There’s a certain irony to working in private markets, helping structure multi-billion pound funds into niche strategies, only to realise that my own financial life is best run basically on autopilot. No leverage (outside of my mortgage). No exotic bets. No crypto. No market timing. Just regular saving, simple investing and tracking of spending. Basically I try to just stay out of my own way, I know I can be impulsive, but in most aspects of my financial life I try to just be reassuringly, simply boring.

It’s not sexy, it won’t help me buy a yacht or private plane. But it works.

And honestly? That’s the point of this blog. To share my perspectives, to show that most of what actually moves the needle in personal finance is… well, a bit dull. I have so many conversations with friends about money and I’m constantly reassessing my own views. Admittedly, with a young family and in my 30’s I’m perhaps “feeling the squeeze” more than in previous years of life, but it just feels so important, to not think it all through feels like the worse crime.

The Allure of Interesting

Money is emotional. It touches status, security, identity. And the internet has made it performative. One person is mortgage free by 40, another’s retiring on crypto gains, someone else is flying business class using points and another is using a VPN to buy plan tickets from another country because its cheaper than when done in the UK. I have friends who have done all of these things. They’re all so different, it’s fun to understand what makes people tick, but whilst the pang of envy whilst in the pub sometimes hits me too, mostly I know that I’m doing what’s right for me.

Stories are interesting. They’re memorable. But most of them are outliers. Or they skip the boring bit – the 10 years of saving, grinding, planning, and maybe a healthy dose of luck.

The trouble is, interesting makes noise. And the more noise we hear, the more we think we’re missing out. So we start fiddling. Tinkering. Optimising things that don’t need optimising. Or worse, taking bigger risks than we realise.

It is interesting to optimise but for me there’s a time and a place.

The Case for Boring

Boring isn’t bad. Boring is repeatable. And repeatable is what gets you results.

Most good personal finance habits fall into that category:

• Spend less than you earn.
• Invest regularly in a diversified portfolio.
• Use tax wrappers properly.
• Don’t try to outsmart the market.
• Have a plan, and adjust it slowly.

You’ve probably heard all of this before. But doing it? Day in, day out? That’s the hard part – and that’s where boring shines.

Because boring builds momentum. Slowly, far too slowly! It compounds into freedom. Boring takes the drama out of money decisions and replaces it with analysis, process, and perspective. That can be when it’s hardest, when you’re fighting your desire to buy bigger/better. That’s when reminding yourself of the case for boring is best.

What Boring Looks Like (for Me)

I use a spreadsheet. Actually I use a lot of spreadsheets and heaps of analysis – that’s my nature and I’ll share all of that. But at its most simple my boring financial life boils down to two Microsoft Excel worksheets. I track spending vs a budget roughly monthly and I track my balance sheet a couple of times a year. I aim for monthly and quarterly respectively for those, but I miss my fair share and I don’t sweat that either.

Over time I’ll share more about my planning, investments, and pension contributions. It’s not complicated but I enjoy working it out and I hope some of what I share is useful.

My direct debits are set. We’ve agreed a monthly household spending target for different categories, and anything significant gets discussed.

I don’t chase perfect. Yes, I could optimise more – but I value simplicity.

This is how good fund managers operate too. The best ones don’t overtrade or overthink. They build a process, automate what they can, and focus on sticking to their edge.

Why We Resist It

Boring feels… unsatisfying.

We want to feel like we’re doing something. That we’re making progress. That we’re smarter than average. But most of what matters in personal finance isn’t visible in the moment. It accumulates over years.

Boring also feels like giving up control. We think we need to manage our money actively. But often, the most powerful control is setting up a system that doesn’t require constant attention.

There’s also status. Boring doesn’t signal sophistication. “I invest in a global tracker fund” doesn’t sound impressive. But in reality? That’s a damn good decision for most people.

Finance feels… complicated.

There’s the taxes: tax years, allowances, carry-forward something-or-other.

There’s the endless acronyms: ISA, SIPP, LISA, JISA, GIA, AML, KYC, VCT’s, EIS, SEIS, ETFs, REITs, OEICs, ACS, FCA, BoE, FSCS, FOS, HMRC, IHT… I could go on for miles

There’s the paperwork.

There’s the fear or risk of getting it wrong, getting tax penalties, losing money, getting caught up in a scam.

There’s the fact when you’re young it feels so far off, or that you don’t want to plan for your death…

Actually it’s easy to see why people resist it. But I hope through this blog I can help breakdown and digest some of the complexity, some of the hype and make it feel more approachable.

But Isn’t It… Too Passive?

Some people push back here. Shouldn’t I do something with my money? Doesn’t this all sound a bit too… passive? Shouldn’t I, shouldn’t I, shouldn’t I?

My answer is: be intentional. Maybe passive isn’t right. Maybe it’s not sufficiently rewarding. I’m not hear to judge, just to discuss and reflect.

Here’s what I do regularly:

• Reflect on spending habits and values.
• Plan for upcoming life stages (school fees, house upgrades, future needs).
• Revisit our financial plan annually and rebalance where needed.
• Check in with my wife on shared goals and priorities.

None of that requires fiddling with funds or chasing market trends. But it keeps us in alignment and gives money a sense of direction.

When Boring Fails

To be fair – boring doesn’t always feel good.

Markets go down. Inflation eats into cash. Your pension feels slow to build. It’s easy to think “surely I should do something?”

I’ve had those moments. You probably have too.

But that’s the test. The impulsion to act is strongest when action is most likely to hurt. That’s when boring matters most. The goal is to be able to zoom out. To stay calm in the face of short-term noise. To trust the process you set when things were clearer.

What This Blog Is (and Isn’t)

So that’s the starting point. Mostly Boring Finance isn’t about hacks or hot takes. It’s about building systems, thinking clearly, and putting the odds in your favour.

We’ll talk about:

• How to simplify and automate your money.
• How frameworks can help regular people.
• How to think about investing in the UK – especially tax wrappers, pension rules, and fund structures.
• How to build confidence and momentum in your financial life without overcomplicating it.

I don’t plan to cover:

• Crypto.
• Trading strategies.
• Tax gymnastics that sail close to the edge.
• Outrageous “one weird trick” nonsense.

I have to say, I don’t know as much about those areas. Maybe I’ll indulge myself and enjoy learning too. I do love learning, so I won’t say never. But they don’t form a part of my mostly boring financial life right now.

Final Thought

The best financial decision I ever made was to stop looking for the perfect one.

Instead, I built a system I couldn’t help but stick to.

It’s not exciting. But it works.

And that’s what this site is here for – to help you find your version of that system, and to remind you that boring is often brilliant.

Thanks.