Intrigue everyone in your office party by wearing a Christmas jumper from a cult investing website they've never heard of! The post Weekend reading: Monevator Christmas sweatshirt competition appeared first on Monevator.
What caught my eye this week.
Despite our gloomy warnings about pricey stock markets and how every investment can fail you, we’re actually a pretty jolly crew here at Monevator.
Why wouldn’t we be?
For my part I long ago cracked the code of escaping the worst of the work world without giving up the income. And my co-blogger The Accumulator is forever chasing cows.
Happy days – so I think it’s high time we had a bit more fun about the place.
Yes, it’s mandatory Christmas party time!
Your Christmas party outfit sorted
Now, nothing says Yuletide office party like a Christmas jumper, right?
Even more so when you’re retired or working from home, and you want to stand out on a Zoom call.
Which is all a laboured way of revealing that my girlfriend has designed a special Christmas jumper – well, sweater really – that you can now bag at the Monevator shop.
Bulls, bears, and little tinsel decorations that look like share price graphs, it’s got it all.
How could you not want to be wearing one of these bad boys when the boss treats the team to a Christmas Nando’s:
There are two colours to choose from – blue and green – and again note that these are sweatshirts, not knitwear. (You can’t produce knitwear products on demand. Call me pessimistic but I wasn’t going to pre-order 1,000 in advance…)
So go grab one now to wow your friends, family, neighbours, and the postman.
(Note: wowing is not guaranteed, your mileage may vary.)
How to potentially win a Christmas sweatshirt
The forced fun doesn’t stop there. Because what’s an office party without prizes?
Yes, we’re going to give away three of these seasonal sweaters.
Full terms and conditions below (red tape in the UK? really?) but here’s the gist of what you need to do for a chance of winning one of the three Christmas sweaters we’re giving away.
Become a Monevator member
Sign-up to become a Monevator member between now and the end of Friday 12 December and you’ll automatically go into a random draw to win a Christmas sweater.
Refer someone who becomes a member
Back in June we launched a referral programme, where members can get discounted – or even free – membership by referring others who sign-up for an annual subscription.
That week saw a flurry (well, a handful) of referrals. But nothing since. I suspect our relentless focus on sub-optimal Monevator monetisation strikes again…
So I’m flagging the referral scheme once more. I’ve made it more generous, too.
As for this competition, refer a member who signs up for annual membership between now and the end of 12 December and you’ll go into a draw for a sweater.
Scroll down my previous post for details on how to refer someone. Note: you need to be on an annual membership for referrals to count.
Give some advice on investing
My girlfriend may be a talented designer of pixellated investing-themed Christmas sweatshirts, but she is not perfect.
In particular: she is insufficiently obsessed with investing.
So what inspiring advice would you give a 30-something who saves into her workplace pension but otherwise takes no interest in investing? Despite her boyfriend running a leading blog about investing?
Share 50-100 words on saving, index funds, retiring early, financial freedom, or any of the other topics we cover on Monevator (okay, maybe not leveraged ETFs) and you’ll go into a draw for a sweatshirt.
I will use a selection of these comments to create an article that I’ll then print out and leave conveniently in her make-up draw or in her car’s glove box.
She’ll surely be delighted!
Only initials or first names will be published if your advice is included.
You can either comment below, clearly stating a bit of investing advice, or get in touch with the comment form or with a reply if you’re reading this post on email.
Again, entries by the end of Friday 12 December please.
Now for that regulatory small print.
Monevator free prize draw: terms & conditions
1. Promoter: Monevator (monevator.com).
2. How to enter: You can enter the draw in any of the following ways:
(a) Sign up for Monevator membership;
(b) Refer someone who signs up for membership;
(c) Share some inspiring advice about investing via a comment, email reply, or the content form.
All valid entries receive one entry into the draw. No purchase is necessary because option (c) is free.
3. Opening and closing date: Entries open on 6 December 2025 and close at 23:59 on 12 December 2025. Entries received after this time will not be included.
4. Eligibility: Open to readers aged 18 or over. One entry per person. Monevator contributors and their close family members are not eligible. (Sorry!)
5. Prizes: Three winners will each receive one Monevator-branded sweatshirt. No cash alternative.
6. Winner selection: Winners will be chosen at random from all eligible entries within seven days of the closing date.
7. Notification: Winners will be contacted by email. If a winner does not respond within seven days, we may draw a replacement winner.
8. Data: We will only use personal details supplied for the purposes of administering this draw and citing any advice chosen for an article.
9. Use of comments: We may publish a selection of submitted comments in a future Monevator article. Comments will be published anonymously or using first names or initials only. By entering, you agree to this.
10. General: We reserve the right to withdraw or amend the promotion if necessary. Our decision is final.
Again, that’s three different ways to win one of three Christmas sweatshirts.
Ho ho ho! Have a great weekend.
From Monevator
When to derisk before retirement – Monevator
How to value and account for private companies and funds, angel investments, and crowdfunded shares [Moguls] – Monevator
From the archive-ator: Don’t waste money buying expensive gifts – Monevator
News
AJ Bell boss warns over ‘absolutely bonkers’ cash ISA charge [Paywall] – FT
Halifax: first-time buyers in best position to buy property in a decade – Guardian
Student loan repayments are changing: what workers need to know – Which
LSE reportedly cracking down on ‘Wild West’ bulletin boards – Proactive
Labour’s child poverty strategy unveiled, but not everyone is happy – Sky
Four million more households will see mortgages rise next year – This Is Money
MSCI launches a new index combining public markets and private equity – MSCI
Revealed: Britain’s happiest places to live – Sky
Michael Dell gives $6.25bn to launch ‘Trump Accounts’ for 25m US kids – FA Advisor
UK economy is still set to slow next year, warns OECD – This Is Money
Products and services
Disclosure: Links to platforms may be affiliate links, where we may earn a commission. This article is not personal financial advice. When investing, your capital is at risk and you may get back less than invested. With commission-free brokers other fees may apply. See terms and fees. Past performance doesn’t guarantee future results.
Do green mortgages offer better rates? – Which
Everything you need to know about sending Christmas parcels – Guardian
What is a ‘stepped pension’, and should you take one if you can? – This Is Money
Get up to £1,500 cashback when you transfer your cash and/or investments to Charles Stanley Direct through this affiliate link. Terms apply – Charles Stanley
Save at the supermarket with this gift card hack – Be Clever With Your Cash
Is it normal to pay a reservation fee on a property? – Which
Top ten credit card hacks – Be Clever With Your Cash
How do you unwind a trust? – This Is Money
Homes for sale with exposed beams, in pictures – Guardian
Comment and opinion
Gilts, dividends, and a shed full of machinery – Modern Tontines
Alan Johnson: the UK must escape the doom loop of low skills [Paywall] – FT
If there was a bubble, what would you do about it? – Behavioural Investment
Living for the eulogy – The Root of All
A drawdown case study [US but relevant] – A Wealth of Common Sense
What’s a ‘good enough’ financial plan? – Morningstar
The hidden cost of index replication – Larry Swedroe
The government is driving amateur landlords out of buy-to-let – This Is Money
The value of flexing spend in retirement – Simple Living in Somerset
Morningstar’s annual safe withdrawal rate guesstimate – Morningstar
Exploring value versus growth, again [Research, PDF] – Meketa
Naughty corner: Active antics
The liquidity illusion – 3652 Days
Proposed inflation indexation changes have rocked renewable trusts – II [Affiliate link]
Exploring the state of the bond market – Excess Returns
The story of DuoLingo – Quartr
Don’t get hung up on investment trust discounts [Paywall] – FT
The right tailwinds in emerging markets – The Falling Knife
Investors overweight mystery and underweight mastery – Groundwork
The most overvalued shares in the US aren’t in AI – Trustnet
Kindle book bargains
Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk by Annie Duke – £0.99 on Kindle
A Man for All Markets by Edward Thorp – £0.99 on Kindle
The End of Reality by Jonathan Taplin – £0.99 on Kindle
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg – £0.99 on Kindle
Or pick up one of the all-time great investing classics – Monevator shop
Environmental factors
Stumbling over the holy grail of agriculture – Guardian
China has planted so many trees it has changed its water distribution – LiveScience
Pay-per-mile on EVs will see petrol cars rationed, says car boss – This Is Money
60,000 penguins starved to death after sardine numbers collapsed – Guardian
Saving Japan’s exceptionally rare ‘snow monsters’ – BBC
Robot overlord roundup
Chatbots are becoming really, really good criminals – Atlantic
Self-driving cars save lives – New York Times
Why doesn’t everyone love AI? – Noahpinion
AI safety features can be circumvented with poetry – Guardian
Google, nVidia, and OpenAI – Stratechery
VC firms’ ‘kingmaker’ strategy crowns AI winners in their infancy – TechCrunch
The AI snow globe is shaken – Spyglass
Not at the dinner table
A dishonourable strike – Exec Functions
(Dead) DOGE may end up costing US taxpayers $135bn this year alone – Fortune
Off our beat
A ‘fertility gap’ is fuelling the rise of one-child families – BBC
How to rig hidden markets in your favour – Next Big Idea Club
Five books published in 2025 worth reading – Klement on Investing
The spiritual basis for capitalism – We’re Gonna Get Those Bastards
In praise of biblomania – LitHub
Removing gang tattoos to help offenders start again – Reasons to be Cheerful
The first Bible with a map helped create nation states – The Conversation
52 things learned in 2025 – Tom Whitwell
And finally…
“I’m much more interested in the train than the weather, but I’m even more interested in the destination than the train.”
– David Gardner, Rule Breaker Investing
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The post Weekend reading: Monevator Christmas sweatshirt competition appeared first on Monevator.
