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Dame Meg Hillier is Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, which has published its 25-page report into Child Trust Funds following the recent National Audit Office analysis. HMRC is asked to follow a series of recommendations to link young adults to their unclaimed accounts, including getting account providers to take more action. Young adults from disadvantaged households are most in need of the c. £2,000 waiting to be claimed in their Child Trust but an estimated one million 18-20 year-olds are not claiming their money because they don't know anything about it. As we said on 22nd May, don't waste the Child Trust Fund harvest! Background music: The Plan's Working - Cooper Cannell Image by Richard Townshend

Published: Mon 31 July 2023

Energy firms have had their feet held to the fire this week. The industry as a whole has been blasted by the regulator Ofgem over poor customer service, while our investigation revealed that 200 customers don't think Ovo has been billing them properly. Meanwhile, British Gas has been in the spotlight for its bumper profits, which jumped by a whopping 889 per cent for the first half of this year. These firms are certainly making plenty of money - so should they be spending more of it to help their customers? Lee Boyce, Helen Crane and Georgie Frost ask why things are going so wrong, and what people can do if they don't think they are being billed correctly. We also look at what's going on with bank accounts. Crisis-hit Natwest is winning the switching battle thanks to its tasty cash incentives, and it’s not just Farage being 'de-banked'. We hear the story of one vulnerable couple who were left unable to pay bills and buy food after HSBC closed their account. Inheritance tax has also been in the news, as there are noises it might be scrapped - but the Treasury are raking in even more money from it. Will it go? Finally, we explain what blended families need to know about making a will - after one woman was forced to bid for her late mother's belongings at auction when her stepfather amended their mirror wills after she had died.

Guests: Helen Crane

Published: Sat 29 July 2023

The earnings parade is on, and this quarter it pays to be in the black. Matt Argersinger and Emliy Flippen discuss the Fed’s latest rate hike and why another seems in the cards, why earnings updates ended epic runs for Chipotle and Spotify, and how big tech’s cost cutting is going. Then, 19 minutes in, bonus earnings coverage from Matt and Emily on Roku, Mastercard, Coca-Cola, and Live Nation. Finally, 31 minutes in, Emily and Matt break down two stocks on their radar: BorgWarner and Invitation Homes. Stocks discussed: CMG, SPOT, META, GOOG, GOOGL, MSFT, ROKU, MA, KO, LYV. Host - Dylan Lewis; Guests - Matt Argersinger, Emily Flippen

Guests: Matt Argersinger,Emily Flippen

Published: Sat 29 July 2023

Meta has our attention but will we follow Mark Zuckerberg into the metaverse? Asit Sharma and Deidre Woollard discuss Meta’s soaring ad impressions amid a tough advertising market, if Mark Zuckerberg will need to choose between AI and the metaverse, and how Chipotle is using robots to boost efficiency. Plus, 20 minutes in, Matt Frankel interviews Walker & Dunlop CEO Willy Walker on commercial real estate debt and the challenges facing multifamily housing development. Companies discussed: META, CMG, SBUX, WD. Host - Deidre Woollard; Guests - Asit Sharma, Matt Frankel, Willy Walker

Guests: Asit Sharma,Matt Frankel,Willy Walker

Published: Sat 29 July 2023

This episode is more about handling the psychology of self-discipline than losing weight per se: developing a balanced approach which doesn't rule out enjoying special occasions such as holidays or going out with friends, but at the same time doesn't put a coach and horses through regular routines: such as losing weight with a regular approach to dieting. It's about making good decisions for the moment, but not letting standards slip, and it can apply to other walks of life such as careers, investments , friendships etc ..

Published: Sat 29 July 2023

James Cameron-Wilson reports on an extraordinary week for the UK box office, up 92% WOW and 190% YOY. Barbie, starring Margot Robbie, enters at #1 with an impressive £18.5m weekend take. James found it original, smart, funny, timely and moving, considering it "a cinematic miracle". Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer was #2 with £10.9m. With an all-star cast led by Cillian Murphy, he found it timely and relevant and full of extraordinary moments, let down by an unwieldy final hour (of three). Perhaps not surprisingly, no other big movies are due to open against these two behemoths next week.

Guests: James Cameron-Wilson

Published: Thu 27 July 2023

Andrew Keen of Edison Group discusses energy transition. With the oil and gas companies in long-term structural decline, wind and solar will be the big growth areas while the materials needed are a fascinating area with not enough investment focus. He discusses the trends and some of the problems. However, he points out that it is a complex field and British investors are fortunate that investment trusts can offer a sensible route in, with the fund managers doing the hard work on research.

Guests: Andrew Keen

Published: Thu 27 July 2023

Political commentator Mike Indian discusses the ramifications of Dame Alison Rose resigning as head of Natwest. Did she have to go and should the government have intervened? What are the ramifications of banks debanking customers whose views they don't like? Mike looks at the three by-election results, which show rather more than simply an all-score draw for the three main parties. He also reflects on Labour dropping its pledge on trans self-ID and considers briefly the effect that social media is having on effective politics.

Guests: Mike Indian

Published: Thu 27 July 2023

Steve Caplin on the latest tech news. There's Twitter rebranding, scientists working out how to reverse ageing and ward off dementia and Parkinson's, the Australian military investing in computer-capable brain cells, injured knee tendons being replaced with those from kangaroos, DNA storing data with a biological camera, a relatively inexpensive robot dog that lacks cuddliness and a crowd-funded e-scooter with a more comfortable riding position.

Guests: Steve Caplin

Published: Thu 27 July 2023

In mid-2022 there were 716,000 people economically inactive in the United Kingdom because of mental health and neurological conditions, including depression, nerves, anxiety and autistic spectrum disorders: an increase of 33% from 2019. 196,000 of these people were aged 16-34. Part of the explanation is the scar left behind from the pandemic. But that in itself points to a malaise which is rooted in loneliness and self-orientation. Technology is no substitute for human conversation: no amount of social media, text messaging or conversations with Alexa can replicate it. Background music: 'Digital Solitude' by Silent Partner

Published: Mon 24 July 2023