What others have written about investing, and what we make of it

Our note. The most readable consumer-facing account of the regime, and the one to start with if you only read one. It is strong on what firms will be allowed to say to you and lighter on the part that matters most, which is where you stand if you act on a suggestion and it goes badly.

Our note. The primary source. Dry, and the better for it: if you want to check a claim somebody has made about what targeted support does or does not permit, check it here rather than against a summary of a summary.

Our note. Asks the question most people actually have, which is whether their bank is about to start telling them what to do with their money. Good on the mechanics of customer segmentation, which is the bit that decides whether any suggestion you receive will fit your circumstances.

Our note. Written for advisers rather than for consumers, so expect trade language. Worth reading anyway for a sense of how seriously the profession is taking this, and why some advisers are uneasy about guidance that carries no suitability duty.

Our note. The professional body's view, useful mainly as a record of how the policy moved from proposal to rules. Background rather than practical help.

Our note. An early example of what targeted support looks like once a provider actually builds it. Read it as a press release, because that is what it is, but it is a concrete illustration of the model rather than a description of it.

Our note. The launch of the national campaign to move savers into investments. Note that this is a promotional campaign rather than a rule change, and that the bodies behind it have an interest in more people investing. That does not make the argument wrong, it just means it is an argument.

Our note. The trade body running the campaign, and the source of its materials. The member list is the useful part: it tells you which firms are behind the messaging you will be seeing over the next year.

Our note. The campaign's own consumer site. Clear and well made, and genuinely useful as an introduction. It is funded by firms that sell investments, so treat the "next step" it points at as one option rather than the only one.

Our note. Evidence of the direction of travel: banks moving into workplace money education. Worth knowing about if your employer starts offering something similar, and worth remembering who is providing it.

Our note. A short, plain summary of the campaign for anyone who does not want to read the official version. Nothing in it you will not find elsewhere, but it is quick.

Our note. The regulator's own consumer hub, and the best free starting point there is. Nothing is being sold to you here, which cannot be said of most sites explaining investing. The scam material in particular is worth an hour of anyone's time.

Our note. Government-backed and free, covering the ground before investing as well as investing itself. If a decision is really about debt or budgeting rather than where to invest, this is the more useful destination.

Our note. Thorough, sceptical and updated often, which matters on a subject where the numbers change every tax year. The house style leans towards doing it yourself, so read it alongside something that puts the case for not.

Our note. A useful shortcut through a crowded market, based on real user research rather than feature lists. As with any awards, the entrants are the firms that chose to enter, so read it as a good starting shortlist and not a complete survey.

Our note. A comprehensive guide to how ISAs work, and comprehensive is fair. It sits on a site whose business is selling investment research and subscriptions, so the explanation is sound and the surrounding pressure to act is real. Take the first and leave the second.

Our note. Makes the case that leaving money in cash is itself a decision with a cost, which is the single most useful idea for anyone stuck. It is commercially produced by a fund manager, so the conclusion was never going to be "stay in cash". The underlying arithmetic still holds.

Our note. Consistently well written personal finance journalism. Much of it sits behind a paywall, so it is a better bookmark for existing subscribers than a first stop.

Our note. Free financial education from the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment, built for students and young adults. Nothing is sold on it. Genuinely good if you are helping someone in their teens or twenties get started, and not bad as a refresher at any age.