Blog
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5 easy steps to find your old workplace pensions
Did you know that there are up to 3.3 million lost pension pots in the UK containing a total of £31.1 billion? * It’s well…
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Are Black Friday bargains ruining your financial future?
“This is such a good deal! Of course I should get a new Shark vacuum (even though the one I currently have still works great.)”…
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What’s lifestyle creep? And can it push your money goals off track?
We all like to treat ourselves from time to time. Taking an Uber instead of the bus, upgrading to some fancy sourdough bread instead of…
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Why we need to talk about money – and how to get started
Does talking about money give you the ick? Whether it’s how much you earn, trying to split a restaurant bill, managing money with a partner…
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The US election outcome and what it means for your money
Tom Francis, our Head of Advice, breaks it all down. Elections are a natural part investing, there’s nothing new here. Dubbed the “Super Bowl” of…
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Autumn Budget 2024 – How will it affect your finances?
From pensions and investments to private jets and property, Rachel Reeves’s maiden Budget was wide-ranging and far-reaching. Reeves, our first female Chancellor of the Exchequer,…
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Should I invest or overpay my mortgage?
If you’re lucky enough to have some spare cash, you may be wondering how best to use it. Buy a lottery ticket? Treat your friends…
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Can paying into your pension actually increase your monthly take-home pay?
It sounds like a riddle: how can paying money into a pension increase your take-home pay? Well, it all depends on how you actually pay…
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Budgeting for Christmas
You’ve probably already spotted the chocolate Santas in the supermarket, and you may have even received an email promoting fancy advent calendars. There are now…
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Market news and what it means for you: January to September 2024
Tom Francis, Head of Advice at Octopus Money, takes a look at what’s been happening in the economy and the global stock markets in 2024.…
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Is buying a property better than investing?
Tom Francis, Head of Advice at Octopus Money, weighs in. British people LOVE property. More than anything. We all plan to buy a property as…
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How to stay safe from pension scams
How to spot and avoid pension scams A pension scam is where a scammer will promise opportunities with high returns and low risk, or say…
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August 2024 market update – a masterclass in volatility
As you might have seen in the news, or reflected in your own investments – the markets were a bit more volatile than usual this…
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The cost of fertility treatments and how to prepare for them
Whether it’s due to age, health, sexuality or many other factors, many of us know that if we ever want to start a family, it’s…
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What does a Labour government mean for your money?
Snapshot: There has been very little impact or volatility generated off the back of Labour’s recent election win. Always remember, the current price of stock…
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How to get ahead of your student loan
University fees in the UK aren’t cheap, and many students find they need financial help in order to attend university and pay for their studies.…
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Should your pension be divided during a separation?
Our partners at amicable share their thoughts on what to do with your pension during a separation. If you’re going through a divorce or ending…
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The Octopus Money investing philosophy
When you think about all the things that you want to do in your life, what springs to mind? Maybe it’s buying your first home.…
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Does being neurodivergent impact your money?
Everyone’s brain develops differently. There has been a lot of discussion on neurodivergence and money in the past couple of years. And this is important…
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3 frequently asked questions when separating from your partner
Separating from a partner can bring many challenges, and finances are often one of them. Here, Kate Daly from our partner amicable gives some answers…
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Budgeting for summer fun
As the perfect season for picnics and parties, summer can be a time when it’s very easy for us to go over budget. Everyone’s feeling…
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Top 3 investing mistakes from a financial adviser
Octopus Money’s Head of Advice, Tom Francis, reveals his top 3 investing mistakes. When you ask people what they regret most about investing, the number…
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The Octopus Money Guide to Budgeting
Table of contents Introduction What is budgeting? Clearing misconceptions Six steps to budgeting success Conclusion Introduction For most people, the word ‘budgeting’ brings to mind…
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Spring clean your finances for the new tax year
The first three months of the year can be hectic. What with recovering from the Christmas period, followed by Valentine’s Day, half term, and maybe…
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Can an investment firm lose all my money?
‘Will I lose all my money?’ This is one of the first questions people have when they’re investing for the first time. Because it’s easy…
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Contact details for the 11 largest pension providers in the UK
We hear it all the time from so many customers that we work with – finding the right contact details for your old pension providers when…
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Diversification – should you put all your eggs in one basket?
If you invest already, you might be familiar with the term ‘diversification’. But let’s take a closer look. So what exactly is diversification in a…
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Spring Budget 2024
It’s that time of the year again… It’s been called the “Super Bowl” of personal finance in the UK, (And it is! Well… kind of).…
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Are you following the 5 Golden Rules of investing?
1. Never invest all of your savings. Investing is a great way to potentially improve your finances, but don’t let it take over. You should…
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New HMRC tax reporting rules target side hustlers – should you be worried?
Only income made from trading is taxable, and only if it’s more than £1,000 in a tax year. Selling your own personal items isn’t taxable.…
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Are you making these 4 investing mistakes?
Investing is a powerful tool to grow your wealth. But mistakes, even small ones, can snowball and become costly in the long run. Are you…
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Autumn Budget 2023 – The Good, the Bad, and the Long Overdue
Another year goes by, and another Autumn Statement has been delivered by Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt, as he sets out his update on…
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Are you making these 5 pension mistakes?
They say size doesn’t matter. But when it comes to your pension pot, it absolutely does. Because the size of your pension pot determines the…
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Why investing should be boring
Investing should be as boring as watching paint dry. We’ve all seen the headlines where someone goes from relative obscurity to being a millionaire seemingly…
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Scary money facts for Spooky Season
Spooky season is officially here! Now that autumn is in full swing, with Halloween fun, indulging in all the pumpkin spice lattes, and getting in…
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What is the Pink Tax and why should it matter to you?
The Pink Tax. Sounds really cute, right? But actually, it describes how companies charge female consumers more than male consumers, sometimes for the same item.…
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What to consider when remortgaging
If you’ve been thinking about remortgaging, this one’s for you. The world of remortgaging can be complicated, with acronyms and jargon galore. There are a…
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What is remortgaging and how does it work?
Remortgaging is when a homeowner replaces their existing mortgage with a new one on the same property. There are lots of reasons why you might…
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What is salary sacrifice and how does it work?
Did you know that you can choose to give up some of your salary in exchange for non-cash benefits? This is called salary sacrifice, or…
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Understanding your payslip
Payday – that day of the month when we have the chance to get closer to our money goals. But let’s be honest – how…
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What are the best strategies for first-time buyers?
For first-time buyers, navigating the housing market can feel like a daunting task. But there are a few strategies that can help make the process…
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First time buyer need-to-knows
While getting the keys to your first place is super exciting, the road to get there can be a long and winding one. First-time buyers…
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How to pick a pension consolidation provider
Once you’ve decided you want to consolidate your pensions, the next action is to choose who to use. Choosing what to do next can feel…
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Should I consolidate my old pensions?
Do you know how many times the average person changes jobs in their lifetime? 12 times, according to the latest available public survey data from…
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How do I find my workplace pensions?
What’s all this about lost pensions? There are £19.4 billion pounds worth of ‘lost’ pensions in the UK, according to the Association of British Insurers.…
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How much should you put in your pension?
This can feel like a big question with lots of unknown unknowns. Since your pension is basically your salary for ‘future you’, the simplest way…
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Should I invest in property?
Property investing has always been an attractive avenue to grow and diversify your investment portfolio. (As a recap, an investment portfolio is just a group…
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Is a Lifetime ISA right for me?
A Lifetime ISA (Lifetime Individual Savings Account or LISA for short) is a tax-efficient savings account with the purpose of helping people buy their first…
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When should I consider investing?
‘I’m too young…’ ‘It’s too late…’ ‘I don’t have enough money…’ ‘The stock market’s going to crash and I’ll lose all my money…’ Do any…
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Cash saving vs investing
There’s a time and a place for cash savings and a time and a place for investments. One of the key distinctions between each is…
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What is a recession?
Healthy economies grow over time, so in economics terms, a ‘recession’ is a decline in economic activity. In the UK the definition of a recession…
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How to determine your risk profile
One of the first steps to take before you start investing is to determine your risk profile. Tell me more… Risk profile questionnaires are made…
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What is risk tolerance?
As we know, investing can be a great way to grow our money in the long term. And one of the most important elements of…
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What is a fund and how does it work?
A fund is just money that’s set aside for a specific purpose. In investing, a fund lets you pool your money with other investors. Then…
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When can I access my workplace pension?
One of the most common questions people have about their pension is, ‘well, when can I even access it’? It can feel a bit strange…
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How safe is my pension?
Whenever something major happens with the economy, especially if it causes financial turmoil (like the UK’s mini-budget in September 2022), a question you might be…
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What is a salary sacrifice pension?
A salary sacrifice pension is where you agree with your employer to give up part of your salary so you can get extra employer pension…
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What is auto-enrolment?
In a nutshell, auto-enrolment is when your employer automatically adds you into a workplace pension scheme without asking you in advance. Is this a new…
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2023 Spring Budget
Published 15 March 2023. So the Government announced its new 2023 Budget…what do I need to know? I heard something about pensions too. Yes, there’s…
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What to look for when choosing a savings account
If you have money goals, savings accounts can be a great way to help you achieve them. Here are a few things to consider when…
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How to start saving
Sometimes the hardest part about saving is just taking that first step and getting started. Having a plan can help with this! Here’s a simple…
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What is an emergency fund?
An emergency fund might sound a bit intense, but it’s really just a savings account that you have for unexpected expenses or emergencies. Think of…
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What are the different types of protection available?
Protection is there to help you and your family in a worst-case scenario. We always hope for the best, but it can be invaluable to…
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When do I need protection or insurance?
Having a plan for your money is one of the best and most empowering things you can do for your future. Usually people focus on…
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Why is life insurance important?
Life insurance is one of the three most common types of protection. It’s important to think about if you have people that depend upon you…
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What is life insurance?
Planning for life goals and making them happen is one of the most exciting things we can do. No one really likes to think about…
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What does it cost to get a mortgage?
Mortgages can have a lot of moving parts and make you feel a bit lost – kind of like you’re driving around without GPS. And that’s…
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What to look for when choosing a mortgage broker
Getting a mortgage is a pretty big deal for most people. A good mortgage broker can be a really helpful guide on your home-buying journey. …
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What to look for when choosing a mortgage
So you want to buy a house! Congrats! What happens next? The chances are, you’ll be needing a mortgage. There are different mortgage structures –…
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How do you get a mortgage?
Now that you know what a mortgage is, how do you go about getting one? Preparation is key with a mortgage. This is where you…
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What is a mortgage?
Most of us experienced mortgages for the first time when playing Monopoly. If you didn’t know what they were then and are still unsure about…
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How to budget successfully
Budgeting might seem confusing at first, but don’t let this stop you from doing it. If the word ‘budget’ feels off-putting, reframe it and call…
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What is employer matching?
When you pay into your workplace pension, your employer pays an amount into it too. This amount will be the equivalent of 3% of your…
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Why pay into your workplace pension?
The biggest reason for paying into your workplace pension is that when you do, your employer does too! As a minimum, they’ll pay 3% of…
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What to look for when choosing a will provider
There are three main ways to get your will written: Which you choose will depend on how complex your circumstances are and how much you…
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What to think about when making a will
Are you thinking of making a will? Besides deciding who gets what, here are some questions to consider to make sure you’re ready to get…
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Budgeting hacks and tips
So you’ve created your shiny new budget, and you’ve been plugging away at it, but for some reason, something just doesn’t feel right for you. …
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What to think about when setting up a budget
What pops into your mind when you think about budgeting? For many people, the knee-jerk reaction is “immediately no.” But, getting a handle on your…
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How much should I invest?
When you’re ready to invest, one of the first things that probably comes to mind is “how much?” Is there a right amount to start…
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What can you invest in?
There are lots of different ways that you can grow your money over time. One of the most common ways is through investing. When you…
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What is budgeting?
Budgeting definitely isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. We’ve all had our fair share of budgeting fails. But with a few tweaks, those can turn into…
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Why make a will?
Unless you’re Hamlet, thinking about death – let alone your own death – is probably not high on your list of priorities. Your will lets…
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What’s a will?
Benjamin Franklin famously said, “in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” (Actually, someone else said it first but he made it famous…
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Why set up a budget?
If you think about all of the big and exciting things you want to do in your life as your destination – and your financial…
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What are the different ways you can invest?
Investing is one of the most powerful ways to grow your wealth and reach your medium to long-term goals. There are many ways to invest…
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What to look for when choosing an investment
Diversification is a key part of a good investor’s playbook. When you invest, the first thing is to understand risk and how you can manage…
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How does a workplace pension work?
A workplace pension is a great way to put money aside for the future. In this kind of pension, you and your employer pay into…
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What are the different types of pensions?
Pensions are one of the best ways of putting money away for future you. There are lots of different types of pensions, so we’re going…
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Is investing risky?
There’s always some element of risk involved in investing. The associated risk can be higher or lower depending on the type of investment you choose,…
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What’s an ISA?
All about ISAs Our 1 minute ISA explainer will give you all the basics you need to know about ISAs. Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) are…
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What’s compound interest?
In Albert Einstein’s own words, “Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it…he who doesn’t…pays it.” And he’s…
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What’s an investment account?
An investment account, also known as a brokerage account or securities account, is an account that you can use to buy and sell assets and…
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What are the different types of savings accounts?
What is a savings account? A savings account is a type of account where you can safely keep your money until you need to use…
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Opening a bank account
Our explainer on banking will tell you all you need to know about banking in the UK, and the things to look out for to…
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What’s the personal savings allowance?
Did you know you can earn interest on your money and get to keep it, tax-free? The personal savings allowance (PSA) is a tax-free allowance…
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What’s inflation?
Inflation has been around for a long time, but the last time it was in the news in such a major way in the UK…
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What are the different types of ISAs?
ISAs are a great way to grow your money without paying tax. Read on to learn about the different types of ISAs available to UK…
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What’s a pension?
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the word ‘pension’? Do you feel hopeful and excited? Or does it fill…
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What’s investing?
What’s all the fuss about investing? Investing this, investing that… It feels like more people than ever are talking about investing these days. If you…
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The power of compounding
In Albert Einstein’s own words, “Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it…he who doesn’t…pays it.” And he’s…
