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Hargreaves Lansdown Pension Fees

Yes, I know a Pensione is a small hotel in Italy and not related to UK retirement savings, but the words look alike, and it is hard to find fun photos to match a topic! A work colleague recently asked me about SIPPs that our employer can pay into, as

Cache is king.

Initially, I wasn't sure if my lack of IT skills would be an issue but thanks to good old YouTube and Reddit I had worked out which hardware should serve me well!

Home Media Server Operating System: OMV vs Unraid.

Home Media Server Operating System: OMV vs Unraid.

Tired of paying for Netflix? Start your own home media server.

Towards the end of last year, I decided that I wanted to bring all of the photos, DVDs and Music I own together into a media server that I could access from anywhere.

AdGuard - It's game over for online adverts.

Towards the back of 2023 as the nights were drawing in I wanted to start tinkering with PCs and after some research with the help of the website Parky Towers I purchased some cheap thin clients off eBay and experimented with various Linux distros. After learning some basics in Ubuntu

Happy New Financial Year!

Happy New Financial Year!

Last post in my 30's.

So this week I turn 40 which I see as a fairly significant milestone. I entered my 30s in good shape both mentally and physically before having issues with both; however, I am entering my 40s with a new lease of life. Over the next year, I plan to build

Essentialism.

Over the last couple of years, I have tried to change parts of my lifestyle to incorporate a perhaps more Essentialist way of living.

Book Review & Summary: 'Quit Like a Millionaire' by Kristy Shen and Bryce Leung.

Written by two prominent members of the FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) movement the book provides a guide on how to retire at a young age.

Sorry for the radio silence...

Normal service will be resumed! There has been a lot going on. I have started a few blog posts for book reviews, lifestyle musings and thoughts on essentialism but kept switching focus between them and procrastinating! I have also been trying to relaunch the YouTube channel writing scripts and working

Office jungle: Summer plant update.

So how have the original plants faired and what additions (and unfortunate subtractions) have been made? Let's dig in...

Every day is a school day - invest in yourself.

There are many ways you can invest in yourself and unlike my previous post on get-rich-quick scams, they do not necessarily need any monetary investment.

Book Review & Summary: 'How to Win Friends and Influence People' by Dale Carnegie.

In a world that thrives on relationships, Dale Carnegie's classic masterpiece remains a beacon of wisdom and guidance. The book has captivated readers for generations, and it continues to be an invaluable resource for those seeking to enhance their social skills and build meaningful connections.

Dubious ways to 'get rich quick' you need to avoid.

I can give you one surefire way to get rich very quickly. Buy a winning lottery ticket. Unfortunately not very simple. So why do people often fall for the promise of getting rich quickly or seek it out?

Physical and mental health - do what is good for you, quit what isn't and why BT was right when they said 'It's good to talk'.

Maintain a balanced life, sleep and eat well, exercise, ignore hustle culture and please always talk to people if you need to.

My top 5 finance YouTubers.

Just a quick midweek post on my top finance YouTubers.

Lessons learned: 'Start With Why', 'Lessons In Stoicism' and 'Shoe Dog'.

In this second post on applying the lessons I have learned through reading Start With Why This book taught me that I need to think about the purpose of what I am trying to achieve through The Golden Circle. My Why is to show that anyone regardless of age, economic

Reading List: It's not a novel idea to book in some downtime with a good read.

My reading List: It's not a novel idea to book in some downtime with a good read.

Book Review & Summary: 'Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike' by Phil Knight.

Phil Knight is the co-founder and former CEO of Nike, a company he built up by selling running shoes out of the trunk of his car which became one of the world's most successful and iconic brands.

YouTube Channel Launch!

It's taken a while but my YouTube channel has finally launched! I am still getting to grips with it all but for a breakdown of the equipment and software used, you can visit my Technology & Tools page. I know the only way to improve and grow is

Secured vs Unsecured Debt and Student Loans: What repayments are a priority?

Secured vs Unsecured Debt and Student Loans: What repayments are a priority and should I try to pay my student loan off early?

Book Review & Summary: 'Lessons In Stoicism' by John Sellars.

'Lessons in Stoicism' by John Sellars is a succinct exploration of ancient Stoic philosophy and its relevance to modern life.

Goodbye tension, hello pension!

Eventually, in life, we will all need to have a pension to help us live on, a long-term savings pot with the added benefit of tax relief.

Book Review & Summary: 'Start With Why' by Simon Sinek.

Simon's TED Talk 'How great leaders inspire action' has amassed over 60 million views and provides viewers with a simple concept - start with why.

Lessons learned: 'Show Your Work', 'Stolen Focus' & 'The Richest Man in Babylon'.

This is the first post in a series based on putting into practice some of the lessons I learned gaining knowledge from reading in 2022. Show Your Work As per my book review, it was this little book that got me started on this blogging journey. It may not be

Stocks & Shares ISA: My Portfolio January 2023.

If you started investing in 2022 chances are you had a fairly rocky year. Whilst the FTSE 100 was slightly up despite all of the turmoil the S&P 500 was down 20% for the year. I started the year by selling all of my 'abrdn Asia Pacific

Book review & Summary: 'The Richest Man in Babylon' by George S. Clason.

The Richest Man in Babylon" by George S. Clason offers valuable financial advice through relatable parables set in ancient Babylon.

My goals for 2023.

I won't be making any resolutions this year. Instead, I will be making a list of possible goals to aspire to. There is one principal category - Investment.

Book Review & Summary 'Stolen Focus' by Johann Hari.

Do you struggle to concentrate? I know I do and Johann Hari discovered this is nothing new but in fact has been getting progressively worse for centuries. In 'Stolen Focus' he recognises his own challenge in staying focussed and sets out to discover why the world is struggling to concentrate.

Plants...I beg your garden?!

No, you heard it right! I know what you're thinking, back with the puns as I couldn't leaf them out. For my new job in fire safety, I spend four out of five days working from home so I have got my home office in order.

Implementing knowledge: The impact of reading.

Applying what I learn: The impact of reading.

Stocks & Shares ISA: My Portfolio September 2022.

I have chosen to focus initially on investment funds to keep long term containing a diverse portfolio within the fund. In the future I plan on looking into some specific shares for their dividend payments.

Pensions: "To me; retirement means doing what you have fun doing." Dick Van Dyke.

A pension may not be anyones idea of fun but it is important to save for your retirement so you can enjoy it.

Growing my savings: Stocks & Shares ISA.

Savings rates here in the UK are generally low and with the recent rise in inflation a standard ISA or savings account giving you 1% a year just doesn't cut it.

Debt Avalanche vs Debt Snowball?: Don't leave your debts out in the cold.

According to The Money Charity in 2022 the average credit card debt per UK household stood at £2,192. How do you best pay it off?

Book Review & Summary: 'Show your work!' by Austin Kleon.

Ever wondered whether it is worth starting a blog in order to share your thoughts and ideas? Well 'Show your work!' was the book that prompted me to start 'Keeping up with the Jonesy' and I think that anyone with a creative spark or a need

Emergency Fund: A financial 'cheque' up.

The pandemic showed that nothing is certain in life and that I was in need of a financial back-up, an emergency fund.

Budgeting: A boring necessity.

During 2021 I realised that I needed to get control of my finances by using a budget to track my monthly expenses, debts and savings goals.

Coming soon to a blog near you...

This is Keeping up with the Jonesy, a brand new site by Richard Jones that's just getting started.