A practical viewing checklist for UK first-time buyers in 2026/27 — what to check, what to ask, and the red flags that could mean expensive surprises later.
Instead of retiring in one step at 65, more people are phasing out: cutting to a four-day week in their early 60s and topping up the lost income with a small, taxable pension drawdown. Here's a worked example of the numbers — and the MPAA trap to watch.
The 4% rule comes from a 1998 US study and says a £500,000 portfolio can support £20,000/year, inflation-adjusted, for 30 years. UK FIRE retirees face longer horizons, different tax wrappers, and a UK-specific market history — here's what actually changes.
Buying a UK franchise for £20,000-£30,000? On £60,000 annual profit, a limited company structure can save a franchise owner over £1,500 a year in tax versus trading as a sole trader.
The Furnished Holiday Letting tax regime was abolished from April 2025. Here's what changed for holiday let owners and how the numbers compare to the old rules.
How the mean and median gender pay gap, bonus gap and pay quartiles work for employers with 250+ staff, the 4 April deadline, and what the numbers actually mean for employees.
Gig economy workers are self-employed, so auto-enrolment never applies to them — no employer contribution, ever. A rider on £22,000/year who saves nothing retires on the £11,973/year State Pension alone. One who puts in just £91.67/month (£114.58 gross with tax relief) could build a pension pot in the region of £95,000 over 30 years.
£100/month from a grandparent into a Junior ISA vs a Junior SIPP produces very different outcomes by the time your grandchild retires. Here's the maths, plus the gifting rules you need to know.
Freelance graphic designers carry Adobe subscriptions, tablet and monitor costs against project-based client income. Full worked example on £32,000 turnover shows a £3,022 tax and NI bill.
Guernsey, like Jersey, is a Crown Dependency with its own tax system entirely separate from the UK's. Here's what actually changes on income tax, property tax and social security if you relocate.
The 2022 Supreme Court ruling in Harpur Trust v Brazel confirmed that term-time-only and other part-year workers are entitled to the full 5.6 weeks of statutory leave, calculated on their calendar-week average pay — not a pro-rated 12.07% of hours worked. Here's what it means for pay in 2026/27.
The Help to Buy equity loan scheme closed to new applicants in 2023, but hundreds of thousands of homeowners still owe one. Full repayment, interest and staircasing rules for 2026.
