This time next week the General Election will be over. As the days count down we'll get into the nitty gritty with listener questions on Inheritance Tax, Capital Gains Tax and ISAs.

Some lawyers and listeners who are acting as powers of attorney have told Money Box they're having problems dealing with banks on behalf of their clients and relatives. The Association of Lifetime Lawyers, a group of legal professionals who support vulnerable and older people, has also told this programme banks need a more streamlined and consistent approach to dealing with powers of attorney. UK Finance which speaks for the banks acknowledged there is more to be done. It says banks are working with members and government bodies to look at how greater consistency can be achieved across the industry.

And a tribute to former Money Box presenter and founder Vincent Duggleby, who sadly passed away earlier this month.

Presenter: Paul Lewis

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 29th June 2024)

Around 38,000 children move into care every year in the UK. That's one every 15 minutes and a significant number of looked-after children will remain in the system until they reach adulthood. So what happens then?

In this programme Felicity Hannah talks about what happens when you leave care. Without the bank of Mum and Dad, what financial support are those young people promised?

We're joined by Jess and Callum, two care leavers as well as Kirsty Doull, Care and Transitions Lead at CELCIS, which is the Centre for Excellence for Children's Care and Protection, Carrie Wilson-Harrop from the Care Leavers Association and Clare Bracey, Policy, Campaigns and Communications Director at the care leavers charity, Become.

Presented and Produced by Felicity Hannah.

(First broadcast 3pm Wednesday 26th June, 2024)

There's less than a fortnight to go before the polls open in the General Election. The deadline's passed to register to vote, but there's still plenty of time to work out where you'll put that cross on the ballot paper. This week Money Box is talking about housing - focusing on your questions and comments.

Imagine being told you owe more than £7,000 for your gas. You spend months trying to explain there's no way you could possibly owe anywhere near that amount, only to be told one day that because you still haven't paid it your details are being passed onto a debt collection agency. We investigate one listener's story.

And new research shared exclusively with Money Box suggests almost a third of people are struggling to afford their car insurance. In a survey of more than 4,000 people the abrdn Financial Fairness Trust, a charity who carry out research to help improve living standards across the UK, found almost 1 in 3 people described their car insurance premiums as ‘unaffordable’. What can you do about it?

Presenter: Paul Lewis

(First broadcast at 12pm Saturday 22nd June 2024)

The number of people working into their late 60s, their 70s and beyond is rising. In this programme we'll discuss what that means for their employment rights and what it tells us about their finances.

Back in the 90s, only around 5% of peopled aged 65 or older were in work. In the early 2000s, that rose to around 6%. But recently released data from the Office for National Statistics shows that today almost 12% of people in that age group are in some form of employment. That's almost one and a half million people.

Felicity Hannah is joined by older workers to explore their finances, their struggles and their rights to challenge discrimination. She'll be joined by Dr Emily Andrews, Deputy Director for Work at the Centre for Aging Better, and Sarah Jackman, an employment lawyer at the law firm Dentons.

Presented and Produced by Felicity Hannah

(First broadcast 3pm Wednesday 19th June, 2024)

Nineteen days to go before your cross on a ballot paper will help decide who runs the country. You have been telling Money Box what matters to you. This week we'll discuss how much tax you already pay and whether that will change after 4th July.

The head of the UK payment regulator has rejected calls to delay a new fraud reimbursement plan which is due to begin on 7th October. It will mean that victims of fraud are fully reimbursed for losses up to £415,000. We'll have more on this story.

And more than half a million people are now getting help with their finances, often saving substantial sums of money, thanks to something called the Vulnerability Registration Service. What is it and how does it work?

Presenter: Paul Lewis

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 15th June, 2024)

As we continue our series of listener questions ahead of the election, we focus on the Cost of Care and how care later in life should be paid for. Dan Whitworth has been to Shipley to meet Graham, who’s concerned about the cost of his own care – he wants to know what politicians plan to do about it.

Energy companies are continuing to hang on to billions of pounds of their customers' money, which has built up as credit on their accounts. The energy regulator Ofgem says that during 2023, the average amount of credit in energy accounts for people who pay for their gas and electricity by fixed direct debit was £3.7 billion pounds. What's behind that?

More than half a million people were left without their Child Benefit payment this week, after a technical issue at HMRC. What was done to help them?

And this week, new banknotes featuring a portrait of King Charles III came into circulation – how can you get hold of one?

Presenter: Felicity Hannah

(First broadcast at 12pm Saturday 8th June, 2024)

We hear from a pensioner on benefits who tells us she was shocked to find herself having to pay tax on her pension for the first time. With expert help, we explain the so-called ‘triple-lock’ mechanism and why the point at which you can be taxed on your pension has become a big talking point in the election campaign.

Also in the programme, sneaky hidden extras on your online shopping have been banned under new laws passed this month. So called ‘drip pricing’ is when consumers are shown an initial price for an item or service, only to find additional fees are added on later at the checkout. We look what the rules are and how they'll work.

Every time you use Mastercard or Visa debit or credit card to pay for something – the business you’re buying from has to pay fees. Some of these fees are optional, but many of them are mandatory. But now an interim report by the watchdog - the Payments Systems Regulator – found that these fees charged to shops and other businesses by Visa and Mastercard have been rising much faster than inflation, 30 % faster, but that there is no evidence that the service provided has improved

And we look at the scale of fake stamps in the UK. Royal Mail initially responded by charging people a penalty if they received items that were sent with a fake stamp. Although those fines are now ‘paused’, we reveal just how much they amounted to.

Presenter: Paul Lewis

(This programme was first broadcast Saturday June 1, 2024)

What are the financial issues that you will be considering when you decide how to cast your vote in the General Election in July?

New figures from UK Finance, which represents banks and other finance firms, revealed that in 2023 a record number of people lost more than £450 million to thieves who tricked them, manipulated them and then drained their bank account. The slightly better news is that more of them got their money back. We'll delve into the details.

And almost three quarters of a million tax credit renewal letters are hitting people's doormats over the next few weeks - and thousands of people will need to act or face losing their payments. What should you do if that’s you?

Presenter: Paul Lewis

(This programme was first broadcast Saturday 25th May 2024)

Money Box can reveal that the government is recouping more than £250m pounds from over 100,000 carers who it says broke the earnings rule and should have lost their carer's allowance. The numbers came from a Parliamentary Question this week asked by the chair of the work and pensions select committee, Twice as many women as men are being chased for these overpayments.

We hear from a carer who has around £5000 worth of debt as well as finding out more about rights for carers affected.

The Department for Work and Pensions told us, “The total amount of Carer’s Allowance overpayments includes historical debts which the department is seeking to recover. In comparison, Carer’s Allowance expenditure is forecast to be £4.2 billion this year alone.”

Also on the programme, a report by spending watchdog the National Audit Office has revealed callers to HMRC helplines were on hold for a total of 789 years in 2022/23.

Are we saving enough for our retirement? Pensions and investment mutual Royal London gives Money Box exclusive figures.

And how do you spend a £50 note? We get to the bottom of what shops are allowed to accept.

Presenter: Paul Lewis

Do you get as much as you give when it comes to your job?

We've had some important jobs numbers this week - with official data showing there are more vacancies than there were before covid but, the number is falling, while unemployment is rising. But alongside that, wages are going up too - by around 6%.

In this episode, we ask if you’re getting enough value out of your employer. We hear from listeners on how they asked their bosses for a pay rise, how they dealt with back pay and how they're making use of employee perks.

Felicity Hannah is joined by Amanda Arrowsmith, People and Transformation Director for the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, and James Reed, Chairman and CEO at Reed Recruitment.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah