Podcasts from This is Money related to Economics

What’s the best new or used electric car on the market, would buying your insurance on the day you need it drive up the price, and does London’s diesel-crunching ULEZ make sense? Those are the questions and more on this motoring special edition of the This is Money Podcast. On it, Georgie Frost and Simon Lambert are joined by deputy motoring editor Rob Hull to talk cars and money. First up, is our exclusive on how insurers are sneakily pushing up prices for those who buy cover close to when they need it - bad news if you want to choose and buy a car and then drive it away. The team also look at attempts to crack down on older petrol and diesel cars, such as London’s ULEZ. Simon argues that one of the key problems is not how good new electric cars are (albeit they are now pretty good) but the issue of buying second hand and the limited choice and consumer concerns. Meanwhile, Rob says that although a brand new electric car may be tempting to those committed to greener motoring, many buyers are likely to sit on their hands expecting a better choice of longer range vehicles to arrive soon.

This is Money, with Georgie Frost, editor Simon Lambert and Assistant editor Lee Boyce. And in this episode: the clocks have gone back, winter is a coming…but are the burglars! So the team will give you the top tips on how to keep your home safe in the dark. Also, they run through some of the consumer rights we get wrong and whether booking through a third party will affect credit card claims. Should you help your kids pay off their student loan or save for a house; and do you need a pension 'wake-up' call? Plus…we all love a good coin story but what about comic books?

What's the difference between loyalty and inertia? Do we get too little reward for the former and show too much of the latter when it comes to shopping and banking? That's the question Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost tackle in the podcast this week. It comes as Tesco – one of the original loyalty scheme pioneers – revealed its new paid-for Clubcard Plus, costing £7.99 per month. Meanwhile, Nationwide Building Society has also announced it is scrapping its hugely popular loyalty savings accounts held by 1.6million people. Which are the firms and organisations the team feel some loyalty too - and what are the ones they stick with out of sheer laziness? And with another small energy firm going bust, should we in fact be staying 'loyal' to some of the established giants for peace of mind? Elsewhere, we look at a study comparing the costs of buying and renting a home claiming the former could leave you £350,000 better off: do we finally have conclusive evidence?

Neil Woodford's Equity Income Fund, which has locked in investors' money since June, will never reopen – the star fund manager has seen his empire toppled. Editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost, ask: what is next for investors and what lessons will be learnt? We also talk about where it went wrong and what it could mean for the investment industry. Elsewhere, we reveal what makes a 'comfortable' retirement – and what changes you can make to ensure that you are doing enough to secure one. We reveal whether you can find rare quarters from the US in your change while visiting. Meanwhile, a reader asks whether they need to come clean to their car insurer as they're about to tick over the mileage they quoted when they started their annual policy.

This is Money with Georgie Frost, editor Simon Lambert and Pensions reporter Tanya Jeffries. In this week's episode: Deal or no deal? It’s crunch time for Brexit – but where is it all heading? Does anyone know?! So is it time to batten down the hatches, or should you be greedy while others are fearful? Also today – the end of the road for the WASPI campaign after losing a landmark case at the High Court? But we do have some good state pension news… Plus all change at the top – as Tesco gets the Boots and rags to riches motors, what are the classics of the future?

Entrepreneurs and investors pay less tax on their profits to reflect the risk they take. That’s the principle that lies behind capital gains tax being lower than the rates charged on employment income. But the influential think-tank, the Institute for Public Policy Research, wants to rip up that system and charge the same rate on gains from selling shares or property as income tax – and hack back the annual capital gains tax allowance to just £1,000. Is this the kind of For the many not the few move that Britain needs to level the playing field between those with plenty of capital and the ability to make investments and those who don’t? Or is it just another planned tax raid on those putting their money to productive use and growing our collective wealth? On this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert and Georgie Frost dig into the IPPR’s proposals and look at whether this is the kind of thing that could become Labour party policy? They also look at long-term investments that have paid off, risky investments to be wary of and the one thing plenty of people are happy to sink thousands of pounds into knowing that they will lose a big chunk of their money – a brand new car.

This is Money with Georgie Frost, editor Simon Lambert and Product and Knowledge editor Sarah Davidson. Autumn is here and with it an ill wind through the savings market. Why are things looking so bleak and are there any warm spots to be found out there? There’s a hurricane happening in politics, the team offer some tips on how to weather the Brexit storm…find out if we should really be stock piling food and take a look at how Labours Right to Buy plans would work for renters and buy-to-letters. Plus just how much better for the environment are electric vehicles? And don’t forget you can stay up to date with all the latest, breaking money news, just go to thisismoney.co.uk or download the app.

This week, This is Money takes a look at a raft of inter-generation financial divide stories that have popped up in August. This includes why those born in the 1980s have less disposable income than those born in the 1970s according to the Office for National Statistics and why the Bank of Mum and Dad is creaking. Assistant editor Lee Boyce, reporter George Nixon and host Georgie Frost run the rule over these statistics, along with proposals to raise the state pension age to 75. This was from a right-wing think tank The Centre for Social Justice and has left many industry experts irate. We also discuss data showing that two thirds of older people say they feel hurt by the inter-generational financial criticism that they are lording it up at the expense of younger generations. We also talk metal bank cards – why on earth would you want one and who is offering them?

It's fair to say environmental issues have moved to the forefront of the agenda in recent times. This week, editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost take a look at potential changes you can make to help the pound in your pocket turn a little greener. Simon explains his rallying cry for us to be his acronym 'Layby' rather than being labelled 'Nimbys'. Layby – or look after your back yard – is a movement to look after the country we live in. When it comes to investing, there is a growing movement where savers who want to combat climate change invest a small amount of money in the very companies eco-activists traditionally rally against, such as fossil fuel giants Shell and BP – so why? What can you do to be a more eco-friendly tourist? And finally… it's hard enough trying to predict how rapidly a normal car will depreciate, but estimating the loss of value of an electric vehicle is a whole other ball game. We reveal all.

Welcome to the This is Money with Georgie Frost, Editor Simon Lambert and assistant editor Lee Boyce Coming up on this week’s show…the pound. Bruised and battered by Brexit, it took another blow last week with some gloomy news about the UK economy. But with a no-deal potentially in the offing, how much more of a pounding will sterling take? The team look at what lies behind the decline, indeed why it’s fallen so much when jobs, wages and inflation aren’t doing badly, and what this means for interest rates and for the pound in your pocket. And don’t forget you can stay up to date with all the latest, breaking money news, just go to thisismoney.co.uk or download the app.