Money notes
Plain-English thinking on budgets, mindset, pensions, ISAs and the changes that affect your money. Each post ends with one small action to take this week.
Money Mindset: whose voice is in your wallet?
Here's something 22 years in finance taught me: income is rarely the whole problem. I've seen high earners with nothing left at month end, and modest earners quietly building real security. The difference usually isn't a spreadsheet. It's a story. We all carry a money story, and most of it was written before we earned a penny. It came from what we heard at the kitchen table, what we watched our parents worry about (or never mention), and what money seemed to mean in the house we grew up in....
Why the best in the world still have a coach
Usain Bolt had a coach. So does every Premier League manager, every Olympic rower, and most of the CEOs you've heard of. These people aren't short of talent or knowledge. They have a coach because knowing what to do and actually doing it are two very different things. Money is exactly the same. Most people already know they should spend less than they earn, build an emergency fund and plan for retirement. Not knowing isn't the problem. The gap between knowing and doing is. That's where...
Your Budget isn't a diet... it's a Sat Nav
"Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship." (Benjamin Franklin) Say the word "budget" to most people and you can watch their shoulders tense. It sounds like restriction: no more takeaways, no more treats, a life of beige. I get it. When I moved to Switzerland and it all went wrong, I spent twelve months juggling two homes with no income. I'd love to tell you I had a tidy spreadsheet guiding me through it. I didn't. I found out where my money was going the hard way, by...