Get out of credit card debt: pay a fixed amount, not the minimum
How card interest and minimum payments work, why minimum-only takes nearly 20 years, and the steps that stop the balance growing.
ReadGuides
Guides, in plain words.
Plain-language guides with real numbers, tables and step-by-step plans. Each one links to a Money Insights tool so you can try it with your own figures.
Learning path · 4 short episodes
The stock market, from zero.
What the market is, funds or shares, placing a first order and investing a little every month. Read them in order.
Education only. We never name shares to buy.
- 01How to understand the stock market before you investEpisode 1 · 7 min read
- 02Funds vs single shares: what you own and what you payEpisode 2 · 8 min read
- 03Your first share or fund order: broker, custody, order types, costsEpisode 3 · 7 min read
- 04Investing a fixed amount every month: DCA, your mix and rebalancingEpisode 4 · 7 min read
Emergency fund: save 3–6 months of essential costs, kept safe and liquid
How big your emergency fund should be, where to keep it so you can reach it fast, and a month-by-month plan to build it.
ReadLifestyle creep: a small daily habit can cost a fortune over 20 years
What lifestyle creep is, what a recurring habit really costs once you count compounding, and how saving half of every raise stops it.
ReadSaving when inflation is high: how to keep your money's value
Why cash loses buying power, how savings, term deposits, inflation-linked bonds, gold and index funds compare in real terms, and how to spread your savings.
ReadTerm deposits and CDs: how they work and how to choose one
Fixed and variable rates, payout frequency, early-withdrawal penalties, laddering, deposit insurance and tax, with real returns after inflation.
ReadGold as savings: what you really pay, the risks and how it moves
Purity, spot price, premiums and dealer spreads, bars vs coins vs jewellery vs gold funds, storage, gold's long-run record in USD, and a step-by-step plan.
ReadHow to understand the stock market before you invest
What an exchange and a share are, how prices form, how speculation differs from investing, and what a century of market history teaches beginners.
ReadStock indices explained: what the S&P 500, Dow and MSCI ACWI measure
How broad stock indices pick and weight companies, why they move apart on the same day, price vs total return, and what an index can't tell you.
ReadFunds vs single shares: what you own and what you pay
How mutual funds, index funds and ETFs work, NAV and expense ratios, how to read a factsheet and check a manager, and how funds compare with single shares.
ReadYour first share or fund order: broker, custody, order types, costs
Who holds your shares, how to check a broker is regulated, market vs limit vs stop orders, fees, FX and fractional shares, and what to check after you buy.
ReadInvesting a fixed amount every month: DCA, your mix and rebalancing
How regular investing and dollar-cost averaging work, what research says vs investing at once, a real S&P 500 record, your mix and rebalancing.
ReadInvestor psychology: the mental traps that cost beginners money
Herd behaviour, loss aversion, overconfidence, panic selling and more: what the research shows each trap costs, and a habit that counters it.
ReadDividends explained: dates, yield, tax and what a payout really adds
How dividends work: the key dates, dividend yield vs yield on cost, withholding tax, bonus shares and splits, high-yield traps and reinvesting.
ReadReading a company's results: what to check and what it leaves out
The three statements in plain words, EPS, P/E and dividend yield, real growth after inflation, currency effects, and where companies publish results.
ReadIPOs explained: how new share offerings work, and what you really get
Why companies list, IPOs vs private placements and direct listings, how you get shares via a broker, the prospectus, allocation maths and long-run research.
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