Original Broadcast: This is Money
Universal basic income is a controversial idea and not just because it's money for nothing. Paying everyone a set amount every month as a baseline level of income has intrigued economists and central bank geeks for years. Supporters say it has the power to improve physical and mental health and the economy and society, but critics say it's the start of a slippery slope to state dependency and control. A new proposed trial for 30 people in the UK to get £1,600 a month has put the topic back on the agenda. So — is universal basic income a good or bad idea? Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert discuss it on this episode. Also — why aren't our energy bills lower if wholesale prices have plummeted? What can you do if you are caught in the mortgage storm? And finally, which UK shares have done best and worst so far this year?
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Original Broadcast: This is Money
Almost five times as many people will soon be paying 40% 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 said that fiscal drag triggered by freezing the higher rate tax threshold would pull 7.8 million people into its net by 2027. The study suggested that the threshold would have to be almost doubled from its current level, at £50,271, to almost £100,000 to return the tax band to the level intended for it. Alongside the report, came the IFS’s warning that 40% tax had stopped being the preserve of high-earning professionals and was now hitting electricians, plumbers, teachers, nurses and more. The taxman nabbing 40p of every pound earned from a pay rise rather than 20p comes at a time when workers are running to stand still, with inflation at just above 10%. So, is it time the government stopped taxing by stealth and using tools like fiscal drag – instead raising thresholds with inflation or wages? And is it time to hike the higher rate threshold and pull people back down to basic rate tax? Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert discuss the thorny issue of tax and who counts as wealthy. The debate moves on to inheritance tax – another levy designed for the very rich but now hitting the wealthy middle classes. Why is IHT so unpopular when most don’t pay it and does it need reform? Plus, how much have you lost to inflation, will you get Nationwide’s new £100 Fairer Share bung, and finally, would you buy food two years past its best before date for big savings?
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Original Broadcast: This is Money
And there it was, another interest rate hike. Another quarter point move up seems almost commonplace now, but cast your mind back to the era after the financial crisis and we had to wait nearly ten years for the base rate to climb above its 0.5% 'emergency level'. It cut first and then base rate got all the way to the heady heights of 0.75%, before it was cut again when Covid hit. Yet, less than 18 months since the Bank of England started raising rates in December 2021, base rate has rocketed from 0.1% to 4.5%. The rate itself is still relatively low in historic terms, but the magnitude of the rise is not. So, are the Bank's ratesetters right to keep voting for hikes, has the full pain been felt yet, and why would you do this when all the forecasts suggest inflation is soon to nosedive? Georgie Frost, Tanya Jefferies and Simon Lambert discuss the latest rate rise and how high interest rates will go. Plus, is the return of the 100% mortgage absolute madness, a helping hand for trapped renters, or something in the middle of all that? Why people should claim pension credit or help their friends or relatives? And finally, not only will it lack the crisp one-liners of Succession, but an inheritance drama is not something you want to get into, so how can people avoid one?
Guests: Tanya Jefferies
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Original Broadcast: This is Money
What's the best home improvement plans, if you're thinking about selling? Has the dust now settled following the banking sell-offs — is it a good time to invest now? Will Schroder's UK private/public trusts ever be able to shake off the Neil Woodford legacy? Georgie Frost and Simon Lambert discuss these issues, and the This Is Money 'Best Buy' savings table.
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Original Broadcast: This is Money
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 decision on hiking up the state pension age to 68 until after the next election – perhaps influenced by protests across the channel. Pension commentators said move would be 'incredibly unpopular', and likely 'political suicide'. Governments don’t like to upset retirees because they vote in high numbers — but maintaining the status quo is incredibly expensive. Has something ultimately got to give when it comes to the state pension age and maintaining the triple lock? Georgie Frost is joined by Tanya Jefferies and Helen Crane to discuss. We also look at one lucky This is Money reader who is getting an even bigger rise, seeing his pension go up by more than 16%. It sounds like great news — but he is wondering whether it means he has been short-changed in the past. Elsewhere, research this week has shown Britons are still dragging their feet when it comes to making a will. The team looks at why it’s important, how to do it — and why it isn’t just about money. Also, E-Toro’s Sam North provides the latest update on the markets as we head into the long weekend. We also discuss why broadband companies have been able to get away with ignoring instructions from regulator Ofcom to make switching easier for customers. It told them two years ago that they needed to make it possible to swap providers in just one day — so why are most of us still left languishing without an internet connection for up to two weeks? Finally, do you fancy a sabbatical from work to travel? Some big firms are offering the extended time off as a perk to long-serving staff — but would your boss let you go, and how would you afford it?
Guests: Tanya Jefferies
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Original Broadcast: This is Money
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 the credit crunch and financial crisis struck. So, what is going on and why did both the Federal Reserve in the US and the Bank of England see fit to raise interest rates this week? Georgie Frost and Simon Lambert talk interest rates: whether we have hit the base rate peak, when they might fall, why central banks keep raising them and what the impact will be for savers, borrowers and investors. Plus, what's going on with the banks? Why the sudden wobble? What's it got to do with rising interest rates and government bonds? Is this just a shake-out taking out those that weren't very well run anyway, or something more dramatic? Also, Simon explains why he thinks some people might need to sell some investments now. (But not for the reasons above). And finally, are Pokémon cards really an investable asset? The This is Money team dived into the world of collecting hem this week, Simon explains what they found out.
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Original Broadcast: This is Money
Jeremy Hunt had a spring in his step this week as he delivered his Budget. It was a considerably different air to the gloomy warning of trouble ahead in his November Autumn Statement. The headline act was a major shake-up of pension saving rules, removing restrictions that limit the amount that can go in without tax penalties. The lifetime allowance was abolished rather than raised, the annual allowance got a big bump, and rules to stop pension recycling were eased. Was this a bung for the rich shovelling cash into their pension - and doctors - or a move that will help many more young professional savers aspiring to a decent retirement, who may not realise the lifetime limit could be hit? Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Simon Lambert delve into the Budget and joining them to explain the pensions element is a special guest, This is Money's retirement columnist and ex-pensions minister Steve Webb. Also in the Budget was news on the economy, a ray of hope on energy bills, and a big expansion of free childcare... but it won't come in for some time. The team look at all those elements and more. And finally, as the Budget claimed the headlines something else was rumbling on: a mini-banking crisis sparked by the Sillicon Valley Bank collapse. What is going on there and should we be worried?
Guests: Sir Steve Webb,Helen Crane
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Original Broadcast: This is Money
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 case after a string of recent blunders. First we had the underpaid women's state pensions scandal, now we have the pension top-ups system creaking at the seams, at the same time as it turns out there may be a serious problem with the records of those who have received Universal Credit. The common thread running through exposing these problems has been This is Money's pension and investing editor Tanya Jefferies and retirement columnist Steve Webb. They have worked tirelessly to help those affected and bring these issues to light. This week, we had a state pension double header of news with an admission of the problems over Universal Credit and the Government finally extending the deadline for boosting state pension via top-ups. Tanya talks us through the problems and discusses what they mean for people, with Georgie Frost and Simon Lambert. Also, the team talk about why you should put your savings in a cash ISA, where to find the best ones and why transfers might be the most important thing you can do. Plus, who are the Dividend Heroes, what have they got to do with the Rolling Stones and what can we learn from them on long-term investing? And finally, rising interest rates have severely hampered the amount of mortgage a monthly payment can buy, so, could you afford your home now?
Guests: Tanya Jefferies
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Original Broadcast: This is Money
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 6th April and it pays to get everything you can into the tax-free shelter for savings and investments. But what are the important things you need to know, the tips for making the most of your ISA - and why does it matter more this year than it has done before. On this ISA saving and investing special episode, Georgie Frost and Simon Lambert talk all things ISAs - from finding the best saving rates, to how to invest and how to boost your chance of investment success if you already have a stocks and shares ISA.
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Original Broadcast: This is Money
An astonishing idea for an ISA tax raid was outlined by the Resoloution Foundation last week, with the proposal that tax-free savings and investments should be capped at £100,000. No more aspiring to be an ISA millionaire, it would be £100k and out under this plan. It said that the nominal money out toward not taxing ISA interest, gains and dividends should instead go in the direction of encouraging those without savings to build up a pot. Is that a good idea, would it be a fairer way of doing things, and is there any conceivable way this could actually happen? Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Simon Lambert discuss the proposal and whether it has any merits. Spoiler alert, Simon strongly disagrees and says this would also perpetuate even greater inter-generational unfairness. Find out why. Also, the team delve into a new American Express and BA card that's been dubbed the best deal ever for Avios points, but are they worth collecting? Sam North of eToro joins us to talk through what's been going on in markets over the past week and why newly confident investors had their confidence shaken. Helen fills us in on a very depressing Crane on the Case where Scottish Widows only offered a reader £250 after they were denied their dying wish by its failure to pay out their pension on time. On a much lighter note, why have we been researching the bleeding obvious this week and testing whether putting a jumper on means you could really save money on your energy bills? And finally, we are joined by long-time friend of This is Money, Dave Fishwick, who talks to Simon about the Netflix movie about Bank of Dave and what it's like to see your life portrayed on screen.
Guests: Helen Crane
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