Rebecca Goodman

Rebecca Goodman

I am an award-winning freelance journalist with more than a decade of experience working for online and print consumer publications. I have written for many of the national newspapers and magazines including The Guardian, The Independent, The Mirror, The Sun, This is Money, Stylist and The Telegraph. I also regularly take on corporate content projects and in my spare time set up my own successful baking blog and social media network. 

Your Money •

Controversial childcare reforms reportedly scrapped to tackle rising fees

The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has scrapped proposed reforms to the childcare sector, including a plan to increase the minimum ratio of children to staff, according to reports. The plan to increase the minimum ratio, from one staff member per four children to one staff member per five children for those aged under two, were originally suggested by Liz Truss back in 2013 when she was the education and childcare minister. Once Prime Minister in September 2022, Truss brought this back to the ta
Your Money •

Economic abuse cases rise but most people unaware of how to help victims

One in 10 people, or 11%, have been a victim of financial abuse yet few people know how to recognise the signs that a friend or family member is a victim. This figure rises to 15% for those aged 18 to 24 and 17% for those with children at home. Yet just 8% of adults said they think a friend has been a victim and only 6% said they think a family member has. Meanwhile 72% say they don’t know anyone who has faced financial abuse, according to a study of 2,000 adults by Hargreaves Lansdown. New c
MoneyWeek •

Buying vs renting: as mortgage rates rise, which is cheaper?

Is it better to buy a home or rent? UK house prices saw their biggest fall since 2008 in November, which might make some think now is a good time to buy a house. But it’s not that straightforward. Mortgage rates have also risen sharply from this time last year. Meanwhile rents are also on the rise. Buying property has always been the preferred option, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right course for everyone and as the cost of living rises, it’s worth weighing your options. So, which is the bette
TheMoneyEdit.com •

How to close a bank account

It’s easy to close a bank account and shouldn’t take up much of your time but you’ll need to do it properly including paying off any money owed and transferring any balances to your new account. Here we look at how to close a bank account, one for yourself, or someone else, and how to close a bank account for someone who has died. How to close a bank account for yourself If you need to close a bank account you should check with your bank what it requires you to do. You will usually have the
TheMoneyEdit.com •

March of the Mummies: Why 20,000 parents are protesting this Saturday

UK childcare costs are the second highest out of any developed country, according to the OECD, but providers are struggling to make ends meet and around 20,000 parents are taking to the streets on Saturday in anger. Thousands will be protesting to demand reform to childcare, parental leave and flexible working. Many families spend almost 50% of their income on childcare, leaving little to cope with other rising living costs, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). The fi
Your Money •

Parents spend up to 65% of wages on childcare fees

Some parents in England are spending as much as 65% of their wages on nursery fees for children under two, research reveals. The cost of full-time nursery fees for a child under the age of two is £274 per week on average in England. Yet the average take-home pay of a working adult is £418, which equates to 65% of a parent’s weekly wages going on fees. For older children, those aged between five and 11, an after school childminder costs an average of £71 a week, or 17% of an average parent’s sa
Your Money •

More than 100,000 sign petition against plan to relax childcare ratios

A petition against government proposals to relax staff ratios in early year settings has reached 100,000 signatures – a significant milestone for the parents who launched it after losing their toddler a year ago. The petition was created by Zoe and Lewis Steeper after their son Oliver died following an incident at nursery on 29 September 2021. It was set up to oppose the government’s latest childcare plans, which would see the maximum number of two-year-olds per adult increased from four to fi
This is Money •

Here's how to bag a summer holiday on a budget

As inflation rockets to 9 per cent and a recession looms, millions of families are wondering whether they can really afford a summer holiday this year. But there are creative ways to keep costs down – and even get a holiday for free – if you know how to do it. Here are our top tricks for saving hundreds of pounds on travel, accommodation and while you're away. Holidaymakers mostly prefer to travel by car, plane or train, but going by coach is usually cheaper. For example, Megabus has tickets
TheMoneyEdit.com •

What is council tax and how much do you have to pay?

Council tax is a payment you make to your local council. The money the council collects is to help pay for services like bin collections, street lighting or to deal with those annoying pot holes. Council tax is one of the big expenses most of us face each month. What’s more, it’s just become more expensive too, with an average increase of 3% kicking in from the start of April. While the government has introduced a in order to provide a helping hand with the rising cost of living, there have be
TheMoneyEdit.com •

What is council tax and how much do you have to pay?

Council tax is a payment you make to your local council. The money the council collects is to help pay for services like bin collections, street lighting or to deal with those annoying pot holes. Council tax is one of the big expenses most of us face each month. What’s more, it’s just become more expensive too, with an average increase of 3% kicking in from the start of April. While the government has introduced a in order to provide a helping hand with the rising cost of living, there have be
The Independent •

Mothers paid 47% of minimum wage while on maternity leave

Statutory maternity pay should be increased in line with the national living wage, says the charity Maternity Action, as 96 per cent of women say they worry about money while on maternity leave. Maternity pay increased to £156.66, from £151.97 per week at the start of April, a rise of 3.1 per cent. Yet as inflation was seven per cent in March, the amount has fallen in real terms. This figure is equivalent to 45 per cent of the National Living Wage, or minimum age, for a 35-hour week at a rate
The Independent •

10 ways your money can help protect the environment

All eyes are on the climate for this Friday’s Earth Day, focused this year on investing in our planet. Making ethical choices as a consumer should be easy, but all too often it seems to mean jumping through more hoops or spending more money. Here, we’ve picked out 10 easy ways your money can help protect the environment. It’s easy and quick to switch your current account but how do you find one that’s good for the planet? Triodos is one of the most well-known green banks while The Co-operativ
Your Money •

The black box alternative which offers up to 25% off car insurance

Motorists could save around £100 a year on their car insurance with a new cashback scheme which rewards good driving – and doesn't track your every move. VitalityCar is rewarding drivers with up to 25% cashback on their car insurance premiums every month for good driving and car-free days. Drivers will need to fit a sensor in their car and connect it to the Vitality app in order to get the cashback. The provider says it’s not a telematics policy as drivers have the option of using the sensor
TheMoneyEdit.com •

What is universal credit?

Universal Credit is a means-tested benefit paid out once a month to those with low incomes or who are unable to work. If you’ve recently had a drop in income or a change of circumstances, you could be entitled to universal credit. Around 1.3 million people who are eligible for the benefit, worth up to £7,300 a year, aren’t claiming it according to research from the New Economics Foundation. It says this figure could reach 2.3million by 2027 when the system will be fully rolled out. Universal C
The Independent •

Millions excluded from financial services because they don’t have a credit history

Five million people struggle to access financial products and public services, because there isn’t enough information on their credit record. These so-called “credit invisibles” include those on low incomes, young people without an established credit score, recent immigrants and expats, and older people who have limited credit and therefore no file, according to data shared exclusively with The Independent by Experian. There are also big information gaps when it comes to credit scores. Common
The Independent •

Borrowers turn to high-cost debt as providers pull the plug on credit cards

Wages are shrinking, bills are rocketing, and cheap ways to borrow money are disappearing. Consumers trying to find cheaper ways to manage their financial affairs, from reorganising debts to plugging emergency gaps, are rapidly being shut out of traditional routes such as interest-free credit cards. The number of credit cards with a zero per cent interest period for balance transfers and new purchases has fallen significantly in the last five years. There are currently 36 per cent fewer cards
TheMoneyEdit.com •

Help for first time buyers

House prices have gone through the roof over the last two years, repeatedly hitting new highs, making it a lot harder for first-time buyers to become homeowners. Soaring prices combined with increasing inflation have resulted in a toxic combination for those dreaming of buying their first home. “First-time buyers are facing a real crush at the moment, on the one hand, they are facing a higher cost of living, which is putting a big squeeze on the amount they can afford to save each month, and a
This is Money •

Can't get an NHS dentist? The answer starts at £10 a month

If you've tried to book an NHS dental appointment in the past year, you will know just how hard it has become. Dentists are overstretched with huge backlogs of patients needing treatment. Between April 2020 and December last year, 40million fewer courses of treatment were carried out, according to the British Dental Association. It's not just adults who are facing problems. Doctor Noushin Attari, a dentist at Weymouth Street Paediatric Dentistry in Marylebone, Central London, says: 'NHS dentist
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