Financial Guide
A step-by-step guide to ordering your personal finances — emergency funds, debt, pensions, and investing — in the sequence that makes mathematical sense.
Info
For educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Your situation may differ; consider a qualified financial adviser before making major decisions.
Sections
| Section | What it covers |
|---|---|
| The Flowchart | Visual priority map: starter fund → pension match → high-interest debt → full emergency fund → medium-term goals → pensions → ISA investing |
| Emergency Fund | How much to keep and where to park it |
| Paying Off Debt | Prioritising repayments: avalanche vs. snowball |
| Pension Basics | Employer matching, salary sacrifice, tax relief |
| Investing | ISAs, index funds, what comes after the foundations |
Where to start
Start with The Flowchart. It maps the whole sequence on one page so you can see the big picture before acting.
UK focus, universal ideas
The examples reference UK-specific tools — ISAs, salary sacrifice, HMRC tax bands. The logic underneath (save a cushion, clear expensive debt, invest early) works anywhere.
The r/UKPersonalFinance wiki is the source for the flowchart and stays current with regulation changes.