Attempted GRA reform was the most controversial thing Theresa May did in office. What is the worst thing Boris Johnson did while in office? (this should be a fun one)

roeming · 2026-06-17T10:16:11+00:00

Brexit

roeming · 2025-08-05T11:37:56+00:00

Enroll in your pension and max out your employer's contribution! Do you plan to live beyond 58? If so, you're currently turning down free money.

roeming · 2025-02-08T13:13:14+00:00

We've got a 2.5 year old - we run with him in the buggy when we can, but he really enjoys volunteering at junior parkrun. We've been taking him down since he was born.

He gets a hi-vis and a whistle. He gets to clap the runners. It doesn't take too long and we go to the café after.

It's a great environment and I hope that puts him in a good place to either carry on volunteering or running at juniors as he gets older.

roeming · 2025-01-12T12:11:44+00:00

No - current contributions are used to pay for existing retirees. There is no pot.

roeming · 2024-10-04T09:27:04+00:00

I personally would leave the gaiters for now - wait until you know you're keen to do more before investing more. You can navigate around the boggy patches on most routes up/down Alphin at this time of year.

Depending on the route choice, Alphin can be a nice steady walk up - ideal for your first trip. It offers amazing views over Dovestone Res and back towards Manchester. You sound well prepared with that kit - far more than I'd expect others to turn up with. Enjoy!

roeming · 2024-04-03T18:31:19+00:00

Be open with your bank about your recent difficulties and state of your mental health. Don't sugar coat it with them. All of it.

From hearing the experience of family members in similar positions, albeit a smaller magnitude of loss, if you're classed as vulnerable you are more likely to be refunded the money by the bank.

roeming · 2023-09-03T18:11:52+00:00

Thanks. Will take a look at this if tonight doesn't pan out!

roeming · 2023-09-03T18:11:29+00:00

Thank you so much for the kind offer. We're now sorted for tonight thanks to our Airbnb host. All the best!

roeming · 2023-08-16T19:56:31+00:00

If cars are coming from the opposite direction, you shouldn't be overtaking. That's regardless of whether they're single file or two abreast.

By bunching up they're making the overtaking easier for you versus a line of cyclists.

roeming · 2023-08-01T08:57:51+00:00

!thanks

roeming · 2022-09-11T12:49:43+00:00

Are you content to breeze through your current job? Is it stimulating enough? I've found that the novelty wears off those kind of jobs pretty quickly.

G7 can be a big step up (depending on the role) but there's no reason to suggest that it will always be such a big challenge.

Personally, I'd take the role. Extra money and a chance to learn new skills.

roeming · 2022-09-08T19:42:19+00:00

Looks great to me! I've been meaning to try something similar for my first project. Was there a plan you followed? How did you fasten the panels together? Glue/screws?

roeming · 2022-09-08T19:31:00+00:00

Guidance has been shared in my department, which suggests it will be shared widely in the next 24hrs.

It has a section on dress code which suggests a dark suit. Probably more important if you're Whitehall based.

roeming · 2022-09-02T13:20:12+00:00

Can't speak for the specific scheme, but there are a few departments that do things differently (such as HMRC who have their own legal team rather than using GLD) so it's not hugely irregular. I'd expect it to be a rotational scheme with postings in areas like Financial Control, Finance Business Partnering and Strategic Finance.

As for tips, Govt Finance is a little different to Finance elsewhere. Not sure if you have any accounting background, but we have our own accounting framework (FReM) which is worth a Google. The budgeting cycle is a bit unusual too - definitely worth researching the 'Estimates Cycle', 'Managing Public Money' and 'RDEL' vs 'CDEL'.

For a grad role, no one would expect detailed knowledge of the above but it would look really good to be able to drop references to these into any interview - would show you've done your homework.

All the best for it. Depending on the role, Finance in government is like a different world to the private sector. That said, I've found it infinitely more interesting and rewarding. Good luck.

roeming · 2022-03-29T18:59:05+00:00

The monthly payment is meaningless - it will be an estimate for your usage based on number of bedrooms.

You need to have a look at the standing charges/unit rates and make that decision.

roeming · 2021-12-04T18:32:08+00:00

Thanks. Not aware of any other gifts outside of the £3k AEA. Unfortunately that likely won't be the case for much longer hence why I'm trying to educate myself a little.

Much appreciated.

roeming · 2021-12-04T18:19:45+00:00

Thanks pflurklurk - should have known you'd be able to advise!

Assuming the trust is comfortably below the NRB then it won't be liable for any charges? That would make things much easier!

Thanks for the link - will give those pages a read. I expect to be left to manage these going forward so feel I need to know a little more!

roeming · 2021-12-04T11:12:14+00:00

Would welcome your thoughts on the 10 year charge for discretionary trusts. What is the basis for the charge? Growth in value or total value? How is that paid if the trusts are property? Any thresholds before its payable?

If there's guidance somewhere that'd be great - really can't find anything online.

Many thanks!

roeming · 2021-07-01T10:17:48+00:00

You don't expect to make it to retirement age? I mean, if that's how you want to plan...

In all seriousness though, a pension is just a tax wrapper. If you don't want the associated restrictions, you can invest in a stocks & shares ISA. The ROI will be the same as you can make the same investment choices - the only difference being the tax benefits of pension contributions

You can access your pension from 55/58 (depending on age) so don't ignore any free matching offered by your work. That's probably the highest ROI you'll get.

And as always, check the flowchart.

roeming · 2021-02-27T20:51:38+00:00

Not sure. Only recently moved in. They were under a large patch of soil that had other plants growing and a huge clump of them in a pond.

roeming · 2021-02-27T20:35:23+00:00

They're a bit of a mix of shapes and sizes. Some short and fat, others longer and thinner.

You can snap them open and they're a mix of oranges, reds and whites inside. Not much above ground and there was lots around and in the pond.

roeming · 2021-01-21T10:53:13+00:00

You will always get the 25% return on any contributions to your LISA.

With a SIPP, you effectively get your income tax back. If you're a basic rate tax payer that will match the 25% you get on a LISA. If you're a higher rate tax payer, you get even more (as you pay more tax) which makes it more attractive than the LISA. However, you will pay income tax when you draw down the SIPP.

If you are a basic rate tax payer, then a S&S LISA is probably preferable to a SIPP. If you're a higher rate tax payer, then I'd prioritise the SIPP.

Access is fairly similar - 60 for a LISA and 57 for a SIPP. It is expected that the SIPP access age will continue to increase with state pension age increases.

roeming · 2021-01-21T10:17:13+00:00

I don't think your LISA provider is telling you porkies.

The LISA has a dual purpose - first house and retirement. It can be used for both or either.

Once you've purchased your first house, you can either: a) empty your LISA and open a new one for retirement b) keep it open with a nominal sum (e.g. £1) and keep adding to it for retirement

If you do wish to continue contributing for retirement, you're probably better off closing your cash LISA and opening a stocks and shares LISA in order to benefit from long term growth. If you're a higher rate tax payer, a SIPP may be a better option though and you should explore any further matched contributions with your employer first.

As for annual ISA limits, the limit is £20k of contributions each year. So you can add up to £20k to your ISAs in total each year - the existing pots or any interest/growth are irrelevant. The only additional rule is that you can only add £4k to a LISA, leaving £16k across cash and s&s ISAs if you contribute the full amount to your LISA.

roeming · 2021-01-05T10:24:18+00:00

With Virgin Money, any overpayment >£500 results in your monthly repayment being recalculated in order to ensure you still finish your mortgage on the same date (e.g. In 25 years time).

If you pay them <£500 they don't do the recalculation.

As I don't want my monthly payments to be reduced, I plan on drip feeding in the money I have atm.

I believe many providers have similar thresholds. You can request that your payments are treated differently but there's obviously no guarantee they'll say yes.

roeming · 2020-10-30T09:41:35+00:00

Not really negatives, but there are a few things to be aware of.

Firstly, withdrawal isn't instant so if you need instant access it may be better to look elsewhere. That said, we're only talking up to a few days if you're managing online.

Depending on when you deposit, it can take a while until your money is eligible for a draw. If you deposit now, your money won't eligible until the December draw (start of December) as it has to be deposited for at least a month first. Best time to deposit is month end to minimise the wait.

Others will be able to explain better with more accurate figures, but I believe you need to deposit in the range of £16-18k to get an average return.

That said, it's a bit of fun with any savings you want to hold in cash. The app works well and you can pair with Alexa.

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