This is Money Podcast

In this excerpt from the This is Money podcast, Simon Lambert outlines why he thinks interest rates should rise and Rachel Rickard Straus explains why savers need to switch to better deals and not just rely on rates going up.

Toys R Us and Maplin were sunk this week, investors are nervously watching Carpetright and Mothercare, and restaurants from Jamie Oliver’s, to Byron, and now Prezzo are closing their doors. This week’s shop closures could see more than 5,000 jobs lost. It looks like a slow motion crash on the High Street. But at the same time the economy is doing okay, and sales in the housing market are reasonably buoyant, so why the trouble? In this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Georgie Frost and Rachel Rickard Straus take a look at Britain’s high street woes and whether it is company debt, consumer confidence, overexpansion gone wrong, or a failure to keep up with the times that is sinking well-known names. Also on the show, we take a look at what Warren Buffett learnt from his ten–year tracker fund bet – and the twist in the tale of how he won it. Plus, how the value of your old £10 note changed through its lifetime and the things most likely to go wrong on a new car.

Just how does the mythical and bizarre world of credit ratings really work? How can you improve your score and what does the figure even mean? On this week's podcast, personal finance editor Rachel Rickard Straus and consumer affairs editor Lee Boyce join presenter Georgie Frost to discuss this and how one unknown fraud marker on a Cifas file left a reader with a 'do not employ' status when looking for job. Rachel describes how she saw a tourist defrauded at a cash point and what it made her realise. Lee explains why he is fed-up with car insurers taking motorists for a ride and how he beat a 67 per cent annual rise. Whisper it: but there could be a cash Isa season this year. For years, banks and building societies scrambled to offer attractive rates – and 2018 could see the tax-free accounts finally en vogue once more. Pensioner bonds – remember them? Well many are seeing the three-year versions of the accounts mature. But there could be a tax sting in the tail.

Interest rates are going to rise in May, if you believe economists, but will things get better or worse for you if they do? A few years ago, Mark Carney told us to enjoy the low inflation world while it lasted, but now wages are forecast to rise and keep inflation sticky, so interest rates are potentially going to inch up. Rising rates are often painted as bad news but for many a world in which they go up will look more enjoyable. What would be even more pleasurable is being paid more, so is Britain really finally about to break out of its low wage growth trap and get a pay rise? On this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Rachel Rickard Straus discuss why we don’t get paid enough, what we can do about it and how to look on the bright side of rising interest rates. Contrasting news on the struggles of first-time buyers, at the same time as they are at their highest level for a decade, is also on the agenda. Plus, there is good financial news for unmarried couples, the new car tax madness that is about to bite and the energy saving myths that apparently mean you shouldn’t turn the heating up to make your home warm up quickly.

Buy, sell, or hold? When stock markets take a tumble, it's decision time. Investors got a shock this week, when the prolonged period without a stock market correction – dubbed the Big Calm – came to an abrupt end. Many were not surprised by the fact that shares fell, after all warnings that a correction must arrive have not been in short supply. But what did catch them off guard was quite how hard they fell and that the only catalyst was the threat of slightly higher interest rates. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones dived 4.6 per cent on Monday, and then after a brief bit of mid-week respite, it tumbled another 4.2 per cent on Thursday. In the UK, shares also fell but not by as much, although some with more high-octane portfolios will be nursing bigger losses. So, is this just a healthy correction, or is it the start of something bigger? On this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Alex Sebastian and Georgie Frost look at why shares fell, what investors should do when markets correct, and whether there is any way to dodge a crash. Tying into that stock market storm was the Bank of England’s indication that although it was holding rates this month, they would now rise faster and sooner than expected. We look at when that next rate rise is likely, and why the Bank has changed its tune. There's also a warning on debt from former Bank boss Mervyn King. Also on this week’s show, we discuss the young people falling victim to temptation to launder cash as money mules and the petrol delivery service that comes to you. Listen to the show, tells us if you like it at editor@thisismoney.co.uk or with a comment and please subscribe and tell your friends.

The Chancellor asked for ideas for inheritance tax to be simplified this week, but should we even have a death tax at all? It is highly unpopular, and some who argue against it say that taxing someone when they are alive and then their estate when they die amounts to double taxation. In contrast, others argue for a lower inheritance tax-free threshold and an even higher tax rate than the current 40%. So how do you solve a problem like inheritance tax? On this week’s podcast Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost look at how it works, why it is unpopular, and how you can avoid it. Simon suggests his plan to simplify it and get more people paying by removing those fiddly reliefs and slashing the rate to 20%. But we also consider the argument for taxing inheritance (and unearned property wealth) more heavily. Later on the podcast, we discuss the problem of interest-only timebomb mortgages and whether homeowners are burying their heads in the sand. Also on the agenda is what’s wrong with M&S and investing in emerging markets and why they could still be a good long-term bet, even after funds rose almost 30% last year. And finally, the team dive into the cryptocurrency world again to look at how to play it safe if you are going to buy bitcoin or one of its smaller rivals. Well, as safe as possible with something prone to swing around by daily double-digit percentages.

Could you get duped into sending a fraudster thousands of pounds? Many people think of course they wouldn’t, but then it happens to them. In this week’s podcast Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost look into the disturbing rise in fraudsters targeting ordinary people’s finances and how you can protect yourself – we also ask if the banks do enough to help. On the other side of the table from those looking to take your money, are the people who promise to make it for you – fund managers. And there has been one name that keeps cropping up in This is Money’s reader comments as someone who doesn’t get his fair dues, Terry Smith. We dive into his Fundsmith fund, why it has been so successful and having had it explained to him first hand by Mr Smith himself, Simon outlines the Fundsmith investing philosophy. He looks at whether investors need to be wary of putting too much faith in an approach that has done well if conditions change, or whether the top global funds run by managers such as Smith, Nick Train and the Baillie Gifford team are worth sticking with come what may. Also up on this week’s podcast is the best car of the year as named by What Car? – and it’s a diesel – and Lee’s once in a lifetime trip to the home of Ikea in Sweden, where he learnt some very interest facts about the flatpack furniture store you either love or hate.

The collapse of Carillion this week brought how Britain runs itself into the spotlight, but it also left many workers wondering about their money. And it's not just their wages that are a concern, the safety of people's final salary pensions is a major worry when a company collapses. In this week's podcast, Simon Lambert, Rachel Rickard Straus and Georgie Frost look at how safe your pension is and what backs it up.  They also discuss whether it is wise handing over so much of the UK’s public service and projects to private companies looking to turn a profit for shareholders - and what happens to people's finances when that goes wrong? If you’ve always wanted to understand the business of the private finance initiative (PFI) – this week’s show is a must listen. Alongside that we discuss the continuing madness of the cryptocurrency boom, including the alternatives to bitcoin and how ripple rose 84% in 24 hours. We also reveal the savings rate postcode lottery and ask that all important question, should you spend your money now and enjoy it or save it for the kids' inheritance? Enjoy.

Planning on relying on the state pension to keep you afloat in retirement? After listening to this week’s podcast, you might want to have a rethink. On this episode, presenter Georgie Frost, consumer affairs editor Lee Boyce and personal finance editor Rachel Rickard Straus discuss what’s in store for the state pension. Will it still be around when they come to retire? A report this week suggests something will have to change to make sure it is, whether that be everyone paying more in National Insurance, the retirement age rising again or a means-tested state pension. The team also discuss getting hold of our state pension forecasts – and if they’re at all reliable. And what about those who are already retired? The trio then discuss a growing trend of retirees extracting money from the value of their homes to pay off credit card debts. But it’s not all gloom. Lee has news of a 50p coin that could be worth considerably more than that – and that you can only get hold of by going on a lovely day out. Enjoy.

House prices are coming off the boil, but it is London and the South East that are suffering, while some regional cities do well. But what happens next? Simon Lambert takes a look at the house price forecasts for 2018 and whether property will rise, fall or flatline in the year ahead.