Will this election really prove to be about Brexit? That issue was predicted to define the vote, but while each party’s Brexit stance will be at the forefront of people’s minds there are many other factors that now seem to be heavily influencing how the 12 December general election is shaping up. One of the biggest is the battle over the economy and our personal finances. There’s a sizeable difference between Labour’s tax and spending plans and those of the Tories. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democra...
Nov 29, 2019•51 min
Labour's election manifesto has been revealed and it involves a huge £82.9billion spending spree – to be funded by a similar tax rise. It outlined a 45p income tax rate above £80,000 and to leave no one in any doubt about its intentions opted to call its new 50p level above £125,000 the Super-Rich Rate. On this podcast, Simon Lambert, Georgie Frost and Lee Boyce run through the main financial points of Labour's manifesto, with a look at all the parties' plans due at a later date after the Tory m...
Nov 22, 2019•33 min
It could be you. It probably won't, of course, but maybe, just maybe, it could be. That's the attraction of Britain's lottery for its millions of players and this week it reached its 25th birthday. For self-proclaimed Lottery mug, Simon Lambert, that's two-and-a-half decades of spending money on the draw week-in, week-out because foolishly he has six numbers committed to memory. For some lucky people though, it's meant winning a life-changing sum of money, albeit for a handful it probably didn't...
Nov 17, 2019•47 min
What’s the best new or used electric car on the market, would buying your insurance on the day you need it drive up the price, and does London’s diesel-crunching ULEZ make sense? Those are the questions and more on this motoring special edition of the This is Money Podcast. On it, Georgie Frost and Simon Lambert are joined by deputy motoring editor Rob Hull to talk cars and money. First up, is our exclusive on how insurers are sneakily pushing up prices for those who buy cover close to when they...
Nov 08, 2019•41 min
Insurance claims for burglary rise by a third in the winter months and sometimes it can be down to households not doing basic checks. This week, editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost take a look what you can do to protect your home. Elsewhere, can you use Section 75 when booking a holiday on a credit through a third party? We take a look at what common myths many have when it comes to consumer rights, including: if a shop prices an item up wrong, is it obliged t...
Nov 01, 2019•49 min
What's the difference between loyalty and inertia? Do we get too little reward for the former and show too much of the latter when it comes to shopping and banking? That's the question Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost tackle in the podcast this week. It comes as Tesco – one of the original loyalty scheme pioneers – revealed its new paid-for Clubcard Plus, costing £7.99 per month. Meanwhile, Nationwide Building Society has also announced it is scrapping its hugely popular loyalty s...
Oct 25, 2019•53 min
Neil Woodford's Equity Income Fund, which has locked in investors' money since June, will never reopen – the star fund manager has seen his empire toppled. Editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost, ask: what is next for investors and what lessons will be learnt? We also talk about where it went wrong and what it could mean for the investment industry. Elsewhere, we reveal what makes a 'comfortable' retirement – and what changes you can make to ensure that you are d...
Oct 18, 2019•49 min
If you want a good deal, an undervalued gem, or a fixer-upper to make money on - buy a home at auction. That's the common theory, but does it actually work in practice? There's a chance you might find an underrated home, but there's also the risk that you may get caught up in competition with another buyer and overpay - as many who end up in a bidding war do. On this week's podcast, we switch off Homes Under the Hammer and go watch some real life homes go under the hammer at a property auction. ...
Oct 11, 2019•54 min
It’s crunch time for Brexit and things could go one of three ways. Theoretically, a no-deal Brexit shouldn’t be able to happen and the Prime Minister has to ask for an extension instead, but we are faced with the bizarre prospect of the Government saying it might be able to dodge the law… and so maybe no-deal could still happen. And then, of course, there is the possibility that instead of no-deal or an extension, we actually get a deal. Amid all this, we’ve had news that the UK economy slowed e...
Oct 04, 2019•51 min
We are regularly told that we aren’t saving enough into a pension, but how much is enough? A recent report suggested that while auto enrolment has dragged more people into saving for retirement, it has also lulled them into a false sense of security. Currently, the system means 8 per cent of a worker’s salary must be going into a pension – unless they opt out – but that includes their contribution, basic rate tax relief and what their employer puts in. Experts suggest that depending on when you ...
Sep 27, 2019•20 min
The best time to get a good deal on buying something is when other people don’t want to. That should theoretically make now a decent time to try to buy a property, but will that work in practice? The property market has run out of steam and house prices are rising at a far more moderate rate than in recent years While the headline figures mask regional differences – London and the South East have seen prices fall, while cheaper areas are still seeing gains – even drilling down into the numbers s...
Sep 20, 2019•31 min
Entrepreneurs and investors pay less tax on their profits to reflect the risk they take. That’s the principle that lies behind capital gains tax being lower than the rates charged on employment income. But the influential think-tank, the Institute for Public Policy Research, wants to rip up that system and charge the same rate on gains from selling shares or property as income tax – and hack back the annual capital gains tax allowance to just £1,000. It even wants to remove the special low entre...
Sep 13, 2019•37 min
Savers have been dealt a series of blows over the summer and the latest came this week with an NS&I cut, so was that as good as it gets this time round? On this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Sarah Davidson and Georgie Frost look at why savings rates have started to slip again, and how the mortgage price war, stuttering UK property market and even Donald Trump’s trade spat with China fit in with that. Meanwhile, after one of the most tumultuous weeks in British politics in a decade – at the ...
Sep 06, 2019•45 min
This week, This is Money takes a look at a raft of inter-generation financial divide stories that have popped up in August. This includes why those born in the 1980s have less disposable income than those born in the 1970s according to the Office for National Statistics and why the Bank of Mum and Dad is creaking. Assistant editor Lee Boyce, reporter George Nixon and host Georgie Frost run the rule over these statistics, along with proposals to raise the state pension age to 75. This was from a ...
Aug 30, 2019•45 min
It's fair to say environmental issues have moved to the forefront of the agenda in recent times – a large chunk of households in Britain are becoming more eco-conscious. This week, editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost take a look at potential changes you can make to help the pound in your pocket turn a little greener. Simon explains his rallying cry for us to be his acronym 'Layby' rather than being labelled 'Nimbys'. Layby – or look after your back yard – is a...
Aug 23, 2019•26 min
The pound has been battered and bruised of late and it took another blow last week with gloomy news about the UK economy. With a no-deal potentially in the offing, how much more of a pounding will sterling take? Editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost look at what lies behind the decline, why it's fallen so much when jobs, wages and inflation aren't doing badly and what it could mean for interest rates. We also ask: is a recession coming? And as the cost of living...
Aug 16, 2019•36 min
If you think you're too savvy to fall victim to a pension scam - or any scam for that matter - you might want to think again. Almost half of 45-65 year olds would potentially fall victim to six common tactics used by fraudsters, Financial Conduct Authority research claims. Editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost take a look, as it's revealed the average victim loses £82,000. A psychologist also reveals five common tricks used by scammers to get you to part with yo...
Aug 09, 2019•52 min
Changes in tax rules that will be introduced next year could hit the income of anyone who's self-employed - such as IT experts and business consultants. Editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost look at why it is being called a 'ticking timebomb' for contractors. Elsewhere, as the PPI deadline fast approaches, what will it mean for banks and consumers – and why you should DIY a claim before it's too late. Things go from bad to worse for Neil Woodford investors, as m...
Aug 02, 2019•49 min
Out go Theresa May and Philip Hammond, in come Boris Johnson and Sajid David – will it result in your finances falling out of top gear, or going on a grand tour? That's the question editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost tackle this week, as we have a new Prime Minister at the helm, and a new Chancellor as his sidekick. Boris has hinted at a stamp duty cut, an income tax cut, a fix for the social care crisis and promised more police officers and better infrastruc...
Jul 26, 2019•51 min
The threat of no deal is looming larger – just a few months after people had decided a softer Brexit was on the cards. This week we had the Office of Budget Responsibility’s verdict on what a ‘benign’ no-deal Brexit scenario might look like for the economy. It would cost us £30billion, unemployment would rise to 5%, the pound would fall 10% and house prices would go down by the same amount. And that’s not based on the IMF’s worst case scenario. The Chancellor said things could actually be more p...
Jul 19, 2019•48 min
It's official: IHT is the country's most hated tax. That's according to the Office of Tax Simplification, who have been looking into the quirks of the system at the request of the Chancellor. What needs to change – and could a Labour plan, bubbling away in the background, really be the answer? Editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost take a look. Whatever happens with IHT, most want to leave as much of their wealth as possible to loved ones when they pass away – so...
Jul 12, 2019•40 min
t’s been more than a month since Britain’s most high profile fund manager Neil Woodford was embarrassingly forced to close the doors to his flagship fund. Since then, investors have been unable to sell out and this week - after the first 28 days of closure rolled round - Woodford Equity Income locked savers in for another four weeks. Over the past month, Woodford, his business, its associates and the entire fund management industry have been thrown under the spotlight, but ultimately, will all t...
Jul 05, 2019•37 min
The bumper fees we pay to estate agents to sell our homes are a common gripe, so what’s not to like about one that offers to do it for free? Yes, free. Online agent Housesimple says that it will sell your home at no charge, rather than the 1.5 per cent you might pay a traditional High Street agent, or even the £900 or thereabouts that rival fixed fee agents charge. So, what’s the catch and would taking up this kind of offer be a good idea? On this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Georgie Frost and...
Jun 28, 2019•50 min
Two-thirds of savers are being told to abandon final salary pensions - and this is despite the Financial Conduct Authority saying that advisers should start with the standpoint this is not a suitable option. That revelation arrived this week as the FCA said too much advice on valuable pensions is 'still not of an acceptable standard.' Are people getting the right advice about their gold-plated pensions, or are they right to jump ship? That's the question tackled by editor Simon Lambert, assistan...
Jun 21, 2019•46 min
Much is made of the difficulties faced by first-time buyers to get onto the property ladder, but less talked about is the problem facing second steppers and those looking to downsize. As growing families struggle to afford to move up the property ladder could intergenerational house-swaps be the answer? That's the question editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost tackle this week. What are the potential stamp duty and inheritance tax traps to look out for, and is i...
Jun 14, 2019•40 min
It's been a rocky week to say the least for Britain's most recognisable fund manager Neil Woodford – he suspended trading in his flagship fund, leaving savers unable to access their cash. And we still don't know the future of Sir Philip Green and his Arcadia empire, after a crucial rescue vote was suspended. This is Money assistant editor Lee Boyce, retail reporter Emily Hardy and host Georgie Frost discuss how it has gone wrong for the pair. What has led Woodford to this point, could there be a...
Jun 07, 2019•48 min
We often talk about good retirement planning being key to more secure and happier future – but what happens if the figures you were working on were completely wrong – and it's not your maths to blame… Editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost discuss a string of incorrect state pension forecasts sent out that will result in many facing a poorer retirement than expected. The Government only admits to making occasional errors but a former Pensions Minister reckons the...
May 31, 2019•40 min
The mortgage price war claimed a high profile victim this week as Tesco Bank scrapped lending. A great adventure into the world of banking - billed as a major challenge to the High Street banking giants with mortgages promoted in the aisles – has come to an end. Tesco Bank will continue with its other products, but why has it ditched mortgages, why have a string of other smaller players shut their doors in recent months, and why did building society behemoth Nationwide issue its own caution on h...
May 24, 2019•47 min
There’s an old saying that money doesn’t buy happiness, which is often swiftly countered with the suggestion that while this may be the case, having enough not to worry about it definitely helps. There are no shortage of cautionary tales that tell us it is better to be happy than rich, but does it matter if some people have an awful lot more money than others? And does it matter to both them and society how they got it - and whether it was earned by hard work? An in-depth five-year study was lau...
May 17, 2019•54 min
Many people say they would like to have a crack at a Grand Design of their own – or even a more modest one – but finding somewhere to build it is a problem. That’s why despite self-builders typically turning an immediate paper profit of 15 to 30%, according to specialist BuildStore, not many of us take the plunge. Things could be about to change for the better, however, as keen to encourage more people to self-build the Government has told councils to launch Right to Build registers and make lan...
May 10, 2019•43 min
