This Is Money Show

The property data is out and it’s not looking good. House prices fell for the first time in five years. Homes are going for less than asking prices. Yet in some areas you need 17 times your salary to buy a place. Where’s it all going to end? Perhaps moving into tiny mobile sheds on trailers or a boat is the only answer. Or will prices start to tumble? Simon Lambert takes one of his legendary forensic looks behind the figures, joined by Rich Browning and Georgie Frost for a fun debate into the doomsday scenarios. Also on the show… Democracy only survives with a strong opposition. It seems Ed Miliband, former Labour leader, was stronger than his message on the tablet suggested. His idea to cap energy prices has now been adopted by the would-be next Tory government. Is this plan put forward by Theresa May really any different? Or is ‘Marxist meddling’ in the markets by the Conservatives really happening? Strange times. Enjoy.

Shoppers have enjoyed cheap prices off the back of a supermarket price war, but alarm bells were sounded in Sainsbury’s results this week, showing how cost inflation is squeezing its profits. How long is it before supermarkets give up trying to cushion the blow for households and price rises hit? Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost look at what next for our shopping bills and how the big supermarkets are doing, in this week’s This is Money podcast. But how much do we really care about those big chains? It’s independent shops that we say we love and the team also take a look at whether the High Street is changing for the better or worse. Also on this week’s show, we reveal the tax breaks that you just lost as the Government quietly dropped plans to let you earn a bit tax-free on the side. There’s also a look at why 4G mobile is so shonky, rip-off bank charges and whether the house of 0% credit cards will come crashing down. And finally, if you’ve got a parking ticket recently we explain how to bea

The pensions triple lock means that state pensions rise by wages, inflation or 2.5% - whichever is greatest. This promise has raised pensioner incomes but stands accused of being too expensive and has become an election hot potato. Should it be ditched? Simon Lambert, Rachel Rickard Straus and Georgie Frost discuss it on this excerpt from the This is Money podcast.

Plans to massively hike probate fees have been dropped, but was this due to the General Election or the government trying to distance itself from a move that saw a huge backlash? Simon Lambert, Rachel Rickard Straus and Georgie Frost discuss it on this excerpt from the This is Money podcast.

The result of the election on June 8 will determine the financial outcome of Britain possibly more than any other in recent memory. So sit down and listen to Simon Lambert, Georgie Frost and Rachel Rickard Straus explain in simple terms what is at stake. On the agenda: Pension triple lock – if you’ve never really understood this, you will now Energy price cap – that old thing. The only thing left for Theresa May to do to turn into Ed Miliband is to eat a bacon butty badly. Who will fix the housing crisis and how? Is GDP now suffering at the prospect of Brexit - and is it really best way to measure a country’s performance? Elections in Europe – how may they affect our economy? New probate fees ‘the equivalent of paying £20,000 to renew your passport’ have been scrapped – and other great Tory tax u-turns Plus Let’s increase the speed limit to 80mph on motorways. We need something to look forward to. Enjoy.

Brexit this, Brexit that but what about the other stuff we need to worry about. Britain soon gets to vote in another election and inevitably the campaigns surrounding it will be about Brexit. Before you get bombarded with those, this week’s This is Money podcast looks at why Theresa May has even called another election and what that decision means for the economy, the pound and investors? Yet this election should not just be about Brexit, there are other things to consider too. This is Money’s Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce, join Georgie Frost in the Share Radio studios to discuss what they might be. So, if that canvasser rings the doorbell asking for your vote, we run through some of the things from the world of money that you may want to ask them about. (And if Simon’s MP Jeremy Corbyn does come round to ask for his vote, he promises to ask him these questions and report back on the replies.) It’s not all about Brexit and it’s not just about then election though. This week, we also talk about why househ

The price of all sorts is going up this week - from stamps to council tax. This is Money's Rachel Rickard Straus and Lee Boyce play the lucky dip of price hikes - which involves a stop watch, chocolate eggs... and quick explanations of how bills are set to rise. Then it's on to debt - credit card, car... you name it. Is it a worry? Is it a big worry? What's going to happen next? (Spoiler alert - they think it's a worry.) The Lifetime Isa - Lisa - has just launched, so that's next on the agenda. Presenter George Frost and the This is Money team talk through whether Isas have had their day, why Lisas may or may not be a good idea, and the great whopping investing question that it's so easy to forget. And the grand finale... involves a lot of wretching. Well nearly -it would if the team weren't so well behaved. It's the Easter taste test, in which the supermarkets' not-very-finest chocolate eggs and bunnies are compared, as well as four types of hot cross bun.

It was never about economics. But 52% or the 72% turnout voted for the UK to leave the European Union last June and now it’s official. Prime Minister Theresa May has written and delivered a letter that gives the country just two years to renegotiate tens of thousands of laws that took 40 odd years to draw up. It’s about taking control, she said, without expanding what that might mean. In the absence of any credible positive analysis from the 'Leave' fraternity, please allow Simon Lambert, Rebecca Rutt and Georgie Frost to have a go at explaining where our economy now stands. The vote to leave the EU hit the pound immediately and that is likely to continue. Prices of just about everything are rising and are set to rocket. Five percent this year may not sound a lot but cumulatively, petrol, travel, clothes and food make up a lot of what we buy. But on the plus side? Also on the show Britain is in debt, nationally and personally at record levels. Should we be alarmed? The new pound coin is now in

One thousand years ago, life expectancy was about 30 years. In 30 years’ time, someone will be born who could live to 1,000. This causes a problem for the pensions industry and governments. It’s tough enough finding an income for a few months without working, never mind 935 years. This is the kind of problem experts have been grappling with lately and some of the results are emerging. On the table are joys such as working until you’re 105 years old, abolishing the State pension or coming up with ill-conceived alternatives such as the pointless Lifetime Isa. Most likely, if you’re under 30 now, you’ll probably retire at 70, or under 45 and you’ll work till you’re 68. The triple lock guarantee that ensures the State pension rises by inflation, earnings or 2.5% , whichever is higher, could be scrapped because the Government is ideologically against raising taxes to pay for it. Pensioners will be worse off without a solid alternative. Britain’s pensions used to be best in the world. Like a lot of th

What a mess we’re in. Without too much effort this week, we spotted 10 messes. It was made pretty easy with the fallout from Chancellor Philip Hammond’s first go at a Budget making news all week. His attack on small business was up there with some of the made-up-as-you-go-along nonsense from his predecessor. Hammond learned well from George Osborne. Mess 1 The Budget. Last week we wondered if the whole thing was a joke? It was. The main thrust, a rise in National Insurance contributions for people who don’t have a staff job, is in the bin. This leaves a big gap in the Government finances. They tried austerity, cut taxes for the richest, tried taking it out on small business. None of it has worked. What next? Tax needs to rise somewhere. Mess 2 Ill-thought-out tax tweaks from the past come back to haunt policymakers. A change to flat-rate VAT announced in the last Autumn Statement is about to come into force and will be a further blow to small business. Listen for the great VAT explainer on how it wo

It felt like there was something fishy going on during the Budget speech this week. Chancellor Philip Hammond peppered the few official announcements he made with low-rent panto gags and political jibes. Were these a distraction technique? With the benefit of hindsight, it’s clear that trying to be funny was silly Philly’s way of glossing over one of the more ‘spectacularly dumb’ decisions in modern politics. Big banks brought the economy to its knees in the late noughties, why now go after the self-employed and small businesses to shore up the country’s finances with a National Insurance hike? It was a short, sweet kamikaze mission, especially given the manifesto pledge of no increase in VAT, National Insurance or income tax. A U-turn beckons. As ever, This is Money editor Simon Lambert explains exactly what it all means and how National insurance works for the self-employed. Is it time to merge it with income tax? Also, on the show with Georgie Frost and Lee ‘spreadsheet’ Boyce… A pointless, belo

A speech this week from President Donald Trump sent the US stock market soaring to a record high. And where the US goes, the rest of the world follows. The FTSE 100 is also impressing investors. Trump stood at the podium, behaved like an adult and explained a little more about some of his less crazy policies, including the fiscal ones. Cash held offshore could start washing back into America and wind up in the pockets of shareholders, who clearly want a piece of that pie. There’s more to it than that. This is Money’s Simon Lambert explains how it all might work as other pundits ponder whether it’s the euphoria before the fall. A ‘bull run’ is when markets rise. ‘Bears’ usually spoil the party. The gloves are off. Also on the show, featuring Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost: Two more years of miserable savings rates Lifetime Isas – a totally flawed Government plot A new Range Rover ‘for women’ Car insurance premiums are likely to rise because, oh do they really need an excuse? Hateful parking fine

There are a lot of laughs this week as Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost take a sideways look at some of the week’s potty money stories. Banks are in the spotlight because it’s reporting season and there was a mix of good news, shock news and fraud news from Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds and the rest. But the pathetic attempts by RBS to lure customers to its headline 0.05% interest-paying cash Isa get taken to pieces by the This is Money team. Also on the show… A trendy new bank backed by the tech entrepreneur, haircut wearer and singing coach on TV’s The Voice, Will. i.am, is paying 2% to its savers. It’s a suspiciously high a rate say our judges. To open the account you have to take a selfie. How many moneyed 60-year-olds will take that seriously? Football. Bloody hell! It’s the metaphor for anything. Could the rise and fall of Leicester City be clever economic forecasting at play? A conversation about the state of our banking sector ensues: Tale of two bail outs – RBS v Lloy

It’s the Holy Trinity of money-geddon (to mess up a couple of Biblical metaphors). But this could be big. We’re less well off than in 2008, prices are going up and wages aren’t. This adds up to trouble. The British economy is based on us all spending money on services but it’s increasingly money we haven't got. Join Georgie Frost, Rachel Rickard Straus and Simon Lambert for a cheery look at what lies ahead now that the impact of austerity, inflation and the devalued pound is becoming clear. Also, on the show… SAVE GOODBYE: The only place to get a savings account remotely worth saving money into is likely to be with a bank you’ve never heard of. STOPPING SHOPPING: The Government has mucked up business rates so seismically that many shops are likely to shut down. Surely a u-turn is the only hope. POUND ROUND-UP: Round pound coins are being killed off. If you’ve got a jar full at home you need to spend them now. DEAD MEAN: First they made disabled people pay for tax cuts of the rich and the crime

The property market is broken. Years of cheap money have allowed lenders to lend more and more to people earning less and less and we’re at crisis point. The politics of trying to boost the housing market to win votes has left us on the brink of potential disaster. Rents are likely to soar too, removing even that alternative to having a roof over our heads, and while all the economic focus rests on London there’s little incentive to move to Stoke-on-Trent. It was with this mess in mind that we’d been looking forward to the latest Government white paper that promised to outline plans for the ultimate rescue package for housing. It might as well have been 104 blank pages for all the piffle it contained. There is no plan. They don’t know what to do. The question is, can Simon Lambert, Rachel Rickard Straus and Georgie Frost come up with any better ideas? Also on the show… Could another idiotic car scrappage deal be on the cards? This time for our once eco-friendly diesels. Our fa

We haven’t left the world’s biggest trading block yet so measuring the success of Brexit is tricky. It hasn’t happened. There’s still no plan. But what we do know is this. The inequality gap between rich and poor in Britain is growing. More than 14million have not been able to save a penny in the last 12 months. And HALF of earners of £25,000 or less haven’t put cash aside for the rainy days ahead. But why would you save when the interest rates available are lower than inflation? It means saving is a way of losing money. Unlike Brexit, there is a plan and it’s possibly an investment plan. And what if there was a timeframe over which you definitely don't lose out? Join Simon Lambert, Georgie Frost and Lee Boyce for a round-up of how to save and invest, why and where, the pitfalls and the safety nets. Also on the show: Simon goes botty potty after an a artificially intelligent computer programme (bot) has beaten a team of leading human poker players. The ramifications for financial tools is colossal.

We tried hard this week not to talk too much about Britain's exit from the European economic bedrock as it jumps headfirst into bed with Donald Trump’s protectionist America. Instead, and in related news, Georgie Frost, Adrian Lowery and Simon Lambert take a look at the exodus of banks from the UK. Not just those planning on moving to continental Europe post-Brexit, but the latest wave of branch closures announced by HSBC and Yorkshire Bank. But do we really need them? Simon, This is Money’s editor, would happily never set foot in one again. Also on the show. Can you beat inflation with savings? Probably not – so listen to our easy-to-follow look at how anyone can to get into investing Email hacking sees no sign of relenting - and now there’s a scam based on Amazon to watch out for And finally… Tacky bespoke Rolls-Royces are all the rage among the stupid rich. Why? Enjoy.

This week will go down in history for a couple of major events. A new US president being sworn in is always big news but that happens every four years. OK, Donald Trump might shake things up a bit if he's able to get his way. Most noteworthy in Britain was the revelation that 'Brexit’ means the total withdrawal from the EU, customs union and single market as a way of controlling immigration. Prime Minister Theresa May laid out her 'plan' for the future of Britain outside the world's largest trading block. How that stacks up economically remains to be seen. This is Money’s Simon Lambert has a pretty good stab at explaining, along with colleague Rachel Rickard Straus and Share Radio’s Georgie Frost. Some say Britain cannot afford to go it alone because of the unsustainable level of Government and industry debt. However, one commentator told This is Money this week that household debt is now a far greater worry than anything the Government can muddle along with. And now prices are

Investors have been cheered by a stunning start to 2017 for the FTSE 100, which racked up a record-breaking run of closing highs. But does that mean we should be confident or worried? The FTSE 100 is made up of international companies with foreign earnings, booming on the back of the devalued pound. On this week’s This is Money podcast, Simon Lambert and Rachel Rickard Straus join Georgie Frost in the Share Radio studios to explore why shares have soared and discuss whether this is a good, indifferent or the absolute worst time to invest. Investors love to invest at the wrong time. Inevitably, also on the agenda this week are the two words on everyone’s lips, Trump and Brexit. We take a quick look at the devastating influence an angry tweet from the US President-elect can have on the pharmaceutical, car, defence and airline industries and the ongoing vagueness of Britain's relationship with Europe before swiftly moving on to more pressing matters. Among them are a look at how rich you are, the best

The glass is half full and we’re on the hunt for a silver lining as we look forward to what's in store for our finances in 2017. We also cast a quick glance back at the most entertaining money stories of 2016, which were about... well, money. We go behind the scenes with the man we hold responsible for the phenomenon that was stories about new fivers worth a more than £5 and coins worth a small fortune, consumer affairs editor Lee Boyce. Readers loved his stories about coins and notes last year, and they set a trend for stories about money worth more than face value across Britain's media and viral internet. Where did the ideas come from? Why are some of these coins and notes worth more? Is the round pound next? Lee gives us the lowdown in the studio with Share Radio's Georgie Frost and This is Money editor Simon Lambert. Also on this week's show, we look at whether 2017 will be a good year for investors as the FTSE 100 hits a run of record highs, or whether the view that the only way is up spells troub