This is Money Podcast

It's a hat trick. After all those years of waiting in vain for a rate rise after the financial crisis, now the Bank of England has the wind in its sails and has raised rates three times since December. The shift up in the base rate to 0.75 per cent hardly takes rates into the stratosphere but moving from 0.1 per cent to here in four months stands at serious odds with the lower for longer mantra that dominated the past decade and a bit of central bank thinking. It's being done to combat inflation that's now forecast to hit 8 per cent (or maybe higher admits the Bank). The irony is that interest rate rises will do little to tackle imported inflation. So is the Bank making the right moves? Is it right to try to crack down on inflation now, or is it putting the Covid recovery at risk? And what does this mean for savers, borrowers and investors? On this week's podcast, Tanya Jefferies, Georgie Frost and Simon Lambert discuss the rate hike - if you can call a quarter point rise a hike - and how much more of this may be coming down the line. Plus, what are the best shares and funds to stash in your Isa in volatile times, do you have to pay tax on a £20,000 bitcoin profit, and would you swap your device trash for cash at Currys?

Do you harbour ambitions of investing your way to a £1million Isa pot – and what would you do with it if you got there? The lure of financial independence has only gotten stronger for many through the Covid pandemic years and a cool million in tax-free savings sounds like a decent way to achieve it. So, it’s no surprise that the idea of becoming an Isa millionaire features regularly in the personal finance pages. What would that £1million get you though, how much would you need to invest and for how long to get there - and is it enough for financial independence? On this podcast, Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Simon Lambert discuss building your way to a £1million Isa and how achievable that might be. Also on the podcast, the team look at what’s happening to mortgage rates and why anyone whose mortgage needs fixing this year should start thinking about it, along with some practical tips of what they could do. They take a look at Santander’s recently improved 123 account – and whether it’s been bumped up enough to be worth taking. And finally, the cost of living crisis looms large again: is there anything the government is likely to do to help with the soaring cost of petrol and should you fix your energy bills or stick with the price cap? The latter is a question on Simon’s mind – as it’s exactly the scenario he is facing as his energy deal ends – he talks us through the numbers and what he will do.

House prices have soared in the pandemic boom – with the average home an astonishing £44,000 more expensive at £260,000, according to Nationwide. But mortgage rates are rising, the cost of living crunch is hitting hard, and the idea of a post pandemic Roaring Twenties seems very distant right now, so is a reckoning for Britain’s property market on the way. On this week’s podcast, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert dive into the housing market to look at why homes are now the most expensive they have ever been when compared to wages – and what could send them even higher or tip them into decline. The team also look at the mortgage market, where the best bargain basement fixed rate deals have long vanished and rates have been rising rapidly. But while they might be going up, mortgage rates are still very cheap and the Bank of England is weighing up loosening some lending rules, so where does that take us next. Simon also has some advice for anyone whose mortgage fix is up for renewal this year. Spoiler alert: it’s to start looking into a new fixed mortgage now. And a reader question – and yes, this was a genuine one – of whether taking $1million-plus in payment for a property in the Caribbean in crypto is a good idea? And finally, credit cards are dead, it’s all about buy now, pay later… or is it? There’s a new Avios-earning Barclaycard out and Lee’s excited. Find out why by listening to the end.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has created a tragic situation that goes far beyond worries about our finances but it will have an impact on them. The ins and outs of the conflict are not something that This is Money is qualified to comment on, but the financial impact of events is something that readers and listeners come to us to learn about. On this podcast, Georgie Frost, Tanya Jefferies and Simon Lambert look at what that impact could be. How the Russian-Ukraine conflict will affect out personal finances: from energy bills, to petrol prices and food, to the immediate volatility it has thrust on to people's investments, the team look at what is happening and what may happen next. Should investors stay calm and stick to their guns, or are their merits in one outlier suggestion of moving 50 per cent to cash and batteing down the hatches? Also on this week's podcast, the added problem of inflation for people's investments and how to combat it. Plus, the latest on the state pension underpayment scandal and how some councils are now trying to rake in money from those paid back lump sums. And finally, its not an uncommon situation now to sell a property and step out of the market while you find a new one, but what should you do with a huge sum of cash in the meantime?

A free 'midlife MOT' course has been launched aimed at people who want to do a stock take of their current finances, career and health. This is an idea championed by the finance industry and government. But is it any good? Investments and pensions editor Tanya Jefferies undertook the course by finance giant Legal & General and the Open University and tells Georgie Frost and Lee Boyce of her experience. NS&I has doubled the rates on its green bonds – are they still missing the mark or is the boost good for eco-conscious savers? The Power of Attorney system has come in for plenty of slack this week with the 'creaking' system said to be in desperate need of improvement. What can be done and why is it important? Could you, or someone you know, be entitled to a social broadband tariff which could save hundreds on an annual internet bill? And finally, Lee goes into detail about This is Money's new retro revival series – with the first cash in the attic style subject in focus being video games, and more specifically Nintendo and its late 90s N64 console.

Where do you stand on smart meters? This seemingly common sense technological advance in how we are billed for energy has proved hugely divisive. From concerns over security and surveillance, to a mistrust of energy companies, and a botched and sometimes accused of bullying rollout, smart meters have not proved the popular success it was hoped they would be. Now things have stepped up a gear, as an Ofgem change will lead to smart meters being able to send half hour updates to energy providers - opening the door for electricity pricing to change at different times of day. The idea is that this will help smooth usage and make the transition to green energy easier and cheaper, while saving customers money. That makes sense, why not charge your electric car or run the tumble drier when demand is low and so are prices? But it also creates the potential for a troubling scenario for many, where energy pricing is used to change our behaviour. Meanwhile, people also question whether private companies that sell us power are likely to give up profits and allow our energy bills to get cheaper overall.  On this week’s podcast, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert look at the latest smart meter controversy and whether we are overthinking this. Also on this week’s podcast, there’s some number crunching on what people need to do to combat inflation’s effect on their spending, income and wealth. The team discuss the weird world of rising second hand car prices and used cars worth more than new ones. And finally, friend of This is Money, Dave Fishwick – of Bank of Dave fame – is going to be the subject of a movie. Lee updates on what Dave told him about that earlier this week.

Thursday marked a big day for the pound in our pocket. First of all, it was announced the energy price cap was to rise 54 per cent. Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Helen Crane take a look at what that means, what support has been made available and what happens next. Hot on the heels of that bombshell we had another rate rise from the Bank of England - piling pressure on borrowers. What will it mean for mortgages and will we finally seeing savings rates begin to head higher? With rates on the rise, would you fix your mortgage for a decade? Halifax and Lloyds unveil 10 year deals. And Helen launches her Crane on the Case consumer column – the first saw a remortgage mix-up land our reader with a bill of nearly £4,000.

It’s almost crunch time for our energy bills, with the new price cap that will kick in from 1 April due to be announced in just over a week. At that point those on variable rate price cap-linked tariffs will know how much their bills will rise by – a figure that’s widely expected to be 50%. But the worst of the bill shock pain will be felt by others, those with fixed rate deals cheaper than the current price cap but that are soon due to end. So, can people on either variable or fixed deals do anything to stop their bills soaring? Is there any merit in trying to fix?  And what should we do to help the households for whom this will be not just another blow from the cost of living crunch, but a shove into fuel poverty? On this week’s podcast, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert talk through the options for Britons facing soaring energy bills and the government and industry in trying to deal with them. Plus, with Simon one of those people whose fix is imminently ending – in the middle of March – what are the options that his energy supplier Octopus has presented him with, and which one is he going to take? He talks us through that. Also on this week’s podcast, the team talk through the stock market wobble, the US growth vs rising rates conundrum, and the suggestions that it might be UK shares time to shine. And finally, Nationwide has at last raised savings rates – only a week before the Bank of England is forecast to deliver another rate rise – but will savers be cheered or disappointed?

Steven Bartlett is the latest star of Dragons’ Den – and we recently caught up with him for a special bonus This is Money podcast episode. In this frank interview with This is Money’s Simon Lambert, Steven tells us his story, the challenges he’s faced in his business life, how he got ahead and his tips for anyone else wanting to start a business. At just 29, Steven may be the youngest Dragon the programme has seen but he has already built up a successful business career. He launched a social media marketing agency Social Chain – at a time when the medium was considered to have little value - and grew its revenues to hundreds of millions of pounds. He also presents the Diary of a CEO podcast, on which he has interviewed everyone from business leaders, such as Starling Bank’s Anne Boden and Deliveroo founder Will Shu, to Rio Ferdinand and Jimmy Carr. Steven isn’t afraid to share his strong opinions – including how school and higher education is failing young British hopeful entrepreneurs – and has become an author and been a guest on shows including Question Time. Recently, Steven has launched another new business Flight Story – as well as finding time to be in the Dragons’ Den. That’s not bad for someone who says that at 21 he was a broke, university drop-out in a Manchester bedroom. A short part of this interview was already featured in This is Money’s end of 2021 podcast but we wanted to bring you the full discussion as a special bonus episode.

Turning 40 is a milestone birthday – and perhaps the one that gets people thinking most about where they are at in life. It’s an age that involves a lot of looking back and looking forwards and a fair amount of comparing yourself to where others are at. But what do you need to think about in terms of your finances, from pensions, to property, investing and saving? On this podcast – as a certain Georgie Frost turns 40 – Simon Lambert and her take the opportunity to have a look at the financial side of hitting the big 4-0. It’s not just for those who are 40, it looks at people’s financial life in the decade around this age – and includes plenty of tips relevant to those who are much younger or older. Plus, Simon takes us back in time to what Britain’s economy and finances were like 40 years ago in 1982. How much did a house cost? What did people earn? How high were interest rates? And was it better, worse or incomparable?