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On this special bonus episode of the This is Money Podcast, Rob Morgan, chief analyst at Charles Stanley Direct, joins Simon Lambert to answer the big questions that have emerged from last week's Budget. They discuss, amongst among other things: pensions and inheritance tax — who will be caught out? What can investors do — should they spend their pensions before other savings? What has happened with capital gains tax — and who will it catch? What are the best ways to keep a CGT bill down? How can savers and investors beat the frozen threshold stealth tax? And what are the financial planning basics people should make sure they get right?

Building up a savings pot and then investing to grow your wealth and provide a decent pension for retirement is the key to long-term financial success. But there's lots to consider at each step — and most people will want to buy a home along the way. So what do you need to think about when sketching out your lifetime finances and then trying to achieve your goals? Georgie Frost and Simon Lambert take it step by step and look at each element of saving, investing, buying a home and building a pension. How much should you have in an emergency savings pot? How do you move from saving to investing? How can first-time buyers get ahead in tricky times? How much do you need to save for retirement? They look at all of these things and more.

Do you feel financially confident? When it comes to budgeting, saving, investing, and building your pension, are you clueless, comfortable, or cracking on? A piece of research this week by Moneybox claimed that being financially confident could add £67,000 to your lifetime wealth – on average those with confidence were worth £145,000 on average, compared to £78,000 for the unconfident. But what does being financially confident actually mean and how can you get there? Georgie Frost, Tanya Jefferies and Simon Lambert look at how to boost your financial confidence and whether the tips to do so could work. Plus, a week into a new government and with a planned pensions review looming, the team look at what Labour could mean for our retirement savings. Meanwhile, investors seem to be cheering Labour taking charge and this week investment giant BlackRock flagged Britain’s ‘relative political stability’ and cheap stock market, so does that mean good future returns? Investing a large sum was on the mind of a reader who asked This is Money an unusual question: I’m inheriting £10 million, should I set up an investment trust? So, what is the answer to that? And finally, a new report has revealed Britain’s best places for customer service – did your favourite make the list?

You can wait a long time for a FTSE 100 record high but for peak-starved British investors this week delivered a bonanza. Four record highs were racked up by the FTSE 100, with only Wednesday's slight dip spoiling what would have been a perfect run over a week. The return to new highs on Thursday came as a mega-mining merger bid arrive from BHP for Anglo American - and that was followed swiftly by one of the UK's few tech stars Darktrace announcing it had accepted a bid on Friday. Are these the catalysts that fund manager Nick Train was talking about when he said it could take a big takeover to shake UK stocks out of their slumber and get the world investing in Footsie companies again? Georgie Frost, Tanya Jefferies and Simon Lambert look and what's moving the UK market, why it is judged to be cheap and whether you should invest. Plus, the top investment trusts for retirement investing and the latest twist in the state pension top-ups saga. Should we cut inheritance tax - or at least sort out the mess - as the take soars? And finally, are you a backseat driver? See if you can pass the test.

How long before inflation reaches 2% — and could record rainfall send food prices soaring? The new ISA comes in, but will your bank provide access? Plus — Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Angharad Carrick discuss how much supermarkets charge for a bag, and what they get out of it. Also — Woodford is back ...

Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Tanya Jefferies run the ruler across 2023 and look ahead to 2024. Are we in for recession, recovery, and what impact will elections have both in the United Kingdom and the United States? The team consider the outlook for the stock market, bonds and gold. Also — a question over the Boots pension scheme.

Artificial intelligence has burst into the headlines over the past year and generated excitement among investors. But as with any exciting new technology that has generated a lot of hype, there will be pitfalls for investors along the way. If you want to invest in the AI revolution, what other companies could benefit and what do you need to consider. This is Money's Simon Lambert speaks to eToro’s Sam North to find out more, in a short programme originally broadcast on 15th July '23.

What's the best home improvement plans, if you're thinking about selling? Has the dust now settled following the banking sell-offs — is it a good time to invest now? Will Schroder's UK private/public trusts ever be able to shake off the Neil Woodford legacy? Georgie Frost and Simon Lambert discuss these issues, and the This Is Money 'Best Buy' savings table.

You'd like to imagine that when it came to the state pension, you'd be dealing with a more robust system than the ones that deliver the average customer service nightmare. Savers could be forgive for questioning whether that was the case after a string of recent blunders. First we had the underpaid women's state pensions scandal, now we have the pension top-ups system creaking at the seams, at the same time as it turns out there may be a serious problem with the records of those who have received Universal Credit. The common thread running through exposing these problems has been This is Money's pension and investing editor Tanya Jefferies and retirement columnist Steve Webb. They have worked tirelessly to help those affected and bring these issues to light. This week, we had a state pension double header of news with an admission of the problems over Universal Credit and the Government finally extending the deadline for boosting state pension via top-ups. Tanya talks us through the problems and discusses what they mean for people, with Georgie Frost and Simon Lambert. Also, the team talk about why you should put your savings in a cash ISA, where to find the best ones and why transfers might be the most important thing you can do. Plus, who are the Dividend Heroes, what have they got to do with the Rolling Stones and what can we learn from them on long-term investing? And finally, rising interest rates have severely hampered the amount of mortgage a monthly payment can buy, so, could you afford your home now?

There's not long left until the end of the tax year - and that means it is time to sort your ISA if you haven't already. This year's Isa allowance runs out as the tax year ticks over on 6th April and it pays to get everything you can into the tax-free shelter for savings and investments. But what are the important things you need to know, the tips for making the most of your ISA - and why does it matter more this year than it has done before. On this ISA saving and investing special episode, Georgie Frost and Simon Lambert talk all things ISAs - from finding the best saving rates, to how to invest and how to boost your chance of investment success if you already have a stocks and shares ISA.