Money Box

For many young people buying a home can seem like an impossible dream. High property prices, no way of saving for a big deposit and worries about paying for a hefty mortgage. But it's not all doom and gloom. Plenty of people are buying their first homes and the programme will hear from some of them. There are some cautionary tales though and we'll hear about those too.Felicity Hannah is joined by - Kate Faulkner, property market analyst and commentator, Ella Cheney, shared ownership programme manager at the National Housing Federation and BBC journalist Thea de Gallier who focuses on housing issues.Producer: Ben Carter Editor: Emma Rippon

Council tenants on Universal Credit are much more likely to be in rent arrears than those who don’t get the benefit. That’s according to research carried out by Money Box. We surveyed local authorities for 12 of the largest cities across Britain and found tens of thousands of people having to manage this debt. The numbers also suggest not only are people on the benefit more likely to be in arrears, but they’re likely to owe much more too. We find out why.Proposals about how to reform leasehold laws in England and Wales have been described as 'nothing more than tinkering' by campaigners. We speak to Professor Nick Hopkins the member of the Law Commission responsible for this report.And foreign exchange company Travelex is still closed for business after a ransom attack eleven days ago. We find out what this means for its customers.Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Howard Mustoe Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Emma Rippon

The world of the influencer is a lucrative one. Online stars made $8bn in 2019 and it's not just household names that are earning money. Louise Cooper and her guests explain how you can make money from your social media presence.Louise talks to -Beckii Cruel who posted videos of herself dancing to Japanese pop music in the late 2000's and ended up 120,000 subscribers to her Youtube channel. Sara McCorquodale who has written a book (Influence) about the rise of the social media influencer and runs her own influencer marketing agency Corq.Kate McCabe who turned to social media when she lost her job a couple of years ago and now posts videos of her spotting bargains at car boot sales and antique Mike Parkes from Go Simple Tax who explains how influencers - whose remuneration comes in the shape of income, gifts and experiences - should complete their tax returns. Producer: Ben Carter Editor: Emma Rippon

History is littered with tales of financial error – many instantly familiar even though they may have taken place several centuries apart. Why do we keep on making the same mistakes with our money and what can we do to stop making them?Paul Lewis discusses with Russell Napier, the Keeper of Edinburgh's Library of Mistakes, Prof Nicky Marsh who is writing a book on the history of financial advice and Dr Joe Gladstone from UCL's School of Management who helps people make better behavioural choices with their money.Picture: General Gregor Macgregor - Scottish soldier, adventurer and confidence trickster. Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Emma Rippon

Money is one of the top three strains on relationships and it’s a common cause of rift between family and friends.You might be cautious and risk averse and hate to see your partner frittering their money away on new clothes and nights out; while they might think you should stop being so miserly with your cash and splash out once in a while.Earlier this year Ruth Alexander introduced ‘The Money Clinic’. In this special Money Box series we eavesdropped on the conversations of three couples and a mother and son talking honestly about their finances with a relationship counsellor. We learnt about their relationship with each other and how money impacted on their relationships, as well as hearing how they managed the emotional side of money. We learnt that individual attitudes to money are formed in early life, and how arguments about it are often about much more than just money. In this programme we catch up with two households and hear what impact the Money Clinic had on their relationship with money.If you have a money and relationship issue you would like to share, email moneybox@bbc.co.ukPresenter: Ruth Alexander Producer Smita Patel Editor Emma Rippon

The Government has accepted all but one of the recommendations made by Sir Amyas Morse in his review of the controversial 'loan charge'. This means that 11,000 people will be let off paying money to HMRC. They had signed up to schemes that paid part of their salary as a loan. Promoters of the scheme had told them that meant they were not liable to income tax but had ended up receiving bills for thousands of pounds retrospectively.Financial advisers are not happy with changes the regulator has made to how you check if a financial adviser is registered.And the best way to gift money to children at Christmas.Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Dan Whitworh Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Emma Rippon

From a housing cooperative near the city, to an organic farm in the sticks, communal living can vary enormously. So what are the financial pros and cons of a shared lifestyle? Adam Shaw visits a co-housing scheme in Leeds where residents enjoy the privacy of their own home, whilst sharing meals, cars and mortgage costs. How much can they save on their monthly bills and what are the downsides of living together with your neighbours? If you have experience of communal living - whether a hippy commune, a co-housing scheme or even a student housing cooperative - do get in touch and share your stories. You can email moneybox@bbc.co.uk any time, or tweet @moneybox. Or call 03700 100 444. Lines open from 1pm on Wednesday 18 December.Guests: Chris Coates, an editor at Diggers and Dreamers, a website offering information about communal living Angela Vincent, from the UK Cohousing Network

It's been described as a "David and Goliath" contest. Hundreds of leasehold home owners have joined together - for the first time - to begin a legal fight to take control of the freehold on their properties. They want investment companies, which bought the freeholds, to sell them for a fair price.Renovare is a new 'banking solution' for ex-offenders, charging £7.99 a month for its services. We speak to Chief Executive David Bright about their funding model.And now we know Brexit will happen, what do we know it will mean for your consumer rights and personal finances?Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Dan Whitworth Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Emma Rippon

Over 90% of all new car purchases are made using some form of finance. And yet research suggests the vast majority of buyers don't understand the contracts they're signing. If you're the proud driver of a shiny new motor, how much of the small print did you read before leaving the showroom? Do you know what are your obligations if you become ill soon after getting your car? And how important is the amount of mileage you expect to do in a year? Whether it’s a hire purchase agreement, a Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) or a straight leasing contract, what are your rights and what can you do if things go wrong? Join Louise Cooper and her panel of experts as they look under the bonnet of car finance deals. Guests: Stuart Masson, Editor, The Car Expert Adrian Dally, Head of Motor Finance at Finance and Leasing Association If you'd like to share your stories or experiences, contact the Money Box team. The number to call is 03 700 100 444, geographic charges apply. The lines open at 1pm on Wednesday 11 December. Or email moneybox@bbc.co.uk or tweet @moneybox

For many households, Christmas is the most expensive time of year. Food, drink, presents - the list of things to spend money on can be endless. Many of us will be using debt as a way to make that spending happen. Figures this week show that there is so much unmanageable and unsustainable debt in the UK that just the fees and charges on it all work out at nearly £1000 for every single adult in the UK.People who are second cardholders on a Nationwide credit card account are being prevented from making online purchases because of new customer identity checks. These checks are being phased in under new European regulations which insist on a second line of identification when we buy things online. It's called 'Strong Customer Authentication'. Usually that means a six digit code is sent by text to your mobile to enter online but for certain accounts with more than one card holder, these texts are only going to the primary account holder.Investors in one of the UK's biggest commercial property funds run by M&G have been temporarily prevented from taking out their money. The fund owns offices, and shopping centres and whole High Streets of retail units. They have been having a difficult time with many going bust or demanding rent cuts to stay in business. But what does this mean for investors - those invested directly and indirectly via a pension fund?Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Dan Whitworth Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Emma Rippon