Blog - Pounds and Sense https://www.poundsandsense.com/blog/ A UK blog covering personal finance and much more from an over-60 perspective Sun, 06 Sep 2026 10:59:17 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.4 https://www.poundsandsense.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/coffeespecs-150x150.png Blog - Pounds and Sense https://www.poundsandsense.com/blog/ 32 32 The £12,000 Cash ISA Limit: What Will Actually Change in 2027? https://www.poundsandsense.com/the-12000-cash-isa-limit-what-will-actually-change-in-2027/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-12000-cash-isa-limit-what-will-actually-change-in-2027 https://www.poundsandsense.com/the-12000-cash-isa-limit-what-will-actually-change-in-2027/#respond Sun, 06 Sep 2026 10:56:36 +0000 https://www.poundsandsense.com/?p=14818 There has been quite a lot of discussion about the Government’s decision to reduce the annual Cash ISA allowance from £20,000 to £12,000 from April 2027. If you have money in Cash ISAs, you may therefore be wondering whether you should be doing anything differently before then. There is, however, an important point that is […]

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]]> https://www.poundsandsense.com/the-12000-cash-isa-limit-what-will-actually-change-in-2027/feed/ 0 My Investments Update – September 26 https://www.poundsandsense.com/my-investments-update-september-26/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=my-investments-update-september-26 https://www.poundsandsense.com/my-investments-update-september-26/#respond Sun, 30 Aug 2026 08:22:49 +0000 https://www.poundsandsense.com/?p=14794 Here is my latest monthly update about my investments. You can read my August 2026 Investments Update here if you like. I’ll begin as usual with my JP Morgan Personal Investing (previously Nutmeg) Stocks and Shares ISA. This is the largest investment I hold other than my Bestinvest SIPP (personal pension). As regular readers will know, in June last year I transferred […]

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]]> https://www.poundsandsense.com/my-investments-update-september-26/feed/ 0 My Short Break in Portmeirion https://www.poundsandsense.com/my-short-break-in-portmeirion/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=my-short-break-in-portmeirion https://www.poundsandsense.com/my-short-break-in-portmeirion/#respond Mon, 24 Aug 2026 14:46:20 +0000 https://www.poundsandsense.com/?p=14777 I recently enjoyed a three-night break in the lovely Welsh village/resort of Portmeirion. This is about two miles from Porthmadog in NW Wales. It was the first time I had stayed in Portmeirion, though I have visited many times before. Here’s a map from Google Maps. Portmeirion is a beautiful Italianate village created by the architect Clough […]

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]]> https://www.poundsandsense.com/my-short-break-in-portmeirion/feed/ 0 Pounds and Sense – A Personal Update https://www.poundsandsense.com/pounds-and-sense-a-personal-update/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=pounds-and-sense-a-personal-update https://www.poundsandsense.com/pounds-and-sense-a-personal-update/#comments Tue, 18 Aug 2026 11:28:07 +0000 https://www.poundsandsense.com/?p=14753 Today I wanted to share some information about my personal circumstances and my plans for Pounds and Sense (in particular) going forward. As you may know, I’ve been running PAS for nearly 10 years now and during that time have published over 560 blog posts. Most of these are still available to view via the […]

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]]> https://www.poundsandsense.com/pounds-and-sense-a-personal-update/feed/ 4 Caravan Fire Safety: How to Protect Your Holiday Home and Your Finances https://www.poundsandsense.com/caravan-fire-safety-how-to-protect-your-holiday-home-and-your-finances/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=caravan-fire-safety-how-to-protect-your-holiday-home-and-your-finances https://www.poundsandsense.com/caravan-fire-safety-how-to-protect-your-holiday-home-and-your-finances/#respond Sun, 09 Aug 2026 08:58:20 +0000 https://www.poundsandsense.com/?p=14741 My post today is brought to you in association with Compass, a specialist provider of caravan and leisure insurance. It concerns an important subject all caravan owners need to be aware of. With the UK experiencing a prolonged period of hot and dry weather this summer, and drought now declared across large parts of England […]

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]]> https://www.poundsandsense.com/caravan-fire-safety-how-to-protect-your-holiday-home-and-your-finances/feed/ 0 My Investments Update – August 2026 https://www.poundsandsense.com/my-investments-update-august-2026/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=my-investments-update-august-2026 https://www.poundsandsense.com/my-investments-update-august-2026/#respond Sun, 02 Aug 2026 08:28:05 +0000 https://www.poundsandsense.com/?p=14716 Here is my latest monthly update about my investments. You can read my July 2026 Investments Update here if you like. I’ll begin as usual with my JP Morgan Personal Investing (previously Nutmeg) Stocks and Shares ISA. This is the largest investment I hold other than my Bestinvest SIPP (personal pension). As regular readers will know, in June last year I transferred […]

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]]> https://www.poundsandsense.com/my-investments-update-august-2026/feed/ 0 Why Every Older Adult Should Consider the Shingles Vaccine (Shingrix) https://www.poundsandsense.com/why-every-older-adult-should-consider-the-shingles-vaccine-shingrix/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=why-every-older-adult-should-consider-the-shingles-vaccine-shingrix https://www.poundsandsense.com/why-every-older-adult-should-consider-the-shingles-vaccine-shingrix/#respond Mon, 27 Jul 2026 11:03:31 +0000 https://www.poundsandsense.com/?p=14703 Getting older has some advantages – but one downside is that our risk of developing certain illnesses increases. One of these is Shingles, a painful condition that can have long-lasting effects. I recently had my second Shingrix vaccination, completing the recommended course. Like many people, I experienced some short-term side effects afterwards, mainly fatigue and […]

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]]> https://www.poundsandsense.com/why-every-older-adult-should-consider-the-shingles-vaccine-shingrix/feed/ 0 How to Know When Fruit and Veg Are Still Safe to Eat – And When They Should be Binned https://www.poundsandsense.com/how-to-know-when-fruit-and-veg-are-still-safe-to-eat-and-when-they-should-be-binned/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-know-when-fruit-and-veg-are-still-safe-to-eat-and-when-they-should-be-binned https://www.poundsandsense.com/how-to-know-when-fruit-and-veg-are-still-safe-to-eat-and-when-they-should-be-binned/#respond Sat, 25 Jul 2026 09:04:50 +0000 https://www.poundsandsense.com/?p=14690 Today I’m sharing a guest post by Primrose Freestone, a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Microbiology at the University of Leicester. It concerns a subject that many older people (in particular) on tight budgets may find of interest. It’s certainly something I have wondered about myself in the past. This article was originally published in The Conversation and is […]

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]]> https://www.poundsandsense.com/how-to-know-when-fruit-and-veg-are-still-safe-to-eat-and-when-they-should-be-binned/feed/ 0 Small Changes That Could Save UK Households £1,000 a Year https://www.poundsandsense.com/small-changes-that-could-save-uk-households-1000-a-year/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=small-changes-that-could-save-uk-households-1000-a-year https://www.poundsandsense.com/small-changes-that-could-save-uk-households-1000-a-year/#respond Sun, 19 Jul 2026 13:43:51 +0000 https://www.poundsandsense.com/?p=14677 With household bills still putting pressure on many family budgets, finding ways to save money has never been more important. The good news is that you don’t necessarily have to make big sacrifices to make a noticeable difference to your finances. Often it’s the small, everyday changes that have the biggest impact over the course […]

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]]> https://www.poundsandsense.com/small-changes-that-could-save-uk-households-1000-a-year/feed/ 0 My Investments Update – July 2026 https://www.poundsandsense.com/my-investments-update-july-2026/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=my-investments-update-july-2026 https://www.poundsandsense.com/my-investments-update-july-2026/#respond Thu, 02 Jul 2026 10:25:34 +0000 https://www.poundsandsense.com/?p=14655 Here is my latest monthly update about my investments. You can read my June 2026 Investments Update here if you like. I’ll begin as usual with my JP Morgan Personal Investing (previously Nutmeg) Stocks and Shares ISA. This is the largest investment I hold other than my Bestinvest SIPP (personal pension). As regular readers will know, in June last year I transferred […]

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