My kids are 9, 9, and 7. At that age, they don’t care about “net worth” or “index funds.” They care that Dad is the one standing at the end of the driveway when the yellow bus pulls up. But they’ve started to notice. Their friends’ dads leave in suits at 7:00 AM. They see the neighbors’ shiny new trucks. And they’ve started asking: “Dad, why are you always home? Do you even have a […]

Retirement tax planning is often presented as a set of rules. These rules are usually designed to work in isolation or within a single tax year, which makes them appealing but incomplete. While these guidelines can be helpful starting points, they are not finished solutions. Real-life tax planning decisions are more complex because they involve interacting tradeoffs that unfold over decades rather than a single tax year.  At its core, tax-efficient retirement income planning is […]

What caught my eye this week. A flood of articles this week highlighted how people are abandoning Hargreaves Lansdown in favour of other – presumably cheaper – platforms. I wasn’t surprised to hear it, going by comments from readers on our latest broker update and the broker comparison table. Hargreaves’ fee rejig – effective from 1 March – was the firm’s first for donkey’s years. The headline platform charge was cut, and there are lower […]

In this guide, we’ll review the 10 best lifetime mortgages in 2026. We’ve analyzed key factors like product offerings, flexibility, fees, and customer protections to help you make an informed decision. Each provider on this list has been selected based on their reputation, experience, and ability to meet the needs of homeowners aged 55 and above.  Whether you’re looking for fee-free advice, flexible repayment options, or access to a wide range of lenders, we’ve got […]

Image Source: Pexels We all know the jingle for “free” credit reports, but a new wave of legal action in 2026 is exposing the expensive reality behind these zero-cost promises. A major class action lawsuit has gained momentum against credit monitoring giants, alleging that they use dark patterns to trick consumers into unintentional subscriptions. The core of the complaint focuses on the bait-and-switch tactic, where a user signs up for a “free” credit score or […]

Halfway through Feb already, so am running very late with this one! Been rather distracted recently – work continues to ramp up and (maybe related or unrelated) my eczema has flared up so I’ve been itching miserably and uncomfortably and … Continue reading → The post January 2026 Savings, plus other updates appeared first on Quietly Saving.

If you’ve ever avoided your budget because it feels overwhelming… you’re not alone. I hear this all the time: “I know I should budget… but I hate it.”“It takes too long.”“I fall behind, and then I just give up.”“I don’t want to look at the numbers.” And honestly? I get it. For years, I thought budgeting required spreadsheets, hours of math, and the perfect tracking of every dollar. No wonder so many people quit. But […]

Decluttering advice often assumes you have endless time and energy. But what if you don’t? Introducing the Window Shopping Method: no marathon sessions, no mess, just realistic progress you can sustain. The post How to Declutter When You Have Low Energy (The Window Shopping Method) appeared first on Simply + Fiercely.