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Money guides for UK households

Karl Johnson

Karl Johnson

Founder and editor, GetSmartSaver.Uk · Coventry, United Kingdom

Karl Johnson launched GetSmartSaver.Uk in 2026 to give UK households one honest place to compare savings accounts, household bills and everyday deals. He researches, writes and verifies every guide on the site personally.

His day job is operations management for a UK manufacturer and wholesaler, running multi-site P&L across more than 30 retail stores, negotiating supplier contracts, and owning the compliance side of the business — including acting as the named HMRC responsible person for a UK excise duty regime. That is where the method behind this site comes from: go to the primary source, check every figure against the provider's own documentation, and never publish a number you cannot evidence.

Karl is not a financial adviser and GetSmartSaver.Uk is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Everything here is written from the position of a household consumer doing the research properly — rates checked against each provider's own website, terms read in full, and the working shown so you can check it yourself. Where a guide is wrong or out of date, he wants to hear about it: team@getsmartsaver.co.uk.

Based in Coventry, West Midlands.

How the guides on this site are researched

  • Every rate, fee and eligibility rule is checked against the provider’s own website or the relevant regulator before publication, and re-checked on a rolling schedule.
  • Interest rates are checked against the Bank of England Bank Rate; deposit protection against the FSCS checker; firm authorisation against the FCA Register; energy caps against Ofgem; and tax and allowance rules against GOV.UK.
  • Claims that cannot be traced to a primary source are removed rather than hedged. Several have been.
  • Corrections are acted on the same week and the page’s verification date is updated. Report one at team@getsmartsaver.co.uk.

Independence

GetSmartSaver.Uk is published by a sole trader and is not owned by, or affiliated with, any bank, broker, comparison group or lead-generation network. Some links earn a commission — that never changes which products are recommended or how they are ranked. See how we make money.

Karl is not a financial adviser and this site is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Nothing here is personal financial advice. For free impartial guidance, see MoneyHelper.

Contact · LinkedIn

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Showing 190 guides
Family Finances 7 Aug 2026
Universal Credit 2026: New Rates and the April Changes
Universal Credit changed on 6 April 2026: an above-inflation standard allowance, the two-child limit abolished, and a health element that pays £429.80 to protected claimants but £217.26 to most new ones. Here are the numbers.
Estate Planning 12 Sep 2026
Funeral Costs UK 2026: The Real Price and How to Cut It
What a UK funeral really costs in 2026, what every line on the bill is for, the help you can claim from the state, how to spend less without regret, and the honest case for and against a prepaid funeral plan.
Mobile 12 Sep 2026
Mobile Roaming Charges Europe 2026: What UK Networks Charge
Free EU roaming ended for UK customers after Brexit, and the £45 statutory data cap expired in 2022. Here is what every major UK network and MVNO charges in Europe in 2026, the fair-use traps, and how to pay nothing.
Council Tax 4 Aug 2026
Challenge Council Tax Band in 2026: Check, Appeal, Refund
Council tax bands still use 1991 values in England and Scotland, and plenty are wrong. Here is the free two-part check, how to submit a proposal or band review, what evidence wins, the risk your band rises, and how refunds are backdated.
Pensions 12 Sep 2026
Pension Credit 2026: Who Qualifies and What It Is Worth
Pension Credit tops a single pensioner's income up to £238 a week in 2026/27, yet nearly four in ten eligible families never claim. Here is who qualifies, how savings count, what it unlocks and exactly how to apply.
Broadband 27 Jul 2026
TV Licence 2026: Cost, Exemptions and When You Can Cancel
The 2026 TV Licence costs £180 a year from April. Find out who legally needs one, who is exempt or discounted, and how to cancel safely if you never watch live TV or BBC iPlayer.
Savings 26 Jul 2026
Child Trust Funds 2026: How to Find and Claim Your Money
Around 758,000 matured Child Trust Funds sit unclaimed, averaging £2,242 each. If you were born between 2002 and 2011, here is how to trace yours for free and make it work harder.
Insurance 24 Jul 2026
Car Tax (VED) 2026: New Rates and EV Road Tax Explained
Car tax rose to £200 a year in April 2026 — and electric cars now pay too, with pricier EVs facing a £640 annual bill. Here is what every band costs and how to keep yours down.
Energy 23 Jul 2026
Water Bills 2026: Why They Jumped and How to Cut Them
The average England & Wales water bill climbs to £639 a year in 2026/27, up 5.4 per cent. You cannot switch supplier — but a meter, WaterSure, social tariffs and leak allowances can still claw hundreds back.
Mortgages 22 Jul 2026
Stamp Duty 2026: Rates and First-Time Buyer Relief Explained
Stamp duty in 2026 starts at £125,000, with first-time buyers paying nothing up to £300,000. Here are the current SDLT bands, the changes since April 2025 and worked examples for England & NI.
Energy 12 Sep 2026
VAT Cut on Electricity Bills 2026: What It Means for You
From 1 October 2026 the 5% VAT on household electricity is scrapped, saving a typical home around £45 a year. Here is what it really means once the price cap rise is factored in.
Mortgages 12 Sep 2026
How Much Can I Borrow? UK Mortgage Affordability Rules in 2026
How much you can really borrow for a mortgage in 2026, how lenders assess affordability, and how 2026 rule changes raised the ceiling for many buyers.
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