The banking trade body UK Finance says that every minute of 2022 thieves stole £2,300 from bank and credit card accounts. In total they took £1.2 billion from nearly 3 million people. These figures were released this week in its Annual Fraud Report. We'll discuss the figures and get reaction from Arun Chauhan, a solicitor at Tenet Law, who specialises in fraud and financial crime. There were new warnings about inflation this week. The Bank of England said that headline rate would soon fall, thou...
Jun 10, 2023•26 min
The Bank of England is expected to hike interest rates for the 12th month in a row this week and deposit-free mortgages are back after a 15-year-long absence from the market that stretches back to the financial crisis. We find out how they’ll really work, who can benefit from them and what interest rates mean for you whether you’re a renter, homeowner or prospective new buyer. The experts in this podcast are, Nick Mendes, Mortgage Technical Manager at John Charcol, Charles Roe, Director of Mortg...
Jun 07, 2023•32 min
To mark the Coronation of King Charles III our presenter Adam Shaw gets exclusive access to the Royal Mint to witness how new £2 commemorative coins are produced and to see its extensive archives. In this programme, we discuss how different monarchs have affected our money and what the future might hold for the physical cash that we carry in our pockets. To help explore the Crown and our currency, Adam is joined be a panel of experts, Dominic Chorney, an Ancient Coin Specialist at Baldwin's, Cat...
May 31, 2023•29 min
The prospects for many current employees hoping for a comfortable retirement looks "risky at best". That's the warning from the Institute for Fiscal Studies, which has started a major review of pensions together with Financial Fairness Trust, a charity funded by the investment firm Abrdn. We'll speak to the IFS and answer your questions on pensions. The listener who had to remortgage but was turned down because he had a Ukrainian family living in part of his home. Are you going to Europe this su...
May 27, 2023•25 min
Small businesses represent as much as 99% of UK companies, according to government figures. They employ about half of the workforce and often contribute a vital service to local communities. The small business sector has been facing significant challenges - higher inflation, more expensive business loans and uncertain markets. In this podcast, we look at both the challenges and the opportunities for small businesses. The experts on the panel are: Charlotte Thomason, Head of Policy and Government...
May 24, 2023•29 min
This week, the Office for National Statistics employment data showed that one reason behind the increase in the number of people in work is the growth in self-employment. Though the total numbers are still below pre-pandemic levels, more people are now starting a new business. We'll hear from four entrepreneurs about their experiences and have some advice for anyone thinking about doing so. Money Box has learned more than 1,100 people have reported having had a total of £1.3m stolen from them in...
May 20, 2023•25 min
Raising children is expensive. It’s estimated that it costs over £200,000 to raise a child from birth to 18 in the UK. In this podcast we hear from parents about how they're managing these costs from new-born baby necessities to nursery fees. The experts on the panel are, Anna Stevenson, Senior Welfare Benefits Specialist at the Charity Turn2Us, and Tara Spence, the CEO of Homestart Suffolk, a community network of trained volunteers that helps families with young children. Presenter: Felicity Ha...
May 17, 2023•28 min
It's estimated that more than 200 thousand low income parents --in England, Wales and Northern Ireland -- are missing out on government assistance to help them buy food for their children. The Healthy Start Scheme offers money for milk, fruit and vegetables - but uptake is well below the government's target. In response Department of Health says uptake is increasing and it's committed to promoting a healthy diet for children. The high-cost lender Amigo has said it will halt all lending and wind ...
May 13, 2023•25 min
Trying to understand interest rates, credit card changes and mortgage deals is an effort for most of us, so how do you manage if you have a learning disability? Dan Pepper, a former Paralympian joins presenter, Ruth Alexander, to talk about how he manages his money, and what challenges he faces. We'll also be talking about how ADHD and other neuro differences can affect your personal finances. On hand to answer listener questions: Tony Lloyd, CEO of the ADHD Foundation, The Neurodiversity Charit...
May 10, 2023•29 min
What are your children up to this weekend? Many will be busy eating chocolate eggs and enjoying their Easter break from school. Some youngsters are out there running businesses, balancing their books and even turning a profit. In this Money Box Easter special, we meet some of those remarkable kids and ask how we can help children learn entrepreneurial skills - and whether they should be? Featuring: Precisa, Max and Louis Plus, Julian Hall, CEO of Ultra Education, and Zoe Bennet, Managing Directo...
May 06, 2023•25 min
From 6th April, there's set to be a host of financial changes. From household bills, changes to pensions, national insurance and help for energy bills. Almost every household will be affected in some way. We breakdown the main things that you need to know and put your questions to a panel of experts - Helen Thornley, from The Association of Tax Technicians and Sam Richardson, Deputy Editor at Which? Money Magazine. Presenter: Dan Whitworth Producer: Amber Mehmood Reporter: Hannah Mullane Editor:...
May 03, 2023•28 min
In this special extended programme broadcast live from Lincoln, the Money Box team covers all you need to know as the financial year comes to an end and a new one begins. For many household bills are going up, from broadband costs and water bills to council tax - but what can you do if you're struggling? The team are joined by organisations who're supporting people every day, to find out what help is out there. We're in Skegness to find out how local people and businesses are coping with energy ...
Apr 29, 2023•24 min
Felicity Hannah and Winifred Robinson take questions on the legal rights of renters with experts Jasmine Basran from the housing and homelessness charity Crisis and Tessa Shepperson founder of the The Landlord Law Services she advises landlords of their legal rights and responsibilities. The number of people renting across England, Wales and Scotland has more than doubled in the last decade. The picture in Northern Ireland is similar with the numbers of people renting is up by nearly 2 thirds in...
Apr 26, 2023•29 min
Felicity Hannah starts a week of BBC coverage on the theme of Rental Health. For Money Box she examines the 3 year freeze in Local Housing Allowance (the portion of Universal Credit designed to cover housing) is leaving some on low incomes struggling to afford rental properties. Also on this episode as NatWest become the latest bank to impose restrictions on how much their customers can spend on crypto platforms and exchanges we ask if it’s ever a good idea to invest in this area. And we'll have...
Apr 22, 2023•29 min
In this podcast we hear from prospective and recent first-time buyers about the challenges, opportunities and top tips on taking the first steps into the housing market. The experts on the panel are, Ray Boulger, Senior Mortgage Technical Manager at John Charcol and Aneisha Beveridge, Head of Research at the estate and letting agents, Hamptons. Presenter: Adam Shaw Producer: Amber Mehmood Editor: Clare Worden
Apr 19, 2023•29 min
A Money Box investigation has resulted in a £150,000 refund for a vulnerable romance fraud victim, after their bank initially refused to reimburse. The victim's family were told that a voluntary code, known as the Contingent Reimbursement Model or CRM, designed to protect victims of fraud would not apply in their case, because the payments had been made to an international bank account. We look at what, if anything, banks can do to prevent payments to criminal accounts overseas. In the Spring Bu...
Apr 15, 2023•25 min
In this podcast we breakdown what was in the Spring 2023 budget and how the chancellor’s announcements impact your finances. The experts on the panel are: Laura Suter, Head of Personal Finance at AJ Bell Dawn Register, Head of Tax Dispute Resolution at BDO Matt Copeland, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at National Energy Action Subrahmanian Krishnan Harihara, Head of Research at the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Amber Mehmood Editor: Beatrice Picku...
Apr 12, 2023•29 min
Felicity Hannah hears how HMRC have extended the National Insurance top up deadline after a surge in calls plus a listener asks if a drop in house prices means they should worry about negative equity? Presenter: Felicity Hannah Editor: Clare Worden Reporter: Dan Whitworth Researcher: Eimear Devlin Studio Manager: Olivia Miceli
Apr 08, 2023•25 min
Grocery prices have increased by 17.1% in the four weeks to 19th February, meaning it’s at the highest level they’ve ever been recorded. This could mean households see over £800 extra on their annual food shop (Kantar). With grocery inflation being the second most important financial issue for the public, behind energy costs, we speak to shopper’s about how their household budgets are being affected. The experts on the panel are, Kris Hamer, Director of Insights at the British Retail Consortium,...
Apr 05, 2023•28 min
The BBC understands that the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, is expected to extend the Energy Price Guarantee at current levels for a further three months- but what does that mean for your energy bills? One of the UK's biggest flat share websites has told Money Box that rents are rising very fast: up almost 13% last year. In January 2022, the average UK monthly rent listed on SpareRoom was just over £650. By January this year it had risen to almost £750 pounds a month. We'll hear from them and also spe...
Apr 01, 2023•25 min
The Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, is expected to introduce measures in his March Budget to encourage people who have retired early to return to work in-order to help revive the economy. In this podcast, we speak to people who are retired, people who are over 50 and looking for a new job, and some who are continuing to work after 70. With them, we identify what the barriers are keeping them out of work, and what the incentives are to keep them in the workforce. The experts on the panel are, Kim Chapla...
Mar 29, 2023•29 min
The Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, is expected to use his Budget on March 15th to introduce measures to to encourage people over 50 to return to work. Since 2019 there has been a rise in the number of people defined as economically inactive. That means they are not working, self-employed, or looking for work to claim benefits. The number rose by 830,000 between 2019 and 2022, with three quarters of that increase among those aged 50 and over. The Department for Work and Pensions has a programme to enco...
Mar 25, 2023•26 min
With the end of the tax year fast approaching, people are looking at their finances and investments. But in a cost of living crisis with unstable markets, are they performing, and how should we be investing? The experts on the panel are Sangita Chawla, Managing Director at Standard Life, and Kirsty Stone, Chartered Financial Adviser at The Private Office. Presenter: Adam Shaw Producer: Amber Mehmood Editor: Elisabeth Mahy (First broadcast 3pm, Wednesday 22nd February 2023)...
Mar 22, 2023•29 min
The Office of the Public Guardian has told Money Box it apologises to its customers for the distress caused by delays in dealing with applications for Lasting Powers of Attorney. Its target is turning them round in eight weeks. But its own website says people should expect to wait twenty. It also says it has recruited more staff to process applications and teams have been working around the clock to reduce wait times and are now registering around 18,000 more LPAs a month than before the pandemi...
Mar 18, 2023•25 min
The problem of debt is never too far from the headlines at the moment. This week a group of charities - Citizens Advice, Step Change and Christians Against Poverty - told the BBC they're seeing record numbers of people coming to them for help with problem debt. Why is that and what can people who're worried about debt do? We'll also look at the "Buy Now Pay Later" industry as the government looks impose regulation on the sector for the first time. And we'll talk about when credit can be used in ...
Mar 15, 2023•29 min
The charity Citizens Advice says it's seen a sharp rise in the number of working people accessing crisis support in the past few years. In 2022, of the 200,000 people helped with a food bank voucher or an emergency grant, almost 24,000 - about 1 in 8 of them - worked. That figure was up more than double the number in 2020. We'll speak to Citizens Advice and get a response from the government. We'll hear from Harriett Baldwin, the Chair of the Treasury Select Committee, on how she wants banks to ...
Mar 11, 2023•25 min
In the UK, millions of people go without the refunds, the replacements and resolutions they're entitled to - because they don’t know how to complain. In this podcast, we talk about the art of the complaint. What are your rights and how can you enforce them? The experts on the panel are Lisa Webb, senior lawyer at the consumer rights company Which?, and Helen Dewdney, a consumer champion. Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Amber Mehmood Editor: Elisabeth Mahy
Mar 08, 2023•29 min
Paul Lewis hears how complaints to the Energy Ombudsman reached a record high last year. Plus, the child benefit trap that is catching parents unawares. And we hear one listener's difficult experiences trying to sort out the financial affairs of her terminally ill father. Presented by Paul Lewis. Reporter is Dan Whitworth. Researchers were Sandra Hardial and Jo Krasner, studio manager Paul Lewis. Our editor is Clare Worden.
Mar 04, 2023•31 min
It’s estimated that more than 900,000 people in the UK have dementia but that’s a number that's on the rise. It’s a diagnosis that raises a lot of questions, from the care that might be needed to the impact on family members, and of course there are worries about how best to manage finances as the illness progresses. This podcast is for everyone, but especially anyone who has concerns about how to protect their financial future if they lose the ability to manage their own affairs. It’s also for ...
Mar 01, 2023•34 min
For the first time unmarried parents will be entitled to bereavement benefits after a change in law was passed this week. Until now these benefits have only been given to a bereaved spouse or civil partner. It comes more than four years since the Supreme Court ruled that denying them benefits was unlawful under the European Convention on Human Rights. The change will be backdated to the the day of that judgement 30 August 2018. We'll explain how it works and who can claim. Nearly a third of the ...
Feb 25, 2023•26 min
