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Advice please regarding investment bond 5% rule - after a capital reduction.
I invested £300,000 in a bond many years ago. I have taken the full 5% per annum cumulatively, but in the early years I withdrew half the capital to help build a house. Is the 5% now calculated on the original £300k or the residual £150k? My IFA says the latter but everything I read on line suggests the former but I cannot…
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County Court Claim letter re DCB Legal
Hi all, I hope someone can offer some advice. I parked at a theme park in October 2021 and needed to get cash out to pay for the car park. We walked in to the theme park and walked about to find a cash machine. It became obvious that the theme park was actually closed so we got back in the car and left. My Google Maps…
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Settlement Agreement
HI, advice please on the following. Last week, I received an email to not return to work, HR meeting with view to settlement agreement, arranged 4 days later. The reason given, on questioning was the breakdown of the relationship with no further explanation. Employment of nearly ten years in current role. PILON 9 weeks as…
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CrazyBee wants to be Mortgage Free!
This diary is going to be my typed up journey to mortgage
freedom. I begin a new job in the New Year and the mortgage roughly equates to
46K. I have projects that need doing around the flat such as flooring and
kitchen, I will be earning £1950 after tax per month roughly speaking and I
also will need a car fund soon.…
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Uswitch 25 hours free electricity
I’ve seen a promotion advertised by Uswitch offering 25 hours free electricity if you connect your smart meter. Has anyone taken part in this before as I think they may have ran something similar at Christmas? I assume the catch is they collect and sell your usage data to target you with tailored tariffs?…
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Browser dedicated for Finance
Thinking of setting up a browser just for banking on my Mac. It will not be used for any other internet access. I have a simple (no internet) phone which I will use for 2FA this stays at home so if I loose my smartphone there's nothing on it about banking. If I am forced later to use a smartphone by the bank I will get one…
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Is there a lack of financial education in the UK from family and schools?
Is it just me or does there seem to be a lack of financial education in the UK whether that be from school or from parents? When I fled the nest and got my first property nobody taught me about personal finances and it was only through life experience and my own research that I became more aware. -Have a budget that you…
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Energy suppliers and the £400 grant
Are they basing their direct debit amounts for new fixes Inclusive of the monthly grant or are they ignoring it, in which case winter monthly DDs should be £30+ lower?
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Do you have to be on the electricity grid customer?
I'm in the midst of other energy research at the moment, when this thought came to me. I am a customer of the electricity company, but do I have to be? If I can provide all my electrical needs, can I tell them to disconnect the service? If it is possible, could I just have an electricity supply for 3 months? Is there…
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No standing charge?
Given that Ofgem have tried (and failed) to “simplify” tariffs, do you see a case to bring back zero standing charge tariffs, where the supplier recovers their costs purely from the energy sold? This could keep the price down for low users and make high users contribute more, incentivising the need to reduce usage.
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Phantom house survey
Any retired surveyors (or bankers) on here? Five years or so ago, a friend bought a house in Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbys, with a loan from HSBC. The bank's survey (among other things) said NO SUBSIDENCE. Recently, he has been doing some renovations and invited a structural engineer around to check something. The engineer…
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Vegan Storecupboard Challenge 2024
It's back!! 😁 ETA: This challenge is about using up what you have in your storecupboard and freezers to make vegan meals and save money on groceries! Link to last year's challenge: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6413148/2023-vegan-storecupboard-challenge/p1 Following a massive deep clean of my food…
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Santander Amazon opening offer x2
I opened a new Santander Everyday account last week after seeing the £30 amazon offer just for opening (no switch required). Now they’ve launched a new £100 Amazon offer, this time requiring debit card transactions. I’ve looked at the T&Cs quickly, but can anyone confirm if I could go for this new offer as well?
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Old Style Daily Wednesday 05 November
Remember, remember the 5th of November, gunpowder, treason and plot - morning all.
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Fridge is not cold - freezer is fine.
A couple of days ago I noticed my fridge wasn't cold - I adjusted the temperature dial but nothing has changed. It's definitely not cold at all. I also noticed some ice lollies on top shelf of freezer had gone soft though when I moved them to a different shelf they firmed up again. Today they have returned to soggy! Ice…
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If you inherited £20k, what would you do with it?
For context- when my Grandad passed, money from the sale of his house was put into a Trust, ready for me when I turned 21. I have used a large proportion of this money for a deposit on a house, and so I now have roughly £20k left over. I have an additional £5.5k invested into a Trading 212 Stocks ISA, investing into the…
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Looking at DIY probate
I recently lost my father a week ago, and I’m staring at the probate/IHT forms feeling daunted. My mother is still alive, but won’t be any help with any of this (we’re both named as executors but she wants me to sort it all as she’s not technical at all in respect of computers). I’ve spent the last week waiting for the…
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Car finance mis-selling claim telephone calls
Regarding the mis-selling of car finance that has been heavily advertised. I logged a claim over 3 years ago, but, no doubt due to the advertised opportunities, I am being inundated with telephone calls from companies wanting to act on my behalf. As I type this it is around 3pm on a weekday afternoon and already today I…
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O2 price rise and changing contracts
Hi all, just wondering for a bit of advice. I’m with O2 at the minute and with the prices rise looking to cut my bill, also my contract ends in January so would’ve moved anyways. with my contract ending in Jan and being able to move now penalty free, is it just a simple case of texting another provider and letting them…
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"Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it."
So after lurking on other people's diaries for the last few years it's time to start my own. I'd almost paid off my mortgage 4 years ago when I decided to move to somewhere a lot bigger and a lot more expensive. It was also a project. So for the last few years there have been no overpayments as everything has gone into…
