Money Box

This week the decision was made to wind down the funds managed by ‘star’ manager Neil Woodford. Listeners have been in touch wanting to know what this means for their money and if they will be able to claim compensation. We discuss with Mark Polson from The Lang Cat Financial Consultancy and Anna Sofat from Addidi Wealth.The Financial Conduct Authority has announced plans to ban the way in which some car retailers receive commission based on the interest rate of the car finance loan they arrange. Good news for consumers?And we speak to a company that allows employees to award themselves a pay increase.Presenter: Ruth Alexander Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Emma Rippon

Do you know what your credit score says about you? If you’ve had a breakup, make up, break down, spending spree or life shock in the last six years, your credit rating will have it recorded.The majority of us don’t know what our credit score is and how these numbers are created. A good credit rating helps us access loans, mortgages or credit cards.But could there be a better way of helping people access credit and see what they can really afford to borrow?Our panel of experts will help you find out what your score says about you, how to get a better one and why workouts are required before you hit the bank not just the beach.Contact the Money Box team to tell your stories and ask questions. The number to call is 03 700 100 444, geographic charges apply. The lines open at 1pm on Wednesday (9/10/19). Email moneybox@bbc.co.uk or tweet @moneybox

In this programme we go undercover into the world of the mule, discovering how children as young as 13 are being groomed to hand over their bank account details to criminals. We reveal that some of the recruiters, known as herders, are also teenagers. The accounts are then used to launder the proceeds of crime.Latest figures show that the number of accounts belonging to under 21's being used by money mules has doubled since 2016. Money mules and herders face a 14 year prison sentence if caught.Presenter: Paul Lewis Producers: Tom Wright and Alex Lewis Editor: Emma Rippon

Can I get a good return on investments that do good? Should you be letting your money speak rather than be out on the street? With £2.2 trillion in pension funds in the UK, do we really know what our money is doing and what it could be doing in the fight against climate change?We have an expert panel on hand with both the science and finance knowledge to help you navigate what's called impact investing.Mike Thompson - Committee on Climate Change Charlene Cranny - UK Sustainable Investment Fund Mary Stevens - Friends of The EarthContact the Money Box team to tell your stories and ask questions. The number to call is 03 700 100 444, geographic charges apply. The lines open at 1pm on Wednesday (9/10/19). Email moneybox@bbc.co.uk or tweet @moneybox

Competition in the home and insurance market is not working and loyal customers are being penalised, according to the Financial Conduct Authority. The FCA estimates that six million people pay on average £200 too much - totaling an overpayment of £1.2bn a year. We hear from Huw Evans the Director General of the Association of British Insurers and Matthew Upton, Director of Policy at Citizen's Advice.Last week Money Box listener Sade emailed us saying she wanted to celebrate her 18th birthday by getting a credit card. So where should she begin? Helen Saxon from Money Saving Expert runs her through some of the options.And why are so many freehold houses sold with covenants which restrict everything from what vehicle you can park in your drive to whether you can put up a satellite dish? One homeowner told us hers was "not worth the paper it's written on". Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Dan Whitworth Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Emma Rippon

Ever had the horror of running a cake stand? Do charity egg and spoon races haunt your dreams? Moneybox is looking to make you the Jeff Bezos of the the bake sale and make your fundraiser go further.Parent Teacher Associations are changing, their roles and are now more important than ever. With budget cuts in schools and pressure for new technology the need for extra funding has never been greater.Moneybox Live looks at how school fundraisers can maximise their money, bring in new volunteers, use charitable status to find new funding and adapt to the digital world.Presenter Felicity Hannah is joined by Carol Rogerson of PTA Plus magazine, Kerry Jane Packman from charity Parentkind and Susan Burton from start-up Classlist to answer listeners' questions.Contact the Money Box team to tell your stories The number to call is 03 700 100 444, geographic charges apply. The lines open at 1pm on Wednesday. Email moneybox@bbc.co.uk or tweet @moneybox

For decades, Stoke-on-Trent was powered by industry, with tens of thousands working in mining and pottery. But when the mines and factories closed, generations of people were left out of work. For some, not working became a culture that stuck.But that's not the only reason why Stoke is the insolvency capital on England and Wales. The average wage in the area is £5,000 less than the national average, plus there are low levels of literacy, numeracy and IT skills. Poverty and poor health have helped reinforce financial exclusion, trapping many in a spiral of debt and deprivation which they can't get out of.Now the North Staffordshire Financial Inclusion Group is on a five-year mission to eradicate Stoke's debt issues. It plans to work with schools to get personal finance on the curriculum and actively target people who are struggling.Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Hazel Morgan and Dan Whitworth Producer: Alex Lewis Editor Emma Rippon

How do student loans work, when do you start repaying them and what happens when it goes wrong? It can be very confusing for students and their parents alike so we are here to help. Our panel help answer your questions about tuition fees, maintenance loans and how it all works. One of the most common questions is whether parents should pay the fees upfront to avoid their child getting into 'huge debt'....the answer might surprise you. Contact the Money Box team to tell your stories The number to call is 03 700 100 444, geographic charges apply. The lines open at 1pm on Wednesday. Email moneybox@bbc.co.uk or tweet @moneyboxPanel: Tom Allingham, Save the Student Hayley Borrett, National Association of Student Money Advisers financial capabilty championPresenter: Ruth Alexander Producer: Phoebe Keane

A Money Box investigation has discovered that tens of thousands of university students in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland have been forced to pay back millions of pounds in overpaid maintenance loans. The Department for Education says any money owed due to overpayments by the Student Loans Company, should be taken back from students whilst they're still at university except in exceptional circumstances. This can leave them receiving little or no money for months at a time, with very little notice. Binary options are a bet on whether the price of a commodity like gold or silver will be higher or lower at a certain time. The answer either 'yes' or 'no' and if you guess right you make money - if you are wrong you lose money. Earlier this year the FCA banned the sale, marketing and distribution of binary options to retail consumers as the potential for loss was so great - not to mention the possibility of fraud. So is there ever such a thing as a genuine binary option? And can you get your money back if you fall foul of a binary option scam?Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Drew Miller Hyndman Producer: Dan Whitworth Editor: Emma Rippon

Have you been thinking about investing but have been put off by the jargon or fees? Do you think that investing is just for the rich, or that you have to have thousands spare to get started? Are you scared of risk, or do you think it seems like a man's game? Our panel explain the basics for first time investors. Panel: Holly Mackay, Boring Money Anna Sofat, Addidi Wealth Anthony Morrow, Open Money