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Category: Media/News

How to retire at 40

How to retire at 40

Last year I was contacted through this site by a journalist who wanted to speak to me about potentially becoming involved in an upcoming pilot for a television program about early retirement. I agreed and we had a lengthy phone conversation where she discussed what the show was going to be about (People retiring by or in their 40s) and how they wanted to get a wide range of people trying different methods to reach this state. It all sounded…

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Special offers want you to spend, not save

Special offers want you to spend, not save

Yesterday I was taking a rare non-work related trip in my car to the discount supermarket when a radio advert pricked up my ears and immediately alerted my fine-tuned consumerism warning system that something may be amiss. The advert started off relaxed and friendly, lulling you into a false sense of security; kids playing the background, adults chatting amongst themselves.. that kind of thing, when without warning I was hit by this whammy of a statement: “You might want to…

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My Top 10 things people waste money on

My Top 10 things people waste money on

The battle between personal wants and needs is a hard one, made even harder by the constant bombardment of media advertising we receive each day. Not-so-special offers, visions of the perfect lifestyle and the infamous ‘Keeping with the Jones’ all contribute towards some ill-advised purchasing decisions. Here is a list of My Top 10 things people waste money on:   1. Gym Membership You see them through the windows every January, working hard with the bright lights blazing and high…

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Is it possible to finish University debt free?

Is it possible to finish University debt free?

With the recent budget announcement around the removal of maintenance grants to be replaced with additional student loans, a number of online outlets have begun reporting on the mountains of debt our university graduates will now be saddled with at the end of their degrees. Indeed; with tuition fees currently standing at £9000 a year, plus the costs of living.. it’s to be expected that many will graduate with well over £30,000 worth of student debt. This got me thinking…

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Who wants to be a Retirement Millionaire?

Who wants to be a Retirement Millionaire?

Although (hopefully) readers here will be aware that they don’t need an enormous pension pot to retire; reaching a cool million still remains the goal for many others. What better feeling than hitting that 7 figures? However there are several things to consider before you get knocked over with a huge tax bill at the end. As the pension freedoms were introduced back in April, there also came a controversial announcement of a reduction in the lifetime allowance – from…

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Thoughts on remortgaging and credit scores

Thoughts on remortgaging and credit scores

Since purchasing our first home back at the start of 2014 we’ve always aimed to have it paid off as soon as possible. With interest rates at an all time low and the stock markets recovering nicely; some have started to question the value of over-paying a mortgage instead of investing to be ‘mortgage neutral’. Aside from the obvious psychological benefit of being mortgage free at a quicker date, one of the main reasons why I’ve tended to focus on…

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Retirement & Wealth – Where do the parties stand

Retirement & Wealth – Where do the parties stand

As if it were possible for any UK readers to be unaware.. there is an election coming up. I’ve previously spoke a bit on some of my thoughts on certain policies such as a taxation on wealth (Which, no surprise; I’m against) and inheritance tax. It seems most of the current debate unsurprisingly centres around the economy, healthcare and immigration. Unfortunately there hasn’t been much information in the media about the various pledges regarding the state pension and taxation on…

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Being poor isnt having to wait for the sale to buy a new flat screen TV

Being poor isnt having to wait for the sale to buy a new flat screen TV

Last weekend on both sides of the great ocean pond we got a stark reminder of the lengths some people will go in order to grab themselves a perceived bargain. All the major news outlets and social media sites were filled with videos and images of desperate people pushing over each other to be the one of the lucky few who manage to grab a slightly reduced no-name TV.  The behaviour and complete lack of self dignity displayed by these…

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Taxes Taxes Taxes

Taxes Taxes Taxes

The big news this week in the UK media has been the announcement from the Labour party that they will introduce a ‘Mansion Tax’ based upon the value of your home if it is worth more than their baseline of £2million. With the general election coming up next year, it’s interesting to see a party actually planning to raise new taxes rather than announce the usual vote swinging promise to lower them. Personally I’m in two minds about this form…

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