Investment education for thinking investors
Comprehensive UK and US guides on retirement, ISAs, SIPPs, IRAs, tax-efficient investing, and property. Built around primary sources, not soundbites. Edited by a real human, not a content farm.
Edited by James Heppe-Smith · Educational publisher, not authorised or regulated by the FCA (UK) or SEC (US).
Editor’s picks
The pieces we think are worth your half-hour right now: two UK, two cross-border for readers with both US and UK exposure, and two US-specific.
Mortgage rate cuts vs the 6% reality
Santander, Halifax, BM Solutions and Nationwide all cut rates this week. So why is the average 2-year fix still around 5.78%? UK gilt yields hit 17-year highs and that is where the answer lives.
Read the guide →Should you use a CMC for your car finance claim?
The FCA’s 7 May review flagged misleading ads, unfair exit fees and up to 21 CMCs chasing the same claim. The free DIY route through the lender and FOS works fine. Here is what to do.
Read the guide →Tax-loss harvesting in the US and UK
Crystallise capital losses without tripping the US wash-sale rule or the UK 30-day bed-and-breakfasting restriction. 2026 figures, the ETF pairs that actually work, the ten mistakes that quietly destroy most harvesters’ tax benefit.
Read the guide →Property investment for beginners
First strategy with limited capital. The numbers that determine whether a deal pays. Financing routes. Managing what you buy. Updated for the OBBBA tax framing in the US and the current UK mortgage rate environment.
Read the guide →The complete 401(k) optimisation playbook
$35,750 contribution limits for ages 60-63, mega backdoor Roth at $72,000, Traditional vs Roth, mandatory Roth catch-up for $150k+ earners, expense ratios, and what to do at job changes. Built to add six figures to lifetime retirement savings.
Read the guide →Backdoor Roth IRA: step-by-step
Income too high for a direct Roth IRA? The backdoor opens the door for high earners at $7,500 a year in 2026 ($8,600 if you are 50+). Fidelity, Vanguard and Schwab walkthroughs. Pro-rata math. Form 8606 line by line.
Read the guide →Browse by topic
Six topic areas where the site has real depth. Each card opens that category’s full archive.
Retirement Planning
FIRE planning, Roth conversions, withdrawal rates, healthcare bridges, and the maths behind retiring on your own timeline.
12 articles →Tax Strategy
Tax-loss harvesting, asset location, Roth conversions, capital gains timing, and the IRS/HMRC rules that move real money.
9 articles →Investment Strategies
Index funds vs active, three-fund portfolios, factor investing, asset allocation by age, and the strategies that hold up across decades.
11 articles →IRAs & Tax-Advantaged Accounts
Traditional vs Roth, backdoor and mega-backdoor Roth, HSA investing, 401(k) optimisation, 529-to-Roth rollovers under SECURE 2.0.
8 articles →Property Investment
Residential vs commercial, BTL economics, getting started with limited capital, the deal maths that determines whether a property pays.
7 articles →UK Investing
ISAs, SIPPs, mortgage and gilt-yield context, FCA regulation news, and the UK-specific tax-efficient investing playbook.
Growing →
Meet the editor
James Heppe-Smith
Founder and editor of The Savvy Investor’s Guide and Pension Plain. Writes about UK and US personal finance, retirement planning, tax-efficient investing, and property — for the kind of reader who wants the working, not just the conclusion.
Not a financial adviser. The Savvy Investor’s Guide is an educational publisher. We are not authorised or regulated by the FCA (UK) or the SEC (US), and our content does not constitute personalised financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. We cite primary sources, show the maths, and explain trade-offs. We don’t tell you what to do.
Recent articles
More from the archives.
UK Crypto Regulation
The FCA’s 2026-2027 crypto timeline
Full regime live 25 October 2027. CP26/13 closes 3 June. FCA stakeholder webinar 21 May. Authorisations gateway opens 30 September 2026. Here is the full timeline for retail investors.
UK ISAs
Cash ISA Cap 2027: the £12,000 under-65 saver’s guide
From 6 April 2027 the under-65 Cash ISA limit drops from £20,000 to £12,000. The triple-whammy timeline, the cost of doing nothing, and the six-move strategy for the rest of 2026/27.
UK Estate Planning
Pension inheritance tax 2027: estate planning guide
From 6 April 2027 unspent UK pension pots fall into the IHT estate. What is changing, who is hit hardest, and the six planning moves to consider before the 2027 deadline.
Financial Independence
FIRE Movement: the complete 2026 guide
ACA subsidy cliff is back. Morningstar lifted the safe withdrawal rate to 3.9%. The IRS pushed limits higher. FI number, healthcare bridge, Roth conversion ladder, five interactive calculators.
US Retirement
529 to Roth IRA rollover: SECURE 2.0 guide
15-year rule, $35,000 lifetime cap, $7,500 annual limit, state-tax traps. Step-by-step execution to run the rollover cleanly in 2026.
All articles
Browse the full archive →
Also worth reading on Pension Plain
Our sister site covers UK public sector pension schemes in plain English. Two pieces that complement the Savvy Investor coverage.
Pension inheritance tax from April 2027: what public sector members need to know
HMRC’s 11 May technical note explained for NHS, Teachers, Civil Service, AFPS, LGPS members. What is protected (the main DB pension), what is caught (AVC pots), and the new withholding-notice mechanism.
Read on Pension Plain →LGPS six megafunds: which pool is your fund in?
Border to Coast, LGPS Central, London CIV, LPP, Northern LGPS, Wales Pension Partnership. What pooling means for the £390bn LGPS, what changes in October 2026, and what (if anything) members will notice.
Read on Pension Plain →Brand family
Also from James
Across UK public sector pensions, indie publishing, and the parent holding company.
Pension Plain →
UK public sector pensions explained. NHS, Teachers, LGPS, Civil Service, AFPS, Police, Firefighters, McCloud remedy. Plain-English explainers for ordinary scheme members.
Heppe-Smith Publishing →
Independent publishing imprint. Cozy fantasy (The Last Route), non-fiction, and indie publishing services. Multiple pen names, one author.
VitaVerse LLC →
The Wyoming-registered parent holding company. Owns Pension Plain and Heppe-Smith Publishing. Sister entity to The Savvy Investor Limited.
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