This is Money Podcast

Have interest rates peaked and what next for savings and mortgages?

And suddenly they stopped. After 14 interest rate rises in a row, the Bank of England stalled and kept base rate on hold. A lower than expected inflation number and slew of economic reports indicating the heat was being taken ...

Should we keep the triple lock or come up with a better pension plan?

If the triple lock is stuck to, the state pension should rise by 8.5 per cent next April. That will be an inflation-busting rise but a promise is a promise - and the triple lock is meant to be a ...

Are you on track for a comfy retirement and do you really need a £600k pot?

Inflation has been ravaging our finances, but it is also threatening our future. According to new research, if you want a comfortable retirement, you need to build a pot of nearly £600,000. The rising cost of living requires an extra ...

Have we turned the corner on high inflation or could it bounce back?

The inflation spike took central banks, governments and many ordinary people by surprise but Britain’s cost of living problem has proved more stubborn that most. The latest set of official figures on consumer prices index inflation seem to show that ...

Taxman customer service troubles unmasked and probate problems in the spotlight

When it comes to HM Revenue & Customs, it's safe to say that many business owners and accountants have become well-acquainted with chaos. The push for a digital tax system has left some waiting months to receive basic tax information ...

Inflation eases to 7.9% - what does that mean for mortgage and savings rates?

Earlier in the week, the consumer prices index measure of inflation fell by more than expected thanks to a fall in transport and food prices. It eased to 7.9 per cent in June, a bigger drop than expected, according to ...

Could your bank really close YOUR current account with little warning?

Banks have come into the firing line this week over current account closures and slowness to pass on base rate rises to savers. Nigel Farage claims his bank shut his current account over his Brexit views – the former politician ...

Energy price cap falling and savings rates race past the 6% barrier

There has been plenty of doom and gloom in recent months – and today, we go searching for cheerier news. The energy price cap will fall from the weekend, plunging to £2,074 – below the £2,500 set Energy Price Guarantee ...

Mortgage mayhem, savings frenzy: What on earth is going on?

The mortgage market is mayhem, with lenders pulling deals and rapidly hiking rates. Average fixed mortgage rates have soared over the past month and we are now at the stage where it looks a lot like the panic after the ...

Inflation-busting savings rates of 9% and cash Isas back in the sun as billions pour into them

Forget 5 per cent savings rates. Forget 7 per cent. A new regular savings deal has landed paying a headline-grabbing 9 per cent. But, is it actually a good deal? Saffron Building Society aren't the only savings provider pumping up ...

Should we stop dragging people into tax designed for the rich?

Almost five times as many people will soon be paying 40 per cent tax than in the early 1990s, when it was seen as a tax bracket reserved for the rich, the Institute for Fiscal Studies warned this week. It ...

How can we build more homes and make them better?

A row over housebuilding has erupted again. Labour leader Keir Starmer has said he would bring back a 300,000 annual housebuilding target, after Rishi Sunak scrapped it. Meanwhile, some backbench Tory MPs are reportedly unhappy about their party ditching that ...

It's got easier to win big on the Premium Bonds but should you invest?

Premium Bonds are a national institution and their prize-giving place in British savers' hearts was only cemented further through the low interest rate years. But now interest rates are on the rise and Premium Bonds offer not only the chance ...

State pension goes above £10,000 - but has something got to give?

The state pension is getting a boost this week, meaning many pensioners will see their payments go above £200 per week or £10,000 per year for the first time. The Government has also recently announced that it is delaying a ...

Should we worry about the banks... and why raise interest rates now?

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water... A banking crisis has seemingly emerged out of nowhere, in a system that we've been told is stable, well capitalised and far from its parlous state when ...

Can you trust the state pension system as more blunders emerge?

You'd like to imagine that when it came to the state pension, you'd be dealing with a more robust system than the ones that deliver the average customer service nightmare. Savers could be forgive for questioning whether that was the ...

How to make the most of saving and investing into an Isa

There's not long left until the end of the tax year - and that means it is time to sort your Isa if you haven't already. This year's Isa allowance runs out as the tax year ticks over on 6 ...

Why is food inflation so high and when will it stop?

Inflation is theoretically running out of steam but there's one essential that's still going up in price rapidly: food. Even as energy prices and other recent highly inflationary items slow a bit, the cost of food seems to show no ...

Will the Government raise state pension age to 68 sooner than planned - and what should those about to retire do about it?

Those aged between 43 and 54 may have been concerned by rumours this week that the Government is planning to increase the state pension age to 68 much sooner than planned. Officially, the rise to 68 is set to happen ...

Will you be able to afford the retirement you want?

What do you picture in retirement? Is it an early exit from the rat race to travel the world, a gradual step back and a bit of golf, or working until state pension age and then spending some time treating ...

The big financial events of 2022 and what happens next?

Tumultous is a word that doesn't really do 2022 justice. Most people were looking forward to a year of calm as the Covid pandemic faded, but instead got turmoil and the cost of living crisis. In the UK, we mixed ...

When will interest rates stop rising? Plus, energy-saving tips to help you afford the heating

The Bank of England has hiked base rate from 0.1 per cent to 3.5 per cent in the space of 12 months, a move that would have been considered unthinkable not so long ago. But with inflation looking as if ...

Do you need to worry about tax on your savings and investments?

Many people have not had to worry about paying tax on their savings and investments for some time. The advent of the £1,000 personal savings allowance combined with savings rates near record lows meant basic rate taxpayers would need big ...

What does Jeremy Hunt's tax raid budget mean for you?

‘Jeremy Hunt’s mini-Budget was like the tax part of the Corbyn manifesto with none of the benefits of the extra spending.’ That was This is Money editor Simon Lambert’s verdict on the Chancellor’s tax-hiking spree that painted a miserable picture ...

What do rapid rate rises mean for you - and is this the right move?