How do I find an old policy or account I have forgotten?
The free official tracing services, what to gather before you start, and the order to work through them.
beginner1 hr 30 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 do I help someone decide without taking the decision over?
Asked for help, most people supply an answer. What is usually wanted is help thinking — questions, structure and a check on the facts, with the decision left where it belongs.
beginner20 min3 min readHow do I insure something unusual or high value?
The single-article limit that catches people out, specifying items, and getting a valuation that will be accepted.
beginner40 min3 min readHow do I open a bank account, including if I have been refused?
What banks actually check, the identification that satisfies them, and the basic bank accounts designed for people who fail a standard application.
beginner45 min4 min readHow do I sell things I no longer need?
Choosing where to sell by what it is, pricing so it actually sells, and the listing details that make the difference.
beginner1 hr3 min readHow does Land Transaction Tax work when I buy a home in Wales?
Wales replaced stamp duty with its own tax in 2018. The differences that matter: a thirty-day filing deadline, higher rates for additional properties, and no first-time buyer relief at all.
beginner9 min4 min readIs an American style fridge freezer with a water dispenser worth it?
The width is the real purchase, the dispenser is the real maintenance liability, and the plumbed-versus-tank decision is the one that determines whether you still use it in a year.
beginner30 min4 min readIs my home a house in multiple occupation, and does it need a licence?
Sharing with people you are not related to can make a property a house in multiple occupation, with licensing, safety and management duties attached. The tests differ in each nation and so does what happens when a landlord ignores them.
intermediate12 min5 min readMy baby was in neonatal care — what extra time off can I get?
A week for every week a newborn spends in hospital care, up to twelve, on top of everything else — but taken after your other leave ends, months later, and not available at all in Northern Ireland.
intermediate12 min4 min readShould I keep paper or scan everything?
The documents that must stay on paper, what scanning is genuinely good for, and the hybrid most households actually need.
beginner30 min4 min readShould I overpay my mortgage or save the money instead?
The comparison between mortgage rate and savings rate, the overpayment limits and charges to check first, and the reasons flexibility sometimes beats the arithmetic.
intermediate45 min3 min readWhat are right to rent checks and what do I have to show?
Landlords in England must check that adult occupiers have the right to rent. What you can be asked for, the share code route, and why the scheme does not apply in the rest of the UK.
beginner10 min5 min readWhat do I do about a county court judgment?
What a CCJ is, the deadline to respond before one is entered, and the routes afterwards — paying within the set period, varying the instalments, or applying to set it aside.
intermediate1 hr4 min readWhat happens if my energy supplier goes out of business?
The safety net that moves you to a new supplier automatically, what happens to a credit balance, and the two things to do on the day you hear.
beginner30 min3 min readWhat is a restrictive covenant on a property, and does it matter?
A promise attached to the land that limits what can be done with it, often made decades ago and still binding. How to find them, which ones actually bite, and the realistic ways of dealing with one.
intermediate11 min5 min readWhat is indemnity insurance in a house sale, and should I accept it?
The cheap policy that unblocks a large share of stalled sales. What it does and does not cover, why enquiring about the problem can void it, and when to insist on a proper fix instead.
intermediate10 min4 min readHow does a balance transfer card work?
What a balance transfer actually does, the fee and promotional period arithmetic, and the specific behaviours that turn a good transfer into an expensive one.
beginner30 min3 min readWhat are my rights if my broadband is slower than I was sold?
The minimum guaranteed speed in your contract, how to evidence a shortfall properly, and the exit right that applies when a provider cannot fix it.
beginner45 min4 min readWhere should I keep original documents at home?
The four places originals can live, judged against the four ways they are actually lost — fire, flood, theft and nobody being able to find them.
beginner30 min4 min readDo I need life insurance, and what kind?
What life cover is actually for, the difference between term, decreasing and whole-of-life policies, and the trust arrangement that keeps a payout out of the estate.
beginner1 hr4 min readHow do I apply for a National Insurance number?
Who is sent one automatically, how the online application works now, and the point most people need most — that you can start work before it arrives.
beginner8 min4 min readHow do I keep track of warranties and receipts?
A system for finding proof of purchase years later, when it is the only thing standing between you and paying twice.
beginner40 min2 min readHow do I write down instructions for a house sitter?
What people actually need to know, the emergency information that is usually missing, and keeping it short enough to be read.
beginner1 hr4 min readHow does compound interest work, on savings and on debt?
What compounding actually does over time, why the frequency and the AER matter, and why the same mechanism makes debt grow the way it does.
beginner25 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.