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It’s manifesto week and Labour, the Conservatives and the Lib Dems have laid out their vision for the country – along with the Green Party, Reform and others.
The economy, tax and people’s finances are a cornerstone of the all the manifestos, but what are the main parties proposing and what could it mean for you?
On this week’s podcast, Georgie Frost, Angharad Carrick and Simon Lambert take a deep dive into the manifestos to see what’s there.
If the country votes for a change and we do get the widely predicted Labour government, what will it mean for your money – and does talking about growth mean there’s an actual plan to deliver it?
After 14 years in charge, were the Tories bold enough in their manifesto to derail Labour’s run at power?
And do the Lib Dems have the policies that could shake things up, including a plan to substantially overhaul capital gains tax?
Plus, what did Reform say?
All this and more go under the microscope, along with a look at what has really happened to our taxes in a decade-and-a-half under the Conservatives.
And finally, away from the election, how much did the most desirable new King Charles £5 note go for at a special auction this week? -
How much do you need in Premium Bonds to win the jackpot?
And if you haven’t maxed them out to the full £50,000, is it even worth bothering?
This is Money has run some in-depth analysis on all the £1million prizes over the past four years and this week revealed how much those lucky people held.
On this week’s podcast episode, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert look at what it takes to win the Premium Bonds.
Simon gives us his tax manifesto to get us out of the mess Britain’s tax system is in.
Plus, one of our readers is in their mid-40s, would like to semi-retire to work on their own terms, travel and enjoy life in a decade, and wants to know if their £180,000 investments can grow enough to achieve that.
What does someone with those ambitions need to consider? The team take a look.
Should you consider buying a cheap electric car? Prospective buyers are worried about batteries but get over that and Simon says it could prove even cheaper to run than you think.
And finally, the new King Charles notes are out but what are the serial numbers to check your wallet for that could make them worth big money? -
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This is Money's consumer champion Helen Crane celebrated the 100th edition of her Crane on the Case column this week.
Helen has won back more than £1.2million for readers over the course of all those columns and learnt a thing or two along the way about how to battle consumer problems and bad customer service.
On this podcast, she discusses the big wins, the satisfying victories, the worst cases of bad customer service - and gives her tips on how to get what you want.
Also on the show, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert discuss whether working parents could be missing our by not claiming child benefit now that the rules have changed and more can get it.
Plus, if you owe tax on savings interest but don't have to do a tax return how will HMRC find out?
Is Scottish Mortgage worth backing as shares rebound but remain considerably down on their peak?
And finally, Charles Stanley's Dan Beecroft jons the show to explain 50-30-20 budgeting and why people love this rule of thumb for spending and saving. -
The Prime Minister put an end to all the speculation this week by giving us the date for the general election: July 4.
That comes as the latest inflation reading was 2.3 per cent, a little above forecasts making a base rate cut next month now unlikely.
Simon Lambert, Georgie Frost and Lee Boyce delve into the economic state of affairs and what the upcoming election could mean for your money, when it comes to tax, pensions, property and everything in-between.
Nationwide Building Society posted pre-tax profits of £1.77bn this week and as a result, it is dishing out another year of 'Fairer Share' loyalty payouts of £100 – will you qualify?
And not only that, it is now offering £200 to switchers and an exclusive 5.5 per cent loyalty savings rate.
How does early retirement sound to you? It seems it appeals to a lot of us because searches on Google for 'retire early' have increased threefold in the last decade.
But how much would you be willing to sacrifice to achieve it? At the extreme end, we have the FIRE movement, advocating saving 70 per cent of your income.
Special guest, former This is Money editor Andrew Oxlade had had enough – he explains why.
Lastly, This is Money has a new regular series called Modern Treasures with valuation expert Dan Hatfield – Lee reveals all about the first one, all about first edition books, and gives details on how to get YOUR items valued for free. -
Supermarket loyalty schemes have become even more of a big thing in recent years as the two giants Tesco and Sainsbury's have rolled out Clubcard and Nectar Prices.
But while cards bring lower prices, the points collected still mean prizes for some loyalty scheme fans.
So, what happens if a fraudster steals your points? This is Money's Angharad Carrick recently went on the trail of some stolen Nectar points and uncovered a story that delivered as many questions as it did answers.
On this podcast, Ang, Georgie Frost and Simon Lambert discuss the mystery of the stolen Nectar Points and how our reader got short shrift from Sainsbury's, Action Fraud and the police when they had £230 nicked.
Plus, are these loyalty cards any good and worth having anyway and why is the competition watchdog investigating them?
Also on this week's show:
Many more people are taking mortgages than run past state pension age but with work and retirement blurring and changing does this matter? Simon explains why he thinks it does but for another reason.
Would you buy fake cash for a knockdown price off social media? It sounds daft, but this is a genuine thing - we look at how it is happening.
And should a reader who is still working at age 77, worth £2.6million and doesn't want a big inheritance tax bill start giving money away - and splashing out on themselves and their family? -
The Bank of England decided to hold the base rate for the sixth time in a row this week – but was it the right decision?
Should the MPC have been bold and made a cut? What does it mean for our mortgages and savings? And when will a move come - and in what direction?
This week, Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce talk about the base rate decision and what happens next.
In the world of property, the number of homes being devalued is on the rise. So, what's going on? And what can you do if it happens to you.
Bungalows are having a moment. They're not just for the elderly and downsizers, young families and first time buyers are also increasingly interested - pushing the price of them higher since the pandemic. .
Energy firms have been trying to push smart meters on us for years. Have they uncovered a new trick to get us to make the swap?
And finally, it's been good news for JD Wetherspoon - the no frills pub chain said it expects annual profits to come in towards the 'top end' of forecasts.
Where do you stand on Spoons? Lee and Simon face-off with different pints of view on the pub giant. -
With not one but two mortgage spikes fresh in our minds, a flurry of rate rises have got home owners and potential buyers worried again.
A bunch of major mortgage lenders raised their rates this week - and Santander did it twice.
So, are we about to see another mortgage spike or is this just what brokers and lenders like to optimistically call a mere 'repricing'?
And what does this all mean if you need to remortgage soon or want to buy a home?
On this podcast, Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Simon Lambert take a look at what's happening in the mortgage market, why rates are rising and whether the Federal Reserve flapping its wings on the other side of the world pushes up our homeowning costs.
Plus, Simon explains why you may not want to put all of your savings into your pension as it might dent early retirement chances.
The team look at how at the other end of the scale someone with a bigger pension than they need could pass it to their grandchildren.
Helen details a worrying Crane on the Case theft and how to protect yourself - and finally we discuss whether a passkey is the answer to our fraud fears. -
You can wait a long time for a FTSE 100 record high but for peak-starved British investors this week delivered a bonanza.
Four record highs were racked up by the FTSE 100, with only Wednesday's slight dip spoiling what would have been a perfect run over a week.
The return to new highs on Thursday came as a mega-mining merger bid arrive from BHP for Anglo American - and that was followed swiftly by one of the UK's few tech stars Darktrace announcing it had accepted a bid on Friday.
Are these the catalysts that fund manager Nick Train was talking about when he said it could take a big takeover to shake UK stocks out of their slumber and get the world investing in Footsie companies again?
On this week's podcast, Georgie Frost, Tanya Jefferies and Simon Lambert look and what's moving the UK market, why it is judged to be cheap and whether you should invest.
Plus, the top investment trusts for retirement investing and the latest twist in the state pension top-ups saga.
Should we cut inheritance tax - or at least sort out the mess - as the take soars?
And finally, are you a backseat driver? See if you can pass the test. -
Older people received another boost to the state pension this week taking the full rate to over £11,000 a year.
This year's increase of 8.5 per cent was thanks to the triple lock commitment - a guarantee the state pension will rise each year by the higher of CPI, wages or 2.5 per cent.
What does the future hold? While there is plenty of speculation the state pension may become means tested, in reality it could be incredibly hard to implement.
This week, Tanya Jefferies, Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Lee Boyce talk state pensions – and how they compare to other countries.
And sticking on the theme, there is another delay for the Government’s new online state pension top-up service. When will it launch?
NS&I has a four day IT meltdown that makes it a struggle for customers to log-in – and it suggests to one that she may have a ‘time drift.’ What does this bizarre explanation mean?
Crane is on the Case once more, this time Eon is in the firing line after it insisted a part-time dance teacher used £95,000 worth of energy… in a month.
And who on earth would hold an American Express card in their wallet with an APR 704.6 per cent? Lee has the answer. -
There's a warning for savers who's fixed term deals are coming to an end - don't take your eye off the ball now or risk having your returns wiped out in a matter of months.
A year ago, there was a flurry of savers choosing fixed-rate bonds as they improved drastically. But if you don't act, the chances are it'll rollover into an awful rate.
On this week's This is Money podcast, Helen Crane, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost talk savings, just as we head into a new financial year.
Also on the savings front, NS&I reveals the rate of the new British Savings Bond - is it worth it? And an Isa millionaire reveals all to This is Money on how he built up a seven-figure pot.
Helen tackles another reader problem – this time, it's a case of the unwanted and unneeded Sim card costing a pensioner couple hundreds of pounds.
And on the utilities front, Lee reveals how Ofcom saved him from a 75 per cent rise in his monthly broadband costs, and why you should check if you're out of contract with your mobile phone.
Mortgage approvals are up - but house prices nudge lower. What's going on?
Meanwhile, research shows a record third of all homes are being bought by first time buyers – and they make up 89 per cent of buyers in one Berkshire town.
Lastly, entrepreneur Tim Armoo runs the rule over five money-making fads doing the rounds on social media – are any of them worth your time? -
The row over small deposit mortgage is the gift that keeps on giving.
Hot on the heels of the Budget plan that never appeared arrives Yorkshire Building Society's new deal, that's been dubbed a 99 per cent mortgage.
But is it really one of those and does it have any redeeming features?
And if it's cheaper than you rent, is there anything wrong with taking a 99 per cent mortgage?
On this week's This is Money podcast, Georgie Frost and Simon Lambert talk tiny deposit mortgages, negative equity and buying vs renting.
Plus, gift card draining scammers, can your pension last retirement, and finally, where are the experts investing their Isa and how can you easily sort yours? -
There is less than a fortnight to go before the end of the tax year and that means it's time to sort your Isa, pension and finances before it's too late.
With another tax raid on the way for investors on capital gains and dividends, this is one of the most important tax year ends in years.
On this special bonus episode of the This is Money podcast, Simon Lambert talks to Rob Morgan, of Charles Stanley Direct, to find out what investors need to do and why sorting your pension and Isa can save you a substantial amount in tax. -
The Bank of England held interest rates again this week as inflation dropped once more. So, are we out of the woods yet?
Will inflation keep coming back down towards target and the Bank of England soon seamlessly switch back to cutting rates?
Or will central bankers be keen to hold onto higher rates, even if we get hit by a bout of disinflation?
On this week’s podcast, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert look at what next for inflation and interest rates and what it means for your money.
Also on the episode, should the Waspi women who saw their state pension age rise rapidly be compensated for the poor communication and how much of a victory was this week’s Parliamentary Ombudsman Waspi report a victory for them?
As that happened, more news emerged on underpaid state pensions – as exposed by our Tanya Jefferies and pension columnist Sir Steve Webb, and the team update us on that.
Plus, what’s going on with the chaos at HMRC and who is to blame for the failure to keep up with our increasingly tricky tax system.
And finally, meet the Scambaiters – we find out what they do and why. -
Jeremy Hunt bounced around delivering his Budget on Wednesday, proudly declaring his commitment to tax cuts and supporting working families.
Another 2p was chopped off National Insurance and the threshold at which child benefit is removed was raised from £50,000 to £60,000.
But you don’t need to be a financial expert to know that the Chancellor’s version of events isn’t quite the whole story.
Because Mr Hunt is also presiding over a long-term stealth tax freeze to thresholds that is costing workers dear and his child benefit move merely kicked sky-high marginal tax rates down the road, rather than getting rid of them altogether.
Nonetheless, a tax cut and an extra £5,000 Isa allowance – even if it’s a slightly iffy, limited one – is not to be sniffed at.
So, was this an escape velocity Budget that puts Britain back on the path to growth?
Or was it too little, too late, from a Tory party that has sported successive Chancellors who have been keener to raise our taxes by hook or by crook rather than cut them – or even just keep thresholds in line with inflation.
On this week’s Budget special This is Money podcast, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert look at the winners and losers and go searching for the devils in the detail.
What is the NI cut worth to you? Will you get some child benefit back? Did pensioners deserve a tax cut too? With a failure to reverse his capital gains and dividend tax raid, what has the Chancellor got against small investors?
And will the British Isa be any good?
All that and more – plus a look at why Nationwide is buying Virgin Money and whether that’s good or bad for us all. -
On this bonus episode of the This is Money Podcast, Simon Lambert is joined by Charles Stanley Direct’s Lisa Caplan and Garry White for a quick run through what was in the Budget.
Investment experts Lisa and Garry talk us through the main Budget points and what they mean for people.
Join us on Friday for the full Budget episode where the This is Money Podcast team will dissect Jeremy Hunt's plan and reveal the devils uncovered in the details. -
The debacle over widespread errors in the state pension that This is Money and Sir Steve Webb uncovered, continues.
As of the end of October last year, DWP had paid out just under half a billion pounds to more than 80,000 people who’ve been underpaid.
But what about those who have died? This week, Tanya Jefferies, Lee Boyce, Angharad Carrick and Georgie Frost reveal the case where a letter was sent to the daughter of an 100 year-old man three years after he passed away, stating he had been unpaid state pension for two decades.
Yet, despite the letter – months later, she was left hanging on what the DWP was actually going to do about it.
And still on the state pension front, people continue to complain of top-ups chaos as the Government gets ready to launch a new online service next month.
Sir Steve is calling on DWP and HMRC to get in more staff.
You don’t need HMRC to have more staff to answer your call, oh no! You just need to be a VIP.
Apparently there is a helpline, also known as Public Department 1 (PD1) which answers calls nine times quicker. We explain more.
On the savings front, the FCA is launching a campaign to encourage savers to shop around – and if you rushed to sign up for a one-year fixed-rate cash Isa this time in 2023, Lee explains why you must act.
Optional and mandatory service charges at hospitality venues – Georgie, Ang and Lee give their verdict.
And finally the price of bitcoin jumped beyond $60,000 this week. What’s behind the latest cryptocurrency surge? -
With the Budget tipped to be the Chancellor’s last roll of the dice before a General Election, expectations over tax cuts are growing.
But what taxes could Jeremy Hunt choose to cut and why – and is there hope that he will sort out the tax mess that Britain has got stuck in.
The higher income child benefit charge creates marginal tax rates above 50 per cent, meanwhile the removal of the personal allowance bakes in a 60 per cent income tax rate between £100,000 and £125,140.
Should these tax traps and painfully high stamp duty be removed? On this week’s podcast Simon Lambert argues that Mr Hunt needs to have a clear out, chuck a load of stuff in the stupid tax box and bin it.
Simon, Georgie Frost and Lee Boyce look ahead to what could be in the Budget and what it would mean for you.
Also, on this week’s episode, energy bills are due to fall as the price cap is cut but how much will this save you?
It’s not just tax catching people out, student loans are also proving difficult to shift as interest mounts up due to high inflation. Does the student finance system need a sort out too? And what is Simon’s triple lock for student loans plan?
And finally, don’t get spear phished or tap jacked, Lee talks us through the new scams you need to know about. -
It's finally happened. After months of will-we, won't-we speculation, the UK economy has finally succumbed to recession.
The ONS revealed this week that a drop in GDP in the final three months of 2023 meant that Britain had racked up two consecutive of negative growth - and thus the dreaded R word is here.
But is this a bad one, why does the term 'technical recession' keep being bandied about and do these backward-looking figures mask things already getting better?
On this week's podcast, Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Simon Lambert look at what recession means for the UK and you.
Plus, who are the villains among big banks and building societies when it comes to sky-high standard variable rates for mortgage borrowers and is it them or the customers themselves to blame if somone ends up paying almost 10 per cent interest?
Also on the show, the customer turned down for a switching bonus by HSBC because they had a Midland account 21 years ago.
And finally, electric car sales aren't growing as fast as the government or car makers want. Does that mean it's time to drive a bargain? - Se mer
