Help with money management - bit desperate

BarbaraH

Hi - does anyone know of a financial adviser who would be able to help me with managing my money as someone who's not (yet) in dire straits but doesn't have huge assets and savings? Basically (and I am not expecting sympathy) I earn a pretty good amount but also have a lot of debt so everything goes out each month with little/no room for saving. (I'm not in a position to get new cards with better interest rates, because I have a poor credit rating.) I've always been really poor at understanding figures  - I think I may have some kind of dyscalculia. Some of this earning is freelance and so every year I get hit with a massive tax bill, which leaves me unable to put any money away for next year, and so the cycle of debt goes on. I don't feel I should use up Citizen Advice resources, because I earn a good amount; I've tried a debt advice organisation and filled in a massive form online to be told "you can manage your debts"; and most 'financial advisers' are only interested in people with serious money and assets, which I really don't have. But I'm in a mess and constantly anxious about money and I don't know where to turn. I don't have friends or family who could help with this sort of thing. I want someone who could maybe give tax saving, budgeting and pension advice and I would pay for it. Can anyone advise? I'd be very grateful.

Albermarle

A financial advisor's role, is to advise you on how to best invest/save your resources. So advice on pensions, stocks and shares, related tax issues etc. They are really for people who already have funds to invest, and not for people trying to improve their budgeting skills.
Probably for that, this forum would be a better place to ask some of your questions about learning budgeting skills and reducing your debts.
Debt-free wannabe — MoneySavingExpert Forum

Regarding pensions, your post indicates that some of your earnings are not freelance, so does that mean you have employer? and are you enrolled in their workplace pension scheme?

onomatopoeia99

This sub-forum is about tax free savings.  You should try the "debt free wannabe" forum here:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/debt-free-wannabe

BarbaraH

Albermarle said:

A financial advisor's role, is to advise you on how to best invest/save your resources. So advice on pensions, stocks and shares, related tax issues etc. They are really for people who already have funds to invest, and not for people trying to improve their budgeting skills.
Probably for that, this forum would be a better place to ask some of your questions about learning budgeting skills and reducing your debts.
Debt-free wannabe — MoneySavingExpert Forum

Regarding pensions, your post indicates that some of your earnings are not freelance, so does that mean you have employer? and are you enrolled in their workplace pension scheme?

Hi - yes, I am in a company pension and have some PAYE work. It's under pretty serious threat of redundancy, though.

Brie

There's a new post on the debt free board so best to respond there.