Money Box: Your toolkit for balancing your budget, growing your bank balance and living a better financial life

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And if you are saying, “Look, inflation is nearly 11 per cent, I think I need a pay rise”, and your employer says: “Okay, well I’ll give you a bit extra, a few per cent, but I can’t afford more,” you could then ask for them to add a few more per cent into your pension. You can negotiate your employers pension contributions, Paul Lewis says (Photo: Joe Giddens/PA Wire Photographer) We do not make, nor do we seek to make, any recommendations or personalised advice on financial products or services that are regulated by the FCA, as we’re not regulated or authorised by the FCA to advise you in this way. In some cases, however, we have included links to regulated brands or providers with whom we have a commercial relationship and, if you choose to, you can buy a product from our commercial partners.

From understanding credit cards and buying your first flat to investing, relationships and finance, and will writing, Paul Lewis' Money Box gives you the tools to balance your budget, grow your bank balance and live a better financial life. Everyone will find something they didn't know in this unexpectedly funny womb-to-tomb guide to looking after your money in Britain today - the laws, the loopholes, the pitfalls, and who to call if it all goes wrong' - The TelegraphAs our salaries are going up, and the minimum wage is increasing, more people end up paying more tax because of the freeze. Which? Limited is registered in England and Wales to 2 Marylebone Road, London NW1 4DF, company number 00677665 and is an Introducer Appointed Representative of the following: Moneybox is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). Inspop.com Ltd for the introduction of non-investment motor, home, travel and pet insurance products (FRN 610689). Inspop.com Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to provide advice and arrange non-investment motor, home, travel and pet insurance products (FRN310635) and is registered in England and Wales to Greyfriars House, Greyfriars Road, Cardiff, South Wales, CF10 3AL, company number 03857130. Confused.com is a trading name of Inspop.com Ltd. In some ways, you might think it’s a good thing that we’re being families again and looking after one another. It could be positive, but it just depends on how well you all get on and the size of your home. ‘The way to get the best possible mortgage deal is to go to one of the big, national, independent mortgage brokers’ (Photo: Yui Mok/PA Wire)

Another thing is when your car gets a dent and you think: should I claim on the insurance? So you ring your insurer and you say: look, I have this tiny little dent in my car. It wasn’t my fault, but it’s there. Will I lose my no claims bonus if I claim?So I would work towards a more equal society where there wasn’t great wealth and great tax advantages alongside a lot of people unable to manage. And while I’m at it, I would reform pensions. Pensions are great for people on high incomes, because they get huge tax relief of whatever rate they pay. I would introduce a flat rate – say 25 or 30 per cent of tax relief. You want to incentivise those people who don’t earn very much to save, not people who will be fine in retirement anyway. The financial industry isn’t your friend. It’s a kind of vague acquaintance you have to see from time to time that always makes you pay for the drinks. These companies are there to make a profit.

When you invest with an investment platform that's registered with the Financial Conduct Authority, your money will be ring-fenced and should be returned to you if a company goes bust - without having to wait alongside other creditors. Lifetime Isa - a tax-free account designed to help those aged 18-39 buy their first home or save for retirement

In January 2023, we surveyed 6,073 investors and gave customer scores to 18 do-it-yourself investment platforms and three robo-advisers. Each platform must have at least 30 responses to receive a customer score. What do customers say about Moneybox? Sorry, I don’t want to sound like an OK Boomer, but social media is a dangerous place. I know it’s fun – I spend hours on it myself – but there are some things I never do on it. Here’s why. No real-world celeb would ever endorse anything on such platforms. By which I mean, they would only endorse things if they knew nothing about money and were paid to promote it. That’s how influencers work. But no journalist or financial expert who knew anything about investment would do it. If you see one, it is a fraud. To be classed as a Which? Recommended Provider (WRP), the platform needs to have a customer score above 70%. Part of the reason is people in the 1970s didn’t have the same level of debt, as it was more difficult to get into then. Now we have middle-income families going to food banks and to do this, you have to be recommended by an agency – you can’t just turn up and get free food.