This is Money Podcast

‘If you've ever wondered how you get triangles from a cow,’ sang British music legends Half Man Half Biscuit, ‘you need butter milk and cheese and an equilateral chain saw. ‘It’s obvious when you know the answer!But what about the stuff you think you know the answers to… but do you? Really? The Big Money Questions. That’s the name of our fortnightly video presentation with Rachel Rickard Straus and a host of exceptional guests from the worlds of economics, business, the City and the bookshelves. In a departure from our usual round-up of the week’s money events, this week we introduce you to an audio version of the show. The question: What are stocks and shares? And related…What’s the difference between a stock and a share?Is that different from a bond?Why do they exist?Why are they different prices? What makes the prices move? How do you know if it’s worth buying them?Dividends? Huh? Forget the cheese - this stuff is whey too important to ignore.Listen, learn, enjoy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wherever your heart lies in the debate about Britain’s role in the world, your head cannot escape the fact that we import a lot of what we consume. From the oil and gas that heats our homes and powers our cars to the hops that add flavour to our pints of beer. And that’s fine when you have a strong currency. Thing is, for roughly a year ours has been devalued by about 20% and it affects the price of just about everything. Prices are going up – the official inflation figures released this week show that in black and white in Excel. But wages aren’t going up. They might be in France and Italy but not in Britain. It means……well permit Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and the undisputed king of financial common sense, Simon Lambert, to explain exactly what it means. Also on the show. Personal debt is spiraling out of control and set to get worse as our low wage economy bites and interest rate rises now look more likely than they have for a long time. For heaven’s sake don’t let the crooks take what little money you have! We review the latest scams and show how easy it is to glean personal information from your Facebook updates. Which card should you use when holidaying abroad? Not Simon’s that’s for sure. There’s a novelty savings account on the market. You get a bonus if you bet correctly on whether sterling will be higher or lower than 1.15 to the pound in two year’s time. Are the overheated markets the result of investor boredom? And finally, Mobile operators are this week spewing over themselves to claim victory in the Europe-wide harmonisation of roaming fees. It’s nothing to do with them. It’s revolting. Merci the EU for that one. Enjoy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was meant to be an election about Brexit but it turned into one about new young voters and what they wanted. They wanted change.What they got was a minority Government, a coalition between the Conservatives and Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). But there are five more years until the next election and anyone 14, 15, 16, and 17 years old now will be able to vote in the next one. As well as some 13 year olds. They’re now part of the discussion like never before. Simon Lambert, Georgie Frost and Rachel Rickard Straus discuss how this is likely to affect our finances now and over the next five years. Can this Government even implement anything from their manifestos?How will they tackle impending debt and housing crises?What the hell will Brexit look like?Can they tackle the intergenerational inequality that the new voters clearly crave?Rachel explains the financial and economic plans in the DUP manifesto and how that’s likely to clash with Tory plans.You don’t get stuff like anywhere else.Enjoy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Would you pay more tax for better health, housing, communications, green spaces, roads, social care, railways, education, defence? Or not? The consensus seems to be that we would if only people felt they could trust the people who spend it on our behalf. It’s a complex and fascinating issue for a country living way beyond its fiscal means - allow Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Rachel Rickard Straus to explain. Also on the show…A regular minimum payment to all men, women and children in Britain is the panacea for the fair, just and healthy society we’ve all been waiting for.Isn’t it?Enjoy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A row that erupted over the Tory manifesto social care plans led to accusations of a dementia tax and a swift U-turn.Voters had previously been told they would get a cap on costs, but instead they got a floor of £100,000 to which their wealth could be whittled down to.The issue highlighted a problem we have in planning our finances - trust.Do you trust the framework that the Government puts in place on social care, pensions, investing and saving to still be there in years to come?That was reflected in Simon Lambert's column this week, looking at a reader who asked whether they could bank on the tax-free pension lump sum continuing to exist when they needed it in future.Simon, Rachel Rickard Straus and Georgie Frost discuss whether we can trust pensions, social care or anything else in this week's This is Money podcast.Also on the agenda, on the show that tells you everything you need to know about money each week, is whether the UK economy is doing well, badly or indifferently, the bank accounts that pay you the most money and whether the fuss over Vanguard's new investing charges is justified.Oh, and finally, there's a chance to invest in a deep sea treasure hunt. Listen, enjoy (hopefully), leave us a comment or rating and subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The manifestos are out, but which political party would you trust with the UK economy?We look at Labour's plan to hike taxes, the Tories' plan to ditch the triple lock and the Lib Dem's plan to make a bit of cash on the side from selling weed.This week we finally got the triple whammy of what our three main political parties will do, so would any of these plans work and what do people think about them?Simon Lambert, Adrian Lowery and Georgie Frost delve into the details in the latest This is Money podcast.And it's not just the election, also up on this week's show is Lloyds vanishing Avios points, as it moves out of state ownership, the question of whether people should ditch their diesel and whether we should worry about a car finance bubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In part two of this week’s podcast, Georgie Frost, Rich Browning and Simon Lambert discuss the inevitability of another global financial meltdown and how we’re going to fix it this time round.Meanwhile, what’s in store in Europe now a former investment banker, Emmanual Macron, is president of France and looking to reinvigorate the European project? Perhaps this an opportunity for investors to make a quick buck or euro away from the uncertainty of the outcome of any Brexit negotiations.Is putting bankers in charge of anything within a decade of them bringing the world financial system to its knees a bit foolhardy? Or is this a case of this time it’s different? World War II was the solution to the Great Depression. Enjoy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The property data is out and it’s not looking good. House prices fell for the first time in five years. Homes are going for less than asking prices.Yet in some areas you need 17 times your salary to buy a place. Where’s it all going to end?Perhaps moving into tiny mobile sheds on trailers or a boat is the only answer. Or will prices start to tumble?Simon Lambert takes one of his legendary forensic looks behind the figures, joined by Rich Browning and Georgie Frost for a fun debate into the doomsday scenarios. Also on the show… Democracy only survives with a strong opposition. It seems Ed Miliband, former Labour leader, was stronger than his message on the tablet suggested. His idea to cap energy prices has now been adopted by the would-be next Tory government. Is this plan put forward by Theresa May really any different? Or is ‘Marxist meddling’ in the markets by the Conservatives really happening?Strange times. Enjoy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shoppers have enjoyed cheap prices off the back of a supermarket price war, but alarm bells were sounded in Sainsbury’s results this week, showing how cost inflation is squeezing its profits.How long is it before supermarkets give up trying to cushion the blow for households and price rises hit?Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost look at what next for our shopping bills and how the big supermarkets are doing, in this week’s This is Money podcast.But how much do we really care about those big chains? It’s independent shops that we say we love and the team also take a look at whether the High Street is changing for the better or worse.Also on this week’s show, we reveal the tax breaks that you just lost as the Government quietly dropped plans to let you earn a bit tax-free on the side.There’s also a look at why 4G mobile is so shonky, rip-off bank charges and whether the house of 0% credit cards will come crashing down.And finally, if you’ve got a parking ticket recently we explain how to beat it… and also why you might be getting more of them.Each week, the This is Money podcast brings you everything you need to know about money and what it means for you. Give it a listen, subscribe if you like it, and please leave us a rating or comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The pensions triple lock means that state pensions rise by wages, inflation or 2.5% - whichever is greatest. This promise has raised pensioner incomes but stands accused of being too expensive and has become an election hot potato. Should it be ditched? Simon Lambert, Rachel Rickard Straus and Georgie Frost discuss it on this excerpt from the This is Money podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.