Share Sounds related to Personal Finance

Join Adam Cox as he speaks with Hugo Griffiths, an automotive expert from carwow, to delve into groundbreaking research exploring the sentiments of the British public regarding Clean Air Zones and their functionality. Together, they examine the financial implications of driving a non-compliant vehicle within these zones and explore whether it's more economically viable to replace your current vehicle or opt for regular journeys within these restricted areas. Tune in for an enlightening discussion that uncovers the true costs and considerations associated with Clean Air Zones. www.carwow.co.uk

“The [Child Trust Fund] scheme has been closed to new entrants for over 12 years. In this time HMRC has been focusing resources on evaluating and improving existing schemes. We will continue to keep the need to evaluate old schemes under review.” So said Andrew Griffith MP, Economic Secretary to HM Treasury in reply to a parliamentary question from John Ashworth MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. But this is not an 'old scheme' — there is currently over £1.7 billion sitting in mature accounts belonging to over 900,000 mainly low-income young adults throughout the UK who don't know anything about their good fortune! Their Child Trust Fund harvest is seeing too little action at present: but it's not too late to get it sorted, and the current focus from the National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee will certainly help. Background music: 'Hopeful Freedom' by Asher Fulero

Young adults with Child Trust Funds are personal investors, but over 40% of them don't know it. On Thursday 18th May the Public Accounts Committee met to find out more: this is the first half of their hearing following the March 2023 publication of a National Audit Office landmark report and its investigation into the Child Trust Fund scheme. Witnesses who took part were, for HM Revenue and Customs, Jim Harra and Emily Antcliffe, and for The Share Foundation, Gavin Oldham and Anthony Walker. Members of the Public Accounts Committee (all MPs) who attended were Dame Meg Hillier (chair), Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Deputy Chair), Olivia Blake, Flick Drummond, Peter Grant, Jill Mortimer and Nick Smith. The hearing ran for over an hour and a half: this is the first 48 minutes.

Young adults with Child Trust Funds are personal investors, but over 40% of them don't know it. On Thursday 18th May the Public Accounts Committee met to find out more: this is the second half of their hearing following the March 2023 publication of a National Audit Office landmark report and its investigation into the Child Trust Fund scheme. Witnesses who took part were, for HM Revenue and Customs, Jim Harra and Emily Antcliffe, and for The Share Foundation, Gavin Oldham and Anthony Walker. Members of the Public Accounts Committee (all MPs) who attended were Dame Meg Hillier (chair), Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Deputy Chair), Olivia Blake, Flick Drummond, Peter Grant, Jill Mortimer and Nick Smith. The hearing ran for over an hour and a half: this is the second 48 minutes.

Almost five times as many people will soon be paying 40% tax than in the early 1990s, when it was seen as a tax bracket reserved for the rich, the Institute for Fiscal Studies warned this week. It said that fiscal drag triggered by freezing the higher rate tax threshold would pull 7.8 million people into its net by 2027. The study suggested that the threshold would have to be almost doubled from its current level, at £50,271, to almost £100,000 to return the tax band to the level intended for it. Alongside the report, came the IFS’s warning that 40% tax had stopped being the preserve of high-earning professionals and was now hitting electricians, plumbers, teachers, nurses and more. The taxman nabbing 40p of every pound earned from a pay rise rather than 20p comes at a time when workers are running to stand still, with inflation at just above 10%. So, is it time the government stopped taxing by stealth and using tools like fiscal drag – instead raising thresholds with inflation or wages? And is it time to hike the higher rate threshold and pull people back down to basic rate tax? Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert discuss the thorny issue of tax and who counts as wealthy. The debate moves on to inheritance tax – another levy designed for the very rich but now hitting the wealthy middle classes. Why is IHT so unpopular when most don’t pay it and does it need reform? Plus, how much have you lost to inflation, will you get Nationwide’s new £100 Fairer Share bung, and finally, would you buy food two years past its best before date for big savings?

And there it was, another interest rate hike. Another quarter point move up seems almost commonplace now, but cast your mind back to the era after the financial crisis and we had to wait nearly ten years for the base rate to climb above its 0.5% 'emergency level'. It cut first and then base rate got all the way to the heady heights of 0.75%, before it was cut again when Covid hit. Yet, less than 18 months since the Bank of England started raising rates in December 2021, base rate has rocketed from 0.1% to 4.5%. The rate itself is still relatively low in historic terms, but the magnitude of the rise is not. So, are the Bank's ratesetters right to keep voting for hikes, has the full pain been felt yet, and why would you do this when all the forecasts suggest inflation is soon to nosedive? Georgie Frost, Tanya Jefferies and Simon Lambert discuss the latest rate rise and how high interest rates will go. Plus, is the return of the 100% mortgage absolute madness, a helping hand for trapped renters, or something in the middle of all that? Why people should claim pension credit or help their friends or relatives? And finally, not only will it lack the crisp one-liners of Succession, but an inheritance drama is not something you want to get into, so how can people avoid one?

A row over housebuilding has erupted again. Labour leader Keir Starmer has said he would bring back a 300,000 annual housebuilding target, after Rishi Sunak scrapped it. Meanwhile, some backbench Tory MPs are reportedly unhappy about their party ditching that target in the first place – with the number having featured in the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto. At the same time Michael Gove has been cheered in many quarters for blocking a development in Kent, as it was deemed to be poor quality and ugly, but is now being taken to court by developer Berkeley Homes over the decision. So, what can we do about housebuilding and how do we get ourselves out of this mess – especially as the younger generation are squeezed out by high house prices and rents? Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert dig into the myriad problems with UK housebuilding and what can be done to build better homes that people want to buy and have near them. Is the answer just bringing back targets or is it more complicated than that? Is not wanting housing developments Nimbyism if there’s a failure to build well and deliver infrastructure? How can we convince local communities to back new housing? All this and more come up for debate. Also, if you are in the fortunate position of being able to buy a home but are worried about falling house prices and locking into high mortgage rates, what should you do? Sam North, of eToro, joins us for the latest market update, including the reaction to the Fed's latest rate rise. Will a new crackdown on scams finally stop the fraudsters? And finally, we said it was coming. The 5% savings rate is back, but should you get one?

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.

Adam Cox is joined by Emilio Rimini, Director at The Green Company, to discuss new research which suggests mixed feelings amongst the British public when it comes to maintaining environmentally conscious shopping habits during a cost-of-living crisis. Emilio explains the misconceptions around budget shopping in an environmentally friendly way and provides tips on how to be more environmentally conscious when shopping. https://www.thegreencompany.online/

Premium Bonds are a national institution and their prize-giving place in British savers' hearts was only cemented further through the low interest rate years. But now interest rates are on the rise and Premium Bonds offer not only the chance to win £1 million but also a much better rate of return. The average prize fund rate on Premium Bonds has reached the heady heights of 3.3% - going head-to-head with top easy access savings deals. But what many savers may not realise is that their chance of winning a big prize of £100,000 or £50,000 has got much better too. So, is it time to back Premium Bonds even further, or would you be better off with a standard savings account? Georgie Frost, Sam Barker and Simon Lambert look at the numbers and the pros and cons. Plus, an even better return of up to 4.6% is offered now by five year fixed rate savings accounts, but are they worth going for and choosing over stocks and shares? This week brought yet more news of annoyingly high inflation, as CPI stubbornly stuck above 10%; but why are food prices still rising so rapidly, are supermarkets or producers cashing in, and what can you do about it? And finally, supermarkets have a new loyalty card wheeze - lower prices for those with them and more expensive groceries for those without. Sainsbury's Nectar Prices has followed Tesco's Clubcard Prices and now the Co-op has member prices too. Is this enough to change Simon's mind on loyalty cards?