Investing Archives - Page 3 of 3

November 14, 2025 — Comments are off for this post.

How to Start Investing UK: A Beginner’s Guide for 2026

Last updated: 7 October 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

Your savings account probably gives you a forgettable return while inflation slowly chews up the value of your cash. Plenty of us know we should look at the alternatives, yet investing can feel like a locked club where you need a pinstripe suit and a secret handshake to get past the door. So, this guide on how to start investing UK-side is here to open the door.

We will walk through the difference between saving and investing, explain what a Stocks and Shares ISA actually does, share what has worked for us starting with small amounts, and look at beginner-friendly apps including Freetrade, Lightyear, Robinhood UK, Monzo Investments and J.P. Morgan Personal Investing. So, let us get into it.

Important: This article is for information only and does not constitute financial advice or a personal recommendation. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. This article contains affiliate and referral links, which are paid links. If you click one and buy or sign up, I earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. Brands don't choose what I feature or what I say about them.

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.

Published by Stiv in Apps, Finance, Investing, Services

November 5, 2025 — Comments are off for this post.

JPMorgan Personal Investing Review UK, Is It Worth It?

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: 4/5

This is my honest JPMorgan Personal Investing review for UK investors. I've spent time with the platform, tested the app, compared the fees, and put together a clear take on whether it deserves your money. If you're weighing up a managed investment platform for your ISA, pension, or general investing, this should help you decide.

This review is based on years of my own use. I've been a customer since the Nutmeg days, I was even a small backer in their Crowdcube raise before JPMorgan bought the business, an Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) holding that earned me roughly a 50% return on that little stake when the sale went through, and today I hold several growth pots, a pension and a Lifetime ISA on the platform. So this comes from real, ongoing use rather than marketing material.

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.

Want the JPMorgan new-customer offer?

The current new-customer offer (6 months of investing with no management fees at the time of writing) and full terms are kept on our referral page. Capital at risk. Terms and conditions apply.

See the JPMorgan referral offer

Published by Stiv in Finance, Investing, Reviews

Tags: chase bank, investing, investment platform, isa, jpmorgan, JPMorgan Personal Investing, managed portfolio, money management, nutmeg, personal investing, referral code, robo advisor uk, sipp, uk investing

September 3, 2025 — Comments are off for this post.

Best Savings Account UK 2026: Every Rate Checked

Last updated: 10 September 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

Affiliate disclosure: 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 guide is for information only and does not constitute financial advice. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.

UK SavingsSeptember 2026 Edit

Every rate here was read off the bank’s own page tonight

Picking the best savings account UK savers can open comes down to one question: how soon do you need the money back? Get that right and the rate follows. So I checked every figure below directly on each provider’s own website on 6 September 2026, rather than lifting it from a comparison table.

The Bank of England base rate sits at 3.75%, held at the most recent decision. Easy access tops out near 5%, one and two year bonds sit just under 5%, and the best regular savers still pay 8%. Below you will find easy access, notice accounts, regular savers, fixed bonds, cash ISAs and NS&I, each with the deposit-taker named.

Want the £20 Zopa Biscuit bonus?

Zopa’s referral offer is live again, and the current terms and the exact steps sit on our referral page.

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Published by Stiv in Finance, Investing, Personal finance, Saving, Services

June 4, 2025 — Comments are off for this post.

Stock Events App Review: A Portfolio Tracker Worth Your Time?

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. 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.

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.

This Stock Events app review covers everything we like (and a few things we do not) about one of the highest-rated portfolio trackers on both app stores. Stock Events promises a clean, ad-free way to monitor your stocks, dividends, earnings, and more from a single screen. After spending time with it, here is our honest take on whether it delivers.

Cool Factor: 4/5

Published by Stiv in Finance, Investing, Personal finance, Reviews, Services

Tags: app review, best portfolio tracker app, chip app review, dividend tracker, dividend tracking app, Freetrade review, Investing apps UK, investment apps, lightyear review, nutmeg review, portfolio management apps, portfolio tracker, Stock Events, stock events app review, stock events review, stock market, stock watchlist app

March 20, 2025 — Comments are off for this post.

ISA Allowance Deadline: Use Your £20,000 Before April 5th

Last updated: 22 August 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This post covered the 2025/26 ISA allowance deadline of 5 April 2026, which has now passed. The information below applied to that tax year.

This article contains affiliate and referral links, which are paid links. If you click one and buy or sign up, I earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. Brands don't choose what I feature or what I say about them.

CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Investing involves risk and you can lose money. Tax rules can change and their effects vary based on individual circumstances. Always do your own research or speak to a qualified financial adviser before making decisions about your money.

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.

The ISA allowance deadline falls on 5 April every year, and once it passes, any unused portion of your £20,000 tax-free allowance is gone for good. Whether you are looking at a Stocks and Shares ISA, a Cash ISA, or a personal pension, the clock is ticking on the 2025/26 tax year.

This year, there are extra reasons to pay attention. Dividend tax rates are rising from 6 April 2026, and the Cash ISA allowance is being cut from 2027. Here is how to make the most of your allowance before the reset.

Published by Stiv in Finance, Investing, Saving, Services

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.

Want to test Emma properly?

Our referral link stretches the standard 7-day trial to a full 30 days on any premium plan.

Start a 30-day Emma trial

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

Published by Stiv in Android apps, Apple apps, Apps, Finance, Investing, Personal finance, Reviews, Saving, Services, Uncategorized

Tags: budgeting apps, budgeting tools, debt tracking, Emma app review, Emma app UK, Emma referral code, expense tracking, financial management, money management, personal finance, subscription tracker

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.

Published by Stiv in Android apps, Apple apps, Carbon conscious, Finance, Investing, Personal finance, Reviews, Services, Technology lover