investing Archives - COOLCURATION

June 23, 2026 — No Comments

Premium Bonds vs Investing UK: Which One Suits You?

Last updated: 21 June 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.

This is not financial advice. It reflects my own experience, so please do your own research or speak to a qualified adviser before making any money decisions.

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.

Premium Bonds vs Investing2026 Guide

Premium Bonds vs investing: a prize draw, or the stock market?

Premium Bonds vs investing is a money question I get all the time. So here is my honest, first-person take, because I have held both at once for four years. Crucially, this is not an either or for everyone. In my experience, the two really answer different questions.

Want the hands-off investing option?

Maybe you want investing that mostly runs itself, like the Premium Bonds draw does. In that case, a ready-made managed portfolio is the closest fit. The current JPMorgan offer, and how to claim it, are kept up to date on our referral page.

See the JPMorgan investing offer

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

Tags: investing, investing uk, Premium Bonds

June 3, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Can AI Turn $1,000 Into $10,000? My AI Stock Picking Experiment

My AI stock picking experiment: can four AI models grow $1,000 into $10,000 on Lightyear? I post honest, not-advice weekly updates.

Published by Stiv in Apps, Investing, Personal finance

Tags: AI investing, AI tools, Autopilot, ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek, Grok, investing, Lightyear, us stocks

May 5, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Stocks we bought in May 2026: our first portfolio diary

Last updated: 5 May 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

Welcome to the inaugural edition of "Stocks We Bought This Month", a new monthly portfolio diary on CoolCuration. Each post records what I personally added to my own portfolio in the previous few weeks, the reasons each company caught my eye, and the things that could absolutely trip me up. In short, this is what we bought, why we bought it, and what we plan to revisit in future editions.

The stocks we bought this May were three: Brookfield Corporation (BN), Meta Platforms (META) and Tencent Holdings (TCEHY). All three went through self-managed UK broker accounts.

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.

Important disclaimer. I personally hold positions in all three companies named in this post. This is a personal disclosure diary, not a recommendation, not a tip sheet, and not a personalised view of your circumstances. CoolCuration is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Capital at risk. When investing, 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. Please do your own research, or consult a qualified independent financial adviser, before making any investment decision. All content here is for informational and educational purposes only.

Published by Stiv in Finance, Investing

Tags: brookfield, china stocks, Freetrade, investing, lightyear Suggested Categories: Finance, meta, personal finance uk, portfolio diary, stocks we bought, tencent, us stocks

April 19, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Trading 212 Review UK 2026 — Honest Verdict After 3 Months

Last updated: 10 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This Trading 212 review reflects my own experience using the app daily for three months alongside Freetrade, my main broker.

This is our honest Trading 212 review after three months of using it alongside Freetrade, our main broker. When Trading 212 kept coming up in conversations, we figured we should give it a fair shot. After using it daily for a full quarter, the verdict is clear: Trading 212 is a perfectly fine platform trapped inside a frustratingly cluttered app. The fees are competitive, the savings rate is genuinely good, but the experience of actually using it every day left us reaching for Freetrade instead. Here is why we are sticking with the alternatives.

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. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of capital. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Always do your own research or consult a qualified financial adviser before making investment decisions. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.

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

★★☆☆☆

2 out of 5: Lukewarm

Published by Stiv in Finance, Investing, Reviews

Tags: Commission-free trading, finance, Freetrade, investing, investment apps, isa, reviews, Trading 212

April 8, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

What Is Investment Risk? A Beginner’s Guide for 2026

What is investment risk UK? Learn the types of risk, how to manage them, and where to start investing with confidence. Beginner-friendly guide.

Published by Stiv in Finance, Investing, Money

Tags: beginner investing, investing, investment platforms, investment risk, personal finance, risk management, stocks and shares isa, uk investing

March 31, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Dividend Tax Rise 2026 UK: New Rates, Who Pays More and How to Shelter

Last updated: 9 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

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

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.

From 6 April 2026, UK dividend tax rates are rising by 2 percentage points at the basic and higher rates. If you receive dividends on shares or funds held outside an ISA or pension, your tax bill is going up. Here is what has changed, who is affected, and what you can do about it.

Published by Stiv in Finance, Investing

Tags: dividend allowance, dividend tax rise 2026, dividend tax UK, investing, stocks and shares isa, tax planning, uk finance

March 16, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Best Investment ISA 2026 – Top Picks Before the Deadline

Last updated: 21 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

Best investment ISA2026 Edit

The best investment ISA for every kind of UK investor

Finding the best investment ISA in 2026 really comes down to one question: what kind of investor are you? So instead of crowning a single winner, this guide matches the main UK stocks and shares ISA platforms to the people they actually suit, then compares them on the things that move the needle: fees, FX costs, choice of investments and how easy each one is to use.

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 financial advice. This article is for information only and reflects personal experience, not a recommendation. Because investing carries risk, always do your own research or speak to a qualified financial adviser before you act.

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 low-cost ISA we track most

For transparency, Lightyear is the low-cost Stocks and Shares ISA we use and follow most closely, so you will see it referenced throughout. It is also the account behind our living can AI turn £1,000 into £10,000 experiment. You can check its current ISA details and any live offer on our referral page before you decide anything.

See Lightyear ISA details

Published by Stiv in Apps, Finance, Investing, Reviews, Services

Tags: best investment ISA, Freetrade, invest tax free, investing, isa allowance 2026, ISA deadline, isa deadline 2026, JPMorgan Personal Investing, junior isa, lifetime isa, Lightyear, nutmeg investment review, nutmeg isa, robo advisor uk, stocks and shares isa, Trading 212, uk finance

March 15, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Cheapest Investment App UK (2026) – FX Fees Compared

Investing · FX fees2026 Edit

Commission-free is not cost-free

Last updated: 21 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

Looking for the cheapest investment app in 2026? The headline says "zero commission". Yet the foreign exchange (FX) fee on every US share quietly adds up. So we rechecked the live pricing for Lightyear, Robinhood, Trading 212, Freetrade, InvestEngine, Hargreaves Lansdown and J.P. Morgan. Then we worked out the real cost of buying a US share on each.

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.

Not financial advice. This piece reflects what works for us, not a personal recommendation, so please do your own research or speak to a qualified adviser before investing. 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.

See the lowest flat FX fee in our comparison

Of the apps below, Lightyear currently has the lowest flat FX fee on US shares. The latest sign-up steps are kept up to date on our referral page.

See the Lightyear FX offer

Published by Stiv in Finance, Investing, Personal finance

Tags: Freetrade, FX fees, investing, investment apps, isa, Lightyear, monzo, Trading 212, uk investing

February 17, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Monzo investment fees cut: what it means and whether it’s worth it

Last updated: 9 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

Quick take: Monzo investment fees were cut in February 2026 from 0.45% to 0.25% a year (or from 0.35% to 0.20% on certain paid plans). If you're a smaller-balance, set-and-forget investor, Monzo just got a lot more competitive. If you're fee-optimising at higher balances, fund costs and fee caps still matter.

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 is not financial advice.

Monzo has made a change that actually matters: the platform fee for Monzo Investments is now 0.25% per year (and 0.20% if you're on eligible paid plans), down from 0.45% (or 0.35% for Plus and Premium customers) before the February 2026 fee cut. Fees accrue daily and get collected monthly from your investment account. That's the "Monzo fee" bit, not the fund manager's own fee (more on that below).

Published by Stiv in Apps, Finance, Investing, Services

Tags: Fees, investing, monzo, Platforms, stocks and shares isa, UK personal finance

February 16, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Best Investment Referral Deals in the UK (2026): Free Shares, Fee-Free Months, Easy Bonuses

Last updated: 10 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

Looking for the best investment referral deals in the UK? This guide rounds up the top offers right now, from free shares to fee-free months. Each platform has its own rules and quirks, so we link to the correct CoolCuration detail page for every offer. That way, you always get the latest referral terms instead of a dead link from 2022.

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.

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.

Heads up: This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk and you can lose money. Offers and eligibility can change at any time. Always read the provider's terms before signing up, and only invest what you can afford to leave invested (and potentially lose).

Published by Stiv in Investing, Services

Tags: free shares, investing, investing apps, money saving, referrals, stocks and shares isa, uk finance