This is Money Podcast

FTSE 100 hits record highs with mining merger bid and tech star acquisition. Discussion on UK market, investment trusts, retirement planning, state pension top-ups, and inheritance tax. Light-hearted segment on backseat drivers' habits and car etiquette.

Discussion on changing inflation rates, impacts of rising interest rates, challenges faced by farmers, Neil Woodford as a 'finfluencer', ISA regulation changes, plastic bag charge conundrum, and promotion of Kathalon bag with financial news update.

Financial experts Tanya Jefferies and Georgie Frost discuss the 8.5% state pension boost, potential means testing challenges, delays in the online pension service, NS&I IT meltdown, a dance teacher's outrageous energy bill, and the curious case of an American Express card with a 704.6% APR.

There's a warning for savers who's fixed term deals are coming to an end - don't take your eye off the ball now or risk having your returns wiped out in a matter of months. A year ago, there was a flurry of savers choosing fixed-rate bonds as they improved drastically. But if you don't act, the chances are it'll rollover into an awful rate. On this week's This is Money podcast, Helen Crane, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost talk savings, just as we head into a new financial year. Also on the savings front, NS&I reveals the rate of the new British Savings Bond - is it worth it? And an Isa millionaire reveals all to This is Money on how he built up a seven-figure pot. Helen tackles another reader problem – this time, it's a case of the unwanted and unneeded Sim card costing a pensioner couple hundreds of pounds. And on the utilities front, Lee reveals how Ofcom saved him from a 75 per cent rise in his monthly broadband costs, and why you should check if you're out of contract with your mobile phone. Mortgage approvals are up - but house prices nudge lower. What's going on?  Meanwhile, research shows a record third of all homes are being bought by first time buyers – and they make up 89 per cent of buyers in one Berkshire town. Lastly, entrepreneur Tim Armoo runs the rule over five money-making fads doing the rounds on social media – are any of them worth your time?

Discussing the controversy around a new 99% mortgage deal. Debating the benefits and risks of tiny deposit mortgages. Covering gift card draining scams and retirement income planning. Exploring expert investment strategies and trends in the market.

Financial expert Rob Morgan from Charles Stanley Direct joins the podcast to discuss the importance of sorting your pension and Isa before the tax year ends. They explore strategies for optimizing tax benefits through ISAs and pension contributions, emphasize the urgency to act due to impending tax changes, and provide insights on maintaining a well-diversified investment portfolio.

Speculation on potential Bank of England rate cuts and their impact on economy. Debate on compensating women affected by state pension age changes. Investigation into state pension underpayments and chaos at HMRC. Meet the Scambaiters - vigilantes fighting against scammers.

Jeremy Hunt bounced around delivering his Budget on Wednesday, proudly declaring his commitment to tax cuts and supporting working families. Another 2p was chopped off National Insurance and the threshold at which child benefit is removed was raised from £50,000 to £60,000. But you don’t need to be a financial expert to know that the Chancellor’s version of events isn’t quite the whole story. Because Mr Hunt is also presiding over a long-term stealth tax freeze to thresholds that is costing workers dear and his child benefit move merely kicked sky-high marginal tax rates down the road, rather than getting rid of them altogether. Nonetheless, a tax cut and an extra £5,000 Isa allowance – even if it’s a slightly iffy, limited one – is not to be sniffed at. So, was this an escape velocity Budget that puts Britain back on the path to growth? Or was it too little, too late, from a Tory party that has sported successive Chancellors who have been keener to raise our taxes by hook or by crook rather than cut them – or even just keep thresholds in line with inflation. On this week’s Budget special This is Money podcast, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert look at the winners and losers and go searching for the devils in the detail. What is the NI cut worth to you? Will you get some child benefit back? Did pensioners deserve a tax cut too? With a failure to reverse his capital gains and dividend tax raid, what has the Chancellor got against small investors? And will the British Isa be any good? All that and more – plus a look at why Nationwide is buying Virgin Money and whether that’s good or bad for us all.

On this bonus episode of the This is Money Podcast, Simon Lambert is joined by Charles Stanley Direct’s Lisa Caplan and Garry White for a quick run through what was in the Budget. Investment experts Lisa and Garry talk us through the main Budget points and what they mean for people. Join us on Friday for the full Budget episode where the This is Money Podcast team will dissect Jeremy Hunt's plan and reveal the devils uncovered in the details.