Mouthy Money Your Questions Answered panelist, Ian Jones, answers a reader’s question on how to negotiate flexible working if your employer is asking you to come back to the office.   Q. I moved to remote working during the pandemic, but my boss now wants me to return to the office on a more regular basis. Can she do this? I’ve moved further away from our place of work making commuting very expensive. Can I ask for help paying? What are my rights?  A. It depends on the terms of the contract and if the contract was changed permanently to allow home working.   Many emp ..read more

Nick Daws offers tips to prevent phone scams, and how to safeguard yourself and loved ones from potential harm. As with online scams, which I discussed in this recent article on Mouthy Money, telephone scams have become an unfortunate reality of daily life in the UK.  Fraudsters often use clever tactics to deceive unsuspecting individuals, leading to financial losses and personal distress.  In this article I will set out some tips and advice to avoid falling victim to phone scams and protect you – and your loved ones – from potential harm. Top tips to beat the scammers Keep informe ..read more

Helena MacPherson highlights Brits’ pension saving struggles, urging small actions, connecting with the future self, and financial education. Brits need to save more for retirement. We all know this. Why, then, are so many of us still not saving? When MRM’s 2024 Money Matters Index landed last week, I was shocked to read that less than half of people have a pension (45%). This seems, in large part, because short-term financial pressures are dominating people’s thinking. When it came to immediate priorities, at the top, half (50%) said paying bills comfortably, two in five (38%) said paying fo ..read more

Mouthy Money editor Edmund Greaves considers the findings of the latest Money Matters Index report – and whether closing the financial advice ‘gap’ might help people feel better off. The findings of the latest Money Matters Index make for yet another set of fascinating insights into the financial health of the UK. Our latest Money Matters Index has looked to do a deep dive into the popular understanding of wealth and how it measures in 2024. One of the most enlightening stats to come out of the report was how much people think it takes to be considered ‘rich’ in 2024. Those figures are just ..read more

Join Shoestring Jane as she shares her secrets for a financial spring cleaning After a long, dreary Winter, the arrival of spring always gets me in the mood to tidy and reorganise my life. It’s the perfect time to reevaluate and spring-clean your finances, too. Here are some tips for a money reset for the spring. Make a budget If you don’t already have a budget, this is the perfect time to create one. A budget will allow you to plan and stay in control of your spending. It also helps you to direct resources towards debt management, savings or investments. If you don’t know where to begin, Mo ..read more

Tolu Frimpong looks at becoming a guarantor and the risks, costs and consideration involved In today’s complex financial landscape, agreeing to act as a guarantor can cause a significant dilemma. While providing support to a friend or family member may seem like a noble act, it’s crucial to thoroughly understand the responsibilities and potential consequences before deciding to make such a commitment.   Let’s delve into the nuances of the guarantor dilemma and explore the risks, costs, and crucial considerations involved in taking on this role so that you’re well-informed and make ..read more

Teach kids about money with GoHenry’s debit card. Get one free month via Mouthy Money and a free custom card. Parents looking to help their children learn the ins and outs of banking and money can use GoHenry, a debit card for kids. Mouthy Money has an exclusive deal with GoHenry to offer one month free on the debit card for kids. What is GoHenry? GoHenry is company that offers pre-paid debit cards for children and teenagers. For children and parents, the debit card has an accompanying app that lets kids learn about money with built-in “Money Missions”. Parents will have access to a companio ..read more

Welcome to Mouthy Money Competitions! We offer regular personal finance book, and other special competitions, to readers. Mouthy Money competitions is constantly on the look out for new and interesting personal finance books for our readers to offer as competition prizes. But we don’t just do book competitions! Keep an eye on the page for other exciting giveaways in future or subscribe to the newsletter to get updated right into your inbox each week. See the details of current and past Mouthy Money competitions and how to win below. Current Mouthy Money competitions WIN a copy of Loose Chang ..read more

Mouthy Money editor Edmund Greaves looks at the pandemic investing boom and what it has done to the investment platform market in the UK The pandemic was a trigger to a boom in the stock market, with US-based investment platform Robinhood the cool posterchild of the wave of retail investors piling into stocks. So ubiquitous was the ‘meme stock’ era that Hollywood has already made a movie about it called ‘Dumb Money’ and starring Paul Dano, Shailene Woodley and Seth Rogan. But we’re not in 2020 anymore and the meme stock era looks well and truly over. But is it? Robinhood has just launched in ..read more

Nick Daws examines thematic investing, targeting macro trends for above-average returns in diverse sectors. Today I’m looking at thematic investing. This is a growing trend right now. There is no generally accepted official definition of thematic investing, but according to Wikipedia it is: “A form of investment which aims to identify macro-level trends, and the underlying investments that stand to benefit from the materialisation of those trends.“ Thematic funds and portfolios tend to span a variety of sectors and include companies within those sectors that are relevant to the chosen theme ..read more