This is Money Podcast

Around the same time that once-loved High Street retailer BHS was tumbling into administration, the journalist Roberto Saviano, who spent more 10 years exposing the criminal workings of the Mafia, announced to the Hay Literary Festival that Britain was the most corrupt country on the planet.Our financial affairs, it seems are being eyed with interest and suspicion around the world.What better way to celebrate then, than to have another high-profile inquiry into the shenanigans behind the BHS collapse in front of Parliament and the world media?Last week we heard of death threats in the boardroom. This week was the turn of BHS’s previous owner Sir Philip Green to face the panel of MPs, who asked some pointed questions about the company’s demise.Why had he sold it for a quid?Had he taken millions of pounds out of the company knowing that the British Government would be liable for its multi-million pound pensions hole? Or did he really believe the company would be better off in the hands of a new, twice-bankrupt owner?Green wasn’t happy. He’s made some promises but they lacked detail and conviction. The saga is far from over. His wife, the beneficiary of much of the tax-free BHS millions, is likely to be next in the ‘dock’. Also this week, we have another look at the childlike lies peddled by EU referendum campaigners. It’s an important debate, this EU thing. Britain might be about to commit economic suicide but the campaigns have been, frankly, pathetic. Meanwhile… Inflation is flat lining – are we about to face a cut in interest rates? Investors are pulling money out of UK – but where are they finding opportunities? And finally…Nine years on from the financial crisis, around 100,000 people who bought off-plan properties that never got built in Spain have a chance of getting their money back. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's not been a great week for big business? Sir Philip Green and the bosses at BHS have seen even greater criticism and Sports Direct's Mike Ashley was hauled in front of MPs.So is our modern of big business capitalism going badly wrong?Have we built an economy where it's low pay and bad conditions for the workers but huge rewards for the bosses?Do we need to worry about inequality?Simon Lambert and Rachel Rickard Straus, of This is Money, join Georgie Frost, of Share Radio, in the studio to tackle those thorny questions - and try to find some good news and put a smile on your face along the way.In that good news corner comes a victory for borrowers over a bank that ripped up the tracker mortgage rule book and a reader who wants to know if they've struck it lucky with a rare 50p.Listen to the show, leave us a comment and please rate it and share it if you like it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Walk around town centres in Britain and what do you see?A few chain stores, a Poundland or two, betting shops, charity shops, lots of empty shops, Amazon delivery vans, tumbleweed?We don't shop in the High Street like we used to. Even Poundland has a website with free delivery for orders over £50 (OK, that's a lot of sweets). The High Street has just got a little bit deader with BHS and Austin Reed the latest casualties. What went so wrong?Is it sad, simply inevitable or perhaps good news that empty shops might be converted into homes?Join the mighty money triumvirate, broadcaster of the year Georgie Frost, This is Money editor Simon Lambert and consumer affairs editor Lee Boyce as they take us on an aural tour of the death of our towns. Also on the show The made-up claims of EU referendum campaigners. Is it time to offload your buy-to-let? What's going on in the property market? There's a couple of great questions about pensions...Were you 'contracted out' without realising and likely to lose a ton of cash as a result?Is it worth saving for a pension at all if you only earn £15,000 a year? In other words do you want to retire on an income of £8,000 a year - or do you fancy a bit more?And finallyThe question everyone is asking: How do you get two whales in an electric car?#tesla #eu #bhs #shopping #pensions #money #buytolet Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the show you’ve all been waiting for, broadcasting legend Georgie Frost, This is Money editor Simon Lambert and personal finance editor Rachel Rickard-Straus take a peak under the coffin lid of inheritance. It can get nasty when grief and greed meet in the financial graveyard. So what can you do if you feel you’re being ripped off by siblings and long-lost lovers? And what’s the best way to make a clear will of your own intentions when you step off planet Earth for the last time?Also on the show…How to make loads more money by using Einstein’s theory. No not that one. Well, yes that Einsten but this time it’s his theory ‘the 8th wonder of the world’ – or compound interest.And…Trouble brewing for property sellersPaying off your mortgage quickly for dummies – is it for dummies?The latest ruse to get your kids on property ladderThe pitfalls of renting out your spare room to someone who burns it downAngry parking fees and fines When, where and how much to tip abroad Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have banks been let off the hook again? That's been the reaction to the CMA report into retail banking. In this week's This is Money podcast with Share Radio, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost look at whether we should be doing more to break-up the big banks and why many years on from the rip-off bank charges battle, they've just been told to clean up their act.Also on this week's show we discuss the dark art of mortgage affordability calculators - and why some lenders seem to offer the same test couple £200,000 more than others.We also ask what next for the property market and buy-to-let? The landlord stamp duty stampede sent buy-to-let purchases rocketing - and many investors may have been involved in a bit of false economy - but will the market stall now?And Andy Haldane, of the Bank of England, listen up, we've explained how pensions work to help you understand them after you said you couldn't. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If Britain were to leave the EU, it MIGHT prove to be an economic disaster for us. The Bank of England governor Mark Carney, whose job it is to point things like this out, and other commentators, have said so. And the leavers don't like it. Interest rates, house prices and all the other things that make Britain's dinner parties great might be affected.Is this just politics dressed up as economics? Or should we be worried? Simon Lambert and Rachel Rickard-Straus of This is Money and newly crowned financial broadcaster of the year, Share Radio's Georgie Frost discuss this and...The fact that, Europe vote aside, UK growth is looking like a problem.Whether the middle class dream is over for young people who need to earn more than £100,000 a year to even hope of buying a property in London.Are these fancy new 'challenger banks' up to same sneaky old tricks as the established ones? Minor investor is back with a few new ideas. Why bother with 4 quid insurance for a theatre ticket and other possibly completely pointless things we're urged to insure?And finally... 'Mustang Sally... I bought you a brand new Mustang 'bout nineteen sixty five.' Well, 51 years later you can buy a right-hand drive one. What's it like? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re not building enough homes – about 100,000 too few every year. It makes housing unaffordable. To ‘help’, Barclays bank has decided to step in and offer 100% mortgages to first-time buyers. How quaintly 2007 is that?The other catch is that parents have to stump up some of their nest egg as part of the deal. Is this a good thing? Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce of This is Money and Share Radio’s Georgie Frost investigate. Also on the show:Just how big is the business of being a parent with children who can’t leave home without a bailout?Buy-to-let landlords are piling more financial misery on to tenants. Good news though for broadband customers – providers can’t lie about much it costs any moreWe take a look under the roof of the supermarket business and ask whether their loyalty cards are a spent entityOh and our take on Leicester City, the football team that came from nowhere to win the Premiership: why the hell did bookies offer odds of 5,000 to 1 against that happening when there are only 20 teams in the league? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The This is Money team along with Share Radio talk about BHS , and its future, what's happening in Brazil and 12 financial lessons you should teach an 18 year-old. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A buy-to-let boom in the run-up to the stamp duty hike for landlords and second homeowners triggered the biggest distortion of the market recorded, says the Council of Mortgage Lenders. So, with one tax hike now in and another on the way in the form of cuts to mortgage interest relief against income tax on rent, has buy-to-let peaked? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is dedicated to Prince. We were already planning a bit of a musical theme after a reader emailed This is Money to ask if she was entitled to a refund for an AC/DC concert.She no longer wanted to attend because the lead singer Brian Johnson has been replaced with the infamously unreliable Axl Rose. But Prince’s death was a shock. We’re all fans. Our website is purple! RIP. It’s also been, we think, a bad week for buy-to-let. Following a record splurge on buy-to-let mortgages we discuss whether investors have now spent all they can and what effect that will have on the property market. While we’re on the subject, property reporter Myra Butterworth has unearthed three dream homes for sale that featured in the popular TV show Grand Designs. New-build homes are in the spotlight after a poll found that nearly three-quarters of buyers would avoid them – and yet another story emerges of extreme shoddy workmanship on a new house. We even ask whether the European in-out referendum is affecting house prices? Also on the show we look at…Fraud and how to spot if a cash machine has been tampered with – it’s not easyThe latest sexed-up car emissions scandal Have we found the hottest hatch ever? Classic cars are fetching silly money again.And will our reader be able to get that rock n roll refund? What do you think?#prince #acdc #houseprices #buytolet Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

…everything to do with finance is beset with problems. From insurance companies that spew policy small print at terminally patients to avoid paying out, through mobile phone companies with the customer services skills of a three-minute-old turtle scuttling away from the first sign of a phone call, to the tax that few understand, even fewer pay but everyone seems to hate - inheritance tax.This week we’re looking at the problem of inheritance tax.We’re looking at some others as well but because of Prime Minister David Cameron’s relationship with his generous parents – IHT is in the news. His dad ran an offshore fund. His mum gave him a couple of hundred grand towards a new suit. He may not pay tax on this gift. Is that a problem? Is inheritance tax a problem?Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost investigate. It’s a proper fascinating slippers on, kettle on, headphones on episode that’s worth an hour of anyone’s time. Also on the show – other problems include:Bank fraud – as the crooks get better at it, the banks care even lessBrexit could be an almighty problem. It could destroy the world economy – but then plenty of other things could do that too House prices are even more ridiculous than they were last week – causing a wave of migrating out of London and beyondAre degrees all they’re cracked up to be?And finally…The range of free goodies it’s worth getting old for. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tax is suddenly exciting news. For normal people, it’s the start of a new tax year with another dump of - some ill-conceived - changes from Chancellor George Osborne to deal with. For the disgustingly rich and famous, thanks to a leaky law firm, details have been emerging of their attempts at avoiding paying into state coffers around the world. Even David Cameron is implicated. And after some blithering attempts to divert attention from his involvement there are calls for him to resign.Theoretically, the new tax year could see a new Prime Minister. But could it see a new you – maybe as an investor for the first time?Join This is Money’s Rachel Rickard Straus and Lee Boyce and Share Radio’s Georgie Frost for a leisurely audio stroll around this new world of rubbish cash Isas, complicated new other Isas and the lure of unknown returns from the stock market.Also in the spotlight…There’s a new bank only available on the iPhone. Should you trust it?The young people, property ladder Venn diagram is becoming more and more like two separate circlesDo you use the internet to spy on your friends’ house price?There’s the latest instalment of Under Fire Buy-to-let – a divisive love-hate story of money and housingA fascinating look into how easy it is to trick the gullible with a pretty obvious fraudPlus a few pensions mentions – because that mess will be going on for years to come. It’s a fun one. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the way that worried nuclear bunker owners are probably stock-piling food as the reality of a President Trump dawns on them, so the Bank of England is preparing for the financial equivalent.The bank that has its finger on the financial pulse of the nation is worried. Worried enough to create a ‘what if…’ model that incorporates total financial meltdown, a collapse in the value of housing and the end of banking as we know it. It maybe the stuff of nightmares but it’s also what This is Money editor Simon Lambert, personal finance editor Rachel Rickard Straus and Share Radio presenter George Frost tackle on in this week’s light entertainment look at the week’s money events. How will we cope if oil becomes so cheap there’s no point extracting it, if savings rates are so low they’re negative or if a lack of growth turns to depression?Are we really on the brink of another financial crisis?In other news…There’s tough new checks on buy-to-let – the clampdown continues (the Bank of England is worried about that too)Buy-to-let has caused a big fall in house prices – but only in BoltonPeople who trusted a unauthorised online bank that issued fake cheques may lose their homesYou’ll learn how to use your body to make money (no, not like that) And…What’s the weirdest job you’ve ever had? Bog standard like Georgie or bog standards like Rachel? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week might go down as the one Chancellor George Osborne got found out. It’s not the first time one of his Budgets turned into a fiasco, but this time his U-turn – on slashing payments to disabled people - is going to cost £4bn. When Parliament convened to discuss how on earth this was going to be paid for, he didn’t show up. And we’re still without an explanation. We pay our taxes to enjoy a better life in a civilised society – not to allow politicians to play games of political manoeuvring. George forgot that. Taxes should be simple. George forgot that. There were other unfunded tax giveaways in the 2016 Budget all of which appear to rely on tax receipts from a booming economy.But our economy isn’t booming. The latest round of economic data shows that. Growth forecasts are down, Government borrowing is soaring, homes are unaffordable. Luckily This is Money editor Simon Lambert, product and knowledge editor Laura Whitcombe and Share Radio’s money wizard Georgie Frost are on hand to explain the economics in an entertaining way. Also on the show…Capital gains tax just got more complicated. The ‘living’ wage – more complicated And finally…Do not miss the craziest item on financial radio: the famous Easter taste test. Live on air we try to work out which own-brand supermarket hot cross buns and Easter eggs are worth a piece of your disposable income. Will Tesco triumph and Waitrose end up in the bin again? Not a lot of people do this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tax cuts and the Lifetime Isa were the giveways in George Osborne's Budget, but will they help you?Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce, of This is Money, join Georgie Frost, of Share Radio, to take the Chancellor's plans apart in this week’s This is Money Show and try to work out whether it was a good, bad or indifferent Budget.The outlook for the economy, the Budget winners and losers and the thorny question of whether a Lifetime Isa beats a pension are all up for debate. (Along with a look at some of the Chancellor's ulterior motives).Whether you are a saver, spender, young professional, pensioner, or buy-to-let landlord, the team explain what the Budget means for you. (A warning for buy-to-letters, it’s not that pretty).Also on today's show, we look at how to get more if you trade in at a car dealership, how social media-driven entrepreneurs are carving out new careers and businesses from their passions, and why Britain has been dubbed a nation of coffee-swigging, legging wearing, microwave rice-eaters, who don't like to dance.Listen to the show and please leave us a comment or review and subscribe if you like it.ThanksThis is Money team Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Chancellor, George Osborne, has earned a reputation for leaks, U-Turns and unworkable tweaks to our taxes. A captain of chaos, some might say. His recent achievement, killing the cash Isa and replacing it with a tax-free limit on ALL savings accounts, will be a particularly memorable mess if anyone ever works out how it’s going to work. He’s got another Budget speech planned for Wednesday 16 March. For once, we don’t know much about what’s going to be in it. This is a bad sign. There’s no general election any time soon so we can forget about bribes on that front. He’s given himself the seemingly impossible task of balancing the nation’s books by 2020.How on earth is he going to do that?This is Money editor Simon Lambert, consumer affairs editor Rachel Rickard Straus and Share Radio’s Ed Bowsher have a pretty good stab at coming up with a hit list. It’s not looking great. George is desperate to get his hands on the £21bn tax-free benefits of pensions. But we’re fairly sure, thanks to the one leak, his plans to rob us of that have been postponed. He’s already hit buy-to-let landlords – he could have another go at them without too much public anger. Fuel duty seems an easy target – and no one will mind if petrol suddenly shoots back over £1 a litre on Thursday morning. Will they? Maybe the disabled and other people on benefits could cope with further austerity measures? National Insurance is good one –it mainly affects the lower paid; possibly attractive to Osborne the political animal He’s already fiddled with stamp duty on house purchases – could he have another fiddle (on the roof) with that? A change to salary sacrifice could tackle the problem of people who get tax-free iPhones from their employers Whatever happens, we’re in for a fascinating ride and thankfully, HMRC is incredibly helpful and easy to deal with. The more complicated the tax reform the better.Also this week, and back in the real world, we’re not saving enough, some investments make money and the Ford Capri makes a surprising comeback. Georgie Frost is away. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Everything you thought you knew about life, the Isa and everything is wrong. Modern life is amazing; we’ve never had it so good. We have technology and prosperity above anything anyone a few decades ago could have possibly imagined. And we have a welfare state to look after those who inevitably fall off the merry-go-round of progress. These are the conclusions of the arguably the world’s greatest businessman, Warren Buffett.So why are our politicians, bankers and bonkers billionaires so hell-bent on spewing such negativity?And why has George Osborne just about destroyed the fabulously popular British savings tool, the Cash Isa? It’s been a way of life since the 1990s.This is Money editor Simon Lambert, consumer affairs editor Lee Boyce and Share Radio consumer commander in chief Georgie Frost are here to explain and entertain.You’ll learn… How technology has improved our lives – and whyIf there’s any point to saving cash in a tax-free Isa following the Chancellor’s meddlingWhether you’re sitting on a tax-free windfall as one of the winners of the £51m in unclaimed Premium BondsThat if f you’re listening to this in America because that’s where you’re from, Premium Bonds really IS a lottery where you kind of never lose your stake moneyWhat’s going on with house prices and the prospect of home ownership Which car manufacturer is shouting loudest this week about whether Britain should stay in Europe And Donald Trump, a future president or the voice of supermarket talking till machines? #isas #money #houseprices #trump #buffett #happiness #technology Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Britain still holds a stake in two of its biggest banks, Lloyds and RBS, but how bad are they?We take a look at whether the banks' results, whether they are cleaning up their act and whether they are worth investing in.Meanwhile,...It was the best of times… it is now the most uncertain of times. With four months to go to before the people of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the 2 million expats living in continental Europe vote whether to stay in or out of the European single market, the country’s finances are starting to react to the inevitable uncertainty.One thing is for sure, the pound in our pockets is worth less than it was a week ago. A weak pound is not the end of the world – or Europe – but it’s enough already to make people think twice about booking a summer holiday abroad. Could Spain really become a luxury holiday destination reserved for the rich?It’s been a rocky week too for banks, with profits, bonuses and bailouts colluding to make even less sense than usual. Luckily This is Money editor Simon Lambert, personal finance editor Rachel Rickard Straus and Share Radio money expert Georgie Frost take listeners on an enlightening ride around the rollercoaster of riches.Also on the agenda…Will Chancellor George Osborne steal what’s left of your pension in next month’s Budget?House prices – what the hell?Are you a voucher victim?And…Loads of ways (14) to get your hands on FREE MONEY. Plus loads more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What would Brexit mean for the UK economy?It is said Great Britain used to rule the world. Today we’re just a small part - albeit an important one - of Europe, with a few remaining outposts - most notably a couple of bailiwicks in France, an island in Argentina and a rock in Spain.And now our role in Europe is under threat. Or is it?Do we accept what some vocal business leaders have said this week and remain a loyal insider of this massive single-market economy?Or do we vote with our old-fashioned angry hearts and try to recreate life in the 1970s? The debate has started and is getting raucous. Thankfully in this week’s brilliant podcast This is Money editor Simon Lambert, ace investing and pensions reporter Tanya Jefferies and Share Radio money supremo Georgie Frost manage to take a rational look at the issues in hand. On the subject of loyalty…Big business is not always our friend. Take insurers. Did you know our readers and listeners are saving up to £500 a year by refusing to pay ridiculous premium hikes on their home and car insurance? It doesn’t pay to be loyal.Loyalty credit cards, where you earn points for getting into debt, are on their way out and companies are rolling back the benefits of loyalty schemes. Also this week:Work until you diePensions nonsenseRobots at work Scam of the week And More. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Share prices around the world this week have been falling like dominoes in a record-breaking dominoes falling over attempt. London loses 2% in a day, New York opens and falls 2% then in Asia the sell-off continues, slashing 2% off its market value. London opens again and mirrors the previous losing sessions in Asia and the USA and so it goes on. And on. The FTSE 100 index of leading UK shares found itself at a three and a half year low. But why? Central bankers whose job is supposed to be to prevent this kind of mess know how to talk the talk but there is growing evidence that they don’t really know how to work the bank. Their policies of handing taxpayer money to bankers - rather than prison sentences - and of cutting interest rates to less than nothing have left them stuck in a hole without room to manoeuvre. Jobbing bankers lost any credibility in the last crisis. But without punishment or a conscience could they be to blame again this time?Or is it simply that traders aren’t human any more but mere automated algorithms that react to preprogramed instructions? Computer says sell.This is Money editor Simon Lambert, consumer affairs editor Rachel Rickard Straus and Share Radio money guru Georgie Frost try to work out where the blame lies.Also in the show.Apart from the free money and long-term benefits, what’s the point of a pension?Why do our privatised, apparently competitive energy companies raise and drop their prices by pretty much exactly the same amount?Why won’t idiot bankers lend to safe-as-houses people with secure incomes just because of their age?What’s so great about Hatton Garden – the jewellery capital in the capital? And what if…Crumbling share prices are nothing to worry about at all – just a great excuse to start investing? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been a couple of years since Tesco got found out. The store that thought it could get away with whatever it wanted because customers, it said, ‘wanted its cheap prices’ was embroiled in an accounting scandal in 1994. And the problems continue. Were Tesco’s prices really cheaper? You can ask the customers it has lost to low-cost rivals Lidl and Aldi about that. It’s also losing customers to online rivals as the internet provides what the High Street can’t – 24 hour opening, among other things. Tesco is back in the news:For a report that showed it deliberately and systematically mis-treated suppliers by delaying payments and manipulating the terms of its deals. Perhaps bizarrely because it’s going to scrap 24 hour opening in more than 70 of its stores. It’s also about to slash the pay of staff who work unsociable hours. It’s not alone. Wilko (aka Wilkinson) is also cutting double time for unsociable hours – effectively a 25% pay cut. Shops face a tough time. Jobs are at risk across the retails sector. They are at banks too. Join This is Money Editor Simon Lambert, Consumer Affairs Editor Rachel Rickard Straus and Share Radio’s Georgie Frost for an enlightening look at the future of shopping and banking.Also on the show: Interest rates remain unchanged again – but because of a quirk of the calendar it’s ‘mildly thrilling’ this time even if the policy is ultimately counterproductive Hacking is now so easy a three-year-old can do it. Is your internet security toddler and mafia proof?The Royal Mint has royally ripped off customers by refusing to honour ‘legal tender’ – or money to use its common nameIt wouldn’t be a This is Money podcast without a controversial buy-to-let story. This one involves lawyer and former ‘first lady’ Cherie Blair and unhappy taxable landlordsIn happy news… Simon has a piece of the Berlin Wall. But lost it. #berlinwall Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This message was left on a householder's voice mail - is it a genuine message from the bank or a scammer? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a seven-year investigation into Google’s UK tax affairs, the company agreed to pay £130m to us. Chancellor George Osborne hailed it a huge success. No one else agreed. Especially not the Shadow Chancellor, anyone with a calculator, or even the French, who a few days later announced they were negotiating a much bigger windfall on a far smaller business than Google UK. It amounted to a tax rate of about 3% on its multi-billion-pound earnings in this country.And all this at the time average Jo and Joe Bloggs are filing their tax returns before the end of January deadline. People pay tax at 30% to 40 to nearly 50% on earnings of a few tens of thousands of pounds. You can see why these people are angry. Luckily, there’s no anger in the Share Radio studio as presenter Georgie Frost, This is Money Editor Simon Lambert and Consumer Affairs Editor tackle the big tax and pensions scandals of the week with a sharp insight and warm wit. It’s been a bad week for Osborne. Having announced a ban on raising taxes, the smart money’s on him stealing it from our pensions. Also on the agenda,Have you any idea how much VAT rich people pay when they buy a Rolls Royce car that costs more than a house?And what’s it’s like to drive and park one? Can it really be as tatty as it sounds or is it a must-have motor for the discerning Google executive?Buy-to-let is back in the news, so is gold, which provides another excuse to play Spandau Ballet songs, and finally it’s been a bumper year for British cinema.What’s your favourite film? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Banks, the City, Wall Street, call them what you will – they use jargon to steal your money.It’s what caused the walloping financial crash in 2008. And it’s possibly what’s going to cause another one eight years later – that’s right, in 2016; this year!We’re in a bear market. What even is a bear market? The opposite of bull, of course. See how easy it is?This week, This is Money editor Simon Lambert and personal finance editor Rachel Rickard Straus join Share Radio’s Georgie Frost to help listeners understand some of this nonsense.There’s even a Hollywood movie just out about financial jargon, The Big Short, the story of how collateralized debt obligations brought down the world economy because no one knew what they were. It’s nominated for five Oscars, including best picture. A bear market is a bad one. Bear = bad. It’s when share prices fall. Bull = good. That’s it really. Listen to Rachel and Simon for more detail. Also in the podcast:Davos – why the hell do our financial leaders go to Davos to discuss the global economy? It’s a ski resort in Switzerland - the most expensive place they could choose. What do they do when they get there? Do they even go skiing?Why does a low oil price affect everything else so much? It’s not what you think. It’s what oil producers do with all that income and what they can’t do with it now that’s the problem.Why are broadband companies allowed to mislead customers with their advertising? Surely it’s not because of a supine advertising regulator? In ‘good on the face of it’ news of the week E.on customers are going to have their energy bills CUT by 5%. But the wholesale price of oil and gas has fallen 20% since its peak. E.on gets points for being first but that’s not enough E.on! Will the others follow suit?If you’re worried about the markets this year - keep worrying. If you’re thinking of ever retiring or voting Tory – you probably ought to understand what Chancellor George Osborne is planning to do with your pension. If you’ve ever had a job or fancy a change you must listen to the bit at the end about CVs.If you thought you knew what to put in your CV, such as volunteering experience and keeping it to two pages. You’ve been doing it it all wrong. Listen and learn. And then you might get a new job. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The four horsemen of apocalypse trotted into the money markets last week each brandishing a tool of financial destruction.Plummeting oil pricesGlobal uncertaintyTrouble in the Middle EastCrisis in China Luckily, this week everything is ahhh… sorry it’s not looking good. According to a statement from RBS, the bank, this year is going to be cataclysmic. But hey. Financial apocalypse makes for entertaining listening thanks to Share Radio’s Georgie Frost, This is Money editor Simon Lambert and consumer affairs editor Lee Boyce. Also on the agenda… Britain v Germany – who’s winning the supermarket wars?Not Germany?Buy to let landlords fight back Can you fiddle the credit card points system to make a mint?NoIs it possible to name an example of good customer service?No And in hopeful news, a young lad is on a mission to provide free legal advice for everyone.Could it work?D’yer know, it might just. Thank the Lord for young people. Apologies for the sound quality this week, building work was taking place in the street outside the studio. Building work is taking place all over London but that’s another story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2016 is going well - but only if you live in Leicester. One week in, and the new year money news seems to be competing with the weather in terms of gloominess. Luckily we have the most upbeat and entertaining trio in financial broadcasting, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost, taking a fun look at what's been happening over the last seven days – however grim it is.China is panicking. And when China panics, the Chinese government shuts its markets. That makes Chinese investors panic even more and then the whole world joins in. Share prices have been plummeting. As big British chain stores start to reveal their Christmas trading figures, Marks & Spencer, which for some people IS Christmas, reveals it had a less than festive time of it. A couple who saved really hard for a deposit, stamp duty and fees for their dream home transferred the £45,000 to the solicitor days before the move – but the transfer was intercepted by crooks and they lost it. This is Money Editor Simon Lambert bravely outs himself as a recidivist Lotto loser dumping cash for decades into an investment that has less chance of coming good than he has of watching the opening night of Elvis Presley’s tour of the Moon. There was some upbeat news. It has emerged that not all banks are bad all of the time – at least in terms of current accounts. You would do well to listen to the segment on the best banks for your day-to-day money affairs. And two people won £1million each on the Premium Bonds. They both live in Leicester. It’s a fix! Or is it? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After last year's Christmas show went viral thanks to turkey ham, an improbable Christmas dinner product included in the taste test, the 2015 edition had a lot to live up to.This week, three wise men from This is Money - Simon, Lee and Rich - join even wiser Georgie Frost at Share Radio HQ to taste test THREE, three-course Christmas 'dinners' from Lidl, Waitrose and Tesco - live on air! Can cheaper really be better?Meanwhile, thanks to the US Federal Reserve raising American interests rates earlier in the week, the show also features a lot of valuable truths and myths about interest rates and inflation.The world was expecting the Fed to raise rates in 2015 and this was the last chance to do it. So it did. What does that mean for you and me?Also on the agenda...How to buy a home when your mortgage lender insists you insure it through a company that doesn't exist. Plus best Christmas adverts, pensioner bonds, the second hand annuity market.And Bread pudding. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s not often that a watchdog not only watches but also bites. But that’s what the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has done to our shameful banks. Sorry listeners, it’s bad bankers again! This time it’s the ‘pathetic’ interest rates paid to loyal savers, some as low as 0.01%. Share Radio’s money guru Georgie Frost is joined by editor Simon Lambert and consumer affairs editor Lee Boyce, who name and shame the banks named and shamed by the FCA.And it’s all thanks to a campaign This is Money launched in 2011 to make banks tell their customers what rate of interest they are being paid. Also, on the show…The price of oil is coming down again – they could start giving it away soon, well almost. The main Bank of England interest rate is kept on hold for the 81st month in a row, provoking more debate on the threat of it going up soonCould young people’s dream of owning a home come true thanks to a massive building programme – on the Green Belt?Guess what? We’re overpaying for our gas and electricity bills. Someone has totted up the pennies and it adds up to billions of pounds. Investing in whisky Best and worst fund managersStupidly expensive food and drink Does filling your freezer with newspaper help to cut your electricity bill? And finally…No, it doesn’t. But it’s fun to find out why.#money #saving #interestrates #moneysaving #whisky #newspaper #banks #badbanks #greenbelt #houseprices #bills Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is this the best financial product ever? From a saver's point of view the Help to Buy Isa may just be that.Much of the work at This is Money involves uncovering bad behaviour at banks and other providers of financial products.Anyone would think bankers had no morals. Of course, we also work hard to praise the good stuff. One banker this week, claims a product has been launched that has no downside. Really? Is there finally something too good to be true that is actually true? Editor Simon Lambert and This is Money’s money product expert Laura Whitcombe pore over the new help-to-buy Isa that hands free money to first time buyers. But what’s the catch? Also on the show…It’s going to get tough for home owners for all sorts of reasons.It’s already getting tough for buy-to-letters – but is that such a bad thing?What’s the matter with people and their unhealthy relationship with credit cards?Does anyone care about climate change when you can save a few quid on your ‘lectric?Are you earning less than a tractor driver? Help small shops and small businesses. They’re lovely. And cake. #cake #credit #helptobuy #climatechange #shopping #homes #banks #money #spending Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As shoppers plotted a course this week through the complicated array of bargains spewed into stores for Black Friday, the Chancellor was hatching a plot of his own to keep news of a £91bn tax raid out of his Autumn Statement. Editor Simon Lambert and consumer affairs editor Lee Boyce join Share Radio presenter Georgie Frost for a fun look at this mini-Budget - and shopping. As with all of these things, the devil’s in the retail. Are graduates really going to foot the bill for increased pensions?Are the buy-to-let tax changes going to kill off buy-to-let?What are these help-to-buy Isas? The Chancellor may have announced that he’s going to build 400,000 new homes – but where on Earth is he going to put them?‘I want to see a map, George Osborne!’ demands Lee. Simon admits to getting very excited about negative interest rates, where banks charge customers to look after their savings.Also being discussed: The latest news on Isa ratesWhen phishing scams arrive by SMS and become smishing And shopping. Does anyone actually like the Black Friday shopping event? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When banks brought down the global economy in 2007/08, Iceland jailed the bankers responsible.In Britain meanwhile, taxpayers gave our bankers getting on for £200 billion to be paid for by cutting spending on police, armed forces and the benefits of disabled people.We also commissioned a report into multiple scandals committed at HBOS bank that has taken seven years of writing.The report came out this week. It's damning and 'convicts' the bosses responsible - but will anything happen to them?Probably not.HBOS is the abbreviated cover for Halifax, Bank of Scotland, Lloyds and scandal. This is Money's Rachel Rickard Straus and Lee Boyce despair as they pore of over the revelations in the report. Also this week, with Share Radio presenter Georgie Frost:The great new smart meter rip offThe worst ever cash Isa rates from Government-owned NSandI Bad deflation - what's that and is it heading our way?Britain v Germany - who's winning the supermarket price wars? Surprisingly expensive carsand David Beckham Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happened in the financial crisis? Is it time to forgive the banks and move on? Do we need the City?Simon Lambert and Rachel Rickard Straus join Georgie Frost in the studio for a run through the week's essential money news.This week's show features a potted history of what on earth went wrong in the financial system - and whether eight years down the line it is time to forgive and move on.The team also look at how to fix Britain's tax mess, why the buy-to-let boom could blow up and quite why anyone would want a house with an underground showroom for 25 cars.(The answer to which to a certain car-mad This is Money editor, is obvious). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Everyone has a duty to pay tax – it’s the investment that allows democracy and civilised society to function. But have you tried to contact the tax office lately? In good times, it’s tough enough trying to get a tax refund from HMRC but now people are telling us it’s becoming impossible to even pay their bills. A near-hour wait to get through on the phone is the norm. Also on the agenda: The interest rates rise soap opera continues with the latest will-they won’t-they relationship looking like it’s off until further notice. The UK economy is looking healthy but what do investors looking at fragile emerging markets need to know?Parking your car looks likely to get a whole lot more expensive - £85 more to be precise. Did you know you can now chuck all your spare foreign coins into a machine that instantly converts them into British pounds? And finally…Do you really need to pay extra car insurance and fees to amend your policy if you get promoted?Probably not. But it’s fun to hear why with This is Money’s Simon Lambert and Laura Whitcombe, Share Radio’s Georgie Frost and another fascinating hour of money chat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Find out what happens when a scammer pretends to be from broadband provider TalkTalk and attempts to take over an unsuspecting customer's computer.And what happens when the customer turns out to be journalist Sam Greenhill, who strings along the conman.(Personal details have been blanked out of this audio) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fraud and overcharging special - This is Money ShowIf ever you needed proof that even the most unacceptable behaviour by financial and consumer 'service' providers can be entertaining, don't miss this week's episode.The great money double act is back: editor Simon Lambert and consumer affairs editor Lee Boyce despair at the TalkTalk data leak and ask whether the company's security is so lax that customers can tear up their contracts and walk away With Share Radio presenter Georgie Frost, they talk about the future of these kinds of frauds - where hackers dip into a company's database and help themselves to customer information, which they sell on to crooks. How bad can it get? Very bad.Also on the show: EU data roaming charges are in the news this week. And it's good news - you'll no longer accidentally pay thousands of pounds to download an episode of Finding Nemo while on holiday with the kids. Quiz of the week: Can you guess what Lloyds is mis-selling this week? There always seems to be something. It's packaged accounts! Staff sell car insurance to people who can't drive and travel insurance to people who don't go on holiday. And this at the same time the bank's PPI mis-selling bill goes stratospheric.There's more banking lunacy, where customers are told they can only settle a dispute by visiting a branch - but the branch has been closed. Well done RBS.Odeon Cinemas - the cinema chain adept at finding ways to annoy customers - has found a new way to rip them off too. There's a new tax on overhyped movies such as the new James Bond Spectre. An extra £1 on already overpriced tickets.And finally, house prices horror, insurance premiums rockets yet inflation is down, petrol is cheaper yet electric cars are growing in popularity. Work that out and enjoy.This is Money Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week the Holy Trinity of financial entertainment, This is Money editor Simon Lambert, personal finance editor Rachel Rickard Straus and Share Radio supremo Georgie Frost sit around the digital fire with a mug of cocoa for a winter warmer of a show. On the agenda Putting the heating on and paying less for itHow to prevent burglaries now it's dark a lot Is solar power worth the effort when the sun moves south and the Government switches off the subsidies?And then... How do you solve a problem like tax credits?Current accounts are officially uncompetitive but customers are to blame, says reportFirst-time buyers vs buy-to-letters - who wins in the fight to buy?Equity release - what is it again?And finally You can now check to see if that old car you sold is still on the road Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lloyds Bank, the bank that built its recent reputation on a massive mis-selling scandal, maybe at it again with the launch of a hard sales drive called Labrador. Meanwhile, Sky is hiking its customers’ line rental fees again. This is Money editor Simon Lambert and consumer affairs editor Lee Boyce join Share Radio's Georgie Frost to look at this and more of the week's money news. Also in the conversation are:The true state of our finances Help on understanding pensionsHow to top up your pension if you think you might live until you're 100Interest rates? Will they ever go up? Yes, they surely will. But when?How to lose £1,000s with a sort code A new car app for people with poor memory A new buy-to-let warning And the health benefits of living without joyless and sentimental tat#money #cars #apps #pensions #KonMari #banks #misselling #buytolet #rates #lloyds #sky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the agenda This is Week The Lloyds Banking Group shares sell-off at a 5% discountThe Government's house building plans The effects of withdrawing tax credits from the low paidFines for parents taking children out of school Tesco profits Unclaimed loyalty pointsDo people understand their mortgages?Cheap train fares The interminable interest rates rise debate Silly car insurance claims with This is Money Editor Simon Lambert, Deputy Editor Adrian Lowery and Share Radio presenter Sue Dougan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

'This is outrageous,' says This is Money editor Simon Lambert on the compulsory line rental fee buried in the small print. #virginmedia #broadband #phone Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As property gets increasingly out of reach for all but the average oligarch, the experts head out across the country to locate regions that may still be of interest to homeowners. Our property hotspots story has been a big talking point this week. This is Money's Rachel Rickard Straus and Simon Lambert join Share Radio's Georgie Frost to discuss this, Corbynomics, the Volksvagen diesel scandal and investing in small business.#homes #property #investing #buytolet #corbynomics #diesel #business Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a good thing but, oh boy, it's complicated. The This is Money team discuss the new 5p bag tax and how it applies to fashion and fish to gussets. With Georgie Frost and Annie Weston of Share Radio #bagtax#carrierbags Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is Money editor Simon Lambert runs through who might be affected by changes to buy-to-let tax announced by Chancellor George Osborne and due to come into effect in 2020. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A quick overview of the economic ideas of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with Tanya Jefferies, Simon Lambert and Georgie Frost. #corbynomics #corbyn #QE #labour #money Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week will go down in history as the one Volkswagen got found out.Doctoring emission tests on its diesel engines will cost the car company billions of pounds and cause untold damage to the reputation of Germany as a maker of trustworthy things.Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce join Share Radio's Georgie Frost to discuss whether this scandal could go as far as killing off the diesel engine.Other legends and lies on the agenda are... The return of the highwayman - yes, really - as a new type of crime hits our streetsBritain's household debt is simply unaffordable - so when will our love affair with credit end?When is a plastic bag not a plastic bag - a new tax that is surprisingly confusingJust because you're old and own an expensive house doesn't mean you can downsize And wouldn't it be funny if a bank paid more interest the more people liked its Facebook page? Well it's here. #vw #volkswagen #diesel #facebook #debt #crisis #legends #lies #downsizing #bighouse #highwaymen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Imagine. You go into a shop, you're greeted with a smile and a warm welcome by someone who understands the products on sale, who is genuinely pleased to help you, who is paid well and looked after by the company they are working for. Well imagine no longer, this actually happens right now - sometimes - in the UK. This week, the team from This is Money join Georgie Frost at Share Radio to pore over the latest customer services league table. A shop, Lush, is at the top of the pile. Still on customer service but at the relegation end of the league, we discuss shoddy service offered by the energy companies and the news that Morrisons is having to shut some of its supermarkets.Meanwhile, Lidl announced it will pay its staff a decent wage. Santander is upsetting customers with a huge increase to its current accounts fees.There's look at the horrific state of household debt - why not rename credit cards, debt cards? And a funny look at the mistakes people make on their CVs.Enjoy. We did.#shopping #work #pay# service #customers #lush #firstdirect #santander123 #morrisons # pensions #scams# #lidl #debt Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Rolls-Royce edition.What's so special about a £250,000 Rolls-Royce? We asked the luxury car maker to explain the appeal of its new Dawn convertible and tell us more about its Made in England success story.The somewhat less salubrious subject of how to beat cold callers is also on the agenda this week, as Simon Lambert, and Rachel Rickard Straus, of This is Money, join Georgie Frost in the Share radio studios for the weekly whip through the money news.We ask why people wouldn't sell their own homes to save £7,000 over a High Street estate agent and take a look at whether the new national Living Wage is a good or bad idea.Oh, and there's a new Bentley 4x4 too - which readers aren't quite so sold on.Listen to the This is Money Show and please subscribe and leave us a review if you like it.#RollsRoyce #BentleyBentayga #coldcallers #LivingWage #bestbanks Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Simon Lambert, Rich Browning and Georgie Frost take a fun look at the week's events. Banks are at it again. They say you don't have to have a contactless debit card if you don't want one but our readers say otherwise. Meanwhile they're introducing clever mind games to assess whether you're fit to be a customer and Tesco Bank slashes the Clubcard benefits on its credit card . Elsewhere, a report into the best places to bring up a family finds it's better up North - unless you live in Cramlington, where homeowners find they don't actually own their homes. Also on the bill are unusual auctions and the latest movie memorabilia from the Star Wars franchise. #starwars #banks #contactless #tesco #news #finance #auctions #lostluggage #family #homes #bestplacestolive Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Simon Lambert and Tanya Jefferies on their fascinating journey through the state of the property market. From rising (maybe) mortgage rates, whether to fix your mortgage, solar panels, buy-to-let, unaffordable rents versus rent controls to outrageous increases in the cost of commuting courtesy of Virgin Trains. Plus stock market mayhem and a look at Corbynomics - the economic thoughts of the front-runner in the Labour Party leadership race. #mortgages #property #corbynomics #virgintrains #railfares #solarpanels #interestrates #trackers #fixedrates #pensions #islingtoncouncilwith Georgie Frost of Share Radio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's panic on the streets of London! And Greece, China, America (north and south) and Europe. It might sound like a horrorific geography lesson but this week the team from This is Money discuss various economic problems as falling stock and oil prices are compounded by the threat of interest rate rises. There's a change of goverment afoot in Greece and emerging markets no longer are the investments hot spots they Also on the agenda with Simon Lambert, Georgie Frost and Rich Browning are student finances - or more accurately debts - the latest clever scams, more bank mis-selling and the pros and cons of turning your shed into a pub. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Rachel Rickard Straus and Lee Boyce of This is Money talk to Share Radio's Georgie Frost about how to complain to the new ombudsman, misselling madness and high-frequency traders #complaints #ww2 #flashboys Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.