This is Money Podcast

Financial experts Tanya Jefferies and Georgie Frost discuss the 8.5% state pension boost, potential means testing challenges, delays in the online pension service, NS&I IT meltdown, a dance teacher's outrageous energy bill, and the curious case of an American Express card with a 704.6% APR.

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? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Discussing the controversy around a new 99% mortgage deal. Debating the benefits and risks of tiny deposit mortgages. Covering gift card draining scams and retirement income planning. Exploring expert investment strategies and trends in the market.

Financial expert Rob Morgan from Charles Stanley Direct joins the podcast to discuss the importance of sorting your pension and Isa before the tax year ends. They explore strategies for optimizing tax benefits through ISAs and pension contributions, emphasize the urgency to act due to impending tax changes, and provide insights on maintaining a well-diversified investment portfolio.

Speculation on potential Bank of England rate cuts and their impact on economy. Debate on compensating women affected by state pension age changes. Investigation into state pension underpayments and chaos at HMRC. Meet the Scambaiters - vigilantes fighting against scammers.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Exploring potential tax cuts in the upcoming budget and the impact on higher income child benefit charge. Speculations on stamp duty reforms and energy bill reductions. Student loan complexities and the need for a fairer system. Beware of new scams like spear phishing and tap jacking.