Pounds and Sense https://www.poundsandsense.com/ A UK blog covering personal finance and much more from an over-60 perspective Tue, 20 Oct 2026 08:07:26 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.7 https://www.poundsandsense.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/coffeespecs-150x150.png Pounds and Sense https://www.poundsandsense.com/ 32 32 Wood-Burning Stoves and Solid-Fuel Fires: Could They Help Keep Your Home Warm in a Power Cut? https://www.poundsandsense.com/wood-burning-stoves-and-solid-fuel-fires-could-they-help-keep-your-home-warm-in-a-power-cut/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wood-burning-stoves-and-solid-fuel-fires-could-they-help-keep-your-home-warm-in-a-power-cut https://www.poundsandsense.com/wood-burning-stoves-and-solid-fuel-fires-could-they-help-keep-your-home-warm-in-a-power-cut/#respond Tue, 20 Oct 2026 08:01:05 +0000 https://www.poundsandsense.com/?p=14938 With winter approaching, many householders are thinking about how to keep their homes warm without facing ever-higher energy bills. Recent discussions about heat pumps and the possibility of electricity outages have also prompted questions about how resilient our home heating systems really are. One option worth considering is solid-fuel heating – burning wood, manufactured fuel […]

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]]> https://www.poundsandsense.com/wood-burning-stoves-and-solid-fuel-fires-could-they-help-keep-your-home-warm-in-a-power-cut/feed/ 0 Is a Heat Pump Right for You? https://www.poundsandsense.com/is-a-heat-pump-right-for-you/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=is-a-heat-pump-right-for-you https://www.poundsandsense.com/is-a-heat-pump-right-for-you/#respond Tue, 13 Oct 2026 15:26:10 +0000 https://www.poundsandsense.com/?p=14926 Heat pumps are being promoted as an important part of the UK’s transition to cleaner energy. They can provide an efficient way to heat your home, reduce reliance on fossil fuels and potentially cut your energy bills. The government is encouraging homeowners to make the switch, too, with grants available to help cover the installation […]

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]]> https://www.poundsandsense.com/is-a-heat-pump-right-for-you/feed/ 0 Why You Should Beware of Going ‘All-In’ on Electricity https://www.poundsandsense.com/why-you-should-beware-of-going-all-in-on-electricity/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=why-you-should-beware-of-going-all-in-on-electricity https://www.poundsandsense.com/why-you-should-beware-of-going-all-in-on-electricity/#comments Mon, 05 Oct 2026 11:30:37 +0000 https://www.poundsandsense.com/?p=14158 In my update today, I’m focusing on a topic that has become of growing concern to me. Over the past decade, UK households have been encouraged to electrify almost everything. Cars are going electric. Gas boilers are being phased out in favour of heat pumps. Even cooking is increasingly moving from gas to electricity. On […]

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]]> https://www.poundsandsense.com/why-you-should-beware-of-going-all-in-on-electricity/feed/ 2 Amazon Prime Big Deals Day is Almost Here! https://www.poundsandsense.com/amazon-prime-big-deals-day-is-almost-here/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=amazon-prime-big-deals-day-is-almost-here https://www.poundsandsense.com/amazon-prime-big-deals-day-is-almost-here/#respond Sat, 03 Oct 2026 10:03:28 +0000 https://www.poundsandsense.com/?p=11338 In case you’ve not heard, Amazon Prime Big Deals Day is almost with us. It extends over two days, Tuesday 6th and Wednesday 7th October 2026. This is a special event for Amazon Prime members only. Amazon say they will be offering members their lowest prices of the year on selected products across a wide […]

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]]> https://www.poundsandsense.com/amazon-prime-big-deals-day-is-almost-here/feed/ 0 My Investments Update – October 2026 https://www.poundsandsense.com/my-investments-update-october-2026/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=my-investments-update-october-2026 https://www.poundsandsense.com/my-investments-update-october-2026/#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:45 +0000 https://www.poundsandsense.com/?p=14869 Here is my latest monthly update about my investments. You can read my September 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-october-2026/feed/ 1 Get Your Will Written Free of Charge in October https://www.poundsandsense.com/get-will-written-free-charge-october/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=get-will-written-free-charge-october https://www.poundsandsense.com/get-will-written-free-charge-october/#comments Fri, 25 Sep 2026 14:23:03 +0000 http://www.poundsandsense.com/?p=756 Did you know that October is Free Wills Month? Free Wills Month brings together a group of well-respected charities to offer members of the public aged 55 and over the opportunity to have their wills written or updated free using participating solicitors across the UK. The charities involved include the NSPCC, Dogs Trust, British Heart […]

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]]> https://www.poundsandsense.com/get-will-written-free-charge-october/feed/ 8 UK Government Bonds: Are Gilts Worth Considering Now? https://www.poundsandsense.com/uk-government-bonds-are-gilts-worth-considering-now/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=uk-government-bonds-are-gilts-worth-considering-now https://www.poundsandsense.com/uk-government-bonds-are-gilts-worth-considering-now/#respond Thu, 17 Sep 2026 14:29:24 +0000 https://www.poundsandsense.com/?p=14847 UK government bonds – better known as gilts – have been attracting renewed attention from investors. That is hardly surprising. After years when interest rates and bond yields were unusually low, gilt yields have risen substantially. In September 2026, the yield on 10-year UK government bonds recently climbed above 5.3%, its highest level since 2007. […]

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]]> https://www.poundsandsense.com/uk-government-bonds-are-gilts-worth-considering-now/feed/ 0 How Eating a Handful of Nuts Each Day May Help Lower Your Blood Pressure https://www.poundsandsense.com/how-eating-a-handful-of-nuts-each-day-may-help-lower-your-blood-pressure/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-eating-a-handful-of-nuts-each-day-may-help-lower-your-blood-pressure https://www.poundsandsense.com/how-eating-a-handful-of-nuts-each-day-may-help-lower-your-blood-pressure/#respond Wed, 09 Sep 2026 14:49:14 +0000 https://www.poundsandsense.com/?p=14830 Today I have a syndicated guest post for you from Shireen Kassam, University of Winchester and Dagfinn Aune, Imperial College London.  It’s on a subject I believe many older readers of this blog (in particular) may find of interest. This article was originally published in The Conversation and is republished here under a Creative Commons licence. More than 1.4 […]

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]]> https://www.poundsandsense.com/how-eating-a-handful-of-nuts-each-day-may-help-lower-your-blood-pressure/feed/ 0 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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