Martin Lewis: Student finance & financial education videos

Martin Lewis: Student Loans Decoded

See Martin's full 'Student Loans Decoded' video guide and resources

In this video, Martin explores his key lessons about money and life, based on his own experience, and shares his top 10 things your child should know in order to be successful. It's part biography, part education – finance, work, life, grief and more in this one-off documentary for ITV.

Martin Lewis on how to be successful: 10 things your child should know

In this video, Martin gives an important warning to all parents with children who may one day go to university. There's a 'hidden' cost that parents face, and Martin explains what you must do now to cover those costs.

For more information, read Martin's blog on how much the Government expects you to give your children for university, or try our Ready Reckoner calculator.

Martin Lewis: A warning for all parents

In this video, Martin explains how the parental contribution works in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, as it's slightly different to England. To work out your parental contribution, use this Ready Reckoner.

Martin Lewis explains parental contribution for Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales students

In this video Martin answers a question that is commonly asked - "should I pay off my student loan?". Here, Martin purely answers about Plan 1 loans – that is anyone who studied anywhere in the UK between 1998 and 2012, and Northern Irish students from 2012 onwards.

Should I pay off my Plan 1 student loan

Just a note, in this video Martin also mentions that Scottish students are also on plan 1 loans. But since April 2021 Scotland changed its system and is now on a different Plan 4 loan for both new and existing students. Whilst some of the details may apply to Scottish students, some won't. So for full details on Plan 1 loans and Plan 4 loans for Scottish students see the detailed Student Loan Repayment - Is it better to save or pay it off guide.

Some of the figures mentioned in this video have changed since the video was made. The following figures are the rates and thresholds for 2022:

• Plan 1 repayment threshold is now £19,895

• Plan 2 repayment threshold is now £27,295

• The rate of inflation is currently 1.5%

• Bank of England base rate is 1.25%

• Plan 1 interest rate is 1.25%

In this hour-long groundbreaking, no-nonsense, authoritative video to student finance, Martin explains the real impact of higher education on both students’ and parents’ pockets.

This video was filmed in June 2019, so some of the figures have since changed (though the fundamentals of how the loan work hasn't) so for updated figures see the full Student loan mythbusting guide.

Martin Lewis: Student Loans Decoded

When used correctly, credit cards are a great tool. But like fire, they can burn if used wrongly. In this video, Martin explains what a credit card is, how they work, and how to avoid the dangers.

There's also more detailed info in the How do credit cards work guide.

Martin Lewis explains what a credit card is

For most, a mortgage is a necessary financial product to get on the housing ladder. In this video, Martin explains what a mortgage is, how it works, and what to look out for when applying. For more information on mortgages, see the First-Time buyers guide, Boost your mortgage chances and How to find a cheap mortagage.

Martin Lewis explains what a mortgage is

In this video, Martin explains what a pension is, how it works and the different types you can get. He also explains why for most a private pension is a no-brainer way to get an easy pay rise. To learn more about how pensions work, see our full Pension Need-to-knows, State pension and What is pension auto-enrolment? guides.

Martin Lewis explains what a pension is

Taxes are unavoidable. If you live in the UK, then you usually don't need to pay to go to school or hospital, rubbish is collected from our homes and roads are resurfaced with no charge. This is all paid for by the state with money collected through taxes. In this video, Martin explains how tax works and how much people pay.

To check how much tax you pay, use our free Income Tax Calculator and see the current 2021/2022 tax rates for updated figures.

Martin Lewis explains what taxes are