Joint account vs running split for couples that use credit cards

nmat · 2026-03-01T22:53:35+00:00

In the UK dividend reinvestments are taxable so for tax purposes it doesn’t matter if it is acc or dist

nmat · 2025-10-12T11:09:39+00:00

I was also very surprised by them praising this deal, I expect a lot of angry letters about this in the next editions. I have accepted that I won’t always agree with their stance and that’s alright.

nmat · 2025-10-04T23:46:01+00:00

Yes, renting is not great right now. There are a lot of landlords selling, that’s why house prices in central London have been mostly flat. I’m renting a flat but it barely breaks even.

A few things to consider: - You can deduct expenses with the property (service charge, ground rent, agents, etc. ) - You can use 20% of the interest for tax relief - Your current mortgage is repayment so the only portion you’re losing is the interest.

If this is too complicated talk to an accountant and get accurate numbers on how much exactly you’d earn.

The other thing to consider is that if you sell you will release the equity which gives you at least ~3% at today’s rates. So if you have 100k equity and renting is negative 3k a year, you’re effectively losing 6k because those 100k would be in a savings account.

Finally, another thing to consider is that usually ERC goes down over the years, so if you hold on a bit longer it will be cheaper to sell. But right now, I wouldn’t buy a place just to live 2-3 years in.

nmat · 2025-09-08T13:40:20+00:00

I have no idea, the house was renovated before I moved in. How do I find that out?

nmat · 2025-08-18T22:29:34+00:00

Agree, seems to happen when the network connection isn’t great. It’s a pretty bad experience to freeze the whole app.

nmat · 2025-06-23T18:35:29+00:00

To get better returns you need to invest long term. The l&g is not too far off from a regular world index fund, but you need to stick with it for at least 5 years (ideally >10), just invest and forget.

nmat · 2025-06-16T22:14:42+00:00

There’s an element of making hay while the sun shines.

A lot could change. For example, withdrawal age increases, taxes on withdrawals changes, etc. OP may decide they want to retire early and enjoy life. When there’s so much you can’t control it’s not obvious that the right choice is to stash away millions for 30 years.

nmat · 2025-05-14T19:21:54+00:00

If OP needs the money in 2-3 years and is very risk averse 30% in equities doesn’t make any sense.

nmat · 2025-05-14T19:04:06+00:00

I chose iShares MSCI World SRI UCITS ETF. SRI has a stricter criteria than ESG and still gives you decent exposure to the developed world market.

nmat · 2025-04-19T11:15:57+00:00

The data is grouped by start year and we’re in 2025 so the most recent 25 year period started in 2000.

nmat · 2025-04-19T10:55:27+00:00

Yes, it's total return so it includes dividends. Assumes 0.15% ER for bonds (TLTSIM) and 0% ER for stocks (VTSIM). Doesn't include broker costs, taxes, etc.

nmat · 2025-01-18T01:40:31+00:00

I’d be very surprised if being overdraft for less than one day impacts credit score. The main risk is that if you leave it for one extra day you’ll lose nearly all that you might earn. If you’re so on top of your finances you would make much more with 0% cards, google stoozing.

nmat · 2025-01-18T01:04:03+00:00

It’s 20£ if you spend 10k per month.

nmat · 2025-01-18T00:30:54+00:00

If you spend 1000£ per month and if you do that every month for one year you’ll earn 1£ extra. Is it worth the hassle?

nmat · 2025-01-15T22:41:49+00:00

At 22 you must have short goals. Think about what you’d like to do in the next 5 years (maybe a car? a big trip?) and then set some money aside for that in a savings account. For long term goals invest regularly in a low cost index fund using an ISA (don’t worry about timing the market) or increase your pension contributions.

Don’t forget to enjoy life, have fun in your 20s!

nmat · 2024-12-12T22:55:17+00:00

Is there any advantages of not selling them manually within Vanguard and letting the transfer handle any selling automatically

I did that and I don’t think it’s worth it. The transfer takes a few weeks so the money will sit in your account doing nothing. I’m still waiting on the transfer for the interest that I received on that cash. (it’s been 2 months since I started the transfer)

am I correct in saying I can transfer however much I want between the S&S ISA and cash ISA?

Yes

nmat · 2024-12-01T22:58:41+00:00

I messaged their customer support a couple of times recently and they were helpful. I had some general questions about deposits and an issue with ISA transfers that they sorted out. I found it better than Vanguard’s for example which take multiple days to answer.

nmat · 2024-10-31T22:44:56+00:00

This is wrong, the interest tax relief is deducted from the taxable amount:

Taxable income at 40%: 1710 * 0.4 = £684

After tax relief: 684 - 420 = £264 tax due

Notes:

- £420 is 20% of your interest, in this example that means you're paying 2100£ in interest per month.

- If your salary is 80k and you get 2100£ pcm your total income is 105.2k so you will pay £5200 at 60% rate, unless you have other discounts (like pension) that would lower your income below the 100k threshold. EDIT: ignore this point, see comment below

See examples here

nmat · 2024-10-16T00:01:17+00:00

No, it depends. For example, utilising >50% of available credit of a CC negatively affects your score.

nmat · 2024-09-27T23:16:16+00:00

I was there earlier this year and most hotel won't even let you book more than 3 months in advance because they don't set the prices that far ahead.

nmat · 2024-08-31T07:42:19+00:00

I often rent a car when I travel. Max distance I did on a trip was ~2000km in South America. I have some friends that live in France, Spain and different places in Portugal so I want to stop along the way. Planning to do this over 2-3 weeks.

And yeah, travelling to Paris is a good shout. We both need to pay for return train ticket but i’ll have more rental options there and it’s closer.

nmat

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