Money Box

A New Year, a new you!Many of us have committed to eat better and get fitter. But just as popular is to save more. We want to know how you have resolved to improve YOUR personal finances. Email us: moneybox@bbc.co.uk or call us from 1300 on 16th January on 03 700 100 444, geographic charges from landlines and mobiles apply. Let us know how you're doing.Presenter: Louise Cooper Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: John Murphy

Two banks have taken the unusual step of refunding a fraud victim all her money. With new rules for banks on this issue coming into force soon, is this a sign of things to come and are more victims likely to benefit? We hear from bank fraud consultant, Richard Emery, of 4 Keys international. Economy Energy has become the ninth energy supply company to go bust in the last year. 235,000 customers are now being told to sit tight while Ofgem appoints a new supplier, but has the regulator opened up the market too much? We speak to one of its executive directors, Mary Starks. And with Universal Credit complicating who does and doesn’t get free prescriptions in England, hundreds of thousands of people are being wrongly fined for not paying the £8.80 fee. We find out what it means for claimants and pharmacists and speak to Sandra Gidley, from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.Presenter: Paul Lewis Producer: Sally Abrahams Editor: Richard Vadon

Is it time to turn to the small claims court? It’s only 9 days into the New Year and your relaxed demeanour may have already waned. Especially if faced with a mountain of Christmas presents that never worked and a feeling of resentment about the botched boiler repair.Help is at hand in the form of the small claims court – a low cost way for you to claim what you feel you are owed by an individual or small business, providing it's not more than £10,000.In the past year a little over 2 million claims were raised in England and Wales, 39,000 of them via the Government's newly launched online service. They boast that the fastest claim was lodged and paid in under two hours.Today our panel discusses the effectiveness of the system for getting you your money back:. Helen Dewdney aka The Complaining Cow and consumer champion Benjamyn Damazar, regular user of the small claims court process Stephen Gerlis, retired district court judge.Presenter: Paul Lewis Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: John Murphy

Have you had an accident in the last 5 years - even if it wasn't your fault? Ticking that box on a car insurance application can be very costly - even if you weren't to blame. Money Box reporter Dan Whitworth has been investigating why.Around 14,000 investors who put their money into a mini-bond sold by London Capital & Finance are in limbo this week after the Financial Conduct Authority froze the firms assets and banned it from advertising or selling the product. What does this mean for people with money invested?The Chinese economy is flagging after decades of expansion and the latest Bank of England figures show a fall in UK consumer lending. Will 2019 see our personal finances coming under an increasing squeeze?And as the currently un-named Government backed 'Single Financial Guidance Body' comes into being - taking on the roles of The Pensions Advisory Service, Pension Wise and Money Advice Service - we mull over suggestions for what it could be called...Presenter: Paul Lewis Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Richard Vadon

In August, Jessica Hurst wrote to the media asking them to investigate how her dad’s debts of just under £12,000 became a bill of just under £73,000. Nigel Hurst killed himself eighteen months ago after learning that bailiffs were to repossess his family home. It was the bailiff who found him. Student, Jessica, was left with a pile of debt recovery letters and bank statements which she hoped would hold the clue to his financial troubles. After an old school friend offered legal advice, Jessica has persuaded the creditors to reduce their demands back to a manageable level. How did they do that? And what did they learn in going through the process? Helen Grady - who reported on the case for File on 4 - asks Jessica about the response to the programme. If you've been affected by the issues raised in this programme and would like details of organisations which offer advice and support, you can visit BBC Action Line or you can call for free, at any time, to hear recorded information 0800 066 066You can also get help from … https://www.samaritans.org/ https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/suicide/Presenter: Helen Grady Producer: David Lewis Editor: Andrew Smith

More than 2000 steel workers - many of them in the Welsh steel town of Port Talbot - were persuaded to transfer out of their final salary pension scheme. Many now deeply regret their decision, and believe they were mis-advised by"sharks" who descended on the town to take advantage of a period of confusion. Tony Bonsignore hears how the men's lives have been affected, what lessons have been learnt, and whether enough has been done to stop something similar happening again.Presenter: Tony Bonsignore Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Richard Vadon

Steven Long, the founder of the collapsed inheritance planning firm, Universal Wealth Preservation, has been jailed for eight months for failing to disclose the whereabouts of his clients' money. It's now emerged that at least twenty-five million pounds has gone missing. Money Box hears from Shivani Varma, the solicitor acting for around 30 claimants who have lost millions of pounds and talks to one client who attended the High Court hearing about what it was like when the prison sentence was handed down. Overdraft charges: The Financial Conduct Authority announced major changes this week to how banks charge us for accidentally slipping into the red. It wants to stop firms charging higher prices when customers use an unarranged overdraft and bring an end to fixed daily and monthly fees. Instead the banks will have to charge customers one simple rate of interest on the money owed. But, given that overdraft charges bring in around £4.2 billion a year for the banks, how will they recoup those lost monies? Professor Peter Hahn of the London Institute of Banking and Finance gives his assessment of the planned changes.Are you going bust? To be blunt, no! That was the first of eight questions in a Q&A sent out this week by the energy supplier, Outfox the Market, to its 100,000 customers. So many of them have been contacting the firm that the energy regulator Ofgem tweeted this week that it was in "active discussions with the supplier regarding their customer service issues". Money Box hears from one frustrated Outfox customer about the problems he's been having trying to contact the firm to get back £500 credit he's due and we hear from energy analyst, Ellen Fraser of Baringa on this latest development.Down down down. That was share prices in London and indeed in much of the world in the last full trading week of the year. And it matters to most of us as our pensions and ISAs will be affected. Share prices are normally measured by the FTSE100 index - the average of the shares in the hundred biggest companies on the London Stock Exchange. It ended the week 12% down on a year ago. and nearly a third less than its value at the start of this century. So is investment bust? Paul Lewis talks to Russ Mould, Investment Director at stockbrokers A J Bell.Image: Steven Long, Founder, Universal Wealth Preservation, Credit: Paul KeoghPresenter: Paul Lewis Producer: Sally Abrahams Editor: Richard Vadon

More than 45% of UK households keep a pet. It's estimated that we spend almost £4.5 billion a year on them. Yet research suggests we underestimate what it costs to keep them.

You may not have heard of some of them; transaction charges, custody charges, collateral management costs, but these hidden pensions costs can have a real effect on your savings over the years.It's been estimated that charges - including a notional 1% which are hidden - could destroy a quarter of the value of a pension over 30 years. Why, when they matter so much, is it so hard to get the full picture and what can you do about it?Share your experience. Call us on 03700 100 444, email moneybox@bbc.co.uk or tweet @moneybox. Lines open from 1pm on Wednesday 12 December. You can also email moneybox@bbc.co.uk or tweet @moneyboxPanel guests: Chris Sier, academic and transparency campaigner Michelle Cracknell, The Pensions Advisory Service Jeff Houston, Secretary of the Advisory Board to the Local Govt Pension schemePresenter: Lesley Curwen Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: John Murphy

In March of this year Money Box listener Nicola's financial adviser made his first attempt to move her investment fund, valued at £40,000, from Aegon to another provider. Nine months later, despite making a formal complaint and taking their case to the Financial Services Ombudsman, the money has yet to arrive. To date Aegon has offered Nicola £100 which it increased this week to £500, as an apology "for the unacceptable delays she has faced in the transfer of her funds." Guest: Nicola's independent financial adviser, Iain Forrest, Director of Forrest Financial Management and we also hear from the Financial Ombudsman Service. Dan Whitworth reports on a HMRC VAT exemption rule clarification which recently came into force and has resulted in some people seeing a sudden increase in their property management company service charge. The clarification is intended to make it clear that third parties such as property management companies are subject to VAT. Some of these companies have started to pass the cost on. Guest: Alan Pearce, VAT Partner, Blick Rothenberg. A pensions dashboard which will allow people to see their scheme details, old and new, big and small, in one place, online, for the first time is due to go live next year. However the first version won't contain state pension details and once it’s up and running pension providers will be able to offer their own commercial dashboards. Guest Sir Steve Webb, Director, Royal London and former pensions minister.Presenter: Adam Shaw Reporter: Dan Whitworth Producer: Charmaine Cozier Editor: Richard Vadon