Episodes

  • Why aren't energy bills going down - and what to do if your smart meter goes mad

    Why aren't energy bills going down - and what to do if your smart meter goes mad
    Jan 3 2025
    In a not very happy start to the new year, Ofgem's energy price cap went up on 1 January from £1,717 to £1,738.

    Energy experts at Cornwall Insight say it will go up again in April - and by more than they initially expected.

    So why are bills rising? After all, we are a long way from the peak of the gas price crisis back in 2021.

    This week, Georgie Frost and Helen Crane discuss when they will finally go back to normal - and whether fixed rates are a good deal again.

    The team also talk about an Octopus energy customer who was charged £5 to make a cup of tea thanks to a new smart meter.

    For homeowners starting 2025 by sticking their property on the market, we get some tips from estate agents on how to spruce up your home - and which renovations aren't worth the bother.

    We also discuss whether buyers really care about the smell of freshly baked bread, and what the best colour is to paint your front door.

    Helen speaks about the companies This is Money readers have moaned about most in 2024, and her highlights from the Crane on the Case column.

    And we finish off with some sensible tips from financial advisers about how to give your money a makeover in the new year.

    Show More Show Less
    40 mins
  • A decade of the This is Money podcast in our special live epsiode

    A decade of the This is Money podcast in our special live epsiode
    Dec 27 2024
    In a special epsiode, we hosted our first live podcast at our offices to celebrate a decade of discussing Britain's personal finances.

    Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Helen Crane talk through 10 years of huge and unexpected financial developments, from Brexit and President Trump to Covid and the cost-of-living crisis.

    Some of our valued listeners were in the audience as we covered major themes that have erupted in our financial lives since 2014, including Liz Truss's infamous 'mini-Budget', the rollercoaster property market – and whether we can truly say we have put the cost-of-living crisis in the rearview mirror.

    In addition to looking at the bigger picture, we drilled into how these events have shaped our personal finances and affected our savings, mortgages, pensions, investments and aspirations.

    'Producing a podcast episode every week for a decade felt like something we should celebrate, so I was delighted to welcome our guests – and especially our listeners – to a 10th birthday celebration,' This is Money publisher, Simon Lambert said.

    'Launching a podcast was a fairly unusual move a decade ago and it turned out to be a good idea and also hugely enjoyable for us.

    'We always wanted the podcast to make money engaging and accessible, help people improve their personal finances and enjoy the richer life that can bring.'
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 1 min
  • Going local with Alastair Humphreys - how to have a money saving adventure close to home

    Going local with Alastair Humphreys - how to have a money saving adventure close to home
    Dec 24 2024
    On this special bonus episode of the This is Money Podcast, Simon Lambert catches up with Alastair Humphreys about his quest to find adventure close to home.

    Alastair, a genuine global adventurer, who featured on our Making The Money Work Podcast series in 2020, recently published his book Local: A Search for Nearby Nature and Wildness.

    It told the story of his year spent swapping travelling the world for exploring the grid squares of the Ordance Survey map centred on his home location.

    In this extra podcast episode, we find out more about why he did it, what he learnt and how you could start your own money saving adventure on your doorstep right now.
    Show More Show Less
    49 mins
  • What happened to our finances in 2024 - and what comes next in 2025?

    What happened to our finances in 2024 - and what comes next in 2025?
    Dec 20 2024
    1 hr and 1 min
  • Are we getting a fair deal on energy bills?

    Are we getting a fair deal on energy bills?
    Dec 13 2024
    1 hr
  • How rich do you feel - and does a £100,000 salary still make you wealthy?

    How rich do you feel - and does a £100,000 salary still make you wealthy?
    Dec 6 2024
    How much spare cash do you have to spend? A new index shows we typically have £836 in disposable income each month.

    That’s the amount of money you have left over to spend or save after taxes and bills have been paid, according to comprehensive research.

    This week, Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce talk income and ask... does a £100,000 annual salary really not make workers feel wealthy anymore?

    The annual list of happiest and unhappiest towns to live in Britain has been released, with Slough in Berkshire being labelled the most miserable. Is that a fair tag for any town?

    Bitcoin topped $100,000 for the first time. It soared in the wake of Donald Trump's election.

    So, have the crypto evangelists been proved right, can you still make money from bitcoin and what other coins are worth looking into?

    Lastly, wood stoves are back in the news. What are the rules around them - and are they really a polluting menace?
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 1 min
  • What next for house prices and is it harder to buy a home now vs 1974?

    What next for house prices and is it harder to buy a home now vs 1974?
    Nov 29 2024
    House price predictions for next year have started to roll in, so where do the experts think they are headed next?

    Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Lee Boyce discuss the property market - and delve into figures that attempt to tackle the tricky question: is it harder to buy a home now versus 50 years ago.

    And sticking with property, Halifax has launched a highly unusual fixed-rate mortgage - should borrowers be tempted?

    With the weather turning colder, we talk how to stay warm this winter without breaking the bank and whether it is worth getting a fixed tariff with your energy firm.

    We reveal the amount you should have saved in your pension in every decade of your life to guarantee a golden retirement - and how much notice you should pay to these formulas.

    And lastly, Lee reveals his top tips for avoiding the out of contract rip-off trap - and how he's saving more than £400 in the next 12 months by doing so.

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 1 min
  • Are interest rate cuts about to stall?

    Are interest rate cuts about to stall?
    Nov 22 2024
    Inflation's spell below the Bank of England's 2 per cent target has been brief and the latest CPI figure came in at a higher than expected 2.3 per cent.

    Meanwhile, Bank of England boss Andrew Bailey has joined the Office of Budget Responsibility in stating that the recent Autumn Budget is likely to lift inflation, as employers face higher costs from national insurance and the rising minimum wage.

    On the other side of the Atlantic, President-elect Donald Trump is seen as bringing his own inflationary pressure, which could spread from the US to the rest of the world.

    So what does this mean for interest rates? Are cuts about to stall - and what happens next for borrowers and savers?

    On this week's podcast, Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Simon Lambert, talk inflation, rates, mortgages and savings.

    The team also look at whether those needing to get a mortgage now should fix for two or five years.

    Plus, why the row over inheritance tax and farmers is symptomatic of Britain's bad tax system - and Simon's plan for a trade-off on IHT-free land.

    Crane goes on the case of money refunded ffor a faulty coffee machine much later to an empty gift voucher that had understandably gone in the bin.

    And finally, the listener question of the week is up and running, and it's one on sticking it to the man and having enough money to quit work for good.
    Show More Show Less
    50 mins