This is Money's Simon Lambert gives his tips for young pension savers on how to give their retirement fund a big boost - and in some instances double the pot they end up with. 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 for more information....
Sep 19, 2023•2 min
If the triple lock is stuck to, the state pension should rise by 8.5 per cent next April. That will be an inflation-busting rise but a promise is a promise - and the triple lock is meant to be a cast iron guarantee that the state pension will rise by either 2.5 per cent, average wages, or inflation. Except it's already been unpicked once and arguing about whether the government can wriggle out of it has become an annual event. It's expensive and paid for by current workers, but the triple lock h...
Sep 15, 2023•44 min
Every child could receive a pot of £1,000 at birth to be channelled into long-term investments in UK growth under proposals to give the young a leg up and revive a ‘stagnant’ economy. The idea of a ‘New Generation Trust’ is part of a package of reforms that could add £225billion to the economy, says a report by the City of London Corporation. A £1,000 payment to all newborn children would need to be invested - and it is claimed this could provide long-term capital for UK PLC. It revives memories...
Sep 08, 2023•1 hr
Inflation has been ravaging our finances, but it is also threatening our future. According to new research, if you want a comfortable retirement, you need to build a pot of nearly £600,000. The rising cost of living requires an extra £4,200 a year to maintain the same lifestyle as in spring last year - which means you have to save another £69,000 in all. This week, Tanya Jefferies, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Helen Crane delve into pensions, as separate research shows more than half of people s...
Sep 01, 2023•51 min
Many people may be feeling in a state of financial flux at the moment and wondering where to put their money. And it's not an easy choice. Savings rates have improved, gold is holding steady, but property prices are slipping and stocks are sticky. And that is just some of the myriad of options Britons are contemplating right now, alongside other areas such as overpaying the mortgage or saving for retirement. So, where would you put your money for the next five years? That’s the question the This...
Aug 26, 2023•1 hr 12 min
The inflation spike took central banks, governments and many ordinary people by surprise but Britain’s cost of living problem has proved more stubborn that most. The latest set of official figures on consumer prices index inflation seem to show that the UK may be making some headway on getting it down. Aided by a substantial drop in the energy price cap, annual CPI inflation fell to 6.8 per cent in July – down from 7.9 per cent in June. Does that mean we have turned a corner on inflation and can...
Aug 18, 2023•44 min
After months of mortgage mayhem some better news finally arrived this week with major lenders delivering a slew of hefty rate cuts. Halifax, Nationwide, and NatWest have all delivered big chops to their home loans, with analysts saying that we may be past the moment of peak panic in the mortgage market. That’s the silver lining to a very dark cloud though, as mortgage rates are far higher than they have been in recent years and almost all of those whose fixes come up for renewal will face paying...
Aug 11, 2023•51 min
When it comes to HM Revenue & Customs, it's safe to say that many business owners and accountants have become well-acquainted with chaos. The push for a digital tax system has left some waiting months to receive basic tax information - and following a This is Money investigation, where we spoke to someone inside the madness, we have received an avalanche of taxman woe. This week, Angharad Carrick, Tanya Jefferies, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost reveal what's been going on - and whether customer...
Aug 04, 2023•53 min
Energy firms have had their feet held to the fire this week. The industry as a whole has been blasted by the regulator Ofgem over poor customer service, while our investigation revealed that 200 customers don't think Ovo has been billing them properly . Meanwhile, British Gas has been in the spotlight for its bumper profits, which jumped by a whopping 889 per cent for the first half of this year. These firms are certainly making plenty of money - so should they be spending more of it to help the...
Jul 28, 2023•50 min
Earlier in the week, the consumer prices index measure of inflation fell by more than expected thanks to a fall in transport and food prices. It eased to 7.9 per cent in June, a bigger drop than expected, according to the Office for National Statistics. This was the lowest CPI rate since March 2022 when inflationary pressures began to amplify the headline figure. So what does that mean for the typical household and for potential future base rate rises? Lee Boyce, Sam Barker and Georgie Frost del...
Jul 21, 2023•47 min
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 for more information.
Jul 17, 2023•52 min
Banks have come into the firing line this week over current account closures and slowness to pass on base rate rises to savers. Nigel Farage claims his bank shut his current account over his Brexit views – the former politician has been vocal on Twitter about his treatment by Coutts, while the exclusive bank with a high net wealth clientele has fired back. So, can banks realistically do that to you? Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce tell you all the reasons your bank can close your curr...
Jul 07, 2023•50 min
Artificial intelligence has burst into the headlines over the past year and generated excitement among investors. But as with any exciting new technology that has generated a lot of hype, there will be pitfalls for investors along the way. If you want to invest in the AI revolution, what other companies could benefit and what do you need to consider. This is Money's Simon Lambert speaks to eToro’s Sam North to find out more. Follow us on Instagram @dmgnewmedia. Follow us on TikTok @dmgnewmedia F...
Jul 07, 2023•5 min
There has been plenty of doom and gloom in recent months – and today, we go searching for cheerier news. The energy price cap will fall from the weekend, plunging to £2,074 – below the £2,500 set Energy Price Guarantee from the Government. So, what should you be doing to prepare – and what does that mean for your usage? Will we soon see the return of fixed tariffs? This week Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Lee Boyce discuss the new price cap, along with a sneaky move from a major energy supplier ...
Jun 30, 2023•59 min
The Bank of England’s bumper 0.5 per cent rate hike this week was the 13th rise in a row. After sitting on their hands for more than a decade, ratesetters have been shaken out of their slumbers by an inflation storm. By historic standards 5 per cent is not high for interest rates, but unfortunately for borrowers we also started from a historic low and have gone from 0.1 per cent to here in just 18 months. The belated headlong rush into raising rates is also the exact opposite of what the Bank of...
Jun 23, 2023•50 min
The mortgage market is mayhem, with lenders pulling deals and rapidly hiking rates. Average fixed mortgage rates have soared over the past month and we are now at the stage where it looks a lot like the panic after the mini-Budget. At the same time savings rates are going gangbusters and there is barely a day that passes without a new best buy. Meanwhile, UK gilt yields have also leapt, sending the UK’s borrowing costs even higher. What on earth is going on? On this podcast, Georgie Frost, Helen...
Jun 17, 2023•47 min
Universal basic income is a controversial idea and not just because it's money for nothing. Paying everyone a set amount every month as a baseline level of income has intrigued economists and central bank geeks for years. Supporters say it has the power to improve physical and mental health and the economy and society, but critics say it's the start of a slippery slope to state dependency and control. A new proposed trial for 30 people in the UK to get £1,600 a month has put the topic back on th...
Jun 09, 2023•53 min
Forget 5 per cent savings rates. Forget 7 per cent. A new regular savings deal has landed paying a headline-grabbing 9 per cent . But, is it actually a good deal? Saffron Building Society aren't the only savings provider pumping up rates, with fixed-rates now hitting 5.25 per cent. And cash Isas are back with a bang with a record amount poured into tax-free accounts in March and April . That comes as more savers look to shield their money from the taxman, with more potentially busting their Pers...
Jun 02, 2023•59 min
We had some good news this week about our energy bills - or did we? Ofgem's price cap is coming down - saving households around £400 a year on average. The last 18 months have been horrendous for households, so bad the Government had to step in in October and introduce a price freeze - but that was still double what the typical bill payer would have had to fork out a year previously. And although the cap is coming down, the removal of Government grants means most people will actually only be sav...
May 26, 2023•45 min
Almost five times as many people will soon be paying 40 per cent tax than in the early 1990s, when it was seen as a tax bracket reserved for the rich, the Institute for Fiscal Studies warned this week. It said that fiscal drag triggered by freezing the higher rate tax threshold would pull 7.8million people into its net by 2027 . The study suggested that the threshold would have to be almost doubled from its current level, at £50,271, to almost £100,000 to return the tax band to the level intende...
May 19, 2023•52 min
And there it was, another interest rate hike. Another quarter point move up seems almost commonplace now but cast your mind back to the era after the financial crisis and we had to wait nearly ten years for the base rate to climb above its 0.5 per cent 'emergency level'. It cut got first and then base rate got all the way to the heady heights of 0.75 per cent, before it was cut again when Covid hit. Yet, less than 18 months since the Bank of England started raising rates in December 2021, base r...
May 12, 2023•49 min
A row over housebuilding has erupted again. Labour leader Keir Starmer has said he would bring back a 300,000 annual housebuilding target, after Rishi Sunak scrapped it. Meanwhile, some backbench Tory MPs are reportedly unhappy about their party ditching that target in the first place – with the number having featured in the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto. At the same time Michael Gove has been cheered in many quarters for blocking a development in Kent, as it was deemed to be poor quality an...
May 05, 2023•48 min
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 for more information.
Apr 28, 2023•46 min
Premium Bonds are a national institution and their prize-giving place in British savers' hearts was only cemented further through the low interest rate years. But now interest rates are on the rise and Premium Bonds offer not only the chance to win £1million but also a much better rate of return. The average prize fund rate on Premium Bonds has reached the heady heights of 3.3 per cent - going head-to-head with top easy access savings deals. But what many savers may not realise is that their cha...
Apr 21, 2023•51 min
As if buying a home wasn’t enough of a lottery, borrowers are now facing a major gamble on their mortgage. Whether buying or remortgaging, they need to work out how long to fix for and try to assess what might happen next to interest rates. On the basis that even the world’s top economists and investors didn’t spot the past year’s sudden interest rate spike coming and can’t agree on what central banks will do next, that’s a tough task. Five-year fixed rates are cheaper than two-year fixed rates,...
Apr 14, 2023•52 min
The state pension is getting a boost this week, meaning many pensioners will see their payments go above £200 per week or £10,000 per year for the first time. The Government has also recently announced that it is delaying a decision on hiking up the state pension age to 68 until after the next election – perhaps influenced by protests across the channel. Pension commentators said move would be 'incredibly unpopular', and likely 'political suicide'. Governments don’t like to upset retirees becaus...
Apr 06, 2023•38 min
Just when you thought the cost of living crisis was meant to be on its way out another round of bill hikes are hitting. From council tax to mobile bills, seemingly every organisation wants another piece of your bank account - and some of the rises are even higher than inflation. Is there anything you can do about it? Could a bit of switching, planning and another round of cutting back on energy usage, shave some money off? And is there light at the end of the tunnel? On this podcast, Georgie Fro...
Mar 30, 2023•46 min
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water... A banking crisis has seemingly emerged out of nowhere, in a system that we've been told is stable, well capitalised and far from its parlous state when the credit crunch and financial crisis struck. So, what is going on and why did both the Federal Reserve in the US and the Bank of England see fit to raise interest rates this week? On this week's podcast Georgie Frost and Simon Lambert talk interest rates: whether we have hit the base ...
Mar 24, 2023•51 min
Jeremy Hunt had a spring in his step this week as he delivered his Budget. It was a considerably different air to the gloomy warning of trouble ahead in his November Autumn Statement. The headline act was a major shake-up of pension saving rules, removing restrictions that limit the amount that can go in without tax penalties. The lifetime allowance was abolished rather than raised, the annual allowance got a big bump, and rules to stop pension recycling were eased. Was this a bung for the rich ...
Mar 17, 2023•59 min
You'd like to imagine that when it came to the state pension, you'd be dealing with a more robust system than the ones that deliver the average customer service nightmare. Savers could be forgive for questioning whether that was the case after a string of recent blunders. First we had the underpaid women's state pensions scandal, now we have the pension top-ups system creaking at the seams, at the same time as it turns out there may be a serious problem with the records of those who have receive...
Mar 10, 2023•47 min
