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.
ISA vs SIPP: the complete comparison
Which tax wrapper builds more wealth for you? Tax relief versus tax-free withdrawals, access ages, the 2026/27 dividend and pension-IHT changes that shift the balance, and an interactive calculator to model your own numbers.
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 →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 →Lifetime ISA: bonus, penalty and LISA vs pension
The £4,000 a year that earns a 25% government bonus, the withdrawal penalty that can leave you worse off than you started, and when a LISA beats a pension for a first home or for retirement. Plus what the 2026 first-time-buyer ISA consultation could change.
Read the guide →The Roth conversion ladder
Convert Traditional to Roth in your low-income gap years, wait five years, then withdraw the converted amount penalty-free before 59 and a half. The sequence that funds early retirement, the five-year-clock trap, and how the 2026 brackets change the maths.
Read the guide →Capital Gains Tax 2026/27: rates and the £3,000 allowance
The annual exempt amount is frozen at £3,000 for a fourth year, with gains taxed at 18% or 24%. How to use both spouses’ allowances, the bed-and-ISA move that shelters future gains, and when realising a gain this tax year beats waiting.
Read the guide →Inherited IRA: the SECURE Act 10-year rule
Most non-spouse heirs must now empty an inherited IRA within 10 years, and from 2025 the IRS enforces annual withdrawals inside that window for many beneficiaries. Who is exempt, how the clock works, and the sequencing that keeps the tax bill down.
Read the guide →Annuities in 2026: are they finally worth it?
Annuity rates are at levels not seen in over a decade. What a £100,000 pot buys now, level versus inflation-linked versus joint-life, the enhanced rates that ill health can unlock, and how to weigh a guaranteed income against staying in drawdown.
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.
Latest articles
The six most recent guides from the blog.
- High-yield savings accounts explained: how to earn more on your emergency fund (2026)
A high-yield savings account can pay many times the national average rate on the cash you keep for emergencies, and it is still FDIC-insured. Here is how they work and what to look for. - Mansion House 2026: What It Means for Savers, Borrowers and Small Businesses
On 14 July 2026 the Chancellor used the annual Mansion House speech to announce a £6.5bn expansion of small-business lending guarantees and a review of bank capital rules the Treasury says could unlock up to £150bn of extra lending, alongside a ring-fencing consultation and an AI plan for finance. Here is what was actually announced, what it means for savers, borrowers and small-business owners, and one widely-shared mortgage story that is not from this speech at all. - ETFs for UK beginners: what an ETF is and how to buy one in a Stocks and Shares ISA
An ETF is one of the simplest, lowest-cost ways to start investing. Here is what an exchange-traded fund actually is, the jargon that matters, and how to buy one inside a Stocks and Shares ISA. - Halifax Is Becoming Lloyds: What It Means for Your Money (2026)
Lloyds Banking Group confirmed on 1 July 2026 that the Halifax brand will change to Lloyds over the coming months. For your money the practical answer is reassuring: nothing changes today, your sort code and account number stay the same, and your FSCS protection is unchanged. Here is what is happening, what it means for your savings, mortgage and cards, and the one detail savers with money in both Halifax and Lloyds should know. - FCA investment-trust reforms (CP26/21): what the Saba conflict rules mean for retail investors
The FCA’s CP26/21 proposes new conflict-of-interest rules for investment trusts after the Saba Capital campaigns. Here is what the 2026 consultation means for ordinary shareholders. - Is your old pension quietly underperforming? What the FCA’s 2026 legacy-pension review means
By James Heppe-Smith · 3 July 2026 · 10 min read Educational, not advice. This article explains what the Financial Conduct Authority found in… Read more: Is your old pension quietly underperforming? What the FCA’s 2026 legacy-pension review means
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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