This is Money Podcast

Everything you thought you knew about life, the Isa and everything is wrong. Modern life is amazing; we’ve never had it so good. We have technology and prosperity above anything anyone a few decades ago could have possibly imagined. And we have a welfare state to look after those who inevitably fall off the merry-go-round of progress. These are the conclusions of the arguably the world’s greatest businessman, Warren Buffett.So why are our politicians, bankers and bonkers billionaires so hell-bent on spewing such negativity?And why has George Osborne just about destroyed the fabulously popular British savings tool, the Cash Isa? It’s been a way of life since the 1990s.This is Money editor Simon Lambert, consumer affairs editor Lee Boyce and Share Radio consumer commander in chief Georgie Frost are here to explain and entertain.You’ll learn… How technology has improved our lives – and whyIf there’s any point to saving cash in a tax-free Isa following the Chancellor’s meddlingWhether you’re sitting on a tax-free windfall as one of the winners of the £51m in unclaimed Premium BondsThat if f you’re listening to this in America because that’s where you’re from, Premium Bonds really IS a lottery where you kind of never lose your stake moneyWhat’s going on with house prices and the prospect of home ownership Which car manufacturer is shouting loudest this week about whether Britain should stay in Europe And Donald Trump, a future president or the voice of supermarket talking till machines? #isas #money #houseprices #trump #buffett #happiness #technology Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Britain still holds a stake in two of its biggest banks, Lloyds and RBS, but how bad are they?We take a look at whether the banks' results, whether they are cleaning up their act and whether they are worth investing in.Meanwhile,...It was the best of times… it is now the most uncertain of times. With four months to go to before the people of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the 2 million expats living in continental Europe vote whether to stay in or out of the European single market, the country’s finances are starting to react to the inevitable uncertainty.One thing is for sure, the pound in our pockets is worth less than it was a week ago. A weak pound is not the end of the world – or Europe – but it’s enough already to make people think twice about booking a summer holiday abroad. Could Spain really become a luxury holiday destination reserved for the rich?It’s been a rocky week too for banks, with profits, bonuses and bailouts colluding to make even less sense than usual. Luckily This is Money editor Simon Lambert, personal finance editor Rachel Rickard Straus and Share Radio money expert Georgie Frost take listeners on an enlightening ride around the rollercoaster of riches.Also on the agenda…Will Chancellor George Osborne steal what’s left of your pension in next month’s Budget?House prices – what the hell?Are you a voucher victim?And…Loads of ways (14) to get your hands on FREE MONEY. Plus loads more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What would Brexit mean for the UK economy?It is said Great Britain used to rule the world. Today we’re just a small part - albeit an important one - of Europe, with a few remaining outposts - most notably a couple of bailiwicks in France, an island in Argentina and a rock in Spain.And now our role in Europe is under threat. Or is it?Do we accept what some vocal business leaders have said this week and remain a loyal insider of this massive single-market economy?Or do we vote with our old-fashioned angry hearts and try to recreate life in the 1970s? The debate has started and is getting raucous. Thankfully in this week’s brilliant podcast This is Money editor Simon Lambert, ace investing and pensions reporter Tanya Jefferies and Share Radio money supremo Georgie Frost manage to take a rational look at the issues in hand. On the subject of loyalty…Big business is not always our friend. Take insurers. Did you know our readers and listeners are saving up to £500 a year by refusing to pay ridiculous premium hikes on their home and car insurance? It doesn’t pay to be loyal.Loyalty credit cards, where you earn points for getting into debt, are on their way out and companies are rolling back the benefits of loyalty schemes. Also this week:Work until you diePensions nonsenseRobots at work Scam of the week And More. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Share prices around the world this week have been falling like dominoes in a record-breaking dominoes falling over attempt. London loses 2% in a day, New York opens and falls 2% then in Asia the sell-off continues, slashing 2% off its market value. London opens again and mirrors the previous losing sessions in Asia and the USA and so it goes on. And on. The FTSE 100 index of leading UK shares found itself at a three and a half year low. But why? Central bankers whose job is supposed to be to prevent this kind of mess know how to talk the talk but there is growing evidence that they don’t really know how to work the bank. Their policies of handing taxpayer money to bankers - rather than prison sentences - and of cutting interest rates to less than nothing have left them stuck in a hole without room to manoeuvre. Jobbing bankers lost any credibility in the last crisis. But without punishment or a conscience could they be to blame again this time?Or is it simply that traders aren’t human any more but mere automated algorithms that react to preprogramed instructions? Computer says sell.This is Money editor Simon Lambert, consumer affairs editor Rachel Rickard Straus and Share Radio money guru Georgie Frost try to work out where the blame lies.Also in the show.Apart from the free money and long-term benefits, what’s the point of a pension?Why do our privatised, apparently competitive energy companies raise and drop their prices by pretty much exactly the same amount?Why won’t idiot bankers lend to safe-as-houses people with secure incomes just because of their age?What’s so great about Hatton Garden – the jewellery capital in the capital? And what if…Crumbling share prices are nothing to worry about at all – just a great excuse to start investing? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been a couple of years since Tesco got found out. The store that thought it could get away with whatever it wanted because customers, it said, ‘wanted its cheap prices’ was embroiled in an accounting scandal in 1994. And the problems continue. Were Tesco’s prices really cheaper? You can ask the customers it has lost to low-cost rivals Lidl and Aldi about that. It’s also losing customers to online rivals as the internet provides what the High Street can’t – 24 hour opening, among other things. Tesco is back in the news:For a report that showed it deliberately and systematically mis-treated suppliers by delaying payments and manipulating the terms of its deals. Perhaps bizarrely because it’s going to scrap 24 hour opening in more than 70 of its stores. It’s also about to slash the pay of staff who work unsociable hours. It’s not alone. Wilko (aka Wilkinson) is also cutting double time for unsociable hours – effectively a 25% pay cut. Shops face a tough time. Jobs are at risk across the retails sector. They are at banks too. Join This is Money Editor Simon Lambert, Consumer Affairs Editor Rachel Rickard Straus and Share Radio’s Georgie Frost for an enlightening look at the future of shopping and banking.Also on the show: Interest rates remain unchanged again – but because of a quirk of the calendar it’s ‘mildly thrilling’ this time even if the policy is ultimately counterproductive Hacking is now so easy a three-year-old can do it. Is your internet security toddler and mafia proof?The Royal Mint has royally ripped off customers by refusing to honour ‘legal tender’ – or money to use its common nameIt wouldn’t be a This is Money podcast without a controversial buy-to-let story. This one involves lawyer and former ‘first lady’ Cherie Blair and unhappy taxable landlordsIn happy news… Simon has a piece of the Berlin Wall. But lost it. #berlinwall Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This message was left on a householder's voice mail - is it a genuine message from the bank or a scammer? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a seven-year investigation into Google’s UK tax affairs, the company agreed to pay £130m to us. Chancellor George Osborne hailed it a huge success. No one else agreed. Especially not the Shadow Chancellor, anyone with a calculator, or even the French, who a few days later announced they were negotiating a much bigger windfall on a far smaller business than Google UK. It amounted to a tax rate of about 3% on its multi-billion-pound earnings in this country.And all this at the time average Jo and Joe Bloggs are filing their tax returns before the end of January deadline. People pay tax at 30% to 40 to nearly 50% on earnings of a few tens of thousands of pounds. You can see why these people are angry. Luckily, there’s no anger in the Share Radio studio as presenter Georgie Frost, This is Money Editor Simon Lambert and Consumer Affairs Editor tackle the big tax and pensions scandals of the week with a sharp insight and warm wit. It’s been a bad week for Osborne. Having announced a ban on raising taxes, the smart money’s on him stealing it from our pensions. Also on the agenda,Have you any idea how much VAT rich people pay when they buy a Rolls Royce car that costs more than a house?And what’s it’s like to drive and park one? Can it really be as tatty as it sounds or is it a must-have motor for the discerning Google executive?Buy-to-let is back in the news, so is gold, which provides another excuse to play Spandau Ballet songs, and finally it’s been a bumper year for British cinema.What’s your favourite film? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Banks, the City, Wall Street, call them what you will – they use jargon to steal your money.It’s what caused the walloping financial crash in 2008. And it’s possibly what’s going to cause another one eight years later – that’s right, in 2016; this year!We’re in a bear market. What even is a bear market? The opposite of bull, of course. See how easy it is?This week, This is Money editor Simon Lambert and personal finance editor Rachel Rickard Straus join Share Radio’s Georgie Frost to help listeners understand some of this nonsense.There’s even a Hollywood movie just out about financial jargon, The Big Short, the story of how collateralized debt obligations brought down the world economy because no one knew what they were. It’s nominated for five Oscars, including best picture. A bear market is a bad one. Bear = bad. It’s when share prices fall. Bull = good. That’s it really. Listen to Rachel and Simon for more detail. Also in the podcast:Davos – why the hell do our financial leaders go to Davos to discuss the global economy? It’s a ski resort in Switzerland - the most expensive place they could choose. What do they do when they get there? Do they even go skiing?Why does a low oil price affect everything else so much? It’s not what you think. It’s what oil producers do with all that income and what they can’t do with it now that’s the problem.Why are broadband companies allowed to mislead customers with their advertising? Surely it’s not because of a supine advertising regulator? In ‘good on the face of it’ news of the week E.on customers are going to have their energy bills CUT by 5%. But the wholesale price of oil and gas has fallen 20% since its peak. E.on gets points for being first but that’s not enough E.on! Will the others follow suit?If you’re worried about the markets this year - keep worrying. If you’re thinking of ever retiring or voting Tory – you probably ought to understand what Chancellor George Osborne is planning to do with your pension. If you’ve ever had a job or fancy a change you must listen to the bit at the end about CVs.If you thought you knew what to put in your CV, such as volunteering experience and keeping it to two pages. You’ve been doing it it all wrong. Listen and learn. And then you might get a new job. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The four horsemen of apocalypse trotted into the money markets last week each brandishing a tool of financial destruction.Plummeting oil pricesGlobal uncertaintyTrouble in the Middle EastCrisis in China Luckily, this week everything is ahhh… sorry it’s not looking good. According to a statement from RBS, the bank, this year is going to be cataclysmic. But hey. Financial apocalypse makes for entertaining listening thanks to Share Radio’s Georgie Frost, This is Money editor Simon Lambert and consumer affairs editor Lee Boyce. Also on the agenda… Britain v Germany – who’s winning the supermarket wars?Not Germany?Buy to let landlords fight back Can you fiddle the credit card points system to make a mint?NoIs it possible to name an example of good customer service?No And in hopeful news, a young lad is on a mission to provide free legal advice for everyone.Could it work?D’yer know, it might just. Thank the Lord for young people. Apologies for the sound quality this week, building work was taking place in the street outside the studio. Building work is taking place all over London but that’s another story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2016 is going well - but only if you live in Leicester. One week in, and the new year money news seems to be competing with the weather in terms of gloominess. Luckily we have the most upbeat and entertaining trio in financial broadcasting, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost, taking a fun look at what's been happening over the last seven days – however grim it is.China is panicking. And when China panics, the Chinese government shuts its markets. That makes Chinese investors panic even more and then the whole world joins in. Share prices have been plummeting. As big British chain stores start to reveal their Christmas trading figures, Marks & Spencer, which for some people IS Christmas, reveals it had a less than festive time of it. A couple who saved really hard for a deposit, stamp duty and fees for their dream home transferred the £45,000 to the solicitor days before the move – but the transfer was intercepted by crooks and they lost it. This is Money Editor Simon Lambert bravely outs himself as a recidivist Lotto loser dumping cash for decades into an investment that has less chance of coming good than he has of watching the opening night of Elvis Presley’s tour of the Moon. There was some upbeat news. It has emerged that not all banks are bad all of the time – at least in terms of current accounts. You would do well to listen to the segment on the best banks for your day-to-day money affairs. And two people won £1million each on the Premium Bonds. They both live in Leicester. It’s a fix! Or is it? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.