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 s...
Mar 23, 2018•47 min
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 Stra...
Mar 16, 2018•57 min
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 Boy...
Mar 09, 2018•50 min
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. Follow us on Instagram @dmgnewmedia. Follow us on TikTok @dmgnewmedia Follow us on X @dmgnewmedia Email us hello@dmgmedia.co.uk Text us 020 7938 6000. Hosts: Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce, Helen Crane Producer: Georgie Frost Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy ...
Mar 07, 2018•2 min
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 Ricka...
Mar 02, 2018•47 min
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 rea...
Feb 23, 2018•55 min
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 Bri...
Feb 16, 2018•45 min
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 Stre...
Feb 09, 2018•43 min
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 Bo...
Feb 02, 2018•52 min
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...
Jan 26, 2018•50 min
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 serv...
Jan 19, 2018•44 min
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 I...
Jan 12, 2018•47 min
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. Follow us on Instagram @dmgnewmedia. Follow us on TikTok @dmgnewmedia Follow us on X @dmgnewmedia Email us hello@dmgmedia.co.uk Text us 020 7938 6000. Hosts: Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce, Helen Crane Pro...
Jan 08, 2018•3 min
From savings rates, to property prices and the prospects for the UK economy, this week we take a look at what will (might) happen to our finances in 2018. Predictions – as we all know – are a mug’s game, but as it is the start of a new year, it’s time to have a look at what could happen in 2018 in the world of money. Inflation is forecast to subside, while interest rates are only tipped to rise very gently. That would be a boost to people’s finances if wage inflation can get back up above the ri...
Jan 05, 2018•43 min
Facts are either right or wrong, right? ...wrong? In this special episode of the This is Money podcast Tim Harford, presenter of the BBC series More or Less and all-round Undercover Economist makes a second guest appearance. We talk about facts and stats - checking them, debunking them, reporting them, baffling with them, battling over them. But that's just the start. Tim argues that we think of facts as being either the truth or lies, but that actually factual claims can form part of our identi...
Dec 29, 2017•27 min
Have you ever really thought about what it is that creates the modern economy? These are the things that surround us and we interact with, or depend on, everyday but rarely think about. From credit cards, to shipping containers, batteries and double-entry book-keeping, there are a lot of things that are more interesting than you may think. And for this special Christmas edition of the This is Money podcast we have a treat for you. Tim Harford, author of Fifty Things that Made the Modern Economy,...
Dec 22, 2017•48 min
It’s time for the annual This is Money Christmas taste test – and our look at how the supermarket business is faring. This year, the contenders are Sainsbury’s for the mass market, Waitrose for the upmarket, and Lidl for the discount challenger. But which will come out on top across a range of Christmas food and who delivered the cheapest bill? Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce take on Georgie Frost’s festive feast to find out in this week’s podcast and discuss whether the big supermarkets are doing b...
Dec 15, 2017•58 min
It's been a decent year for investors and major stock markets around the world are trading near record highs.Things may continue to go up, but it always pays to have a Plan B just in case they don't and stock markets take a tumble.Simon Lambert, of This is Money, explains how you can build a disaster plan into your portfolio. Follow us on Instagram @dmgnewmedia. Follow us on TikTok @dmgnewmedia Follow us on X @dmgnewmedia Email us hello@dmgmedia.co.uk Text us 020 7938 6000. Hosts: Georgie Frost,...
Dec 13, 2017•6 min
Could you train your brain to get richer? Behavioural economics tells us that we regularly behave irrationally – and nudge theory has been used by governments and organisations around the world to try to make us better people. But could you take matters into your own hands, tackle your own temptations and make yourself wealthier, or just happier? On this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost look at some tricks you can deploy – and whether you can actually turn that old ches...
Dec 08, 2017•36 min
Bitcoin has risen more than tenfold this year and doubled in just seven weeks. But can it keep rising as adoption gets more widespread, does blockchain's promise justify the price, and does any of this matter as to whether it is in a bubble or not?In this excerpt from the This is Money podcast, Simon Lambert and Georgie Frost discuss Bitcoin's astonishing rise. Follow us on Instagram @dmgnewmedia. Follow us on TikTok @dmgnewmedia Follow us on X @dmgnewmedia Email us hello@dmgmedia.co.uk Text us ...
Dec 05, 2017•5 min
Britain’s car industry is crying foul, as not a single new diesel car avoids the Budget tax hike because the test they have to pass hasn’t come in yet. Car makers claim that new diesels are fine, but can we believe them? Meanwhile, campaigners want extra taxes and a serious crackdown on diesel drivers, but it’s ended up with councils leading the way with a piece-meal approach. Who should we believe, has the drive to get rid of diesel gone too far, and is it employing bad science? This week, Simo...
Dec 01, 2017•42 min
The Chancellor axed stamp duty for first-time buyers in the Budget up to £300,000, but his own watchdog claimed it would drive up house prices. So is the Office of Budget Responsibility right? Simon Lambert says its logic is flawed and that we need to be even more radical on stamp duty - maybe even making the seller pay. Follow us on Instagram @dmgnewmedia. Follow us on TikTok @dmgnewmedia Follow us on X @dmgnewmedia Email us hello@dmgmedia.co.uk Text us 020 7938 6000. Hosts: Georgie Frost, Simo...
Nov 29, 2017•5 min
It was billed as a make or break Budget, so did the Chancellor pitch it right? Philip Hammond pulled a George Osborne-sized rabbit from the hat at the end with the abolition of stamp duty for first-time buyers, but was that enough to make us to forget the gloomy economic news and the gags?On the plus side, the Budget brought an income tax cut for most, the promise of more homes being built, and no more stamp duty for most first-time buyers.On the negative side, economists say we are due another ...
Nov 24, 2017•45 min
Yes, it’s another Budget. On Wednesday, November 22, Philip Hammond will stand up and deliver his second Budget of the year and this is his chance to ride to the Conservatives’ rescue.After the last Budget mess, the snap election that went wrong, the unexpected rise of Corbynism, and the Brexit arguments that just won’t go away, the Chancellor will be hoping that he’s the one to get everything back on track.So what could he deliver – and what should he?From help for younger people, to stamp duty...
Nov 17, 2017•31 min
Have you ever dreamed of retiring early, or at least choosing to work on your own terms?There is a niche but growing movement that’s all about financial independence - it’s not necessarily about stopping work completely, but it is about having the choice to do so.So, could you achieve financial independence, how hard would it be and how long would it take?And why would you even want to retire early?On this week’s This is Money podcast, Simon Lambert, Laura Whitcombe and Georgie Frost stick it to...
Nov 10, 2017•47 min
How quickly does the Bank of England think that the base rate will rise after its first move up? Simon Lambert looks at the figures and outlines the good, the bad and the awkward, in this excerpt from the This is Money podcast. Follow us on Instagram @dmgnewmedia. Follow us on TikTok @dmgnewmedia Follow us on X @dmgnewmedia Email us hello@dmgmedia.co.uk Text us 020 7938 6000. Hosts: Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce, Helen Crane Producer: Georgie Frost Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac...
Nov 08, 2017•3 min
It finally happened. The Bank of England raised interest rates for the first time in more than a decade this week.But what was the point of that rate rise? It was certainly a curiosity, coming alongside a decidedly downbeat Inflation Report.Was it to dampen inflation, to send a warning sign to borrowers, or just to put a tiny smile on beleaguered savers’ faces?On this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Rachel Rickard Straus and Georgie Frost look at why the Bank raised rates and what it means for yo...
Nov 03, 2017•53 min
Do you have a will? If not you should probably get one. But if you do have one, do you understand what’s in it? According to Will Aid, MORE THAN HALF (54%) of parents with children under the age of 18 don’t have a will. That’s 54 per cent minus one person now, however, after This is Money editor Simon Lambert finally got his act together and sorted his out. So what do you need to know about getting a will, what’s easy, what’s complicated and what are the things you don’t want to think about but ...
Oct 27, 2017•46 min
Inheritance tax is one of the most hated around. Despite the fact that most people will never leave enough wealth to have it charged on their estates, we really don't like the idea of 40% above a certain amount going to the taxman. But IHT is also a tax that can be avoided. How? Listen to this week's podcast to find out, as Simon Lambert, Georgie Frost and Sarah Davidson discuss all things inheritance. They look at how it works, ways to avoid it and the traps you could fall into. They also have ...
Oct 20, 2017•47 min
Behavioural economists believe a gentle nudge in the right direction can make you richer and over recent years they have managed to win the ears of governments around the world – including the UK’s.This week one of the thinkers who helped spread the word on behavioural economics, Professor Richard Thaler, won a Nobel Prize for economics.In the old world of economics textbooks, people behaved perfectly rationally and made the right choices. In the real world, of course, we don’t. We make irration...
Oct 13, 2017•48 min
