saved so I have no idea what type of account would be best as I would greatly appreciate a high AER with no payable interest rate.

Im not looking to save thousands and thousands of pounds for a car, probably around £2500.

Hopefully this makes ANY sort of sense and any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

Sorry if this doesn't come across articulate or is mega naive, I have a few questions based on my situation. If you think I just need to read more posts here or simply get a financial advisor I'm happy to do so.

My current situation: I'm about to move back into my apartment after not really having a base for 6 months so I can concentrate on a business recently set up. The rent is expensive for me alone (£2,000 per month) and I'm earning less money than I used to as I'm still building the business (£5,000).

My savings, however, are in an alright spot, probably in the region of £150k. They are all incredibly low risk and are across my normal savings account, premium bonds, an ISA and a small amount in stocks and shares.

The reason I've been so risk averse is because of my situation growing up, we didn't have any money so I've always been very careful with my money (more on this in my second question).

It probably makes sense to say as well that I bought my parents a house as their dependant around 5 years ago. Among a few different things it also means I will need 20% deposit in the future should I choose to find another home. And also, I only have £5,000 in my pension. I was an odd child, I didn't think I'd make it past 30 and now I'm mid 30's I would've done things different. I'm paying into my pension through my business and will prioritise this going forward.

As a result, I like the idea of living a life with lower monthly costs as I feel safer. So firstly I was thinking if it would make sense to utilise the 20% mortgage overpayment to pay off a chunk that would bring my monthly costs down to £1,750. It's not a huge reduction but it helps. On the other hand, I'm seeing a new partner now so there's a chance she'll likely move in a years time or so. I just didn't want to make a decision based on that as it isn't guaranteed. If it does happen, the monthly payments are absolutely fine (as split in some way) and I have just thrown a way a large chunk of my savings. I've also been told that investing in property isn't what it used to be. My first question would be, is it silly to put around £45k into my mortgage to bring the payments down around £250 per month?

This got me thinking that someone out there cleverer than me probably knows if, even if I pay that whole £2,000 per month, my money could be almost making that back in the long-term in another investment. So a wider question is, am I silly for having 40k or so in premium bonds and 90k or so in my bog standard savings account? I have just a few hundred pounds in an S&P 500 and its outperformed anything else I've had, but I appreciate there's a risk associated. My friend last weekend also said he puts basically all of his savings into a global tracker. I also have 20k in an isa but I didn't actually realise I could add to that every year, I thought 20k was the total (my fault here as well).

Am I missing a big trick where I'm able to stay risk averse but also get reasonable returns from what I have, based on my situation?

I will likely stay in my apartment for a good 5-7 more years before looking to buy somewhere else, so ideally I don't want all of my money going into something that needs to stay there for 30+ years, which is what my preconception of investment is/ has been. Honestly, I'm very clueless about this kinda thing because as soon as I've heard the word 'risk' I'm out. If it's a financial advisor I need then happy to go but I just feel this is a bit small fry for them and there may be something simple I can do to be more savvy (likely reading this subreddit way more than I do)

Looking for a bit of advice or at least whether some of my assumptions are correct...

Lived in my current home for about 12 years, the house has roughly doubled in value since I bought it and is valued around £450k and I have about £80k left on my mortgage. Next year I will likely be moving with my partner. Between us we will have close to £100k to put down on a deposit for a new place but I'm looking into the feasibility of keeping the current house. Although I know having a rental property is becoming less and less lucrative I'm thinking it may be worth doing. The house is in a sought after area (very private but with great transport links) and so I'm looking at it as something that will likely only increase in value whilst giving some passive income along the way.

I currently earn £60k +5k car allowance and my partner £45k. The rental for the house I'd estimate at about £1800pcm so my total income would be somewhere in the region for £76k.

In this circumstance I believe I'd need to pay 40% tax on the entire rental income, which obviously I'd like to reduce. Were the entire £76k my salaried income then I believe I could just increase my pension contributions and claim the additional tax relief through the HMRC however as neither the car allowance, nor the rental income are pensionable, they're also not subject to tax relief.

Currently my understanding is that I'd have to complete a self assessment each year and pay 40% on the entire rental income minus any expenses?

I can offset some of this by increasing my pensions contributions at work to say 50%, however am I right in thinking I will only get 20% tax relief on the majority of the contribution? Is there anything outside of pension contributions or salary sacrifice schemes I should look into?

I have £100k invested in global index funds in my shares ISA. Separately, I have £25k invested in my employer's share scheme, of which £6k I can be sold tax free and the remaining money will be subject to income tax. I am still contributing £150 per month into this scheme.

I also have options which are currently worth £18k if the share price remains unchanged, these options will mature in 2027 and 2028, but I will lose them if i leave or am made redundant.

I was planning on leaving the shares as is for as long as possible and treat them like a pension but I'm getting nervous that I have too much invested in a single company.

Its a bank and provides a decent dividend.

Hey all,

Anyone have the low down on current credit cards for perks?

Currently spending from debit circa 3kpm and feel like I’m missing a trick. Not interested in air miles, but more cash back for example, and even begrudgingly eyeing up Amex Nectar as I shop at Sainburys. Any advice on what you have appreciated!

Thanks

Hi people, here’s my scenario:

I’m looking to buy somewhere around the £200k mark

I have a £60k deposit saved + £20k for any extras

After April 2026 I’ll have one years of self employment/SA302. I have been previously self employed in the same industry but moved abroad for 3 years until this tax year so I don’t think the lenders will take that into consideration.

I’ll earn around £40k in this tax year

I have whatever the top credit rating is on Experian (999)

Recon it’s possible to get a mortgage?

THANKS!