Rachel Lacey

Rachel Lacey

Financial abuse occurs when a partner or caregiver takes control of your money and how you spend it. In this article we focus on how to recover financially including how to get help, where to go for legal advice, the benefits of checking your credit record and new financial goals.

Rachel Lacey

The Key Worker Living Programme ended in 2019, but there are a number of other mortgage initiatives available to key workers to help them get on the property ladder. Read on to learn how to get a mortgage as a key worker and support schemes available.

Rachel Lacey & Tim Leonard

A professional mortgage may offer enhanced terms to those within certain professional occupations. Flexibility on affordability, loan amounts and deposits are all potential benefits of mortgages for professionals.

Rachel Lacey

Despite there not being a specific teacher mortgage product, some lenders look favourably on the teaching profession and offer flexibility when assessing the affordability of mortgages for teachers. There are also schemes that could help if you’re a teacher who wants to get on the property ladder.

Rachel Lacey

You may be looking for a specific NHS staff mortgage, and although there isn’t an NHS mortgage designed just for NHS workers, some providers offer products that make the path to homeownership more flexible and affordable.

Rachel Lacey

As a foster carer, varying income may mean it is harder to secure a mortgage for a house. Mortgages for foster carers are possible, but using an adviser may be useful. Read on to find out more about how to secure a loan for a house and the support available for foster carers.

Rachel Lacey

It is possible to get a mortgage on benefits as lenders count multiple sources of income. However, you will need to demonstrate that you can afford the loan repayments. Find out what benefits are accepted and how to improve your chance of having an application approved.

Rachel Lacey

Securing a mortgage can be hard if you are in non-traditional employment, such as on a fixed-term or zero-hour contract, but some lenders offer a fixed-term employment contract mortgage. Find out more about what is required, how to improve your chances of being approved and other help available.

Rachel Lacey

The minimum income you require for a mortgage will likely depend on how much you need to borrow but there are ways to boost your chances of a successful application. This guide looks at how to get a mortgage on a low income and the support available, as well as tips on saving for a house.

Rachel Lacey

You may wish to use a family buy-to-let mortgage to let a property out to a close relative, but there are still mortgage criteria that need to be met and tax implications to weigh up. Read this guide to learn what to consider before applying as well as some of the pros and cons of this type of deal.

Rachel Lacey

If you’ve recently graduated from university and are looking for a mortgage, being approved can be difficult. However, it is possible to get a deal if you can prove you are able to afford the repayments. Read on to find out what options may be available.

Rachel Lacey & Tim Leonard

Getting a mortgage as a student – often called a buy-for-uni mortgage –could be an option iIf you are at university and would prefer not to rent. However, the criteria for a student mortgage is quite strict and you will usually need financial backing from your family to get one.

Rachel Lacey

If you have been mis-sold a pension, advisers could have provided you with incorrect, unsuitable or misleading information regarding the pension you took out. Read on to learn how to spot pension mis-selling and how to make a claim if you are affected.

Rachel Lacey

The Pension Protection Fund protects employees’ pension pots if their employer goes bankrupt or ceases trading. Read on to learn how the Pension Protection Fund works and what is covered.

Rachel Lacey

The Pensions Ombudsman is an independent organisation that helps individuals and companies deal with pension complaints. Read on to learn what The Pensions Ombudsman can help you with and how you can make a complaint.

Rachel Lacey

The Teachers’ Pension Scheme is a defined benefit pension scheme that provides teachers with a guaranteed income for life when they retire. Read on to learn how the scheme works and what the benefits are.

Rachel Lacey

You can borrow against your current property to buy a new one through remortgaging or by taking out equity release.

Rachel Lacey

If you have taken out an equity release plan, you might worry that selling your home is not an option. Fortunately, you can still relocate or downsize.

Rachel Lacey & Holly Bennett

Switching to a new mortgage can help you release some equity from your home, providing a useful source of cash.

Rachel Lacey & Tim Leonard

You must receive equity release advice from an adviser with a specialist qualification before you’re allowed to take out any equity release plan. Finding a good equity release adviser, and knowing what to ask, is a must.

Rachel Lacey

Property is an expensive investment. Pensions are supported by government tax relief, employer contributions and more. Both can help fund your retirement.

Rachel Lacey

A lifetime ISA (LISA) and pensions are both designed for retirement savings. Knowing how they compare is key to using each most effectively.

Rachel Lacey

Pensions and ISAs are both tax-efficient ways to save. Knowing how they compare is key to using each most effectively.

Rachel Lacey

Pension pots and savings accounts both save for the future. Knowing how they compare is key to using each most effectively.

Rachel Lacey & Joel Kempson

An unsecured loan can be a simple way of borrowing money, whether you have a big expense on the horizon or other loans you want to consolidate. Find out more about how much you can borrow, over what length of time, and the pros and cons of this type of loan.

Rachel Lacey

If you have a handful of outstanding debts, it may be cheaper and more manageable to consolidate them into one personal loan.

Rachel Lacey

There are two main types of debt consolidation loans: unsecured and secured. Secured loans require collateral, unsecured loans do not. Offering security to the lender typically provides the borrower with access to larger sums of money.

Rachel Lacey

Borrowers with poor credit who want to consolidate debt have the most difficulty getting a loan that suits their needs. However, there are options available for those with bad credit scores – you just need to know where to look.

Rachel Lacey

In this article, our NerdWallet research examines how much consumers plan to spend on Christmas presents in 2020, how they’re paying for them, and how spending compares to 2019 – alongside practical ways to save on Christmas presents and how to say when you can’t afford to buy presents.