This is Money Podcast

Enough already! Can’t everything just be simpler? ‘Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication’, said Leonardo da Vinci, whose basic thinking gave us art and helicopters to chat about and wonder over for centuries. It hardly goes without saying that top of the week’s meddles is from Ryanair, the low-cost airline MOST famous for concocting increasingly bizarre, arbitrary ways of charging people more. Now it’s levying a fee for checking yourself in at home on your computer and printing the boarding cards – but only if you do so four days before you fly. Stop it! George Osborne, remember him? Also known as Gideon U-turn, the Chancellor who used to think up stuff in bed then announce it as Government policy the next day without the slightest idea of whether it would work. Pasty tax was one meddle you may recall. This week, plans to create a secondhand market for annuities was scrapped – because no one wants to buy duff annuities from people who don’t want them for very that reason. Stop it. Also on the show. The complexities around the wobbly pound, the dangerous, complex ramifications of the latest inflation figures, the banks that aren’t great at looking after your money, more complicated tax ideas and the five pounds worth more than five pounds because people are… oh, you know? On a simple note, you can now buy things for a million pounds with a swipe of your iPhone – oh, but only if you’ve got a million pounds. There’s always a catch. Join Georgie Frost, Rachel Rickard Straus and Simon Lambert for this fun look at the week’s events in the world of money. Enjoy.

The country appeared to take leave of its senses this week. As the pound continues to take a steady route south through the Channel tunnel down to the capital of Armageddon, the effects are being felt by businesses across Britain. And bit-by-bit consumers are starting to notice. They’re not happy. News of the famous savoury black paste, Marmite, being taken off the shelves at Tesco spread across the internet like a yeast infection. People became hysterical - and not in a funny way. You don’t mess with people’s brands as Unilever found out when it stopped supplying the supermarket many of its famous-name products because of the rising cost of foreign-sourced ingredients. Join Simon Lambert, Georgie Frost and Lee ‘Bovril’ Boyce for an entertaining look at what it all means for the pound in your pocket. Also in the podcast: Former Bank of England governor Mervyn King believes the weak pound is a good thing for Britain. Don’t wait until to get to the airport to change your money – you’ll be in for a nasty shock There are transfer services for larger amounts of foreign currency – particularly useful if you want to BUY pounds Are banks are a spent force? Lloyds seems to think so as it slashes rates on it accounts and slashes staff from its head count. Rant of the week: the best savings account now pays a pointless 1% interest and that is affecting the whole economy. How to spot a fund manager who talks sense and invests sensibly. There must be one or two. It’s not just the exchange rate that's back in the 1970s, brown cars are popular again. House prices might also get a mentions. Enjoy.

It’s the best money show on the radio. Of that we are in no doubt. What is in doubt, though, is what’s behind our ‘economic recovery’ and the small matter of the future of Britain. Georgie and Simon are joined by ace This is Money investment and business reporter Ellie Lawrie to pore over the week’s strange events. To the soundtrack of the Prime Minister’s pro-Brexit speech at the Conservative Party conference, the FTSE 100 was hitting near record highs. Behind the headlines, the story was somewhat different. The FTSE 100 index of leading shares is mostly made up of foreign companies so when their earnings are converted into pounds, they’re suddenly worth a lot more. That’s why the market is rising. But some clever maths shows that in real-terms the market is in fact down. Confused? Listen now. Also in the show A flash crash smashed sterling, Are we being controlled by algorithms and should we be worried? Among the platitudes aimed at loyal voters, PM Theresa May’s speech also included a promise to end corporate greed and corrupt banks. That would be a good thing but how would she pull it off? Wills – two in three of us haven’t got one and that’s an unnecessary problem. What would you do with £50,000? With rates so low, the traditional ‘overpay your mortgage’ answer is outdated. Fivers – should we keep them as collectors’ items or spend them? It’s a cashless society. Could they become valuable. As Christmas toys hit the shops, we ask what was your favourite toy? Did you kill Tamagotchis or make things with Lego? Enjoy.

Here’s our latest joyous look at the week’s events. Join Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce for money mirth with a few nervous laughs on top. We’re possibly staring global financial Armageddon in the face again as Germany’s biggest bank owes more money in fines than it’s worth while it sits on TRILLIONS of pounds of complex debt that no one appears to understand. UK banks were bailed out to the tune of around £500bn after the 2008 crisis, paid for by cutting Government spending and disability allowances and the like. But Germany is refusing to consider any such aid and austerity. The second biggest bank in Germany is also now in deep trouble as it announced 10,000 job cuts. The knock on effects are starting to resonate around the world. What happens next is worth a ringside seat. Also on the show: Help to buy is to die – it was a policy dreamt up by our already forgotten former PM David Cameron and sidekick George Osborne to increase house prices Aldi takes on Waitrose – the supermarket (German) too popular for its own car parks is set to expand Unusual money-saving tips – avoiding amazon, hiding money and more BHS is back - but with 99.5% fewer employees Long-term investing – it works How to choose a mortgage – as a lifestyle choice not a panic purchase And finally This week’s two-minute rant – why 2-year fixed mortgages are so popular probably has more to do with bankers’ commission than decent deals Reading list: Other People's Money: Masters of the Universe or Servants of the People? By John Kay Watch list: The Big Short movie is now on Netflix

It’s a really fun show this week and a fantastic antidote to the Bake Off and Brangelina hysteria. For the initiated, two well-known Hollywood actors announced their divorce this week and the makers of televised cake-making competition revealed they were moving it to Channel 4 from the BBC. And we don’t care. Not that making cakes doesn’t get a look in. It does but with the usual financial twist. How to save money baking is one of the more popular stories of the week. Have you any idea just how cheap it is to make a scone? Rachel Rickard Straus, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost also find time to be utterly horrified about the cost of a wedding. Tip: Get married abroad, says Lee. Also discussed are: Retweaked economic forecasts from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) The idiocy of the lifetime Isa – another ill-conceived, complicated tax change from the previous Chancellor House prices Fluffy surveys from banks Shrinking products – that get smaller and smaller to keep the price the same And are we losing control of our money? Enjoy.

Now that cash machines hardly ever distribute five pound notes, the Bank of England decided it was time to issue a new, modern plastic one - to great fanfare. But the question on everyone's lips is why was it Winston Churchill and not Keith Richards on the note. This is just one of the conundrums in this week's round-up of the best of the week's money news. Also on the show... Banks under investigation for using interest rate cuts to punish customers Pensions are just too confusing aren't they? Why do we spend so much extra while on holiday? All that data you've handed over may come back to haunt you in a big way And more...

This week the team from This is Money join Share Radio’s Georgie Frost for an entertaining look back at the week’s big stories from the disgusting tricks hidden in cancer insurance small print to the birth of a new money superhero, Scam Man. Also on the show: Why banks are refusing to grant overdrafts to youngsters. Are they overeducated and misunderstood or just living in the wrong part of town? Did baby boomers really steal all the money and run away? Did Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney cut interest rates too soon? Or was he misled by bankers who promised to pass on the cut to saving AND mortgage customers but didn’t. Editor Simon Lambert explains his new investing technique: Doing Nothing. Consumer Affairs Editor Lee Boyce lifts the mask to reveal himself as the face of a new Beat the scammers campaign. Everyone needs to know these terrifying tricks of the tricksters. Do you have too many legs to claim on your critical illness insurance? Banks insult their customers yet again – this time with another round of ‘We’ve cut your savings rate’ hate mail. ‘Just kill the account!’ says Simon. It’s a brilliant time to fix your mortgage – surely these rates won’t last for very long. Why are rare 2p coins so popular? Would you take a pay cut for an extra day off a week? And a bit more.

We take a look back at some of the recent major financial events that have affected us all. It's been a bumpy ride and it's time to take stock. The team from This is Money with Georgie Frost of Share Radio explain the fallout of the EU referendum, the collapsing pound and interest rates, Santander 123, complicated Bank of England decisions, inheritance tax and loads more. As ever, they explain what it all means and what it means for the pounds, the euros and dollars in our pockets.

This week, as the country was feeling good about its record medal haul in the Rio Olympics, suddenly consumer confidence appeared to be looking healthy too. But behind the rose-tinted sunglasses, a bubble of household debt was competing in a new kind of race with rival, the house price bubble, to see which will burst first. It’s neck and neck. Household debt is at terrifying levels. If consumer spending is on the rise, it’s likely that credit cards are a driving force. More than one in 10 households (1.6m) are in extreme debt, where 25% of monthly spending is servicing cards, loans and other debts - not including mortgages. Wages are stagnant yet house prices appear to keep on rising. That cannot last. We’re here to help. But the conclusion from This is Money’s consumer affairs gurus Rachel Rickard Straus and Lee Boyce is there’s not a lot individuals can do. Best thing, at the very least, is to try to avoid the increasingly clever scams and rip-offs. There’s some horrific tricks and it's almost impossible to tell a deal from a con. We offer some tips on what to look out for. Also, further proof emerges that George Osborne’s legacy as Chancellor is peppered with the wacky and unworkable, as his help-to-buy Isas are shown to be largely useless. Mobile phone companies, energy companies and travel companies are as sneaky as ever. First Utility charges one of its customers to STAY with First Utility. Strange times.

This week This is Money editor Simon Lambert and consumer affairs editor Lee Boyce explain the peculiarities of inheritance tax - and then ask why on earth it has to be so complicated. The team also discuss the watering down of the once quite fantastic 123 account from Santander - and whether it's still a good deal. Lee has a moan about train fares and they ask whether Essex really is the happiest place to live in the UK.