This Is Money Show

You don’t need to spend long reading the news to find a warning that Britain isn’t saving enough for retirement. But with a little bit of effort it is possible to get saving so that you can enjoy a richer retirement. On this week’s podcast Simon Lambert, Tanya Jefferies and Georgie Frost discuss how to start a pension, how to improve on the one you’ve got and how to work out if you are investing enough for retirement. They also take a look at how, if you are approaching retirement, you can check up on your state pension – and what to do if you think it's wrong. Enjoy.

A top bank has formed a 'money mule hunting squad' and is planning to share its secrets with rivals. How does this scam work and what is being done to fight it? Should banks, universities and schools take more action to prevent young people getting sucked into helping hardened criminals hide their cash?  And as Nationwide starts turning away grandparents trying to deposit cash for their grandkids, what is behind this new curb on everyday cash transactions? The interest-only mortgage timebomb is a hot topic again after we featured the story of Len and Val, who never missed a mortgage payment but still face losing their home. This is Money Editor Simon Lambert and journalist Tanya Jefferies joined Georgie Frost to debate these issues. Plus, Simon has an impassioned rant about potholes... Hear it all on this week’s podcast.

Should you cash in on your home to help yourself or your kids? As a generation retires with more money in their houses than the bank, this question will only become more pressing. And it’s been a topic of much debate on This is Money this week, as we revealed how a new wave of retirement interest-only mortgages could be about to emerge. Homeowners could use one to have a more comfortable retirement, clear some debt, or hand the kids or grandkids an early inheritance – perhaps to buy a home for their own young family. Is that a good idea or a recipe for disaster – and how did we even end up here? In a conversation that tracks all the way back to the mortgage boom of the Thatcher years, Simon Lambert, Rachel Rickard Straus and Georgie Frost dive into the homes as a cash machine question on this week’s podcast. Plus, they also take a look at what happens when an inheritance doesn’t materialise as thought – can you contest a will if it’s all left to the dogs’ home. The TSB meltdown is also up for discussio

What has Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, got to do with long-forgotten television soap Eldorado? Find out in the latest This is Money podcast, in which editor Simon Lambert and consumer affairs editor Lee Boyce discuss the inflation figures out this week and whether they have increased the likelihood of a base rate rise. Discover why Simon believes raising interest rates wouldn't be a bad idea but raising rates because the country finally got a pay rise would be. Meanwhile, house prices in London saw their first annual fall in price since 2009 and sellers across the UK are having to accept far less than their asking price. Are values in the capital about to fall even faster? Continuing the property theme, we take a look at new platform Raffle House which gives people the chance to win a home with a fiver – but is it too good to be true? They may be billed as good for the environment but not for our wallets - we look at the hidden costs of electric cars. And lastly, one for the gardeni

British Gas have revealed this week that more than four million households face a 5.5 per cent bill increase from the end of May thanks to changes to its standard variable tariff. Hot on its heels, EDF Energy announced it will be hiking the cost of energy bills by 1.4 per cent for 1.3million customers. In this week’s podcast, Rachel Rickard Straus and Lee Boyce say it is time for people to fight back and switch. Energy: The latest podcast looks at the latest energy price rises - and the furore around smart meters On the energy theme, we talk about our campaign to stop power firms using bullying tactics in order to force households into getting a smart meter – and why it is better to wait until the end of the year. We take a look at some of the methods to make your home more energy efficient, including insulation and wood burning stoves. We also discuss how to give money to charity in a tax efficient way - and whether or not loyalty cards are still worth having. The latter comes as changes to Avios and

Good news. Chances are you just got a tax cut. Well an income tax cut at least, problem is your council tax is likely to be rising and if you are an investor the Government is after more of your dividends, or if you’re a landlord it wants your rental income. So who are the winners and losers of the new tax year that rolled round on 6 April? And what are the candidates for dumbest bits of Britain’s tax code. In this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Rachel Rickard Straus and George Frost take a look at who is getting the biggest tax cut and who is being hit. They also discuss whether we need a new hypothecated tax to pay for the NHS. Also on this week’s show we look at the best rural places to live in the UK and how to invest in wine without breaking the bank. And finally, Britain’s ten most hated driving moves have been revealed. Parallel parking we get, but why are there so many people who struggle to navigate a roundabout.

Building up a pension was once relatively simple, for each year you worked for a company it promised to pay you some money in retirement. The death of the final salary scheme put paid to that and now most people must invest into a pension instead - with their work helping out. But while it is tempting to put off a pension and think you have more pressing financial matters to deal with, that's a mistake. The earlier you start and the more you pay in, the greater your chance of having a richer retirement. So what do you need to know - and do? On this week's podcast, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost talk pensions. Also on this week's show, some last minute Isa tips, how to share an inheritance if you want to divert it and the energy firm told it can't have any more new customers. And finally, selling used cars that are really new ones. Why on earth would a dealer do that?

My property is my pension. That was the popular saying when buy-to-let was all the rage and every other person you met fancied their chances as a minor property mogul. But life has got much tougher for landlords, with a series of tax grabs and tougher mortgage rules hitting. So does buy-to-let still stack up as a way to build your wealth? It certainly requires a lot of money upfront, even more now than ever before, and while the taxman will take a big chunk of your buy-to-let investment pot in stamp duty, he’ll give you money back if you invest in a pension instead. Simon Lambert, Sarah Davidson and Georgie Frost take a look at buy-to-let and the property market in this week’s podcast, including how it compares to investing in your Isa or a pension. They also look at investing in property without buying it directly yourself, and whether houses are too expensive now for good profits in years to come, or if there are some areas where an investment still makes sense. Also, tackled on this week’s show is wh

It’s not long before the door slams shut on your chance to use this year’s Isa allowance. It’s always best not to leave Isa saving or investing until the last month of the tax year, but many of us will do so. If you do end up fixing your Isa against the deadline, it’s definitely wise not to leave it to the last week – or even the final few days. So, here is our special Isa podcast – with a comfortable three weeks to spare before the 5 April tax year end. In it, Simon Lambert, Rachel Rickard Straus and Georgie Frost dive into everything you need to know about Isas, from cash, to stocks and shares, and Innovative to Lifetime. The podcast tackles the basics and also tips for those who are experienced Isa savers or investors. It also looks at why investing is the best way to get inflation-beating returns over the long term, how savers can eke some precious extra interest from accounts, and why an Isa is worth having.

We have a housing crisis. That’s the message, loud and clear, and it was reiterated by the Prime Minister this week. What’s the answer? Build more homes. Or is it? Because once you start digging into the subject, this housing crisis is a pretty ill-defined problem - and it’s not clear that a lack of homes is causing the problem of too high house prices. Many people suspect that actually it’s too much cheap money that made homes so expensive. On this week’s podcast episode, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost get stuck into the housing crisis. They look at what the problem is meant to be, what made homes so expensive, what the plans are to solve the issue, and whether building more homes will make house prices cheaper. And there’s even a defence of the dreaded Nimby in there. Also on this week’s show we discuss why we are calling for action on the state pension top-up fiasco, how your driving licence might get Brexited, and the jobs that desperately need more people. And finally, what should you

In this excerpt from the This is Money podcast, Simon Lambert outlines why he thinks interest rates should rise and Rachel Rickard Straus explains why savers need to switch to better deals and not just rely on rates going up.

Toys R Us and Maplin were sunk this week, investors are nervously watching Carpetright and Mothercare, and restaurants from Jamie Oliver’s, to Byron, and now Prezzo are closing their doors. This week’s shop closures could see more than 5,000 jobs lost. It looks like a slow motion crash on the High Street. But at the same time the economy is doing okay, and sales in the housing market are reasonably buoyant, so why the trouble? In this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Georgie Frost and Rachel Rickard Straus take a look at Britain’s high street woes and whether it is company debt, consumer confidence, overexpansion gone wrong, or a failure to keep up with the times that is sinking well-known names. Also on the show, we take a look at what Warren Buffett learnt from his ten–year tracker fund bet – and the twist in the tale of how he won it. Plus, how the value of your old £10 note changed through its lifetime and the things most likely to go wrong on a new car.

Just how does the mythical and bizarre world of credit ratings really work? How can you improve your score and what does the figure even mean? On this week's podcast, personal finance editor Rachel Rickard Straus and consumer affairs editor Lee Boyce join presenter Georgie Frost to discuss this and how one unknown fraud marker on a Cifas file left a reader with a 'do not employ' status when looking for job. Rachel describes how she saw a tourist defrauded at a cash point and what it made her realise. Lee explains why he is fed-up with car insurers taking motorists for a ride and how he beat a 67 per cent annual rise. Whisper it: but there could be a cash Isa season this year. For years, banks and building societies scrambled to offer attractive rates – and 2018 could see the tax-free accounts finally en vogue once more. Pensioner bonds – remember them? Well many are seeing the three-year versions of the accounts mature. But there could be a tax sting in the tail.

Interest rates are going to rise in May, if you believe economists, but will things get better or worse for you if they do? A few years ago, Mark Carney told us to enjoy the low inflation world while it lasted, but now wages are forecast to rise and keep inflation sticky, so interest rates are potentially going to inch up. Rising rates are often painted as bad news but for many a world in which they go up will look more enjoyable. What would be even more pleasurable is being paid more, so is Britain really finally about to break out of its low wage growth trap and get a pay rise? On this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Rachel Rickard Straus discuss why we don’t get paid enough, what we can do about it and how to look on the bright side of rising interest rates. Contrasting news on the struggles of first-time buyers, at the same time as they are at their highest level for a decade, is also on the agenda. Plus, there is good financial news for unmarried couples, the new car tax madness that is about to bit

Buy, sell, or hold? When stock markets take a tumble, it's decision time. Investors got a shock this week, when the prolonged period without a stock market correction – dubbed the Big Calm – came to an abrupt end. Many were not surprised by the fact that shares fell, after all warnings that a correction must arrive have not been in short supply. But what did catch them off guard was quite how hard they fell and that the only catalyst was the threat of slightly higher interest rates. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones dived 4.6 per cent on Monday, and then after a brief bit of mid-week respite, it tumbled another 4.2 per cent on Thursday. In the UK, shares also fell but not by as much, although some with more high-octane portfolios will be nursing bigger losses. So, is this just a healthy correction, or is it the start of something bigger? On this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Alex Sebastian and Georgie Frost look at why shares fell, what investors should do when markets correct, and whether ther

The Chancellor asked for ideas for inheritance tax to be simplified this week, but should we even have a death tax at all? It is highly unpopular, and some who argue against it say that taxing someone when they are alive and then their estate when they die amounts to double taxation. In contrast, others argue for a lower inheritance tax-free threshold and an even higher tax rate than the current 40%. So how do you solve a problem like inheritance tax? On this week’s podcast Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost look at how it works, why it is unpopular, and how you can avoid it. Simon suggests his plan to simplify it and get more people paying by removing those fiddly reliefs and slashing the rate to 20%. But we also consider the argument for taxing inheritance (and unearned property wealth) more heavily. Later on the podcast, we discuss the problem of interest-only timebomb mortgages and whether homeowners are burying their heads in the sand. Also on the agenda is what’s wrong with M&S and invest

Could you get duped into sending a fraudster thousands of pounds? Many people think of course they wouldn’t, but then it happens to them. In this week’s podcast Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost look into the disturbing rise in fraudsters targeting ordinary people’s finances and how you can protect yourself – we also ask if the banks do enough to help. On the other side of the table from those looking to take your money, are the people who promise to make it for you – fund managers. And there has been one name that keeps cropping up in This is Money’s reader comments as someone who doesn’t get his fair dues, Terry Smith. We dive into his Fundsmith fund, why it has been so successful and having had it explained to him first hand by Mr Smith himself, Simon outlines the Fundsmith investing philosophy. He looks at whether investors need to be wary of putting too much faith in an approach that has done well if conditions change, or whether the top global funds run by managers such as Smith, Nick Tra

The collapse of Carillion this week brought how Britain runs itself into the spotlight, but it also left many workers wondering about their money. And it's not just their wages that are a concern, the safety of people's final salary pensions is a major worry when a company collapses. In this week's podcast, Simon Lambert, Rachel Rickard Straus and Georgie Frost look at how safe your pension is and what backs it up.  They also discuss whether it is wise handing over so much of the UK’s public service and projects to private companies looking to turn a profit for shareholders - and what happens to people's finances when that goes wrong? If you’ve always wanted to understand the business of the private finance initiative (PFI) – this week’s show is a must listen. Alongside that we discuss the continuing madness of the cryptocurrency boom, including the alternatives to bitcoin and how ripple rose 84% in 24 hours. We also reveal the savings rate postcode lottery and ask that all important question, shou

Planning on relying on the state pension to keep you afloat in retirement? After listening to this week’s podcast, you might want to have a rethink. On this episode, presenter Georgie Frost, consumer affairs editor Lee Boyce and personal finance editor Rachel Rickard Straus discuss what’s in store for the state pension. Will it still be around when they come to retire? A report this week suggests something will have to change to make sure it is, whether that be everyone paying more in National Insurance, the retirement age rising again or a means-tested state pension. The team also discuss getting hold of our state pension forecasts – and if they’re at all reliable. And what about those who are already retired? The trio then discuss a growing trend of retirees extracting money from the value of their homes to pay off credit card debts. But it’s not all gloom. Lee has news of a 50p coin that could be worth considerably more than that – and that you can only get hold of by going on a lovely day out. Enj

House prices are coming off the boil, but it is London and the South East that are suffering, while some regional cities do well. But what happens next? Simon Lambert takes a look at the house price forecasts for 2018 and whether property will rise, fall or flatline in the year ahead.