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The money questions people ring us about, answered in full

Fifty guides on pensions, mortgages, debt and protecting your income. Each one gives you the numbers, the deadlines, and the mistakes that cost the most. Every figure is dated, so you can see how current it is.

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The short answer

These guides cover pensions and retirement, mortgages and buying a home, budgeting and debt, how UK financial advice and regulation work, and protecting your income and family. They are information rather than advice. Every figure is checked against a primary source and dated, and every page says plainly what we can arrange and what we introduce.

50 guidesAcross five areas
Every figureSourced and dated
£0To read, or to ask. The firms we introduce you to pay us
What is on this page
  1. Pensions and retirement
  2. Mortgages and buying a home
  3. Budgeting and debt
  4. Advice, regulation and scams
  5. Protecting your income and family
  6. How to use this section
  7. Who writes this, and what we are allowed to do

Pensions and retirement

What you will actually get, when you can take it, and how to turn a pot into an income.

State Pension explained

State Pension Explained | Rates, Years and Age

Pension drawdown explained

Pension Drawdown Explained | Income, Tax and Risk

Annuities explained

Annuities Explained | Rates, Options and Health

Defined benefit or defined contribution

Defined Benefit vs Defined Contribution Pensions

Pension tax-free cash

Pension Tax-Free Cash | The 25% Rule and Its Cap

Shorter answers in this section:

The pillar page for this area is pensions and retirement.

Mortgages and buying a home

Deposits, stamp duty, what lenders will lend and when to remortgage.

First-time buyer guide

First-Time Buyer Guide | Deposits, Costs and Steps

Mortgage deposits explained

Mortgage Deposits Explained | Loan to Value Bands

Stamp duty explained

Stamp Duty Explained | 2026 Rates and Relief

Remortgaging explained

Remortgaging Explained | Timing, Costs and Options

Shorter answers in this section:

The pillar page for this area is mortgages and buying a home.

Budgeting and debt

The four numbers that make a budget, which debts come first, and where free help is.

Budgeting and debt

Budgeting and Debt | Free UK Guides and Help

Emergency savings explained

Emergency Savings Explained | How Much and Where

Credit score explained

Credit Score Explained | What UK Lenders Really See

Debt help explained

Debt Help Explained | UK Options and Free Advice

Shorter answers in this section:

The pillar page for this area is budgeting and debt.

Cannot find the answer here?

Ask the question directly. If it is not ours to answer we will tell you who should, and there is no charge either way.

Ask us a question

Prefer WhatsApp? Message us there. We are open Monday to Saturday, 9am to 8pm.

This goes to a separately authorised firm we have vetted. The introduction costs you nothing. If you go ahead, we may be paid a fee by that firm.

A child putting a coin into a piggy bank

Advice, regulation and scams

How UK advice works, how to check anyone in two minutes, and how scams are shaped.

Financial advice explained

Financial Advice Explained | UK Rules and Costs

Check an adviser is FCA authorised

How to Check an Adviser Is FCA Authorised

Spotting financial scams

How to Spot Financial Scams | UK Warning Signs

Shorter answers in this section:

The pillar page for this area is advice, regulation and scams.

Protecting your income and family

How much cover you need, which type does what, and the trust step people skip.

How much life insurance do I need?

How Much Life Insurance Do I Need? UK Guide

Income protection or critical illness?

Income Protection vs Critical Illness Cover

Putting life insurance in trust

Putting Life Insurance in Trust | Why and How

A simple guide to protecting your family

Free Nine-Page Guide to Cover and Trusts

Shorter answers in this section:

The pillar page for this area is protecting your income and family.

How to use this section

These guides answer questions. They do not recommend anything for your situation, because we have never met you.

If you want Start with
To understand how something works The guide page for that topic
A quick answer to one question The shorter articles listed under each area
To check a firm or an adviser The FCA Register guide
Free help with debt The debt help guide
Cover arranged Protection insurance

Every figure on these pages carries a source and the date it was checked. If a figure looks out of date, tell us and we will fix it.

Who writes this, and what we are allowed to do

What we advise on directlyLife cover, critical illness cover, income protection and family protection. We advise and arrange these ourselves, and there is no fee to you.
What we introduceMortgages, pensions, equity release and investments go to a separately authorised firm we have vetted. We tell you who they are before anything is passed on.
Why the differenceQualification is not permission. Ben is qualified in mortgages and equity release, and the firm chose to hold protection permissions only.
How we are paidFor protection, the insurer pays a commission if you take out a policy. For an introduction, the firm may pay us a fee if you go ahead. Either way you pay us nothing.

You can check all of that yourself on the FCA Register under firm reference 1055079. Our guide to the Register shows you how.

A couple going through their finances together at home

Who this suits, and who it does not

These guides are for you if
  • You want to understand something before you act on it
  • You want figures with a source rather than a claim
  • You would rather read than be sold to
  • You are trying to work out which question to ask
You need something else if
  • You want a personal recommendation, which needs regulated advice
  • You are in immediate financial difficulty, where free debt advice comes first
  • You need a decision made for you today
  • Your situation involves a defined benefit pension transfer

Check broadband before you make an offer

Broadband speeds can vary street by street, so check the exact address before you commit. Ofcom's free checker shows which broadband speeds and mobile coverage are available at any UK property.

Check broadband at an address (Ofcom)

Want all your bills in one?

We can introduce you to a specialist who can combine your mobile, broadband and utilities into one bill. There's no fee for the introduction.

We don't provide these services ourselves. Switching household bills is not a regulated financial service, so FCA protections and the Financial Ombudsman do not apply. We'll only pass your details to the specialist if you ask us to. See our privacy notice.

Questions people actually ask

Is this financial advice?
No. These pages are information. They explain how things work and where the figures come from. Regulated advice is a personal recommendation, which needs to start with your circumstances.
Where do the figures come from?
Primary sources, mostly GOV.UK, the FCA, the FSCS and MoneyHelper. Every guide lists its sources and the date the figures were checked.
How often is this updated?
Tax year figures are reviewed each April, and anything with a threshold is checked when it changes. The review date appears at the bottom of every page.
What can That's Family Finance actually arrange?
Life cover, critical illness cover, income protection and family protection, directly. For mortgages, pensions, equity release and investments we introduce you to a separately authorised firm.
Does it cost anything to talk to you?
No. For protection the insurer pays us a commission if you take out a policy. For an introduction, the firm may pay us a fee if you go ahead. You pay us nothing either way.
Where can I get free, impartial guidance?
MoneyHelper, run by the Money and Pensions Service, covers pensions, benefits, debt and budgeting. Pension Wise covers pension options from age 50. Both are free.
Can I use these guides if I am not a client?
Yes. They are free to read and there is nothing to sign up for. Nothing on this site requires you to give us your details.
What if I spot something wrong?
Tell us and we will check it against the source and correct it. Figures move, and a page with an out of date threshold is worse than no page.
How do I check broadband speed at a property?
Use Ofcom's free broadband and mobile checker at checker.ofcom.org.uk. Enter the property's postcode and choose the address to see which broadband speeds and mobile coverage are available before you make an offer.

Where to go next

PensionsCombining and reviewing old pensions.MortgagesHow our introduction works.Protection insuranceCover we arrange ourselves.Equity releaseLater-life property options.About Ben TomlinQualifications and permissions.Contact usAsk a question and we will answer it straight.
Where these figures come from

Figures checked on 1 September 2026 and correct for the 2026/27 tax year. Rates change, so check the source before you act on a number.

We introduce you to separately authorised firms for everything else.

Last reviewed September 2026.

Start with the question you actually have

We will tell you whether free guidance covers it, whether we can help directly, or who should.

Start a conversation

Prefer WhatsApp? Message us there. We are open Monday to Saturday, 9am to 8pm.

This goes to a separately authorised firm we have vetted. The introduction costs you nothing. If you go ahead, we may be paid a fee by that firm.