This is Money Podcast

The glass is half full and we’re on the hunt for a silver lining as we look forward to what's in store for our finances in 2017. We also cast a quick glance back at the most entertaining money stories of 2016, which were about... well, money. We go behind the scenes with the man we hold responsible for the phenomenon that was stories about new fivers worth a more than £5 and coins worth a small fortune, consumer affairs editor Lee Boyce. Readers loved his stories about coins and notes last year, and they set a trend for stories about money worth more than face value across Britain's media and viral internet. Where did the ideas come from? Why are some of these coins and notes worth more? Is the round pound next? Lee gives us the lowdown in the studio with Share Radio's Georgie Frost and This is Money editor Simon Lambert. Also on this week's show, we look at whether 2017 will be a good year for investors as the FTSE 100 hits a run of record highs, or whether the view that the only way is up spells trouble. We also hunt for some decent savings rates, highlight why dividends from an income investment trust might be an alternative and discuss the stories we'd really like to see in 2017. And to round off the show, Simon and Lee take the This is Money podcast quiz of 2016. Do they remember the details about the stories we covered, or are their memories alarming short. Find out who wins the gold coin and who takes home the wooden spoon (which is actually a free rubber spatula Georgie got with a magazine).

The phenomenal successes of British athletes at the Rio Olympics were quickly forgotten in 2016 as a confusing, unpredictable mix of politics and economics took over. The peculiarities began before Brazil, however, when Leicester City won the Premiership title at odds of 5,000 to 1. Then the British public were granted a vote on the country’s role in the European Union, which few appeared to understand. Markets crashed and recovered, the pound tanked and people got rather angry – but mostly about attempts to increase the price of the popular yeast spread, Marmite. Finally, a reality TV star with the language of a child and behaviour of a child became leader of the free world. Join Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce of This is Money and Share Radio luminary Georgie Frost for a look behind the sound bites and the hubris as they try to work out happened and why.

It might be the only time in history that four five-course supermarket Christmas dinners are taste-tested on live radio over a discussion about the state of the economy. There’s really not much more one can say. Other than will it be Lidl, Waitrose, Tesco or ‘the wildcard’ that proves more popular this year in the turkey, cheese, Prosecco, sprouts and cranberry sauce league? The result, as a clickbaiter might say, may surprise you. The journey might amuse you. Inflation hit 1.2% and the US Federal Reserve raised its main interest rate. Merry Christmas. From this week’s crew: Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce, Rich Browning and Tom the producer.

It’s amazing isn’t it? We’re a service economy with a heavy reliance on financial services but when it comes to customer services and financial services, we’re useless. Our email inbox is permanently full of complaints about companies that refuse to help their customers – as is our old-fashioned post bag. For the ninth year running the Wooden Spoon awards are upon us, where we highlight the most complained about companies and organisations of the year and ask readers, listeners and viewers to vote for the absolute worst. Last year the BT chief executive collected the award. This year, the execrable Southern Rail makes the shortlist as it enters the festive period without a timetable and none of the bosses in jail. Who gets your vote? Join Rachel Rickard Straus (British Gas), Lee Boyce (Banks – all of them) and Georgie Frost (Southern Rail) for a fabulously entertaining look at some of things we hate with a passion. Also on the show… We look at how mortgage lending works. Did you know they have lending quotas and when the cash runs low, the rates go up and vice versa. Nowt, necessarily, to do with any outside economic pressures. Hopefully, the withdrawal this week of the cheapest ever deal is not the start of a trend. Stupid house price surveys and their contradictory view of the state of the market Spread betting is suddenly in the spotlight as people wake up to the fact that it’s gambling, not investing. And finally, the game’s over, according to the author of a new book about financial Armageddon. We’re heading for the biggest financial crash in history and the chances of recovery from this one are smaller than the interest you can get on savings account.

An energy firm collapsed this week, but even if you were one of GB Energy's customers you might not have even realised. If you've ever wondered where all those strangely named energy firms have come from, listen to this week's This is Money Podcast to find out. Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce, of This is Money, join Georgie Frost in the Share Radio studios to discuss why our energy firms are feeling stressed. They also look at why our banks are being stress tested, with the majority state-owned RBS setting an example by failing. But how do you get from that to Guns N' Roses and OPEC? Listen to this week's podcast to find out.

The new Chancellor delivered his first Autumn Statement this week with the aim of distancing himself from his predecessor - but what will it mean for you? Philip Hammond grabbed the headlines with a ban on fees for tenants, a 2.2% savings bond, a minor splurge on infrastructure and an awful lot of debt. Will tenants bear the brunt of landlords hiking rents after being hit by crafty letting agents? Is a three-year bond paying 2.2% the answer to the savings crisis? What’s the key to productivity other than spending less time on Facebook? Are we really poorer than seven years ago and counting? How on earth will we ever pay off £2trillion of debt? Simon Lambert and Rebecca Rutt, of This is Money, join Georgie Frost, of Share Radio, in the studio for the This is Money Show podcast to try and answer all these questions and more. And if you’re all Autumn Statemented-out, there’s also some existential questions about Black Friday, a look at whether airport parking spaces really make good investments, and a Formula 1 car for the road that you can buy. It’s a fun show. Enjoy.

After the Brexit vote rolled in, a tax giveaway and spending splurge was considered a nailed on certainty. Five months down the line, Britain's economy has surprised many with its resilience and it's not so clear cut. So what will Philip Hammond do in the Autumn Statement. Will the public get infrastructure bonds to invest in, will stamp duty see a cut to get people moving, and will anyone ever commit to properly fixing Britain's roads. Next Wednesday's Autumn Statement holds the key and Simon Lambert and Rachel Rickard Straus, of This is Money, discuss the outlook with Georgie Frost, of Share Radio, on this week's This is Money Show podcast. Also under the microscope is Trumpflation. What on earth is it, why are investors chasing this trade and will a big infrastructure spend and tax cut in the US help its economy? Simon has read Donald Trump's economic plan and takes us through what the President-Elect says he will do (unless of course he changes his mind). Also up for discussion is the white Ferrari 458 Speciale and McLaren 675LT that can only be bought as a £700,000 pair from an Essex car dealer. Is that the kind of thing you'd treat yourself too. Listen to the show and leave us a comment.

The Simpsons predicted it but did you? Donald Trump will be the next president of the US after his election win this week - something many thought was impossible. But just how much of a part did economic dissatisfaction among those who feel left behind by a wealthy elite play in this? Did that wealthy elite spend too long ignoring ordinary hard-working families concerns and telling them they knew what was best? Why didn't the other side realise and do something that would have stopped the White House keys going to the most controversial president-elect ever? And what on earth does President Trump mean for the US economy and for the finances of us Britons on the other side of the Atlantic? Simon Lambert and Sarah Davidson, of This is Money, join Georgie Frost in the Share Radio studio for the weekly This is Money podcast to answer these questions and more. And it's not all Trump. We also get an update on Simon's will-writing adventure - where he promised to finally sort one out and explain what you need to think about, and talk about why mess can make you a success, what next for Tesco Bank and customers after its 21st century bank robbery and check up on some high street shopping giants. And finally, you know all that Toblerone fuss: want to know if it really does look that silly, or whether it tastes or feels different? We've got a new wide-valleyed bar in the studio, ready to test.

The Bank of England updated us on post-Brexit vote Britain this week and managed to admit it was wrong while telling us it was right. Simon Lambert, Adrian Lowery and Georgie Frost rake through the inflation report and outlook for interest rates and the economy on the This is Money podcast with Share Radio. They also look at what that High Court victory means for Brexit, business and our money. While this rumbles on, savers are being stung by terrible rates and inflation rising. So what should you do with your spare cash and what even counts as spare? We look at whether you should switch banks, invest it, buy premium bonds, or perhaps just go on holiday (be warned this is now more expensive). Watch out though if you do go away, you might find a robot has nabbed your job by the time you get back. We also take a look at what the rise of the robots means – and the jobs we’d rather they had taken of us.

Cleared for take-off? Heathrow is given the green light for a third runway, but what does it mean for the economy, residents, house prices and the future of air travel from Britain? Some under 30s ARE saving enough for retirement while we explain why turning back the clocks this weekend makes our roads more dangerous. Has buy-to-let gone cold? Or should landlords look north to student towns such as Leeds for better yields? Buy-to-let and LS6 postcode expert Simon Lambert runs the rule. And PPI. It has been plague to banks for years – but one, NatWest, has been pulling sneaky tricks on some who were due fair redress…