How does an overdraft work and what does it really cost?
Arranged and unarranged overdrafts, why they are quoted as an APR now, and the reason a small permanent overdraft can cost more than a loan.
beginner30 min4 min read
Money & Practical
Budgeting, bills and buying decisions, described as processes you can follow. These guides explain method — how to work something out for yourself. They are not financial advice and recommend no specific products.
425 guides
How does selling a house work?
Choosing an agent and a contract type, the paperwork buyers' solicitors will ask for, and the stages where a sale most commonly falls through.
intermediate1 hr 15 min3 min readShould I buy integrated or freestanding kitchen appliances?
Integrated buys a flush kitchen at the price of capacity, choice, repairability and the freedom to replace like for like in ten years.
beginner30 min4 min readWhat can an employer put in a job reference?
There is usually no obligation to give a reference at all — but there is an obligation for whatever is given to be accurate, fair and not misleading.
beginner10 min2 min readWhat counts as whistleblowing at work, and who do I tell?
A protected disclosure is a specific legal thing, not just raising a concern. The categories, the public interest requirement, who you can safely tell, and what the protection is worth.
advanced14 min5 min readWhat do I do when a decision turns out to be wrong?
Recovering costs less when it is done early. How to work out whether it was actually wrong, what can be recovered, and what to change for next time without over-correcting.
beginner20 min3 min readWhat happens to a rented home when the tenant dies?
A tenancy does not simply end. It passes to the estate or to a successor, and rent keeps falling due until it is properly brought to an end.
intermediate15 min3 min readWhat is different about buying a new-build home?
Reservation fees, off-plan contracts, long-stop dates, the warranty, the snagging window and the consumer code. What a new-build purchase does differently and where buyers get caught.
intermediate14 min5 min readWhat should I know before using buy now pay later?
How instalment credit at the checkout actually works, the protections it may not carry, and the practical checks before using it.
beginner25 min3 min readWhat should I shred, and what can go straight in the recycling?
What is actually useful to a fraudster on a piece of household paper, which documents therefore need destroying, and why most of the paper people shred did not need it.
beginner30 min4 min readWho fixes a leak on the pipe between the meter and my house?
The buried pipe from the boundary to your house is yours, not the water company's. What that means for a leak, and the schemes and allowances that often cover part of the cost.
beginner15 min5 min readHow do I split household bills fairly?
Methods for dividing shared costs, handling unequal incomes and rooms, and keeping the admin from becoming a source of friction.
beginner30 min2 min readHow do I teach children about money?
Age-appropriate steps from handling coins to managing a monthly allowance, and the habits worth building early.
beginner30 min2 min readIs it worth repairing an old bike or buying a new one?
Most of what makes an old bike unpleasant is consumables, and consumables are cheap. The four checks that separate a bike worth reviving from one that is finished.
beginner20 min3 min readWhat are the different types of ISA and which does what?
The main ISA types, what each is designed for, and the transfer rules that let you move money between them without losing the tax treatment.
beginner30 min4 min readWhat do I do if a company goes bust owing me money or a service?
Why claiming from the administrator is usually the weakest route, and the card, protection scheme and insurance routes that actually recover money.
beginner45 min3 min readWhat financial records should I keep and for how long?
What to keep, what to shred, how long each matters, and a filing structure that takes minutes to maintain.
beginner1 hr2 min readWhat is the difference between a water softener and a scale reducer?
One removes the hardness minerals; the other tries to stop them sticking. What each can and cannot deliver, and which problems each actually solves.
beginner15 min4 min readCan I lose my flat for unpaid service charges?
The remedy that sits behind every service charge demand, the protections that stop it being used casually, and what to do the moment a formal notice arrives.
advanced12 min5 min readHow do I cancel something bought at the door or by phone?
The cancellation rights that apply away from business premises, the deadline, and what to do when they will not accept it.
beginner30 min3 min readHow do I check what a subscription actually costs per year?
Finding every subscription you have, converting them to an annual figure, and the ones that quietly rise.
beginner30 min3 min readHow do I complain about an estate agent?
Estate agents must belong to an approved redress scheme, which gives you an independent decision for free. The order the complaint has to go in, what the schemes can award, and when it is a Trading Standards matter instead.
beginner10 min4 min readHow do I deal with a debt letter that is not mine?
Asking for proof rather than arguing, the letter that puts the burden back on them, and what to do about your credit file.
beginner45 min3 min readHow do I do a no-spend month sensibly?
Setting rules you can actually keep, what to exempt, and using it to learn rather than just to save.
beginner30 min3 min read
Going deeper: ToolFoundry
Interactive calculators — quantities, conversions, costs and sizing — rather than prose.
ToolFoundry is in development — GuideHQ covers the practical answers in the meantime.