Share Sounds presented by Sarah Pennells (1) related to Economics

Official figures released today show that the number of divorces is down. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show there were 111,169 divorces in 2014, a decrease of 3.1% compared with 2013 and a decline of 27% from a recent peak in 2003. The number of divorces in 2014 was highest among men aged 45 to 49 and women aged 40 to 44. So, why are divorce rates falling? For more information Sarah Pennells spoke to Seona Myerscough, Partner and head of the Family team at Gardner Leader solicitors.

Sarah Pennells is joined in the studio by Hannah Maundrell from Money.co.uk . On the agenda they discuss the big story of the day that British consumers will struggle to pay off their credit card bill each month. Elsewhere, Debt advice organisations are advising people to 'act now' to tackle debt, rather than to wait until the problem gets any worse. Plus, Britain's agency workers are underpaid and exploited. All these stories and more on The News Review.

Before the pensions freedom came along in 2015, many people using a pensions pot bought an annuity. But since then many providers have stopped selling annuities, or will be fading them out in the future. But what does this mean for you? Joining Sarah in the studio are Alistair McQueen from Aviva, Michael Bousfield from independent financial advice firm Helm Godfrey and David Blake, the Director of the Pensions Institute.

This week we discuss Phillip Hammond's Autumn Statement, where he announced changes to salary sacrifice schemes, new money for housing and the leaked ban on letting agent's fees. Joining Sarah are, Jane Moore, from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, Debbie Lovewell-Tuck, editor of Employee Benefits magazine, Sue Warwick who's an Independent Housing Specialist at Infusion Living and Richard Connolly, the CEO of Rentplus.

Have you been using your credit cards to get in on the black Friday deals, or perhaps some Christmas shopping? Credit cards can be extremely useful against fraud but can be a big problem if you aren't able to pay them off quickly. So should you bother, or are you better off without? To discuss this with Sarah she is joined by Young Money champion, James Connington, Andy Webb of becleverwithyourcash.com, Andrew Haggar of Moneycomms and Hannah Maundrell of Money.co.uk.

In the wake of Brexit and Donald Trump being elected, what should you take account of and what should you ignore when it comes to investing? Sarah Pennells is joined by Louise Oliver, a Chartered Financial Planner at Piercefield Oliver, Lisa Stanley-Mann from Good with Money, and Share Radio's own Senior Analyst, Ed Bowsher, to guide you through investments and what to look out for in a post-truth environment.

Struggling to get on the property ladder? Sarah Pennells and Young Money Champion Olivia Rudgard look at the pros and cons of shared ownership with experts Lynda Clark, Editor of First Time Buyer Magazine, Kush Rawal, Sales and Marketing Director at Thames Valley Housing, and Paula Higgins, Chief Executive of Homeowners Alliance. Sarah and Olivia also hear from Alex Campbell who's bought a shared ownership property in Phoenix Quarter in Dartford in Kent.

This week financial journalists Lindsay Cook and James walker enter the ring to fight for your rights in the financial world. We take a look at cold weather contracts - they are battling for your rights when it come to boiler breakdowns. Also on the agenda, are Black box insurance boxes the right way to go and ask if couples should have joint bank accounts?

Sarah Pennells is joined in the studio by Kevin Pratt, web editor at MoneySuperMarket.com. Today they discuss the average fall in pay for self-employed workers as well as the growing cost of online fraud. Plus why fashion sales have suffered their worst decline in seven years. All these stories and more on The News Review.

Sarah Pennells is joined in the studio by digital editor of Pensions Insight and Engaged Investor Sara Benwell. Today they discuss the latest league tables of UK energy suppliers as well as the growing popularity of contactless payment. Plus could viewers be fined for using BBC iPlayer without a licence? All these stories and more on The News Review.