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. 

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
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
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
The Independent •

The real cost of private healthcare as NHS waiting lists lengthen

We know the NHS has a massive battle on its hands. Sixteen million people struggled to access NHS care during the pandemic, and the knock-on effects are far from over, as waiting lists for scheduled treatments continue to stress the system. More than one in 10 of those awaiting NHS care during the Covid crisis turned to private treatment instead. In fact, since the 1970s, the UK has seen the fastest rise in people paying for private healthcare of all the G7 countries, according to the annual S
Compare the Market •

Eight things women in their 20s should know about cash

Eight things women in their 20s should know about cash You’ve left home, maybe finished university, and you’re starting to earn what might be your first serious salary - but that also means you’ll have rent and bills to pay and a student loan to pay off. Throw into the mix the fun side of the freedom of living on your own, nights out, once-in-a-lifetime holidays and weekends away… and you’re left with a budget to finely balance. The scales need to be carefully measured so you have the resources
Compare the Market •

Five things women in their 30s need to know about money

Five things women in their 30s need to know about money Reaching the big 3-0 is a time for celebration. You’ve made it through your teens and 20s and it’s time for the next stage of your life to start - but what does that mean in terms of your personal finances? During your thirties, your career is progressing and that means you’ll be earning more money; you may own your first home, or be very close to doing so, and you could be in a relationship be that co-habiting, a civil partnership, or mar
Compare the Market •

Five things women in their 40s need to know about money

Five things women in their 40s need to know about money Women in their 40s are often in senior positions in their careers, may have a household full of dependent children, and are around 20 years away from retiring. This means they could be better off than they have been at any point so far, with more disposable income for things like holidays, luxuries or just putting that money away for the future. However, if you’re in your 40s with debts to pay - as many are - this could be a good time to f
Compare the Market •

Five things women in their 50s need to know about money

Five things women in their 50s need to know about money Turning 50 is a time for celebration. You’ve made it to half a century and it’s well worth setting out a list of all the amazing achievements you’ve ticked off your bucket list so far. There’s no reason to slow down either, as there’s still a long way to go until retirement and even then, there’s nothing to say you need to stop working or doing all the things you currently do. It is worth drilling down on your finances though, as it is at
Compare the Market •

Five things women in their 60s need to know about money

Five things women in their 60s need to know about money Women in their 60s are able to access a range of benefits as they technically become pensioners, and many will stop working. But stopping work, or even slowing down your work, doesn’t mean your life needs to slow down and you still may be enjoying everything you were doing before this age. If you’re planning on winding down your working hours, your income is also going to decrease and therefore it’s an important time to have a financial re
Compare the Market •

Five things women in their 70s need to know about money

Five things women in their 70s need to know about money Most women in their seventies will have stopped working full time and be living off a combination of the State Pension, a private pension and savings they’ve built up while in employment. While life may have slowed down by not working, many of those in their seventies are still living busy, sociable lives. It’s an important stage of life when it comes to our cash because if you’re not working, your income will have dropped and the amount o
The Independent •

How our personal money links us to the rest of the world

The harrowing and disturbing news from Ukraine continues and the war is having a direct impact on global finances, including a hike to food and fuel costs. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has already caused huge economic turmoil, along with the political ramifications and a refugee crisis. It’s a tragic situation where countless lives are being lost and while the war and its ramifications go way beyond our own personal finances, it will impact them.
The Independent •

Landlords demand rent guarantees as living cost crisis hits tenants

Soaring rental costs, tumbling availability, and economic uncertainty is fuelling the increasing demand for rent guarantees as cautious landlords seek to protect their revenues from the knock-on effects of the cost of living crisis. The number of landlords asking for a guarantor has risen by 36 per cent in four years, according to new data. At the same time the average cost of rent reached a 13-year high of £969 in the last quarter of 2021, an 8.3 per cent annual rise, Zoopla has warned. Rent
Load More Articles