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Business banking
Choosing a business current account: what really matters
Choose a UK business current account by comparing real costs, payment tools, account protection and switching—not just an introductory offer.
Borrowing decisions
Can your business afford a loan? A cash-flow-first guide
Work out whether business loan repayments fit your cash flow. Compare total costs, stress-test quieter months and understand guarantees before borrowing.
Cash reserves
Business savings accounts: balance interest, access and protection
Understand UK business savings accounts, easy access, notice and fixed terms. Compare interest, cash needs and FSCS protection before moving reserves.
Self-employed finances
Business credit cards for sole traders: eligibility, costs and risk
A UK guide to credit cards for sole traders and self-employed people: legal structure, checks, real costs, repayment planning and personal liability.
Running a business
How to spot, stop and protect your small business from payment fraud
Spot invoice scams, verify changed bank details and build a practical payment-fraud response plan for your small business.
Business loans
How to fund a franchise: business loans, deposits and working capital
Build a franchise funding plan covering the initial fee, fit-out, working capital, business loans and the risks behind a franchisor’s forecasts.
Business credit cards
Business credit card eligibility checkers: how do they work?
Understand soft searches, eligibility estimates and why a business credit card checker is not the same as a final lending decision.
Business loans
How to prepare a business finance case lenders can assess
Prepare a practical business loan proposal with a clear funding request, financial evidence, repayment plan and downside scenarios.
Business loans
How long does it take to get a bridging loan?
Understand the stages that control bridging-loan completion, from valuation and legal checks to the exit strategy and release of funds.
Business loans
How do business loans work? From application to final repayment
Follow the business-loan lifecycle, including underwriting, drawdown, interest, security, repayments and early settlement.
Running a business
How UK number plates work: a guide for business vehicles
Understand UK number-plate identifiers, display rules and checks to make before buying, leasing or changing plates on a business vehicle.
Cash flow
How to reduce business costs without weakening the business
Find recurring savings, measure the cost of change and protect service quality, compliance and cash flow when reducing business spending.
Business credit cards
How to apply for a business credit card in the UK
Prepare your business credit card application, understand the checks and compare the agreement before accepting a limit.
Business credit cards
How business cashback credit cards work: calculate the real benefit
Compare business card cashback after fees, interest, exclusions and caps, with a worked break-even example.
Business credit cards
What is a business credit card and how does it work?
Understand business card limits, statements, interest-free periods, minimum repayments and the difference between credit and charge cards.
Running a business
How to be a better ally in a small business
Turn workplace allyship into practical actions through fair opportunities, accessible processes, respectful intervention and accountable management.
Business credit cards
FlexiPay: how to apply and what to check first
Understand Funding Circle’s FlexiPay application process, fee-based borrowing and checks to make before using the facility.
Cash flow
How to create a cash-flow forecast for your small business
Build a cash-flow forecast using receipt dates, payment commitments and a worked example, then stress-test business loan repayments.
Cash flow
How to build a business cash reserve for economic uncertainty
Set a realistic cash-reserve target, separate it from tax money and borrowing, and choose access terms that match your business risks.
Running a business
How contingency planning helps a business prepare for the unexpected
Create a practical business contingency plan covering disrupted payments, unavailable staff, supplier failures and short-term cash needs.
Business loans
How to consolidate business debt—and check whether it actually helps
Compare business debt consolidation using settlement figures, total repayment, monthly cash flow, fees and changes to security.
Running a business
Beyond business finance: practical guides for running a business
How Shareholder’s educational guides connect borrowing decisions with cash flow, spending controls, resilience and everyday business operations.
Business credit cards
Business growth: when can a business credit card help?
Assess whether a business credit card fits a growth project using the cash cycle, contribution margin, repayment date and downside case.
Business credit cards
How a business credit card can help aspiring entrepreneurs
Understand start-up business card uses, eligibility, personal exposure and spending controls before a new business takes on credit.
Business credit cards
How to use a business credit card for marketing without losing control
Set advertising budgets, track contribution and control recurring marketing charges before funding a campaign with business credit.
Business loans
How to build business credit and keep your company’s records accurate
Improve the foundations of business credit through accurate filings, payment discipline, credit-report checks and responsible borrowing.
Tax and compliance
What is VAT deferral, and what can a business do now?
Understand the closed COVID VAT-deferral scheme, current HMRC payment-plan options and how to forecast a VAT cash shortfall.
Cash flow
How to manage rising business costs and protect your margins
Model supplier and payroll increases, review prices and working capital, and judge when finance helps with cost pressure.
Tax and compliance
How employment-law changes affect your small business in 2026
Separate employment changes already in force from upcoming measures and prepare payroll, records and workplace policies using Acas guidance.
Business loans
How much will a Growth Guarantee Scheme loan cost?
Understand GGS interest, lender fees, total repayment and why the government guarantee does not reduce the borrower’s repayment obligation.
Personal money
How women can start investing: goals, risk and a practical plan
An investment-planning framework for women, covering personal goals, career breaks, cash buffers, diversification, fees and scam checks.
Personal money
How to teach your children about money through everyday choices
Use age-appropriate activities to teach spending, saving, digital payments and borrowing without passing adult financial worries to children.
Personal money
How to save for retirement when you run a business
Plan retirement savings around variable business income, pension records, access restrictions and the risk of relying only on a future business sale.
Running a business
How SMEs can hire to keep up with demand without overstretching cash
Turn additional demand into a costed hiring plan with realistic productive capacity, payroll timing, training and fair recruitment.
Tax and compliance
How to file business accounts: a private limited company checklist
Prepare and file limited-company accounts with the right records, approvals, deadlines and separate Corporation Tax responsibilities.
Tax and compliance
How the UK Budget affects markets and business finance
Understand the channels linking Budget measures, market expectations, business costs and loan pricing without assuming a guaranteed market reaction.
Tax and compliance
Making Tax Digital: how to prepare your business records
Understand Making Tax Digital for Income Tax thresholds, the difference from VAT obligations and practical software and record-keeping preparation.
Business credit cards
Business credit card best practices: keep spending organised
Create a business card policy with clear limits, receipt capture, reconciliation, repayment checks and employee access controls.
Cash flow
A small-business guide to dealing with seasonal cash-flow dips
Plan stock, tax, staffing and borrowing around seasonal cash gaps, using a worked example and a realistic repayment source.
Business loans
Business loans and SME survival: behind the 70% figure
Explore the research linking business loans to UK SME survival, what the 70% finding really means, and how to assess funding costs, affordability and risk.
Business loans
Secured vs unsecured business loans: costs, risks and differences
Compare secured and unsecured business loans in the UK. Understand collateral, personal guarantees, costs and eligibility before choosing finance for your business.
Business loans
Business loans for UK companies
Compare UK business loans, including secured and unsecured options. Understand repayments, fees and eligibility before choosing finance for your company.
Business loans
Unsecured business loans
Learn how unsecured business loans work, what lenders may assess, how personal guarantees differ from security and what to compare before applying.
Business loans
Bad credit business loans
Explore bad credit business loan considerations, the records a lender may review, ways to prepare and the risks to check before applying.
Business loans
Cheap business loans
Find out how to compare cheap business loans fairly, including interest, fees, repayment term, security and the total amount your business will repay.
Business loans
Fast business loans: approval and funding times
Understand fast business loans, same-day approval claims and instant business loan searches. Approval and when funds arrive are separate steps.
Search covers Shareholder's published guides only. Results are quotes from those guides, not personalised financial advice.