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Guides Fifty, in five sections

Money guides

Plain-English explanations of how financial advice and the big money decisions work in the UK. Every guide is educational: we explain how things work and what questions to ask — we never tell you which product to buy.

Understanding advice Eight guides § 01

The advice system itself

Start here if you are deciding whether to pay for advice, what it costs, or how to tell a professional from a salesperson.

  1. 01 Do I need a financial adviser? An honest framework: when paying for advice earns its fee, when free guidance is enough, and a five-question self-test. Cornerstone11 min
  2. 02 How financial advice works in the UK Advice vs guidance, what regulation actually protects you from, and when paying for advice tends to be worth it. Cornerstone9 min
  3. 03 How to find an adviser you can trust Where to look, how to use the FCA Register, independent vs restricted, and how to run a first meeting. Cornerstone10 min
  4. 04 What financial advice costs Fixed fees, hourly rates and percentage-of-assets charging — and what each model really costs over a decade. Cornerstone9 min
  5. 05 Robo-advisers vs humans What automated advice actually is, what it costs against human advice, and which problems each one solves. Advice7 min
  6. 06 How to complain about an adviser The escalation route with real teeth: firm, Ombudsman, FSCS — deadlines, evidence and what redress covers. Your rights8 min
  7. 07 How to read a suitability report The letter every recommendation must come with: a ten-point checklist, the red flags, and why it’s your evidence. Toolkit9 min
  8. 08 How to spot an investment scam The warning signs that repeat in every scam, the 30-second register checks, clone firms — and the first-hour playbook. Stay safe10 min
The big topics Sixteen guides § 02

Money decisions, explained

Pensions, ISAs, mortgages, investing, tax and protection — the mechanics, in the order most people meet them.

  1. 09 Pensions explained Workplace, personal and State Pensions, how tax relief works, and the decisions that matter most at each age. Retirement10 min
  2. 10 ISAs explained Cash, Stocks & Shares, Lifetime and Junior ISAs — how the allowance works and how the types differ. Saving8 min
  3. 11 Junior ISA or Child Trust Fund? Which one your child has, how to trace a lost CTF, and the transfer question most parents eventually face. Children9 min
  4. 12 Investing basics Risk and return, diversification, fees and time horizons — the concepts every first-time investor should understand. Investing9 min
  5. 13 Mortgages explained Repayment vs interest-only, fixes and trackers, loan-to-value, and what lenders actually assess. Property9 min
  6. 14 Workplace pensions & auto-enrolment What the 8% minimum really means, the employer match, and the five settings worth checking in your scheme. Retirement8 min
  7. 15 The State Pension Qualifying years, checking your forecast, filling NI gaps — and the best-value purchase in UK personal finance. Retirement8 min
  8. 16 Salary sacrifice The pay cut that pays you: how sacrifice saves NI as well as tax, and the catches around mortgages and minimum wage. Tax7 min
  9. 17 Pension consolidation When merging old pots is smart, when it destroys guarantees, and the one question that sorts your pots into piles. Retirement8 min
  10. 18 Lifetime ISA vs pension Same 25% boost, different cages: first homes, the withdrawal penalty, and how the wrappers stack. Saving7 min
  11. 19 Protection insurance explained Life cover, income protection and critical illness — what each does, and the order most planners think about them. Protection8 min
  12. 20 Annuities explained Trading a pot for a promise: the types, what moves the rates, why shopping around matters, and how they pair with drawdown. Retirement9 min
  13. 21 Pensions for the self-employed No auto-enrolment, no employer match — how to replace both, sole trader vs limited company, and the State Pension check. Retirement9 min
  14. 22 Tax year-end checklist What expires on 5 April: ISA and LISA allowances, pension carry forward, CGT, gifting — and the cliff-edge checks. Tax8 min
  15. 23 The pension annual allowance £60,000, carry forward, the high-earner taper and the £10,000 MPAA trap — the ceiling on tax-advantaged saving. Pensions9 min
  16. 24 Capital gains tax basics The shrunken £3,000 allowance, how gains stack on income, the 60-day property rule and the legitimate reducers. Tax9 min
Life events Ten guides § 03

When money meets real life

Inheritance, divorce, bereavement, redundancy, later life — the moments when the rules matter most and the pressure is highest.

  1. 25 What to do with an inheritance A calm order of operations: the parking strategy, debts, tax wrappers — and the vulture window to guard against. Windfalls8 min
  2. 26 Divorce and money Why pensions are the forgotten asset, the three ways they split, and the house decision done honestly. Divorce8 min
  3. 27 Equity release The loan that grows while you sleep: the compounding maths, the real protections, and everything to try first. Later life8 min
  4. 28 Wills and powers of attorney Hundred-pound documents protecting six-figure outcomes — intestacy, LPAs and the nominations your will doesn’t control. Estate8 min
  5. 29 Inheritance tax basics The nil-rate bands, the unlimited spouse exemption, the seven-year gift rule — and who actually pays. Estate8 min
  6. 30 Gifting money to family The allowances, the underused gifts-from-income rule, the 7-year clock, deposit gifts — and the paper trail. Family9 min
  7. 31 Retirement income options Annuities, drawdown and lump sums — how each works, how withdrawals are taxed, and the risks with names. Retirement9 min
  8. 32 Care costs explained The means test, what the house counts for, NHS Continuing Healthcare, deferred payments — and the deprivation trap. Later life8 min
  9. 33 Bereavement and your money What must happen now, what freezes, probate in brief, the claims families miss — and what can safely wait. Bereavement8 min
  10. 34 Redundancy and your money A triage plan in the right order: what you’re owed, the £30,000 tax rule, the runway maths, and the benefits people forget. Work9 min
By decade Three guides § 04

Your money at every age

Three guides that put the rest in order for where you are now.

  1. 35 Your money in your 30s The compounding decade: foundations, the pension ratchet, LISA deadlines, and the protection that arrives with dependants. 30s8 min
  2. 36 Your money in your 40s Peak earnings, peak demands: catch-up maths, cliff-edge checks, overpay-vs-invest, and the first look at your parents’ plans. 40s8 min
  3. 37 Your money in your 50s Decisions come due: Pension Wise from 50, pot assembly, income choices, the mortgage endgame — and the scam window. 50s8 min
Advice fees, answered Thirteen guides § 05

Advice fees, answered

The questions people ask before they pay, or once they have a quote or a bill: what pension, mortgage, transfer and estate advice costs, whether a fee is too much, what it should buy, and what to do about it. For the terms themselves, see advice fee definitions.

  1. 38 Is a 1% ongoing advice fee too much? What 1% a year costs in pounds over 20 years, where it sits in the FCA data, and how to judge it. Fees6 min
  2. 39 Paying for ongoing advice but not getting a review? What an ongoing fee should buy, what the FCA found in 2025, and how to cancel or claim a refund. Fees7 min
  3. 40 Can you negotiate financial adviser fees? What is usually open to discussion, what to ask for, and how to compare two quotes in pounds. Fees5 min
  4. 41 Free financial advice in the UK: what is actually free? The free, impartial services, what each covers, and when you need paid, regulated advice. Fees6 min
  5. 42 How to switch financial adviser, and what it costs How to cancel, stop the fee, keep or move your investments, and what a new firm may charge. Fees6 min
  6. 43 How much does a mortgage broker charge? How brokers are paid, the typical fee ranges in pounds, when the fee falls due, and what to ask. Fees6 min
  7. 44 Is a fee-free mortgage broker really free? How fee-free brokers are paid, what “free” does not cover, and the questions to ask before you rely on one. Fees5 min
  8. 45 How much does pension advice cost? What pension and retirement advice costs in pounds, the conflict the FCA flagged at retirement, and free help first. Fees7 min
  9. 46 How much does final salary pension transfer advice cost? Why you pay the same whatever the answer, what the FCA found people paid, and how abridged advice works. Fees7 min
  10. 47 Can you pay adviser fees from your pension or ISA? When a pension or ISA can pay the fee, the £500 pension advice allowance, and the tax effect in pounds. Fees7 min
  11. 48 What does inheritance tax planning advice cost? Who does what in inheritance tax planning, how each professional charges, and the questions to ask. Fees6 min
  12. 49 What does equity release cost in fees? The advice, lender and legal fees, what they can total, and the cost of adding them to the loan. Fees6 min
  13. 50 Can you get one-off financial advice without ongoing fees? How one-off advice works, how it is charged, and what you give up without an ongoing service. Fees5 min

Reminder: these guides are general education, not regulated advice or personal recommendations. Rules, allowances and tax treatment change and depend on individual circumstances. For advice tailored to you, consult an FCA-authorised adviser — see our adviser-vetting toolkit.