Original Broadcast: This is Money
Going green used to be presented as a way of saving money, but the stark reality that dealing with climate change will mean us spending more is dawning. The carrot of £5,000 grants to help people ditch gas boilers and install air source heat pumps or other more eco-friendly heating was dangled by the Prime Minister this week. There was a hefty caveat though, there is only enough cash for 90,000 being made available and it seems like the rest who want to get greener heating will need to foot hefty bills themselves. People can stall but eventually the stick will come, with banks encouraged to only give the best mortgage rates to those with efficient homes. Likewise, another carrot was dangled in the form of green savings bonds from NS&I, so savers could put their money to work helping the nation’s green projects. Once more, there is a big caveat: the rate on the three-year bonds is a measly 0.65 per cent. That compares to the best standard three-year savings fix of 1.81 per cent. Maybe Kermit was right, it’s not easy being green. But will our good intentions overcome the higher costs and lower returns and people be willing to pay the price for going green? On this week’s podcast, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert, discuss green bonds and better alternatives and greener homes, their costs and whether there is also better options that we are being presented with right now. Plus, we had closure on the axing of the triple lock this week, with an inflation figure that set the next state pension increase, and bitcoin hit a record high. And finally, Lee explains the This is Money headline of the week: ‘I fished my daughter's third birthday present out of a skip’
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Original Broadcast: Motley Fool Answers
We’ll argue the bear and bull case for investing in Facebook with the help of Jason Moser and his alter ego. Robert explores a more holistic approach to evaluating your expenses with the help of financial planner Matt Trogdon. We’ll answer your question about capital gains taxes and include one too many U2 references.
Guests: Matt Trogdon
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Original Broadcast: Motley Fool Show
Google lowers service fees in its app store. Snap plummets on 3rd-quarter results and a warning. Tesla reports record profits. Netflix hits a new all-time high. Chipotle serves up strong sales. And Buffalo Wild Wings tests a robot cook. Emily Flippen and Maria Gallagher analyze those stories and weigh in on the latest from Boston Beer, Crocs, Facebook, JD.com, PayPal, Pinterest, Tencent, and Zillow Group. Plus, they offer up some reading recommendations for investors and share two stocks on their radar: Doximity and Rent the Runway.
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson welcomes a glut of new films now that Bond is finally fading, though it has amassed £68.6m in the UK and looks set to be the 2nd high-crossing in the series. #2 is Venom: Let There Be Carnage w. Tom Hardy, #3 Halloween Kills (the 12th in the franchise), #5 Ron's Gone Wrong, #6 The Last Duel and #10 is Arracht. There's also the documentary Beatles And India about the sub-continent's influence on the Fab Four and their music.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: The Financial Outlook for Personal Investors
Laith Khalaf of A J Bell discusses the slight fall in inflation last month to 3.1%, pointing out the distortions caused by the pandemic the year earlier. Markets are betting on the Bank of England increasing interest rates in November, but is it likely to happen? Laith looks forward to next week's Budget, thinking investors may be hit by a hike in CGT. And he also highlights the first Bitcoin ETF launching in the US, giving Bitcoin further legitimacy.
Guests: Laith Khalaf
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Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin, Share Radio's technology expert, discusses Gloucestershire's solar-powered fire engines and Dutch students who've built a solar-powered camper van. Facial recognition payment has come to the Moscow Metro and schools in North Ayrshire. Apple have listened to customers with their new Macbook, Tesco have a checkout-free store as well as a one-hour delivery service that isn't as fast as some competitors. Also news of a foldable e-scooter you can take on a plane, robot Japanese waiters, the Royal Mint extracting gold from discarded devices and 10,000 Damien Hirst spot paintings where the buyers have a difficult choice to make.
Guests: Steve Caplin
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
In the wake of the killing of Conservative MP Sir David Amess, Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University, who had worked with him, asks how the threat to MPs can be better managed. He looks at the Prime Minister's big gamble on a green future with huge political and technological problems to overcome. And with the EU and Poland at loggerheads where we are witnessing the dialogue of the deaf, he wonders who will prevail.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Original Broadcast: This is Money
Premium Bonds are probably Britain’s best loving savings product but are they worth holding? The savings lottery delivers 100% government-backed protection, a theoretical 1% return – dependent on luck – and relatively easy access to your cash. But a new report this week highlighted just how unlikely people are to win big prizes. In fact, unless you have a sizeable amount in bonds, you should expect a long wait for anything over £25. But does the study stack up? What about all the readers telling us they’ve won lots? And does it matter that you’d have to wait ages to win £50 or more – or are those uninspiring regular £25 prizes a much more useful source of returns? Georgie Frost, Adrian Lowery and Simon Lambert dig into Premium Bonds, looking at the odds, the study on big prizes, what our readers have told us, and also how many people hold. Plus, interest rate rise chatter has stepped up a gear this week. Is a hike really imminent? Also under discussion: are the energy saving measures you can take to try to cut your bills, as the price spike sends more providers bust and threatens household finances? As Meghan and Harry get the ethical invest bug, we a look at ESG, greenwashing and how to invest to make an environmental impact. And finally, the topsy-turvy Covid world has thrown a new curveball: one-year-old used cars are now more expensive than brand new ones. How does that work? The team try to explain and reveal the used cars rising in value the most.
Guests: Adrian Lowery
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Original Broadcast: Modern Mindset
Adam Cox is joined by Amy Smith and Jodie Philips, from Apricot Learning Online, to discuss what some of the more challenging areas of online learning have been for students and how this disconnect may continue when children go back to the classroom. They look at the type of students continued online learning may be beneficial for and how Apricot Learning Online plays into the conversation.
Guests: Amy Smith,Jodie Phillips
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Original Broadcast: The Hypnotist
Adam Cox is joined by WEALTH at Work Director, Jonathan Watts-Lay, to discuss new research from WEALTH at Work which shows how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed over 50's retirement plans. They look at what workers can do if they're struggling with finances, and Jonathan gives tips on what Brits can do to save more.
Guests: Jonathan Watts-Lay
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