Everyday Banking
A bank transfer’s booking date and value date can differ
Booking dates and value dates serve different purposes. Learn what to compare when a transfer appears on a statement but its interest treatment is unclear.
MONEY, MADE UNDERSTANDABLE
Money guides
Everyday Banking
What a payee-name check can tell you before a bank transfer
A bank’s payee-name check can help catch a wrong account. Learn what a match confirms, what it leaves unanswered and how to check changed payment details.
Money administration
Keeping a pension beneficiary nomination useful after life changes
A pension nomination deserves another look after family circumstances change. Learn what to check with each provider and how to keep a useful record.
Everyday Finance
Monthly insurance payments can include the cost of borrowing
Compare an annual insurance price with its instalment total, and find out whether monthly payments include interest, fees or a separate credit agreement.
Money essentials
Paid in advance or in arrears: put an income date on the right side of the period
Understand the difference between payment in advance and in arrears, then put both the covered period and the arrival date in your cash-flow plan.
Money Planning
Income protection: plan for the gap before benefit payments begin
Read an income-protection waiting period as a cash-flow question: when the clock starts, what happens during the gap, and when payment can arrive.
Understanding Borrowing
Soft and hard credit enquiries: two checks with different consequences
Learn how soft and hard credit enquiries differ, what to ask before an application, and why checking your own report is a separate step.
Everyday Banking
A card’s expiry month is a reminder to check the replacement arrangements
Understand a bank card’s expiry month, check your issuer’s replacement process and review stored payment details without exposing the card information.
Borrowing Decisions
Before Guaranteeing a Loan, Find the Limit of Your Commitment
Understand what a loan guarantee can cover, which limits to ask about, and why independent advice matters before signing.