How the money pages work: disclaimer, editorial and fact-checking policy

This page explains what the money content is, how it is researched, how it is funded, and where the lines are drawn. Finance is a subject where trust has to be earned rather than assumed, so none of this is buried in the small print. Please read it before taking anything on the money pages as guidance for your own situation.

Educational, not financial advice

Everything published on the money pages is for general information and education only. It is not financial advice, and it is not regulated financial advice under the Financial Services and Markets Act. Reading it does not create an adviser relationship. Your financial situation is specific to you, and nothing here has been written with your circumstances in mind.

Personal experience, not a recommendation

The money content works by explaining real personal decisions: what was chosen, why, and how it worked out. That is different from telling you what to do. When you read that a particular choice was made here, treat it as one household's experience, not as a suggestion that you should do the same. What suits one person's income, risk appetite and family setup can be entirely wrong for another's.

Where to get regulated advice

For decisions that genuinely matter to your security, please speak to a qualified, regulated professional. Two trustworthy starting points, both free to use:

• MoneyHelper, the government-backed service that offers free and impartial money guidance.
• The Financial Conduct Authority register, where you can confirm that any adviser, firm or product provider is properly authorised before you deal with them.

For tax questions specific to you, an accountant or HMRC directly is the right route rather than a blog.

Advertising and affiliate disclosure

These pages need to fund themselves to keep going, and they do so in two honest ways. Some posts contain affiliate links, which means a small commission may be earned if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Some posts are sponsored or feature gifted products, and where that is the case it is stated clearly and early, never hidden. Display advertising also appears across the site. None of this changes the verdict in a post. A tool is only recommended here if it is genuinely used and rated, and honest caveats stay in even when there is a commission attached. Recommending something poor for a quick payout would defeat the entire point of the blog.

Privacy, and other people's money

Radical honesty about money has a boundary, and it is this: my figures are mine to share, but other people's are not. Household numbers touch a partner. Any figures relating to family, children or past relationships involve people who did not choose to be written about. So while you will see real, specific figures for my own income, mortgage, pensions and net worth where relevant, you will not see numbers that expose anyone else's private finances, and details concerning children are kept off the page entirely. Transparency here is a personal policy, not a free pass to publish other people's business.

How these pages are researched and fact-checked

Money content carries a duty to be accurate, so figures, rules and thresholds are checked against primary sources rather than other blogs. Where a post cites tax rules, allowances, rates or official guidance, the source is a recognised authority: gov.uk, HMRC, the Financial Conduct Authority, MoneyHelper, the Bank of England or the Office for National Statistics. Rules change, so posts covering allowances, rates or thresholds carry a “last reviewed” date, and are updated when the underlying figures move. If you spot something out of date or incorrect, please say so using the contact page and it will be checked and corrected promptly.

Working with finance brands

Any brand partnership in a regulated area of finance is handled carefully. Sponsored content involving regulated products is only published where the brand can evidence that the promotion has been approved in line with Financial Conduct Authority requirements, and a record of that approval and the final published wording is kept on file. Speculative or high-risk products, including trading platforms, consumer credit offers and cryptocurrency, are treated with particular caution, and no earnings or investment-return claims are dramatised to sell a partnership.

If something here is wrong

Care is taken, but no writer gets everything right forever, especially as rules shift. Nothing on these pages should be relied upon as a substitute for professional advice tailored to you, and no responsibility is accepted for decisions made solely on the basis of general content published here. Please use it as a well-researched starting point, then get advice specific to your situation before you act.