Original Broadcast: This is Money
A week is a long time in politics — and what a week it’s been. But what does all the turmoil mean for our money? And can we blame it all on Labour?Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce discuss the threat to Keir Starmer's leadership and why it has caused some market panic. If the Prime Minister is ousted, what could the new man or woman in charge change when it comes to tax and wealth? Nearly a quarter of retailers now no longer accept cash — but there is a cohort of 'cash preppers' tucking money away at home in case of payment outages. Should we care? NS&I has bumped up the underlying rate on Premium Bonds and made the odds of winning a prize shorter — are they now a good home for your cash again? And finally, Lloyds Bank launches a first-time buyer mortgage requiring a £5,000 deposit. Is it a good way to step onto the property ladder?
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Original Broadcast: Modern Mindset
Mental health problems are affecting millions across the UK, with one in four adults experiencing a diagnosable condition each year and one in five struggling in any given week. As demand grows, so too does reliance on medication, with around seven million people in England now prescribed antidepressants. But for many, these treatments don’t work — prompting growing interest in alternative approaches. With TMS Awareness Day taking place on the 14th of May, attention is turning to 'Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation', a non-invasive treatment that uses magnetic pulses to stimulate areas of the brain linked to mood. Joining Rory McGowan to discuss this are Dr Deshpande, Founding Director of Tranquil TMS and Katie Monach, who has lived experience with TMS.
Guests: Nikhila Deshpande,Katie Monach
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A new school’s campaign is launching across the UK to tackle the growing influence of social media–driven tanning among teenagers. The charity SKCIN is launching EXPOSE THE GLOW, a new interactive programme for secondary school students designed to challenge harmful tanning trends and expose the truth behind online misinformation. Joining Rory McGowan is Dr Amy Perkins, Consultant Dermatologist and Lead Ambassador for SKCIN, who is supporting the EXPOSE THE GLOW campaign.
Guests: Dr. Amy Perkins
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Original Broadcast: This is Money
Is the younger generation going to end up worse off than their parents? A new survey shows young people aged 18 to 29 say the events of 2026 have left them feeling particularly pessimistic about the future, and the number who believe they will be worse off than their parents has doubled in the past year. Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce discuss whether the idea the next generation will have it better than previous ones is now bunkum. Elsewhere, what do you want to see less of on the high street? And how can they improve? A student loan interest cap kicks in later in the year — for some. Simon explains what it means. And do you use a dodgy fire stick for watching TV, films or football? We discuss whether the net is closing in on their illegal use.
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As Rosacea Awareness Month approaches this April, experts are warning that many people may be misreading the signs of their skin. Facial redness is one of the most common concerns in the UK, yet it remains widely misunderstood. While Rosacea affects around one in ten people, not all redness signals a chronic condition — and in many cases, everyday triggers or skincare habits could be to blame. Joining Rory McGowan to discuss this is Marie Troughton a UK-based Medical Relationships & Clinical Services Education Manager for Clinique.
Guests: Marie Troughton
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A report has been launched by Sciensus exploring how at-home care could be the future of a resilient NHS. It allows for complex treatment, such as chemotherapy and dialysis, to be delivered in our living rooms. Experts are suggesting this could be an ideal solution for those facing the hidden costs of attending regular hospital appointments and a postcode lottery of quality of care. Joining Rory McGowan to discuss this further is Christian Tucat, Chief Executive Officer at Sciensus.
Guests: Christian Tucat
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Original Broadcast: This is Money
Many younger adults think they are substantially less well-off than their parents. But while there are inequalities, new research suggests the wealth gap may be far narrower than previously reported — and it is largely down to the cash those in their twenties and thirties have stashed in their pensions. Lee Boyce, Helen Crane and Georgie Frost discuss why official figures got it wrong, and whether property versus pension is a pointless comparison. The team also ask what will happen to interest rates and mortgages due to the fact that — for now at least — a ceasefire in Iran appears to be holding. Elsewhere, Lee reports on a ferocious best buy battle at the top of the fixed Cash ISA tables, where even the high street banks are getting involved. And finally, another Chinese pretender to Amazon's retail throne has entered the UK. Is Joybuy any good, how did it fare when our reporter put its delivery service to the test — and do we really need another place to buy bargain toilet rolls online?
Guests: Helen Crane
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New research reveals Brits are redefining ageing — focusing less on appearance and more on how they feel, from energy levels to long-term health. But despite this shift, many admit they’ve ignored their health in the past, and younger people are already feeling the pressures of ageing. Joining Rory McGowan to discuss this is Alan Graves, founder and Clinical Research Advisor at DoNotAge.
Guests: Alan Graves
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Original Broadcast: This is Money
A solar revolution is on its way to Britain and can help save us from volatile and high energy bills, if you believe Ed Miliband. Plug-in solar panels are popular across Europe but currently rules in the UK mean that we can’t buy them and, as it says on the tin, simply plug them into our home’s electricity supply. But changes are afoot that will mean we could soon be buying individual panels that cost £400 and simply plugging them into a three-pin wall socket, where thanks to the magic of an inverter they would put power into your home. And we might even be able to nip down to the middle of Lidl to buy them, with the discount supermarket among those talking about offering them — in its famous middle aisle. In Germany, IKEA sells panels and there and in other European countries they are popular, so could they transform our homes? How long would it take to get your money back — and what’s the prepper angle on the interest in all this? Georgie Frost and Simon Lambert talk plug-in solar panels and energy bills on this episode, also discussing summer holiday flights and what the massive disruption triggered by the Iran war will do to prices and demand — and how to target a cheaper break. Plus, with the government announcing its new town locations, where do property experts think the best one will be? And, there are rumblings in the finance world over private credit, with the Bank of England among those warning about what’s been dubbed shadow banking. What’s going on, could it trigger a financial crisis and should you be worried?
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CEO of Estatesearch (specialists in bereavement legal services) Jonathan Upton comments on the NS&I debacle and further lost money as follows: “This is just the tip of the iceberg. More than £33 billion has effectively become ‘lost’ in UK financial institutions, with only a fraction recovered over the past decade. Without more proactive asset searches by legal firms and stronger tracing efforts from financial institutions, this growing problem is leaving billions disconnected from their rightful owners.” Jonathan, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, has over two decades in the industry now, specifically dealing with estate assets after a bereavement. He's calling for financial institutions to undertake enhanced tracing exercises to follow customers who have changed providers or died to ensure assets are rightfully repatriated, and for legal firms can undertake Financial Profile searches or asset searches to establish the full extent of a person’s estate when they pass away so that assets can be passed on to the rightful beneficiaries.
Guests: Jonathan Upton
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