How is my money protected if my bank or building society fails?
How deposit protection works in the UK, why the licence rather than the brand is what counts, and the temporary high balance rule that covers a house sale.
beginner25 min3 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
What are my rights if an event or booking is cancelled?
The difference between a cancellation, a postponement and a change of your own mind, and the routes to a refund when the organiser resists.
beginner30 min3 min readHow do I send money abroad without losing money on fees?
Where the cost of an international transfer actually hides, the details that decide whether it arrives, and the checks that protect you against transfer scams.
beginner30 min3 min readHow does a prepayment meter work and how do I manage one?
What emergency credit, standing charge accrual and debt recovery rates actually do on a prepayment meter, and how to avoid the self-disconnection trap.
beginner30 min4 min readWhat do I do if a company has gone out of business?
Where to claim when the seller no longer exists — card protections, the administrator, and which route to try first.
beginner30 min2 min readWhat is a statutory declaration and who can take one?
A written statement of fact, formally declared before an independent authorised person, used where there is no other evidence. What it is for, who can take one, what it costs, and how the position differs across the UK.
intermediate9 min4 min readWhat paperwork should I keep as a tenant?
The documents a landlord must give you, the ones you should create yourself, and how long to keep each after you leave — because most disputes are decided on paperwork from move-in day.
beginner30 min4 min readAre budgeting apps and open banking connections safe to use?
What open banking access actually grants, how to verify an app is authorised, and the practical checks before connecting an account to anything.
beginner30 min3 min readHow do I complain about a council or another public body?
The two-stage internal process most public bodies run, the ombudsman schemes that sit above them, and what makes a complaint about maladministration succeed.
beginner1 hr4 min readShould I buy an integrated or a freestanding washing machine?
Integrated machines cost more, hold less, are noisier in practice and are harder to service — you are paying for a kitchen that looks unbroken, and that is a legitimate thing to want.
beginner15 min3 min readWhere should a will be kept, and who needs to know?
Why a will lost at home is treated as revoked, the storage options in the UK and what each costs, and the people who must be told where it is.
beginner25 min5 min readHow do I split shared bills when a housemate moves out mid-contract?
The readings, account changes and written record that stop a departing housemate's share becoming everybody else's problem.
beginner45 min4 min readIs gadget or mobile phone insurance worth it?
The cover you may already hold, the exclusions that decide most gadget claims, and a simple test for whether a standalone policy earns its premium.
beginner25 min3 min readWhat should I leave so someone can sort out my affairs?
A single findable document that turns months of detective work into a fortnight — what to put in it, what must stay out of it, and where to keep it.
beginner2 hr4 min readHow do I close a bank account without leaving loose ends?
The payments, links and paperwork that outlive a closed account, and the order that prevents a failed direct debit or a lost credit balance.
beginner45 min3 min readHow do I keep a health record for my household?
A one-page record per person that answers what a paramedic, an out-of-hours doctor or a hospital asks first — and how to get at the NHS record that already exists.
beginner45 min4 min readShould I get a fireproof document safe, and which one?
What a fire rating actually promises, why paper and digital media need different ratings, and the fixing that determines whether a safe protects anything from theft.
beginner25 min4 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.