This is Money Podcast

Has Nationwide found a willing formula with its cash bonuses?

The great wealth transfer - and to do with a windfall

What red flags do you need to spot before you buy a home - and how do you find them?

How long did you take looking round your home before you put an offer in for it? The average prospective buyer spends just 43 minutes. Surprise, surprise, research suggests that it pays to take your time. This is week, Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce talk about what should be on your checklist before you take the plunge and buy a property. Should you go by vibes alone, or do you really need to kick the tyres? And when you do buy, what happens if the seller leaves junk like a mouldy fr...

How low will interest rates go - and what does it mean for you?

Why is the bond market so powerful?

When it comes to investing, it's stock markets that regularly hog the headlines but it's government bond markets that really matter. Share prices taking a prolonged tumble is one thing but if bonds take a hammering, the financial world starts to really the notice. A textbook example occurred a few weeks ago when in the aftermath of Donald Trump's introduction of US tariffs, stock markets took a dive and the President refused to budge. But when bond market ructions started to get investors and ev...

Banks want to lend you a bigger mortgage - but is that a good idea?

Major banks are tweaking their rules to allow borrowers to get bigger mortgages, while a new upstart lender is offering seven times salary home loans. Is this a welcome easing of the too tight rules to suit people’s needs or the start of a recipe for financial disaster? On this week’s podcast, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert dive into the world of mortgages and look at whether lenders are coming up with a solution or creating more problems. Is this a repeat of the heady days before th...

Is it finally time for the UK stock market to shine?

Amid Donald Trump's tariff madness, there may be a silver lining for British investors. With American exceptionalism swiftly being replaced with American erraticism, the UK is attracting the eye of international investors. They see the FTSE - and its European counterparts - as a relative bastion of sanity and somewhere that a rules-based trading system can ride out the storm away from a US government seemingly intent on tearing up the rulebook and throwing the pieces in the air to see where they...

Are two-year mortgages fashionable again - and why are first-time buyers borrowing less from family?

For years, two-year fixes were the mortgage of choice for most homeowners - but borrowers piled into five-year deals in 2022 and 2023 in a bid to lock in super-low rates. Now, UK Finance figures show shorter fixed deals are once again back in vogue. Does that mean people think rates are heading down - and what do you need to think about when choosing yours? This is Money's Helen Crane and Georgie Frost discuss. Elsewhere in the property market, TSB data reveals that the average first-time buyer ...

Trump tariff shock rocks the markets: What happens next?

Markets around the world have slumped, the dollar weakened and fears mount of a global recession, after Donald Trump announced huge 'reciprocal' tariffs on over 100 countries. The UK appears to have got off lightly, attracting just the baseline 10 per cent tariff - but even that will wipe out the Chancellor's beloved headroom and leaves the door wide open for tax rises in the Autumn. How else could it hit us here? From pensions, investments, mortgages and energy bills, Georgie Frost, Simon Lambe...

What the Spring Statement means for your finances

Rachel Reeves is back to where she started after the Spring Statement, with her £9.9billion of budget headroom restored but at what cost. The Chancellor was true to her word and didn't turn this week's economic update into a second Budget, with no tax changes coming in. But a wave of spending cuts was announced, along with growth forecasts going both down and up. We also got the Office for Budget Responsibility's update on what Reeves' Autumn Budget tax rises will cost us, a threat to cash Isas ...

Rachel Reeves is between a rock and a hard place - will it cost you more tax?

Rachel Reeves is due to deliver her Spring Statement next week and it's probably safe to say this isn't the position she wanted to be in. After an Autumn Budget that raised spending and hiked taxes while locking the Chancellor in with a new fiscal rule, Reeves would have hoped to arrive in March with better news on the economy. Instead, Labour's not-a-tax-on-working-people national insurance hike on employers has backfired, at the same time as the growth forecasts have taken a downturn and borro...

How worried should investors be about the Trump slump?

Investors this week have been hit by the 'Trump Slump.' Why is the US President rattling markets and is it the end of the US bull market? Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce discuss what you should be doing to make your investments great again. How will the UK handle potential tariffs, should investors be in panic mode and what do experts say you should be doing to navigate the geopolitical turmoil? Pension freedom rules came into play 10 years ago - these allowed retirees to take control...

Pension gurus on top-ups and sums behind a comfortable retirement

People with gaps in their state pension records have just one more month to take advantage of a special offer to buy missing years going as far back as 2006. As long as you get your payment or a callback request in by 5 April you can still benefit from the deal, but after that you will only be able to fill gaps from the past six years. And many are facing a backlog with payments in limbo – so what's going on? This week pension gurus Sir Steve Webb and Tanya Jefferies join Lee Boyce and Georgie F...

How much do you need to earn to feel rich?

If you earn a six figure salary then you have a far bigger income than most of the population. That's a multiple of the £37,500 median full-time salary and represents the kind of money that most people will only ever dream of. But would that equate to feeling rich? The cost of living and tax mean that increasing numbers of six figure earners are saying they aren't that wealthy. And surprisingly, more people seem to be agreeing with them - a recent This is Money poll of 7,600 people showed that 7...

Inflation strikes back: How worried do we need to be?

Should cash Isas be made less generous to encourage us to invest more?

The future of the cash Isa has been in the spotlight of late, with rumours the Chancellor could tinker with one of Britain's best loved tax breaks. It's believed some city bosses are lobbying her to make the limit less generous, and push more people into investing their money instead. While just speculation, it's a move that would certainly ruffle a few feathers. This week, Lee Boyce, Georgie Frost and Angharad Carrick discuss the future of Isas and ask: Should people with cash parked in savings...

Will interest rates keep falling and can we dodge recession?

The Bank of England has delivered another rate cut but big questions remain over what happens next? Forecasters had largely agreed that this year would see another two base rate cuts, but the Bank delivered a pair of verdicts that could push ratesetters down a different path. Firstly, it slashed its growth forecast for 2025 from 1.5 per cent to just 0.75 per cent. Secondly, it said inflation would rise well above target to 3.7 per cent. So what does this mean for the UK economy, interest rates ,...

Is current account switching boom driven by cash carrots on offer from banks - or something else?

More than a million people switched current account last year - the second time it has ticked over the 1m mark. So, who is winning the switching battle and is it all driven by people chasing a quick and easy buck from banks? Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost dive into the data and also look at why you might not be rich enough to bank with HSBC anymore... if you want its exclusive account. The Government rules out forcing businesses to accept cash - is that a smart move? Need help with your tax return?...

Should you avoid a 40-year mortgage? The rise of long-life loans

How much money are homeowners now making when they sell?

How much homeowners are making when they come to sell up is shrinking - new data shows home-selling profits are at its lowest point for nearly a decade. This week, Simon Lambert, Georgie Frost and Lee Boyce discuss the figures and delve into the pockets of Britain where house asking prices have grown the most in the past year, bucking the trend. With looming stamp duty changes happening in April, what will that do to the property market... and is it a fair system? With billions of pounds worth o...

What’s gone wrong for the UK's finances, is it Rachel Reeves’ fault and how bad is it?

You have to feel for Rachel Reeves. After establishing a solid reputation in opposition, things haven’t gone to plan as Chancellor so far. Her Autumn Budget led to widespread criticism over tax rises on employment and extra costs for businesses, while questions abound over whether her plans will deliver the growth Labour promised voters. Now, a slow burn rise in the UK’s borrowing costs has led to gilt yields surpassing the levels seen after Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng’s ill-fated mini-Budget. ...

Why aren't energy bills going down - and what to do if your smart meter goes mad

In a not very happy start to the new year, Ofgem's energy price cap went up on 1 January from £1,717 to £1,738. Energy experts at Cornwall Insight say it will go up again in April - and by more than they initially expected. So why are bills rising? After all, we are a long way from the peak of the gas price crisis back in 2021. This week, Georgie Frost and Helen Crane discuss when they will finally go back to normal - and whether fixed rates are a good deal again. The team also talk about an Oct...

A decade of the This is Money podcast in our special live epsiode

In a special epsiode, we hosted our first live podcast at our offices to celebrate a decade of discussing Britain's personal finances. Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Helen Crane talk through 10 years of huge and unexpected financial developments, from Brexit and President Trump to Covid and the cost-of-living crisis. Some of our valued listeners were in the audience as we covered major themes that have erupted in our financial lives since 2014, including Liz Truss's infamous 'mini-B...

Going local with Alastair Humphreys - how to have a money saving adventure close to home

On this special bonus episode of the This is Money Podcast, Simon Lambert catches up with Alastair Humphreys about his quest to find adventure close to home. Alastair, a genuine global adventurer, who featured on our Making The Money Work Podcast series in 2020 , recently published his book Local: A Search for Nearby Nature and Wildness . It told the story of his year spent swapping travelling the world for exploring the grid squares of the Ordance Survey map centred on his home location. In thi...

What happened to our finances in 2024 - and what comes next in 2025?

Are we getting a fair deal on energy bills?

How rich do you feel - and does a £100,000 salary still make you wealthy?

How much spare cash do you have to spend? A new index shows we typically have £836 in disposable income each month. That’s the amount of money you have left over to spend or save after taxes and bills have been paid, according to comprehensive research. This week, Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce talk income and ask... does a £100,000 annual salary really not make workers feel wealthy anymore? The annual list of happiest and unhappiest towns to live in Britain has been released, with S...

What next for house prices and is it harder to buy a home now vs 1974?

House price predictions for next year have started to roll in, so where do the experts think they are headed next? Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Lee Boyce discuss the property market - and delve into figures that attempt to tackle the tricky question: is it harder to buy a home now versus 50 years ago. And sticking with property, Halifax has launched a highly unusual fixed-rate mortgage - should borrowers be tempted? With the weather turning colder, we talk how to stay warm this winter without ...

Are interest rate cuts about to stall?

Inflation's spell below the Bank of England's 2 per cent target has been brief and the latest CPI figure came in at a higher than expected 2.3 per cent. Meanwhile, Bank of England boss Andrew Bailey has joined the Office of Budget Responsibility in stating that the recent Autumn Budget is likely to lift inflation, as employers face higher costs from national insurance and the rising minimum wage. On the other side of the Atlantic, President-elect Donald Trump is seen as bringing his own inflatio...

Why have crypto prices soared in the past week - and do you need to pay tax on profits?

Crypto has been a little quiet of late. Out of the spotlight, minding its own business. But Donald Trump gets voted back in as US president and boom - bitcoin surged beyond $90,000 for the first time. The rest of the crypto market has also seen a boost, so what's going on? Where is it likely to head next and what do you need to be aware of if you are cashing out your gains? Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost delve into bitcoin and friends to give their verdict. The number of Isa milliona...