My AI stock picking experiment: can four AI models grow $1,000 into $10,000 on Lightyear? I post honest, not-advice weekly updates.
June 3, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Can AI Turn $1,000 Into $10,000? My AI Stock Picking Experiment
May 30, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Energy Price Cap July 2026: 13% Rise and What you can do
Last updated: 30 May 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
The energy price cap July 2026 is going up by 13% from 1 July, and for a typical dual-fuel household paying by direct debit that means an annual bill of £1,862, which is £221 more than today. In other words, you have roughly five weeks to do something about it before the new rates land. Here is the good bit, though: for most people this rise is voluntary, because a fixed deal below the cap can sidestep it entirely.
This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.
Energy Price Cap Update: 13% increase from 1 July
A typical dual-fuel bill rises from £1,641 to £1,862 a year, about £18 a month more.
You have until 30 June to fix.
13%
cap increase
cap increase
£1,862
new annual cap
new annual cap
£221
extra per year
extra per year
Energy prices, tariffs, and the Ofgem price cap change quarterly. This post reflects the Q3 2026 cap announced 27 May 2026. Always verify current rates with your supplier or at ofgem.gov.uk.
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May 10, 2026Comments are off for this post.
How To Read Your Energy Bill UK: 2026 Plain English Guide
Last updated: 10 May 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.
Your energy bill arrives every month. You glance at the total, wince, and close it. Most of us have no clue whether the number is right, whether we're overpaying, or what any of the line items actually mean. So here's how to read energy bill statements properly, in about five minutes flat.
Honestly, we stared at our own bills for nearly three years before any of it clicked. The numbers looked made up. The terminology was designed by people who hate clarity. Once you understand the four or five lines that actually matter, you can immediately tell if you're overpaying, if your tariff is competitive, and whether switching would save you money. This is the guide we wish we'd had back then.
Energy prices, tariffs, and government support schemes change regularly. All figures in this post are verified as of May 2026. Always check your supplier's website or Ofgem for the latest information.
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May 9, 2026Comments are off for this post.
XTB App Review UK 2026: One Star Opinion (1/5)
Last updated: 10 June 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
I have used investing apps for over a decade, including Freetrade, Lightyear, Trading 212, Interactive Brokers and JPMorgan Personal Investing. This XTB app review is based on real, recent first-hand use on iPhone over the past few weeks.
This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are my own personal experience and observations. Other XTB customers have reported very different experiences, both better and worse, and you can read those views directly on the App Store, Google Play and Trustpilot. Nothing in this review constitutes professional, financial or legal advice, nor an allegation of wrongdoing by XTB. Capital is at risk when investing.
This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view. This post does not contain any XTB referral links; where alternative brokers are mentioned, those links may include CoolCuration referral codes. We have no referral relationship with XTB and do not benefit financially from XTB itself.
Capital at risk. The value of investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.
Cool Factor: 1/5
Welcome to our XTB app review. After spending the last few weeks battling with the broker's iOS app, surviving a verification process worthy of a Kafka novella, and being chased around the screen by stock notifications I never asked for, I have reached a personal verdict. It is not flattering. So if you have seen the ads and the free share offers, this XTB app review explains exactly what you would be signing up for, in my experience.
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May 5, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Mortgage Overpayment Savings: How Much Could You Save? (2026)
Last updated: 9 June 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
I've been using Sprive with my Nationwide mortgage since October 2021, making £100 monthly overpayments through the app. This post is based on over four years of real use and real numbers.
Most people know they should overpay their mortgage. Almost nobody knows by how much, or what it actually saves them. So we built a free mortgage overpayment calculator to find out. Then we ran our own numbers through it. The mortgage overpayment savings took us by surprise. We've since added a compare-to-savings toggle so you can see whether overpaying or saving the same money comes out ahead at your specific rates.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or mortgage advice. Mortgage products, rates, and overpayment terms vary by lender. Always check your lender's overpayment policy before making extra payments. This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.
See your own overpayment savings
Our free calculator shows what your overpayments could save, and whether saving the cash instead would beat them.
Open the overpayment calculator
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April 29, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Sprive vs Plum vs Chip: Honest Comparison (2026)
Last updated: 20 August 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
I've been using Sprive with my Nationwide mortgage since October 2021, making £100 monthly overpayments through the app. This comparison is based on over four years of real use alongside Chip and Plum.
Sprive vs Plum vs Chip is the question that keeps coming up whenever anyone in the UK talks about saving money automatically. All three apps promise to do the hard bit for you. But they are not the same thing, and picking the wrong one means you are either missing features you need or paying for ones you do not. Here is how they actually compare after months of using all three.
Between the team, we run all three. Sprive handles mortgage overpayments. Chip is our primary auto-saver. Plum runs alongside Chip so we can see how the two compare in real life. Each has earned its place on someone's home screen, but for very different reasons.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Some apps in this comparison offer investing features, which carry risk including the possible loss of capital. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.
Sprive's current sign-up offer
If Sprive ends up being your pick of the three, the latest welcome bonus is always on our referral page.
Comparing money apps? The three-way verdict is below. For everything we have written on Sprive in one place, see our Sprive guides hub.
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April 26, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Chip App Review UK 2026: 3 Years Tested, Rates, Prize Saver, Fees
Last updated: 20 August 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
This Chip app review UK draws on three and a half years of my personal daily use, starting 3 November 2022, across auto-save, the Instant Access Saver, Prize Savings, ChipX (briefly) and a Chip Stocks and Shares ISA.
This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.
This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Some features of Chip involve investing, which carries risk including the possible loss of capital. Savings rates can change. Always do your own research or consult a qualified financial adviser. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Fancy trying Chip yourself?
New customers can pick up a £50 bonus with a qualifying £1,000 deposit held for 90 days; the current code and full terms are on our Chip referral page.
Cool Factor
★★★★☆
4 out of 5 · Stone cold
My Chip app review UK is grounded in the actual ledger: £174.41 in interest earned, £180 in tax-free prize wins, £0.80 in investment returns, and three and a half years of daily use since November 2022. That is the unvarnished record of what I have personally taken out of Chip across four different account types. Below is what I kept, what I binned, what works, and the one quirk that still mildly irritates me.
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April 22, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Best Apps to Save Money UK 2026: The Ones We Actually Use
Last updated: 10 June 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
There are hundreds of money-saving apps in the UK app stores. Most of them are rubbish. The best apps to save money are the ones we've tested over the past few years, narrowed down and kept on our phones because they actually work. No fluff, no apps we downloaded once and forgot about. Just the ones that earned a permanent spot.
Between the team we've got about 12 money apps installed. Half of them we actually use. The other half sit there judging us. We tried about 20 apps before settling on this list. Some were too fiddly. Some had great ideas but terrible execution. A couple were brilliant but shut down. These are the survivors.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Some apps in this list offer savings and investment features. Your capital may be at risk. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.
Our top money-saving pick
If you only set up one, make it Chip: it is the app that has quietly saved us the most by moving money before we miss it.
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April 19, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Monzo Savings Pots Explained: Rates, FSCS Protection and How to Start (2026)
Last updated: 22 August 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
Monzo savings pots are one of the most useful features in UK banking, and most people still are not using them properly. If you have got a Monzo account and your spare cash is just sitting in the main balance earning nothing, you are leaving money on the table. Monzo savings pots take about 30 seconds to set up and start earning interest immediately. No paperwork. No separate app. Just tap, move money in, and watch it grow.
We have got about six pots running at any given time. Bills pot, holiday pot, emergency fund, a couple of savings pots earning interest, and one labelled "don't touch" that we absolutely do touch. It is one of those features that, once you start using it, you wonder how you ever managed without it.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute financial advice. Savings rates are variable and change frequently, so always verify current rates directly with providers. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.
Not on Monzo yet?
Sign up through our referral link and a random reward of £20, £50 or £100 arrives once you make your first card payment.
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April 18, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Best Savings Options for the New Tax Year UK 2026/27
Last updated: 22 August 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
Every April, we go through the same routine. The ISA allowance resets, savings rates shift, and there is a brief window where everyone actually pays attention to where their money is sitting. The best savings options for the new tax year are worth sorting now, before the motivation fades and another 12 months slip by. Here is what the CoolCuration team is doing with ours this year, along with a look at the platforms and accounts worth considering right now.
This year there is an added urgency. The 2026/27 tax year is the last year under-65s can put the full £20,000 into a cash ISA. From April 2027, cash ISA contributions will be capped at £12,000 for anyone under 65, with the remaining £8,000 needing to go into stocks and shares or other ISA types. So if you have been meaning to top up your cash ISA, this is the final window at the current limit.
Important: this is not financial advice. This article is for informational purposes only. Nothing in this post constitutes a recommendation to open any particular account, invest in any product, or take any specific financial action. Savings rates, ISA rules, and tax treatment can change at any time. CoolCuration is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and cannot advise you on what is right for your circumstances. Always do your own research or speak to a qualified, independent financial adviser before making financial decisions. This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.
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