Personal finance Archives - Page 4 of 4

July 3, 2024 — Comments are off for this post.

Emma App Review: Is It Worth Paying For?

Last updated: 9 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

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.

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This Emma app review breaks down what the budgeting app actually delivers for UK users in 2026, from the limited free plan to the paid tiers that unlock the features most people will want. Emma connects your bank accounts, credit cards and investments into a single dashboard using Open Banking, and layers on budgeting tools, subscription tracking and spending insights. It is well-designed, useful and impressively well-connected to UK financial services. The main gripes? The pricing is steep for a budgeting app, and the constant nudges to upgrade to the Ultimate plan get old fast.

Cool Factor: 4/5

Is Sprive Any Good? Honest UK Verdict for Homeowners

Last updated: 9 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

Quick context before the verdict: I pay a Nationwide mortgage myself and have put £100 a month through Sprive since October 2021, so this opinion rests on over four years of actual overpayments rather than a quick trial.

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 and this is not financial advice.

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Is Sprive any good? That is the question most UK homeowners land on after hearing about the mortgage overpayment app for the first time. You have probably seen it on Dragons' Den, spotted it on Trustpilot, or had a friend mention it over a pint. In my experience, for many people with a mortgage who want to overpay but struggle to stay consistent, Sprive does the job well, though whether it suits you depends on your lender support and your habits. It is not magic, it is not going to halve your mortgage overnight, and it is not for everyone. But after using it since October 2021 with my Nationwide mortgage, making regular monthly overpayments, I think it earns its place on your phone. Here is why. Read more

Published by Stiv in Discount, Finance, Personal finance, Reviews

Tags: budgeting, cashback mortgage app, is Sprive worth it, mortgage app UK, mortgage overpayment app, mortgage overpayments, Open Banking, pay off mortgage faster, personal finance apps, Sprive, Sprive review, uk fintech, UK mortgages

December 23, 2020 — Comments are off for this post.

ESG Investing With JPMorgan Personal Investing

Last updated: 10 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.

Cool Factor: 3/5

ESG investing with JPMorgan Personal Investing gives UK investors a managed, hands-off way to back companies with stronger environmental, social, and governance credentials. I hold several pots on the platform myself, all set to the socially responsible investing (SRI) style at the maximum risk level, so this is a view from real use. The portfolios are transparent and backed by MSCI analytics. But when the platform sits under JPMorgan Chase, named the world's largest financier of fossil fuels, the contradiction is hard to ignore. Here is my take.

This ESG investing JPMorgan review is based on my own pots in the SRI style, plus a close look at the methodology and the wider context, rather than on marketing copy.

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.

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.