This Is Money Show

In a not very happy start to the new year, Ofgem's energy price cap went up on 1 January from £1,717 to £1,738. Energy experts at Cornwall Insight say it will go up again in April - and by more than they initially expected.  So why are bills rising? After all, we are a long way from the peak of the gas price crisis back in 2021.  This week, Georgie Frost and Helen Crane discuss when they will finally go back to normal - and whether fixed rates are a good deal again.  The team also talk about an Octopus energy customer who was charged £5 to make a cup of tea thanks to a new smart meter.  For homeowners starting 2025 by sticking their property on the market, we get some tips from estate agents on how to spruce up your home - and which renovations aren't worth the bother.  We also discuss whether buyers really care about the smell of freshly baked bread, and what the best colour is to paint your front door.  Helen speaks about the companies This is Money readers have moaned about most in 2024, and her hig

In a special epsiode, we hosted our first live podcast at our offices to celebrate a  decade of discussing Britain's personal finances. Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Helen Crane talk through 10 years of huge and unexpected financial developments, from Brexit and President Trump to Covid and the cost-of-living crisis. Some of our valued listeners were in the audience as we covered major themes that have erupted in our financial lives since 2014, including Liz Truss's infamous 'mini-Budget', the rollercoaster property market – and whether we can truly say we have put the cost-of-living crisis in the rearview mirror. In addition to looking at the bigger picture, we drilled into how these events have shaped our personal finances and affected our savings, mortgages, pensions, investments and aspirations. 'Producing a podcast episode every week for a decade felt like something we should celebrate, so I was delighted to welcome our guests – and especially our listeners – to a 10th birthday celebrat

On this special bonus episode of the This is Money Podcast, Simon Lambert catches up with Alastair Humphreys about his quest to find adventure close to home. Alastair, a genuine global adventurer, who featured on our Making The Money Work Podcast series in 2020, recently published his book Local: A Search for Nearby Nature and Wildness. It told the story of his year spent swapping travelling the world for exploring the grid squares of the Ordance Survey map centred on his home location. In this extra podcast episode, we find out more about why he did it, what he learnt and how you could start your own money saving adventure on your doorstep right now.

How much spare cash do you have to spend? A new index shows we typically have £836 in disposable income each month. That’s the amount of money you have left over to spend or save after taxes and bills have been paid, according to comprehensive research. This week, Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce talk income and ask... does a £100,000 annual salary really not make workers feel wealthy anymore? The annual list of happiest and unhappiest towns to live in Britain has been released, with Slough in Berkshire being labelled the most miserable. Is that a fair tag for any town? Bitcoin topped $100,000 for the first time. It soared in the wake of Donald Trump's election.  So, have the crypto evangelists been proved right, can you still make money from bitcoin and what other coins are worth looking into? Lastly, wood stoves are back in the news. What are the rules around them - and are they really a polluting menace?

House price predictions for next year have started to roll in, so where do the experts think they are headed next?  Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Lee Boyce discuss the property market - and delve into figures that attempt to tackle the tricky question: is it harder to buy a home now versus 50 years ago. And sticking with property, Halifax has launched a highly unusual fixed-rate mortgage - should borrowers be tempted? With the weather turning colder, we talk how to stay warm this winter without breaking the bank and whether it is worth getting a fixed tariff with your energy firm. We reveal the amount you should have saved in your pension in every decade of your life to guarantee a golden retirement - and how much notice you should pay to these formulas.  And lastly, Lee reveals his top tips for avoiding the out of contract rip-off trap - and how he's saving more than £400 in the next 12 months by doing so. 

Inflation's spell below the Bank of England's 2 per cent target has been brief and the latest CPI figure came in at a higher than expected 2.3 per cent. Meanwhile, Bank of England boss Andrew Bailey has joined the Office of Budget Responsibility in stating that the recent Autumn Budget is likely to lift inflation, as employers face higher costs from national insurance and the rising minimum wage. On the other side of the Atlantic, President-elect Donald Trump is seen as bringing his own inflationary pressure, which could spread from the US to the rest of the world. So what does this mean for interest rates? Are cuts about to stall - and what happens next for borrowers and savers? On this week's podcast, Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Simon Lambert, talk inflation, rates, mortgages and savings. The team also look at whether those needing to get a mortgage now should fix for two or five years. Plus, why the row over inheritance tax and farmers is symptomatic of Britain's bad tax system - and Simon's plan

Crypto has been a little quiet of late. Out of the spotlight, minding its own business. But Donald Trump gets voted back in as US president and boom - bitcoin surged beyond $90,000 for the first time. The rest of the crypto market has also seen a boost, so what's going on? Where is it likely to head next and what do you need to be aware of if you are cashing out your gains? Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost delve into bitcoin and friends to give their verdict. The number of Isa millionaires has soared, with a 228% jump of investors joining the club in just two years.  And there are 25 of them who hold an average of £8.9million. Just how do you build such a big pot? Britain's first Isa millionaire, Lord Lee, gives his three tips. Fresh from her Budget speech, the Chancellor has announced plans to use our pension savings to boost economic growth by creating megafunds. Just what are they? We tackle an tricky question about IHT and giving away a home. And finally, Lee's Collecting Corner is back.

President Trump is back. The US election finally came to a head this week and rather than the knife-edge result many expected, Donald Trump secured a decisive win over Kamala Harris. This podcast episode is a special double header: the team discuss that US election result and interest rate cuts in the first half and then celebrate the tenth anniversary of the This is Money podcast in the second. First up it’s President Trump. In a sense, he is more of a known quantity this time round – having already racked up four years in the White House before. But that’s only in so much that Donald Trump can ever really be a known quantity and the financial world is preparing to strap itself in for another rollercoaster ride. But why does Trump claiming a second run at US president matter to our finances in the UK? What could his policies and pronouncements mean for small investors in Britain? And will the President-elect really drive mortgage costs up on British homes? Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert discu

On this special bonus episode of the This is Money Podcast, Rob Morgan, chief analyst at Charles Stanley Direct, joins Simon Lambert to answer the big questions that have emerged from last week's Budget. On this podcast, Simon and Rob cover among other things. Pensions and inheritance tax: Who will be caught out What can investors do – should they spend their pensions before other savings? What has happened with capital gains tax - and who will it catch? What are the best ways to keep a CGT bill down? How can savers and investors beat the frozen threshold stealth tax? What are the financial planning basics people should make sure they get right?

Rachel Reeves' maiden Budget this week saw the first-ever female chancellor make £40billion of sweeping tax rises to plug funding gaps, everywhere from the NHS and schools.  While it left many of us with something to be miserable about when it comes to our money, there were also some important dodged bullets, as Simon Lambert, Georgie Frost and Helen Crane discuss on this week's podcast.  Among the losers were landlords, investors and those who have stashed wealth in their pension, as stamp duty, capital gains tax and inheritance tax all came under the spotlight.  The attack on the middle classes was perhaps to be expected from a Government which has told us those with the broadest shoulders must bear a bigger burden.  But aside from a rise in the minimum wage and 1p off a pint, did the Budget give enough of a boost to 'working people' - and will changes to employers' National Insurance Contributions indirectly hit them in the pocket anyway? Given growth was the buzzword of the Labour election campaign,

Whether you voted Labour or not, with any new government, there is a sense of optimism. Things can only get better… apparently. But within days, Rachel Reeves and co poured cold water over all that - and the gloom and doom about the economy and what then could be (and crucially not be) in the Budget hasn’t stopped. Well Simon Lambert is fed up. So he has put forward an alternative budget with less than two weeks to go. Do you agree with him? And what would you do? Alongside Georgie Frost and Lee Boyce, the trio talk about budget pessimism. Did it need to be this way? There has been plenty of speculation that NI paid by employers will rise and they may even have to pay NI on pension contributions. What does that mean? This week, CPI fell below the Bank of England's 2 per cent target in September, reaching its lowest point in three years. What does that mean for interest rates? More major lenders have put mortgage rates up - where next for home loan deals... and just what is Sonia, if not an Eastenders ch

How well do you manage your money? Where would you rate your budgeting, saving, investing and pension efforts out of ten? It's not often that we think about these things but mulling them over and making improvements where needed and patting yourself on the back when deserved, is a major step on the road to financial success. On this week's podcast, Georgie Frost and Simon Lambert dial down the noise of the news and dive into how we can manage our money better instead. They discuss tips on how to budget, how to boost your savings and returns, how easy or complicated investing should be, and why a pension is the best and easiest way to get rich. The podcast duo also share an honest look at their own money management and finances, revealing what they do well, what they just about get by at - and the mistakes they make. Plus, when should you decide to get the professionals in and seek financial advice or financial planning? Simon and Georgie discuss that and the costs. And financial planner Dan Beecroft, of

The This is Money podcast recently welcomed Sir Steve Webb for a special episode where he answered listeners' questions on everything you need to know about pensions. In this excerpt, Steve and Simon Lambert discuss whether you should invest in a work pension or Sipp - and how to make the most of them. > Listen back to the full Steve Webb pensions episode

Sir Steve Webb has been This is Money's pensions agony uncle for the past eight years - and this week he celebrated an astonishing 400 columns. Every week, Steve, in partnership with This is Money's pensions and investing editor Tanya Jefferies, answers readers' questions about retirement. On this special episode of the This is Money podcast, Steve joins Georgie Frost and Simon Lambert to answer your questions about pensions. From how to invest for retirement, to the state pension and tax , this show highlights what you need to know about pensions. Plus, with the Budget on the way and speculation at fever pitch, Steve, Simon and Georgie debate what might happen - and share their views on what should happen. Don't miss this essential podcast that could set you up for a richer retirement.

Do you keep savings in your current account? It’s an easy trap to fall into, with a third of people admitting they do it in a recent poll. If you do keep a savings pot in a bank account you are likely to be missing out on a big chunk of interest you could otherwise earn. But even if they don’t do this, there’s two more mistakes people make – using convenient ‘insult’ accounts with their existing bank that pay pitiful interest and not using a cash Isa and losing out to tax. On this podcast, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert look at how to make more of your savings and avoid handing over returns to the bank or taxman. Plus, are you playing into the hands of shoulder surfing fraudsters or phone snatchers, why are more larger detached homes hitting the market and how can you get Steve Webb to answer your pension question on next week’s podcast?