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Georgie Frost

This Is Money: Will the Bank of England cut rates as soon as people think?

Georgie Frost
Original Broadcast:

This is Money

This Is Money: Will the Bank of England cut rates as soon as people think?
The Bank of England held interest rates again this week as inflation dropped once more. So, are we out of the woods yet? Will inflation keep coming back down towards target and the Bank of England soon seamlessly switch back to cutting rates? Or will central bankers be keen to hold onto higher rates, even if we get hit by a bout of disinflation? Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert look at what next for inflation and interest rates and what it means for your money. Also, should the Waspi women who saw their state pension age rise rapidly be compensated for the poor communication and how much of a victory was this week’s Parliamentary Ombudsman Waspi report a victory for them? As that happened, more news emerged on underpaid state pensions – as exposed by our Tanya Jefferies and pension columnist Sir Steve Webb, and the team update us on that. Plus, what’s going on with the chaos at HMRC and who is to blame for the failure to keep up with our increasingly tricky tax system. And finally, meet the Scambaiters – we find out what they do and why.

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Georgie Frost

This Is Money: Are you about to have to pay for your bank account?

Georgie Frost
Original Broadcast:

This is Money

This Is Money: Are you about to have to pay for your bank account?
Is it time to admit that 'free banking' doesn't really exist, and to start paying for our accounts? Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Helen Crane discuss this, plus: the plans which wise parents are making to deal with the prospect of VAT on private school fees, if Labour wins the next election, and how to find a trustworthy adviser. Also — Helen Crane investigates a car sold with a significant fault.
Guest:

Helen Crane


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Georgie Frost

This Is Money: Was the Budget too little, too late or what we need for escape velocity?

Georgie Frost
Original Broadcast:

This is Money

This Is Money: Was the Budget too little, too late or what we need for escape velocity?
Jeremy Hunt bounced around delivering his Budget on Wednesday, proudly declaring his commitment to tax cuts and supporting working families. Another 2% was chopped off National Insurance and the threshold at which child benefit is removed was raised from £50,000 to £60,000. But you don’t need to be a financial expert to know that the Chancellor’s version of events isn’t quite the whole story. Because Mr Hunt is also presiding over a long-term stealth tax freeze to thresholds that is costing workers dear and his child benefit move merely kicked sky-high marginal tax rates down the road, rather than getting rid of them altogether. Nonetheless, a tax cut and an extra £5,000 Isa allowance – even if it’s a slightly iffy, limited one – is not to be sniffed at. So, was this an escape velocity Budget that puts Britain back on the path to growth? Or was it too little, too late, from a Tory party that has sported successive Chancellors who have been keener to raise our taxes by hook or by crook rather than cut them – or even just keep thresholds in line with inflation? Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert look at the winners and losers and go searching for the devils in the detail. What is the National Insurance cut worth to you? Will you get some child benefit back? Did pensioners deserve a tax cut too? With a failure to reverse his capital gains and dividend tax raid, what has the Chancellor got against small investors? And will the British ISA be any good? All that and more – plus a look at why Nationwide is buying Virgin Money, and whether that’s good or bad for us all.

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Georgie Frost

This Is Money: Quick Budget reaction — Investing experts on the Chancellor's speech

Georgie Frost
Original Broadcast:

This is Money

This Is Money: Quick Budget reaction — Investing experts on the Chancellor's speech
Simon Lambert is joined by Charles Stanley Direct’s Lisa Caplan and Garry White for a quick run through what was in the Budget. Investment experts Lisa and Garry talk us through the main Budget points and what they mean for people.
Guests:

Lisa Caplan, Garry White


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Georgie Frost

This Is Money: Tale of the state pension underpaid for 20 YEARS

Georgie Frost
Original Broadcast:

This is Money

This Is Money: Tale of the state pension underpaid for 20 YEARS
The debacle over widespread errors in the state pension that This is Money and Sir Steve Webb uncovered, continues. As of the end of October last year, DWP had paid out just under half a billion pounds to more than 80,000 people who’ve been underpaid. But what about those who have died? Tanya Jefferies, Lee Boyce, Angharad Carrick and Georgie Frost reveal the case where a letter was sent to the daughter of an 100 year-old man three years after he passed away, stating he had been unpaid state pension for two decades. Yet, despite the letter – months later, she was left hanging on what the DWP was actually going to do about it. And still on the state pension front, people continue to complain of top-ups chaos as the Government gets ready to launch a new online service next month. Sir Steve is calling on DWP and HMRC to get in more staff. You don’t need HMRC to have more staff to answer your call, oh no! You just need to be a VIP. Apparently there is a helpline, also known as Public Department 1 (PD1) which answers calls nine times quicker. We explain more. On the savings front, the FCA is launching a campaign to encourage savers to shop around – and if you rushed to sign up for a one-year fixed-rate cash Isa this time in 2023, Lee explains why you must act. Optional and mandatory service charges at hospitality venues – Georgie, Ang and Lee give their verdict. And finally, the price of bitcoin jumped beyond $60,000 this week. What’s behind the latest cryptocurrency surge?
Guests:

Angharad Carrick, Tanya Jefferies


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Georgie Frost

This Is Money: Will the Budget cut taxes and get rid of these traps?

Georgie Frost
Original Broadcast:

This is Money

This Is Money: Will the Budget cut taxes and get rid of these traps?
With next week's Budget (Wednesday 6th March) tipped to be the Chancellor’s last roll of the dice before a General Election, expectations over tax cuts are growing. But what taxes could Jeremy Hunt choose to cut and why – and is there hope that he will sort out the tax mess that Britain has got stuck in. The higher income child benefit charge creates marginal tax rates above 50%, meanwhile the removal of the personal allowance bakes in a 60% income tax rate between £100,000 and £125,140. Should these tax traps and painfully high stamp duty be removed? Simon Lambert argues that Mr Hunt needs to have a clear out, chuck a load of stuff in the stupid tax box and bin it. Simon, Georgie Frost and Lee Boyce look ahead to what could be in the Budget and what it would mean for you. Also, energy bills are due to fall as the price cap is cut: but how much will this save you? It’s not just tax catching people out, student loans are also proving difficult to shift as interest mounts up due to high inflation. Does the student finance system need a sort out too? And what is Simon’s triple lock for student loans plan? And finally, don’t get spear-phished or tap-jacked, Lee talks us through the new scams you need to know about.

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Georgie Frost

This Is Money: The UK is in recession but does that matter (and could things be about to get better)?

Georgie Frost
Original Broadcast:

This is Money

This Is Money: The UK is in recession but does that matter (and could things be about to get better)?
It's finally happened. After months of will-we, won't-we speculation, the UK economy has finally succumbed to recession. The ONS revealed this week that a drop in GDP in the final three months of 2023 meant that Britain had racked up two consecutive of negative growth - and thus the dreaded R word is here. But is this a bad one, why does the term 'technical recession' keep being bandied about and do these backward-looking figures mask things already getting better? Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Simon Lambert look at what recession means for the UK and you. Plus, who are the villains among big banks and building societies when it comes to sky-high standard variable rates for mortgage borrowers, and is it them or the customers themselves to blame if somone ends up paying almost 10% interest? Also — the customer turned down for a switching bonus by HSBC because they had a Midland account 21 years ago. And finally, electric car sales aren't growing as fast as the government or car makers want. Does that mean it's time to drive a bargain?
Guest:

Helen Crane


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Georgie Frost

This Is Money Interview: Sir Stelios on how he launched easyJet - and backing young entrepreneurs

Georgie Frost
Original Broadcast:

This is Money

This Is Money Interview: Sir Stelios on how he launched easyJet - and backing young entrepreneurs
In this special bonus This is Money episode, Simon Lambert speaks to easyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou. Sir Stelios tells the story of how he launched easyJet and his easyGroup of companies - and how allowing others to build companies using the easy brand works. He also explains why he is backing entrepreneurs under the age of 35 with his Stelios Philanthropic Foundation awards and giving away £150,000 to the successful winner.
Guests:

Simon Lambert, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou


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Georgie Frost

This Is Money: Will you be able to afford a comfortable retirement?

Georgie Frost
Original Broadcast:

This is Money

This Is Money: Will you be able to afford a comfortable retirement?
The cost of a comfortable retirement has jumped over the past year - but what do you need to get one and will you get there? As the Pension and Lifetime Savings Association updates its annual look at how much income people need for a basic, moderate or comfortable retirement, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert take a look at what this all means for you. If a comfortable retirement costs a couple £59,000 a year and a moderate one £43,000, which one do you have a chance of achieving - and are there any important bits being left out of the costs? The team look at the cost of retiring, why it might not be as expensive as it first looks, how to invest for retirement and what sort of back up the state pension will provide. Plus, why our real top rate of income tax is 60% - and it's not the highest earners hit by it on their next pay rise - and is there any hope that Jeremy Hunt will be the Chancellor who finally does something about it. The case for not just cutting stamp duty but getting rid of it altogether. And an interview with a modern-day business legend. Simon speaks to easyJet and easyGroup founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ionnou about how he started the airline and built it up and his Young Entrepreneur awards.

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Georgie Frost

This Is Money: Why would the Bank of England cut rates this year?

Georgie Frost
Original Broadcast:

This is Money

This Is Money: Why would the Bank of England cut rates this year?
The Bank of England held base rate once again at 5.25%, the fourth hold in succession – but this time, it was a genuine split by MPC members. So, when will we start seeing rates fall – and will inflation really be at the target 2% by April? Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost discuss what another interest rate pause means for you – and what that means for savings and mortgage rates, along with investors. Where do you stand on the smart meter debate? With This is Money readers getting in touch to say they’re stuck with faulty devices, are they worth having? Lee says he still has no plans to get one of the marmite devices while Simon believes they can be worth it, especially for those who are rubbish at submitting meter readings. We also go back to school and have a maths lesson from Mr Lambert to reveal the six real world calculations you should have in your arsenal to improve your financial health. And we get on the money therapist’s couch to discuss the pitfalls of getting - and over-using - a joint bank account… should a partner ever be made to feel guilty for spending?

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