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Rachel Reeves is back to where she started after the Spring Statement, with her £9.9billion of budget headroom restored but at what cost? The Chancellor was true to her word and didn't turn last week's economic update into a second Budget, with no tax changes coming in. But a wave of spending cuts was announced, along with growth forecasts going both down and up. We also got the Office for Budget Responsibility's update on what Reeves' Autumn Budget tax rises will cost us, a threat to Cash ISAs and no reprieve for home buyers on stamp duty. In this episode, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert dive into the Spring Statement to explain why it happened, what it means, and tackle the question of whether taxes are going to have to rise again in autumn. They look at the very important assumption being made by the OBR, which if it turns out to be wrong could mean there is a £48billion black hole in the sums. And is the entire thing a charade anyway and damaging to our future prospects? Simon explains why he thinks so. Finally, campaigners like Gary Stevenson claim that this could all be solved with a wealth tax — is that where we will eventually end up?

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves delivers her March '25 Spring Statement — this is an unabridged audio record of her speech to the House of Commons

Rachel Reeves is due to deliver her Spring Statement next week, and it's probably safe to say this isn't the position she wanted to be in. After an Autumn Budget that raised spending and hiked taxes while locking the Chancellor in with a new fiscal rule, Reeves would have hoped to arrive in March with better news on the economy. Instead, Labour's not-a-tax-on-working-people national insurance hike on employers has backfired, at the same time as the growth forecasts have taken a downturn and borrowing costs have risen. So, what will the Chancellor do next week? Will she tweak her own fiscal rule, raise taxes again or cut spending in unprotected areas that are already suffering? As Rachel Reeves finds herself between a rock and a hard place, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert look at what could happen. Plus, what does the Bank of England holding rates and the potential future path mean for your savings and mortgage? What should you do to sort your ISA and pension now? Can you really give away £1 million a year and dodge inheritance tax? And finally, the question that anyone like Simon who racks up the odd foreign traffic infraction needs answered: if you get a holiday parking fine, do you have to pay it?

Two of the most influential voices in the market had something to say this week. Asit Sharma and Jason Moser discuss Fed Chair Powell’s rate outlook, and what Jensen Huant sees coming down the pike for Nvidia chips and quantum computing, what Tesla investors need to know about the headlines around recent accounting concerns, and earnings updates and red market reactions for FedEx, Nike, and Accenture. Then, 19 minutes in, Joe Cutillo, CEO of Sterling Infrastructure, talks Motley Fool CEO Tom Gardner through his company’s work on infrastructure projects, how the tariff picture figures into their outlook, and how to invest like a CEO. Finally, 31 minutes in, Jason and Asit talk about lessons from their favorite college basketball teams and the stocks on their radar this week: BYD and Williams Sonoma. Stocks discussed: NVDA, TSLA, FDX, NKE, ACN, STRL, BYDDY, WSM. Host - Dylan Lewis; Guests - Asit Sharma, Jason Moser, Joe Cutillo, Tom Gardner

Investors this week have been hit by the 'Trump Slump.' Why is the US President rattling markets, and is it the end of the US bull market? Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce discuss what you should be doing to make your investments great again. How will the UK handle potential tariffs, should investors be in panic mode and what do experts say you should be doing to navigate the geopolitical turmoil? Pension freedom rules came into play ten years ago — these allowed retirees to take control of their pension savings, shifting away from the obligation to buy an annuity and moving towards flexible drawdown and investment options. So a decade on, how have the class of 2015 fared? Nationwide is handing out more money — £600 million of it — to 12 million eligible members as a 'big thank you' following its acquisition of Virgin Money last year. That’s £50 each. And it’s separate to its Fairer Share Scheme, which will be announced in May. And lastly, what can you do if a neighbour cuts back hedges and trees which have given you privacy for decades?

As the United States descends towards economic turmoil as a result of its new-found isolationism and unreliability, the BRICS group of nations (including Russia and China) will be looking forward to a new dawn for their mainly autocratic regimes and potentially an opportunity to replace the U.S. dollar as the world's reserve currency. If western democracies, particularly in Europe, are to turn that tide, they must discover long-term governance, a new approach to targeted welfare working in partnership with philanthropists as opposed to universality, and a significant increase in democratic legitimacy for global governance. Background music: 'India Fuse' by French Fuse

When uncertainty spikes, our ability to look out into the future shrinks. Emily Flippen and Matt Argersinger discuss how the shifting tariff picture is driving uncertainty across markets, economic forecasts, and investor outlooks, Target’s continuing troubles, and why even Costco can’t escape the retail slowdown, and what’s behind Okta’s 25% post-earnings pop. Then, 19 minutes in and five years from the beginning of the pandemic, Malcolm Gladwell reflects on our COVID response, his past works, and his latest book 'Revenge of the Tipping Point'. Finally. 32 minutes in, Emily and Matt break down two sides of 24-hour trading and what’s on their radar this week: private equity firms and Lovesac. Stocks discussed: TGT, COST, OKTA, BN, BX, KKR, APO, LOVE. Host - Dylan Lewis; Guests - Emily Flippen, Matt Argersinger, Malcolm Gladwell

The Trump administration’s 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico are now in effect. Is this a negotiation tactic? A new long-term reality? Jason Moser and Ricky Mulvey discuss the impacts of tariffs on investors and companies, if Target is a value play, and Okta’s market opportunity in security verification. Then, 17 minutes in, Alison Southwick and Robert Brokamp offer financial planning tips for solopreneurs. Companies discussed: HD, TSM, TGT, OKTA. Host - Ricky Mulvey; Guests - Jason Moser, Alison Southwick, Robert Brokamp

Sam Altman, the tech entrepreneur who built OpenAI and its ground-breaking ChatGPT Artificial Intelligence functionality, correctly says that increasing equality may require new ideas. He's right: governments and political ideologies of many hues just can't deliver, besieged by conflicts of interest and debt. The Credit Suisse Wealth Distribution chart shows the huge contrast between those who are super-rich (in blue), the wealthiest of whom are the giant tech oligarchs, and those who live in real poverty, in red. It's time we accepted that 'The State', whether socialist or populist, can't deliver, and for philanthropists to step up to the plate, working in partnership with governments who still need to provide the necessary regulation and logistics. Background music: 'Resolution' by Wayne Jones Image source: Wikipedia