Share Sounds.

Far from digging the UK out of the mess that seventy years of socialist welfare have got it into, our new Conservative government seems intent on burying us still deeper. Of course fiscal responsibility must come first, but why perpetuate the myth that everyone, including the wealthy, must receive equal free rations: even if it significantly reduces the amount of public resources available for those most in need? At least the NHS in Scotland has heard the message, even if politicians across the board don't understand (or is it just electoral bribery?). What we really need is a strategy for individual freedom within an egalitarian society — we're a long way from this at present. Background music: 'Freedom?' by Dan Lebowitz

‘Jeremy Hunt’s mini-Budget was like the tax part of the Corbyn manifesto with none of the benefits of the extra spending.’ That was This is Money editor Simon Lambert’s verdict on the Chancellor’s tax-hiking spree that painted a miserable picture of the years ahead, hit higher earners, and hammered small investors. In a blizzard of hikes – through threshold drops and stealth tax freezes – Hunt worked his way through a painful Autumn Statement, where good news was thin on the ground. The silver linings came from the government sticking by the pension triple lock and uprating benefits by inflation but the focus was on painful years ahead. Was this the right move? Why did Hunt feel the need to inflict tax pain – and spending cuts later on? How did we go from Rishi Sunak as Chancellor with a margin to hit his fiscal rules to Rishi as Prime Minister with a fiscal black hole? Georgie Frost and Simon discuss these questions and more and look at what the Autumn Statement means for people’ finances: How much more tax will you pay? How much will your energy bills rise by? Who came out best and who came out worst? And can Simon come up with a note of optimism to end the show on? — listen to this Autumn Statement tax raid special to find out.

If you missed the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Autumn Statement on Thursday 17 November 2022, here's the opportunity to listen to it in full: unabridged and with no interruptions.

One reason we like Charlie Munger is he rarely, if ever, minces words. Bill Mann discusses the latest PPI data boosting the market, Walmart's inventory levels (and 3rd-quarter results) catching Wall Street's attention, and Charlie Munger sounding off on crypto. Plus, great to welcome back Alison Southwick and Robert Brokamp who dip into the Fool Mailbag to answer questions about Roth IRAs, how ETFs work, and more! Companies discussed: WMT, GE, UAA. Host - Chris Hill; Guests - Bill Mann, Alison Southwick, Robert Brokamp

Social media companies selling advertising have been handed an unexpected gift (if they're able to take it). Jason Moser discusses Disney's historic win at the box office this weekend being overshadowed by the specter of layoffs, CEO Bob Chapek's metric for success in 2024, Eli Lilly falling victim to a prank on Twitter and pulling its ad business in response, and how Snap, Facebook, and Instagram need to take advantage of their sudden opportunity. And, 11 minutes in, Jason and Matt Frankel take a closer look at the returns that safe investments are offering. Companies discussed: DIS, AMZN, LLY, META, SNAP. Host - Chris Hill; Guests - Jason Moser, Matt Frankel

This episode was created to enable listeners to create really high quality sleep; so if you have problems sleeping, this is for you. A good night's sleep improves significantly your ability to cope with the following day and, unlike other Hypnotist episodes, it's designed to listen to just before falling asleep.

Adam Cox is joined by James Wilson, sleep expert known as the ‘Sleep Geek', to discuss new research from OTO CBD that has discovered that 88% of women find that everyday stresses are negatively affecting their sleep. They discuss the disparity between how stress is affecting men and women's sleep, and the habits that need to be kicked out of the bedroom. https://otocbd.com/

Adam Cox is joined by Dr Max Gowland, from SmarterNaturally, to discuss why type 2 diabetes is such a growing concern within the UK, and the discovery of a nutrient within broccoli which could revolutionise prediabetic treatment in the UK. Max explains SmarterNaturally's super soup and how it can help. https://smarternaturally.com/

Adam Cox is joined by toy experts, Suzie Howes and Nicola Bergot from Magicbox Toy Company, to discuss new research from the brand which reveals the perceptions of children using digital devices. They look at why children have moved towards digital devices for entertainment, and how more traditional toys can help children learn to be more imaginative and to express themselves. https://www.kookyloos.com/uk and https://www.magicboxint.com/

Victoria Scholar of Interactive Investor takes Simon Rose through the main points of the Chancellor's Autumn Statement. Investors will want to take note of the changes to dividends and Capital Gains Tax. She points out that market reaction was fairly muted although the electricity companies' shares were incredibly volatile. As so often, these days, of course, much of what Jeremy Hunt had to say had already been well signposted in advance.