MT Digest - People are giving up their dream job for a mortgage

What to read right now…

Young women are more likely to worry about money than young men according to a new study, and seem generally less optimistic compared to their male counterparts.

The price of Disney+ has gone up again. I covered how the Club Lloyds account gives you a free subscription to Disney+ just last week, but it’s also a good time to resurface this piece on the ways you can watch TV and films for free.

Companies House will require new company directors to provide ID from autumn 2025 to help reduce scams. I can’t help but wonder why it hasn’t been done earlier given, apparently, people are registering companies using names like Darth Vader and Santa Claus…

Meanwhile, the government is proposing to bring Buy Now Pay Later products under the Consumer Credit Act, which could mean users will have similar financial protection as those offered by credit cards.

And finally, would you give up your dream job for a mortgage? Just over a quarter of people say they would - or at least delay it until they’ve secured a mortgage.

The deal that’s a steal…

If you’re a coffee aficionado, or know someone who is, you may be interested to learn that AO.com is currently selling the Smeg 50's Retro CGF01PBUK coffee grinder in pastel blue* for just £99.

The RRP is £219, so you’re saving £120.

And actually the black version* is currently retailing for the full £219 so it’s definitely a bit of a bargain.

Well, obviously only if you drink coffee and prefer the kind that you grind at home.

And an actual freebie…

Nuffield Health is giving away their free gym passes again - and they’re pretty generous about it.

Until 27 October, you can claim a seven-day family pass to use at one of their fitness and wellbeing centres.

A maximum of two adults are allowed, but it doesn’t specify how many children are allowed - it depends on capacity basically.

They’ve got a bunch of family-specific activities planned between now and 27 October so if you’re stuck for half term ideas, this might well come up trumps.

If you only do one thing…

It’s time you thought about choosing a fixed rate tariff to pay for your energy use.

The Energy Price Cap went up again at the beginning of October, but for the first time in ages there are actually fixed rate tariffs that are cheaper than the price cap.

Don’t just jump into a switch though - make sure the offer is right for you.

In my case, Octopus Energy offered me a cheaper fixed rate tariff than the Energy Price Cap.

Crucially, there’s no exit fee attached.

It means if a better deal comes along I’m free to switch, no strings attached.

---

Think someone you know might like Money Talk? Refer a friend (or few) and get free premium subscription.

---

Best buys

Accounts with some of the best rates around. The full list here.

Current account:

• Nationwide Flex Account 5% AER (first 12 months up to £1,500; for new customers only)

Instant access savings account:

• Chip Easy Access Saver* 5% AER (penalty for more than three withdrawals)

• Yorkshire Building Society Easy Access Saver Issue 2 4.6% AER

• Marcus Online Savings Account 4.30% AER

• Chip Instant Access Account* 4.01% AER

Regular savings account: 

• First Direct Regular Saver 7% AER (pay in up to £300 a month)

• Natwest Digital Regular Saver 6.17% AER (pay in up to £150 a month, with higher rate paid up to £5,000) 

• RBS Digital Regular Saver 6.17% AER (pay in up to £150 a month, with higher rate paid up to £8,000)