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Matt Frankel and Jason Moser, our resident Fintech Fools, caught up to talk about the payments space, how it's changed this year, and what they’re keeping an eye on come 2024. They discuss the state of the “War on Cash”, embedded finance, and two “toll booths” that aren’t going away anytime soon. Tickers discussed: V, MC, PYPL, SQ, PINS, MQ, FOUR, MELI, UBER, DASH. Hosts - Jason Moser, Matt Frankel

We love the idea of transforming our homes so much that an entire cottage TV industry has sprung out of it, ranging from Grand Designs, to Ugly House to Lovely House and Your Home Made Perfect. For Jaemi and Roly Glancy sketching out how they could renovate their properties turned into a start-up helping others envisage what they could do with theirs. Simon Lambert of This is Money speaks to Roly about how they started the business and where it's going.

Adam Cox is in conversation with Anish Mehta of APARI to explore the prolonged journey of the tax world into the digital era. Together, they delve into the ways software can ease the burden on individuals during the tax return season. The discussion addresses the reasons behind the procrastination of many in completing their tax returns and identifies the specific individuals who must closely heed the forthcoming changes in tax rules. https://www.apari-digital.com/

Many parents are challenged by the decision on whether to have another child: it might be age or health considerations which generate doubt, or perhaps complications with an earlier pregnancy. This episode helps by test driving different futures and developing some clarity in thinking through the potential outcomes, thereby helping to resolve what can become analysis paralysis generated by anxiety and fear of the unknown.

James Cameron-Wilson takes Simon Rose through the box office chart, with takings down 25% WoW but up 43% YoY. With nothing new in the chart, still led by Napoleon, he sought out Todd Haynes's Oscar contender May December, starring Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore. About celebrity, James was enthralled, without ever feeling it quite ignited. He was more enthusiastic about Rebecca Miller's She Came To Me on Sky Cinema. With Peter Dinklage, Anne Hathaway and Marisa Tomei, it's about an opera composer with writer's block and is a refreshing, insightful and very funny farce. Best of all, though was Korean-American film Past Lives from Celine Song, about two childhood friends reconnecting after twenty years.

Steve Caplin takes Simon Rose through a cornucopia of techie Christmas gift ideas. Among his favourites are the crowdfunded Linka Lasso bike lock and the Hover X1 self-flying camera. There's an app to help with the office Secret Santa and a distillery to brew your own booze. You can get a magnetic wrapping tripod, a great phone case with a built-in stand, teflon mats for flaky BBQ food, an underseat suitcase for flights, magnetic bookmarks, a folding charger plug and even an electrified Land Rover Defender to use as a shore tender with your superyacht.

Russ Mould of A J Bell has been crunching dividend numbers for the FTSE 100 index. Dividend forecasts for this year and next have fallen 10% over the past year and the jump in interest rates means that there is now more competition for investors' money. However, the market is expecting rate cuts and investors should remember that while fixed income is just that – fixed – companies can grow their dividends over time, with share prices adjusting as the dividends rise. Including extras such as buybacks (closed to private investors), the FTSE yields 6.9% and dividend cover is a decent 2.2 times. And while the market still seems undervalued, takeovers of UK companies (often smaller ones) by foreign buyers continue apace.

What drives you mad about going to the supermarket? Is it self-service tills, scanning receipts to get out, loyalty scheme dual pricing, or prices being hiked well above inflation? Many of us want to support bricks and mortar retail, but there are times when shops seem to mainly be involved in testing our patience. In a week in which the competition watchdog fired a broadside at the consumer brands giants for pushing up prices, a practice dubbed ‘greedflation’, and sounded a warning to Tesco and Sainsbury’s over Clubcard and Nectar Prices, the This is Money podcast team head down the shops. Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert discuss what’s good, what’s bad and what really gets their goat. Plus, will a new online fraud charter make any difference? The team discuss investing legend Charlie Munger and financial crisis Chancellor Alistair Darling, who both died last week. And finally, what makes a house price hotspot – we look at the UK’s top 30 this year.