This Is Money Show

It’s the Holy Trinity of money-geddon (to mess up a couple of Biblical metaphors). But this could be big. We’re less well off than in 2008, prices are going up and wages aren’t. This adds up to trouble. The British economy is based on us all spending money on services but it’s increasingly money we haven't got. Join Georgie Frost, Rachel Rickard Straus and Simon Lambert for a cheery look at what lies ahead now that the impact of austerity, inflation and the devalued pound is becoming clear. Also, on the show… SAVE GOODBYE: The only place to get a savings account remotely worth saving money into is likely to be with a bank you’ve never heard of. STOPPING SHOPPING: The Government has mucked up business rates so seismically that many shops are likely to shut down. Surely a u-turn is the only hope. POUND ROUND-UP: Round pound coins are being killed off. If you’ve got a jar full at home you need to spend them now. DEAD MEAN: First they made disabled people pay for tax cuts of the rich and the crime

The property market is broken. Years of cheap money have allowed lenders to lend more and more to people earning less and less and we’re at crisis point. The politics of trying to boost the housing market to win votes has left us on the brink of potential disaster. Rents are likely to soar too, removing even that alternative to having a roof over our heads, and while all the economic focus rests on London there’s little incentive to move to Stoke-on-Trent. It was with this mess in mind that we’d been looking forward to the latest Government white paper that promised to outline plans for the ultimate rescue package for housing. It might as well have been 104 blank pages for all the piffle it contained. There is no plan. They don’t know what to do. The question is, can Simon Lambert, Rachel Rickard Straus and Georgie Frost come up with any better ideas? Also on the show… Could another idiotic car scrappage deal be on the cards? This time for our once eco-friendly diesels. Our fa

We haven’t left the world’s biggest trading block yet so measuring the success of Brexit is tricky. It hasn’t happened. There’s still no plan. But what we do know is this. The inequality gap between rich and poor in Britain is growing. More than 14million have not been able to save a penny in the last 12 months. And HALF of earners of £25,000 or less haven’t put cash aside for the rainy days ahead. But why would you save when the interest rates available are lower than inflation? It means saving is a way of losing money. Unlike Brexit, there is a plan and it’s possibly an investment plan. And what if there was a timeframe over which you definitely don't lose out? Join Simon Lambert, Georgie Frost and Lee Boyce for a round-up of how to save and invest, why and where, the pitfalls and the safety nets. Also on the show: Simon goes botty potty after an a artificially intelligent computer programme (bot) has beaten a team of leading human poker players. The ramifications for financial tools is colossal.

We tried hard this week not to talk too much about Britain's exit from the European economic bedrock as it jumps headfirst into bed with Donald Trump’s protectionist America. Instead, and in related news, Georgie Frost, Adrian Lowery and Simon Lambert take a look at the exodus of banks from the UK. Not just those planning on moving to continental Europe post-Brexit, but the latest wave of branch closures announced by HSBC and Yorkshire Bank. But do we really need them? Simon, This is Money’s editor, would happily never set foot in one again. Also on the show. Can you beat inflation with savings? Probably not – so listen to our easy-to-follow look at how anyone can to get into investing Email hacking sees no sign of relenting - and now there’s a scam based on Amazon to watch out for And finally… Tacky bespoke Rolls-Royces are all the rage among the stupid rich. Why? Enjoy.

This week will go down in history for a couple of major events. A new US president being sworn in is always big news but that happens every four years. OK, Donald Trump might shake things up a bit if he's able to get his way. Most noteworthy in Britain was the revelation that 'Brexit’ means the total withdrawal from the EU, customs union and single market as a way of controlling immigration. Prime Minister Theresa May laid out her 'plan' for the future of Britain outside the world's largest trading block. How that stacks up economically remains to be seen. This is Money’s Simon Lambert has a pretty good stab at explaining, along with colleague Rachel Rickard Straus and Share Radio’s Georgie Frost. Some say Britain cannot afford to go it alone because of the unsustainable level of Government and industry debt. However, one commentator told This is Money this week that household debt is now a far greater worry than anything the Government can muddle along with. And now prices are

Investors have been cheered by a stunning start to 2017 for the FTSE 100, which racked up a record-breaking run of closing highs. But does that mean we should be confident or worried? The FTSE 100 is made up of international companies with foreign earnings, booming on the back of the devalued pound. On this week’s This is Money podcast, Simon Lambert and Rachel Rickard Straus join Georgie Frost in the Share Radio studios to explore why shares have soared and discuss whether this is a good, indifferent or the absolute worst time to invest. Investors love to invest at the wrong time. Inevitably, also on the agenda this week are the two words on everyone’s lips, Trump and Brexit. We take a quick look at the devastating influence an angry tweet from the US President-elect can have on the pharmaceutical, car, defence and airline industries and the ongoing vagueness of Britain's relationship with Europe before swiftly moving on to more pressing matters. Among them are a look at how rich you are, the best

The glass is half full and we’re on the hunt for a silver lining as we look forward to what's in store for our finances in 2017. We also cast a quick glance back at the most entertaining money stories of 2016, which were about... well, money. We go behind the scenes with the man we hold responsible for the phenomenon that was stories about new fivers worth a more than £5 and coins worth a small fortune, consumer affairs editor Lee Boyce. Readers loved his stories about coins and notes last year, and they set a trend for stories about money worth more than face value across Britain's media and viral internet. Where did the ideas come from? Why are some of these coins and notes worth more? Is the round pound next? Lee gives us the lowdown in the studio with Share Radio's Georgie Frost and This is Money editor Simon Lambert. Also on this week's show, we look at whether 2017 will be a good year for investors as the FTSE 100 hits a run of record highs, or whether the view that the only way is up spells troub

The phenomenal successes of British athletes at the Rio Olympics were quickly forgotten in 2016 as a confusing, unpredictable mix of politics and economics took over. The peculiarities began before Brazil, however, when Leicester City won the Premiership title at odds of 5,000 to 1. Then the British public were granted a vote on the country’s role in the European Union, which few appeared to understand. Markets crashed and recovered, the pound tanked and people got rather angry – but mostly about attempts to increase the price of the popular yeast spread, Marmite. Finally, a reality TV star with the language of a child and behaviour of a child became leader of the free world. Join Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce of This is Money and Share Radio luminary Georgie Frost for a look behind the sound bites and the hubris as they try to work out happened and why.

It might be the only time in history that four five-course supermarket Christmas dinners are taste-tested on live radio over a discussion about the state of the economy. There’s really not much more one can say. Other than will it be Lidl, Waitrose, Tesco or ‘the wildcard’ that proves more popular this year in the turkey, cheese, Prosecco, sprouts and cranberry sauce league? The result, as a clickbaiter might say, may surprise you. The journey might amuse you. Inflation hit 1.2% and the US Federal Reserve raised its main interest rate. Merry Christmas. From this week’s crew: Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce, Rich Browning and Tom the producer.

It’s amazing isn’t it? We’re a service economy with a heavy reliance on financial services but when it comes to customer services and financial services, we’re useless. Our email inbox is permanently full of complaints about companies that refuse to help their customers – as is our old-fashioned post bag. For the ninth year running the Wooden Spoon awards are upon us, where we highlight the most complained about companies and organisations of the year and ask readers, listeners and viewers to vote for the absolute worst. Last year the BT chief executive collected the award. This year, the execrable Southern Rail makes the shortlist as it enters the festive period without a timetable and none of the bosses in jail. Who gets your vote? Join Rachel Rickard Straus (British Gas), Lee Boyce (Banks – all of them) and Georgie Frost (Southern Rail) for a fabulously entertaining look at some of things we hate with a passion. Also on the show… - We look at how mortgage lending works. Did you know they have l

An energy firm collapsed this week, but even if you were one of GB Energy's customers you might not have even realised. If you've ever wondered where all those strangely named energy firms have come from, listen to this week's This is Money Podcast to find out. Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce, of This is Money, join Georgie Frost in the Share Radio studios to discuss why our energy firms are feeling stressed. They also look at why our banks are being stress tested, with the majority state-owned RBS setting an example by failing. But how do you get from that to Guns N' Roses and OPEC? Listen to this week's podcast to find out.

The new Chancellor delivered his first Autumn Statement this week with the aim of distancing himself from his predecessor - but what will it mean for you? Philip Hammond grabbed the headlines with a ban on fees for tenants, a 2.2% savings bond, a minor splurge on infrastructure and an awful lot of debt. Will tenants bear the brunt of landlords hiking rents after being hit by crafty letting agents? Is a three-year bond paying 2.2% the answer to the savings crisis? What’s the key to productivity other than spending less time on Facebook? Are we really poorer than seven years ago and counting? How on earth will we ever pay off £2trillion of debt? Simon Lambert and Rebecca Rutt, of This is Money, join Georgie Frost, of Share Radio, in the studio for the This is Money Show podcast to try and answer all these questions and more. And if you’re all Autumn Statemented-out, there’s also some existential questions about Black Friday, a look at whether airport parking spaces really make good investments, and a F

After the Brexit vote rolled in, a tax giveaway and spending splurge was considered a nailed on certainty. Five months down the line, Britain's economy has surprised many with its resilience and it's not so clear cut. So what will Philip Hammond do in the Autumn Statement. Will the public get infrastructure bonds to invest in, will stamp duty see a cut to get people moving, and will anyone ever commit to properly fixing Britain's roads. Next Wednesday's Autumn Statement holds the key and Simon Lambert and Rachel Rickard Straus, of This is Money, discuss the outlook with Georgie Frost, of Share Radio, on this week's This is Money Show podcast. Also under the microscope is Trumpflation. What on earth is it, why are investors chasing this trade and will a big infrastructure spend and tax cut in the US help its economy? Simon has read Donald Trump's economic plan and takes us through what the President-Elect says he will do (unless of course he changes his mind). Also up for discussion is the white Ferrari 458 Sp

The Simpsons predicted it but did you? Donald Trump will be the next president of the US after his election win this week - something many thought was impossible. But just how much of a part did economic dissatisfaction among those who feel left behind by a wealthy elite play in this? Did that wealthy elite spend too long ignoring ordinary hard-working families concerns and telling them they knew what was best? Why didn't the other side realise and do something that would have stopped the White House keys going to the most controversial president-elect ever? And what on earth does President Trump mean for the US economy and for the finances of us Britons on the other side of the Atlantic? Simon Lambert and Sarah Davidson, of This is Money, join Georgie Frost in the Share Radio studio for the weekly This is Money podcast to answer these questions and more. And it's not all Trump. We also get an update on Simon's will-writing adventure - where he promised to finally sort one out and explain what you ne

The Bank of England updated us on post-Brexit vote Britain this week and managed to admit it was wrong while telling us it was right. Simon Lambert, Adrian Lowery and Georgie Frost rake through the inflation report and outlook for interest rates and the economy on the This is Money podcast with Share Radio. They also look at what that High Court victory means for Brexit, business and our money. While this rumbles on, savers are being stung by terrible rates and inflation rising. So what should you do with your spare cash and what even counts as spare? We look at whether you should switch banks, invest it, buy premium bonds, or perhaps just go on holiday (be warned this is now more expensive). Watch out though if you do go away, you might find a robot has nabbed your job by the time you get back. We also take a look at what the rise of the robots means – and the jobs we’d rather they had taken of us.

Cleared for take-off? Heathrow is given the green light for a third runway, but what does it mean for the economy, residents, house prices and the future of air travel from Britain? Some under 30s ARE saving enough for retirement while we explain why turning back the clocks this weekend makes our roads more dangerous. Has buy-to-let gone cold? Or should landlords look north to student towns such as Leeds for better yields? Buy-to-let and LS6 postcode expert Simon Lambert runs the rule. And PPI. It has been plague to banks for years – but one, NatWest, has been pulling sneaky tricks on some who were due fair redress…

Enough already! Can’t everything just be simpler? ‘Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication’, said Leonardo da Vinci, whose basic thinking gave us art and helicopters to chat about and wonder over for centuries. It hardly goes without saying that top of the week’s meddles is from Ryanair, the low-cost airline MOST famous for concocting increasingly bizarre, arbitrary ways of charging people more. Now it’s levying a fee for checking yourself in at home on your computer and printing the boarding cards – but only if you do so four days before you fly. Stop it! George Osborne, remember him? Also known as Gideon U-turn, the Chancellor who used to think up stuff in bed then announce it as Government policy the next day without the slightest idea of whether it would work. Pasty tax was one meddle you may recall. This week, plans to create a secondhand market for annuities was scrapped – because no one wants to buy duff annuities from people who don’t want them for very that reason. Stop it.

The country appeared to take leave of its senses this week. As the pound continues to take a steady route south through the Channel tunnel down to the capital of Armageddon, the effects are being felt by businesses across Britain. And bit-by-bit consumers are starting to notice. They’re not happy. News of the famous savoury black paste, Marmite, being taken off the shelves at Tesco spread across the internet like a yeast infection. People became hysterical - and not in a funny way. You don’t mess with people’s brands as Unilever found out when it stopped supplying the supermarket many of its famous-name products because of the rising cost of foreign-sourced ingredients. Join Simon Lambert, Georgie Frost and Lee ‘Bovril’ Boyce for an entertaining look at what it all means for the pound in your pocket. Also in the podcast: Former Bank of England governor Mervyn King believes the weak pound is a good thing for Britain. Don’t wait until to get to the airport to change your money – you’ll be in fo

It’s the best money show on the radio. Of that we are in no doubt. What is in doubt, though, is what’s behind our ‘economic recovery’ and the small matter of the future of Britain. Georgie and Simon are joined by ace This is Money investment and business reporter Ellie Lawrie to pore over the week’s strange events. To the soundtrack of the Prime Minister’s pro-Brexit speech at the Conservative Party conference, the FTSE 100 was hitting near record highs. Behind the headlines, the story was somewhat different. The FTSE 100 index of leading shares is mostly made up of foreign companies so when their earnings are converted into pounds, they’re suddenly worth a lot more. That’s why the market is rising. But some clever maths shows that in real-terms the market is in fact down. Confused? Listen now. Also in the show A flash crash smashed sterling, Are we being controlled by algorithms and should we be worried? Among the platitudes aimed at loyal voters, PM Theresa May’s speec

Here’s our latest joyous look at the week’s events. Join Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce for money mirth with a few nervous laughs on top. We’re possibly staring global financial Armageddon in the face again as Germany’s biggest bank owes more money in fines than it’s worth while it sits on TRILLIONS of pounds of complex debt that no one appears to understand. UK banks were bailed out to the tune of around £500bn after the 2008 crisis, paid for by cutting Government spending and disability allowances and the like. But Germany is refusing to consider any such aid and austerity. The second biggest bank in Germany is also now in deep trouble as it announced 10,000 job cuts. The knock on effects are starting to resonate around the world. What happens next is worth a ringside seat. Also on the show: Help to buy is to die – it was a policy dreamt up by our already forgotten former PM David Cameron and sidekick George Osborne to increase house prices Aldi takes on Wait