Share Sounds related to Personal Finance

Technically, £100k annual earnings would meet the 'rich' definition, but many would say 'no'. Simon Lambert and Georgie Frost discuss with a psychologist how to address this vexed question. Also, following the new energy tariff changes, should you fix or not fix? And finally, Carol Knight explains why reducing the tax benefits on Cash ISAs will not make more people buy shares.

Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Tanya Jefferies discuss the recent bounce-back in inflation, the speculation over ISAs and whether extra savings should go into a pension instead, the scrapping of an online state pension forecasting tool, and premium bonds being under the weather at present.

The future of the Cash ISA has been in the spotlight of late, with rumours that the Chancellor could tinker with one of Britain's best-loved tax breaks. It's believed some City bosses are lobbying her to make the limit less generous, and push more people into investing their money instead. While just speculation, it's a move that would certainly ruffle a few feathers. This week, Lee Boyce, Georgie Frost and Angharad Carrick discuss the future of ISAs and ask: should people with cash parked in savings accounts be strong-armed into investing instead? Elsewhere, Octopus has launched an investment platform where you can buy into a wind turbine — is it a good home for your cash? Council tax has been in the spotlight, with some areas seeing increases in annual bills of up to 9.9% — and with it a social movement to cancel direct debits. Here's why that's not a wise move. Ang spoke to Virgin Media O2's customer service boss about their pledge to turn around their poor performance over the years. Will we just be shoved to chatbots? And does living in a hard water area make energy bills more expensive?

Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Helen Crane consider reducing interest rates — are they opening up a divergence between central banks in the U.S., the UK and Europe? What are the implications for mortgages and savings? They consider how investments fared in the pandemic crash and rebound, and what the implications might be as a result of Trump's trade wars. And they review Nectar's stolen points problem.

More than a million people switched current account last year — the second time it has ticked over the 1m mark. So, who is winning the switching battle and is it all driven by people chasing a quick and easy buck from banks? Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost dive into the data and also look at why you might not be rich enough to bank with HSBC anymore — if you want its exclusive account. The Government rules out forcing businesses to accept cash — is that a smart move? Need help with your tax return? HMRC slammed for poor customer service record via the telephone, is all the criticism justified? And your next car insurance quote might just be significantly lower, as Lee sees a huge drop with an auto-renewal that had him smiling from ear-to-ear.

There's a spike in 30-year mortgages at present — does this rise in ultra-long mortgages, extending into retirement for many people, just store up problems for the future? Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce discuss this, and: are dazzling LED headlights about to be banned? Also, an iPhone 14 ordered from Tesco is delivered as a toy! Plus, we've all heard about high earners in England suffering excess taxation, but is it worse in Scotland?

How much homeowners are making when they come to sell up is shrinking — new data shows home-selling profits are at its lowest point for nearly a decade. Simon Lambert, Georgie Frost and Lee Boyce discuss the figures and delve into the pockets of Britain where house asking prices have grown the most in the past year, bucking the trend. With looming stamp duty changes happening in April, what will that do to the property market... and is it a fair system? With billions of pounds worth of cash ISAs maturing in the coming months, is the tax-free season kicking off early? It appears so, with a battle for easy-access cash. Inflation falls — so is the threat of stagflation over? And the Jellycat craze continues to sweep Britain — is it time to invest in the cult soft toys, or have a raid of your house for any rare ones potentially lurking in the loft?

In a not very happy start to the new year, Ofgem's energy price cap went up on 1 January from £1,717 to £1,738. Energy experts at Cornwall Insight say it will go up again in April - and by more than they initially expected. So why are bills rising? After all, we are a long way from the peak of the gas price crisis back in 2021. Georgie Frost and Helen Crane discuss when they will finally go back to normal — and whether fixed rates are a good deal again. The team also talk about an Octopus energy customer who was charged £5 to make a cup of tea thanks to a new smart meter. For homeowners starting 2025 by sticking their property on the market, we get some tips from estate agents on how to spruce up your home — and which renovations aren't worth the bother. We also discuss whether buyers really care about the smell of freshly baked bread, and what the best colour is to paint your front door. Helen speaks about the companies This is Money readers have moaned about most in 2024, and her highlights from the Crane on the Case column. And we finish off with some sensible tips from financial advisers about how to give your money a makeover in the new year.

In a special episode, we hosted our first live podcast at our offices to celebrate a decade of discussing Britain's personal finances. Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Helen Crane talk through ten years of huge and unexpected financial developments, from Brexit and President Trump to Covid and the cost-of-living crisis. Some of our valued listeners were in the audience as we covered major themes that have erupted in our financial lives since 2014, including Liz Truss's infamous 'mini-Budget', the rollercoaster property market — and whether we can truly say we have put the cost-of-living crisis in the rearview mirror. In addition to looking at the bigger picture, we drilled into how these events have shaped our personal finances and affected our savings, mortgages, pensions, investments and aspirations. 'Producing a podcast episode every week for a decade felt like something we should celebrate, so I was delighted to welcome our guests – and especially our listeners – to a 10th birthday celebration,' This is Money publisher, Simon Lambert said, 'Launching a podcast was a fairly unusual move a decade ago and it turned out to be a good idea and also hugely enjoyable for us. We always wanted the podcast to make money engaging and accessible, help people improve their personal finances and enjoy the richer life that can bring.' And remember — it all started at Share Radio!

Georgie Frost, Simon and Lee Boyce with their annual review episode: Simon and Lee assess the last twelve months, looking at what's happened to mortgage and savings rates, house prices and investments, and what changes may be to come in 2025. It's been quite an eventful year with changes of government on both sides of the pond ...