This is Money Podcast

It’s time for the annual This is Money Christmas taste test – and our look at how the supermarket business is faring.This year, the contenders are Sainsbury’s for the mass market, Waitrose for the upmarket, and Lidl for the discount challenger.But which will come out on top across a range of Christmas food and who delivered the cheapest bill?Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce take on Georgie Frost’s festive feast to find out in this week’s podcast and discuss whether the big supermarkets are doing better after some difficult years, if the rise of Aldi and Lidl will continue, and how Tesco and Sainsbury’s shares compare.And mingled with the Christmas food is a look at the important money news of this week, including whether higher inflation spells more rate rises, how the property market is suffering due to the reversal of the north south house price rise divide and the worst day ever to go shopping. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's been a decent year for investors and major stock markets around the world are trading near record highs.Things may continue to go up, but it always pays to have a Plan B just in case they don't and stock markets take a tumble.Simon Lambert, of This is Money, explains how you can build a disaster plan into your portfolio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Could you train your brain to get richer? Behavioural economics tells us that we regularly behave irrationally – and nudge theory has been used by governments and organisations around the world to try to make us better people.But could you take matters into your own hands, tackle your own temptations and make yourself wealthier, or just happier?On this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost look at some tricks you can deploy – and whether you can actually turn that old chestnut about not spending money on coffee into hard cash in your bank account, pension or Isa.Also on this week’s show, we discuss why Britain is bottom of the world pension league and whether that is actually as bad as it seems.Plus, we look at why NS&I’s new income bonds are proving such a hit with readers.And finally, just in case all that brain training doesn’t go as planned, Simon outlines how you can prepare an investing plan B for when the market inevitably crashes one day.Enjoy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bitcoin has risen more than tenfold this year and doubled in just seven weeks. But can it keep rising as adoption gets more widespread, does blockchain's promise justify the price, and does any of this matter as to whether it is in a bubble or not?In this excerpt from the This is Money podcast, Simon Lambert and Georgie Frost discuss Bitcoin's astonishing rise. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Britain’s car industry is crying foul, as not a single new diesel car avoids the Budget tax hike because the test they have to pass hasn’t come in yet.Car makers claim that new diesels are fine, but can we believe them? Meanwhile, campaigners want extra taxes and a serious crackdown on diesel drivers, but it’s ended up with councils leading the way with a piece-meal approach.Who should we believe, has the drive to get rid of diesel gone too far, and is it employing bad science? This week, Simon Lambert, Tanya Jefferies and Georgie Frost drive into the murky world of diesel cars.And also on the show, we look at a victory for those with small annuities and how to invest for income with ETFs.Former hedge fund manager Lars Kroijer explains why you should stop trying to beat the market and just be a passive investor.Or if that’s not for you, how about joining the bitcoin boom? We look at what on earth is going on with the cryptocurrency rollercoaster and the gold Rolls-Royce that you can buy for £117,995 but it must be paid for in bitcoin.And you might be surprised quite how little bitcoin you’d need to have bought at the start of 2017, to buy that Roller now.Enjoy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Chancellor axed stamp duty for first-time buyers in the Budget up to £300,000, but his own watchdog claimed it would drive up house prices.So is the Office of Budget Responsibility right? Simon Lambert says its logic is flawed and that we need to be even more radical on stamp duty - maybe even making the seller pay. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was billed as a make or break Budget, so did the Chancellor pitch it right? Philip Hammond pulled a George Osborne-sized rabbit from the hat at the end with the abolition of stamp duty for first-time buyers, but was that enough to make us to forget the gloomy economic news and the gags?On the plus side, the Budget brought an income tax cut for most, the promise of more homes being built, and no more stamp duty for most first-time buyers.On the negative side, economists say we are due another lost decade, Philip Hammond’s own financial watchdog said he would drive up house prices, and cough sweet jokes might be catching on.This week, Simon Lambert, Rachel Rickard Straus and Georgie Frost pick apart the Budget to try to find out who the winners and losers will be.From an up to £5,000 tax saving on a first home, to railcards for the under-30s, zero mentions of the word saver, and whether Just Eat can really solve the productivity puzzle, they round up what you need to know.Plus, what exactly was Simon’s stamp duty idea that drew 296 reader comments – of which about 295 were calling him an idiot? Listen to the podcast to find out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yes, it’s another Budget. On Wednesday, November 22, Philip Hammond will stand up and deliver his second Budget of the year and this is his chance to ride to the Conservatives’ rescue.After the last Budget mess, the snap election that went wrong, the unexpected rise of Corbynism, and the Brexit arguments that just won’t go away, the Chancellor will be hoping that he’s the one to get everything back on track.So what could he deliver – and what should he?From help for younger people, to stamp duty cuts, pension tinkering, building more homes and just fixing the roads, Simon Lambert, Rachel Rickard Straus and Georgie Frost take a run through what might come up and what it would mean for you.And they outline what they would like to see.The problem for the Chancellor, as he shifts the Budget to the autumn for the first time, is that there is a tension between his desire to do something and his lack of wriggle room due to Britain’s finances.How will he solve that problem? Listen to the podcast to see what we think – and tell us your thoughts in the comments.Enjoy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Explore the dream of retiring early and achieving financial independence. Discover strategies for saving and investing that could allow you to choose when to retire. Tune in for insights on how much you really need to save and whether it's worth the sacrifice. Learn about the challenges posed by low bank savings rates and how to navigate them. The episode also dives into the impact of debt on job opportunities and addresses the frustrating issue of poor mobile connectivity in urban areas.

How quickly does the Bank of England think that the base rate will rise after its first move up? Simon Lambert looks at the figures and outlines the good, the bad and the awkward, in this excerpt from the This is Money podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.