Share Sounds. from This is Money related to Pensions & Retirement - Planning for Retirement

Are you trying to save for retirement, make the most of your income in old age, navigate the state pension maze, or just feel baffled by some bit of pension jargon? In the This is Money podcast this week, former Pensions Minister and our regular columnist, Steve Webb, is on hand to help you out. Editor Simon Lambert and host Georgie Frost are also joined by The Pensions Advisory Service boss Michelle Cracknell to answer reader questions about retirement savings.

Child benefit and state pension - It’s not the most obvious link. But if you are a parent who is looking after a child instead of working, you need to register for child benefit in order to build up your entitlement in retirement age. Austerity swept away the universal child benefit and those households where one parent earns more than £50,000 have to start giving it back until it is removed altogether above £60,000. Unsurprisingly, many who fall into this bracket simply opt not to take it and see no point in registering. Unfortunately, mums and dads who stopped work to look after children are now finding they’ve missed building up their state pension. It should be easy to fix, but HMRC and the government have been stalling parents affected. That’s why This is Money has started a campaign to get this mess fixed, before it gets any worse. On this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost discuss how this all happened and why it matters to not just those affected. And finally, can you really have a weekend away in Europe, flights and a decent hotel for £57? Yes you can, thanks to a very clever new website we tracked down.

Georgie Frost and the This Is Money team present a housing special which explains everything you need to know about buying property!

As auto-enrolment takes centre stage once more and with contributions going up last month, we’re asking: what about the self-employed and small business owners? And for those in their 40s and 50s – is it too late? Whatever your age or employment status, we’ll help you get cracking and warn you of the pitfalls – including the government!

The collapse of Carillion brought how Britain runs itself into the spotlight, but it also left many workers wondering about their money. And it's not just their wages that are a concern, the safety of people's final salary pensions is a major worry when a company collapses. In this week's podcast, Simon Lambert, Rachel Rickard Straus and Georgie Frost look at how safe your pension is and what backs it up. They also discuss whether it is wise handing over so much of the UK’s public service and projects to private companies looking to turn a profit for shareholders - and what happens to people's finances when that goes wrong? Alongside that we discuss the continuing madness of the cryptocurrency boom, including the alternatives to bitcoin and how ripple rose 84% in 24 hours. We also reveal the savings rate postcode lottery and ask that all important question, should you spend your money now and enjoy it or save it for the kids' inheritance?

Planning on relying on the state pension to keep you afloat in retirement? After listening to this week’s podcast, you might want to have a rethink. On this episode, presenter Georgie Frost, consumer affairs editor Lee Boyce and personal finance editor Rachel Rickard Straus discuss what’s in store for the state pension. Will it still be around when they come to retire? A report this week suggests something will have to change to make sure it is, whether that be everyone paying more in National Insurance, the retirement age rising again or a means-tested state pension. The team also discuss getting hold of our state pension forecasts – and if they’re at all reliable. And what about those who are already retired? The trio then discuss a growing trend of retirees extracting money from the value of their homes to pay off credit card debts.

Welcome to the This is Money and Share Radio podcast, brought to you in partnership with NS&I. After a year of doom and gloom stories this week we’re looking at the positives. Despite the Michael Fish style forecasting of the post-Brexit economy the FTSE is surging to unprecedented levels, could this be the time to start investing? For those less keen on the cut and thrust of the stock market a glimmer of hope for savings rates does seem to be on the horizon in 2017 as we look through some of the accounts paying up to 5%. Georgie Frost is joined by Editor Simon Lambert who gives his wish list of headlines for the next year whilst Consumer Affairs Editor Lee Boyce takes centre stage on everything coin related. But just how well will their financial knowledge stack up in our Podcast Quiz of the Year? This is Money is presented by Georgie Frost in partnership with NS&I.

Welcome to This is Money, the podcast, presented in partnership with NS&I. Editor Simon Lambert and Personal Finance Editor Rachel Rickard Straus join Share Radio’s Georgie Frost in the studio to go through the week’s biggest money stories. And this week it’s all about inflation, and the news is leaving us all a little … deflated. Yes, that nebulous indicator, inflation has jumped to its highest level in 2 years - hitting spenders and savers alike. Blame Brexit if you like, and a lot of people have done, but is that really it? Michael O’Leary of Ryanair certainly is blaming the referendum as he hikes prices in even more obscure ways. And then, we’re looking at the banks: they’re slashing rates, deceiving switchers, and worst of all; this week it seems they don’t even know how to keep our money safe! Meanwhile, we take a look at the treasury's U-Turn to allow retired savers to cash in their annuities. Is Chancellor Hammond just doing all he can to obliterate Chancellor Osborne’s legacy, or dare I say it, could there be an actual plan in place? Surely not, that’s madness. At the other end of the show, Simon reckons we need a tax break on savings interest, what little we have, someone’s bought a car with Apple Pay and everyone’s amazed for some reason, and the new Churchill fiver sees even more inflationary trading. This is Money is presented by Georgie Frost, in partnership with NS&I.

Welcome to This is Money, the show and podcast, presented in partnership with NS&I. This week, editor Simon Lambert is away, so Share Radio's Georgie Frost is teaming up with Personal Finance Editor Rachel Rickard Straus and Consumer Affairs Editor Lee Boyce to dive into the biggest money stories this week. And this week, it seems all the Brexit Doom-and-Gloom might have been all for nought, as OECD figures show Briton's are weathering the storm nicely. But don't breathe out just yet, as we take a close look at economic evaluations, models and predictors. Are they worth the time? We'll find out. And the banks aren't feeling too comfortable with this news, as they slash valuation terms in preparation for a housing slump. We'll also be looking at one of the crown jewels of the last budget losing it's shine, and we'll find out just how susceptible to a nudge you might be. NS&I is presented by Georgie Frost, in partnership with NS&I

On the show this week, we're taking a look back at the very best of our weekly financial analysis and commentary, in partnership with NS&I, over the past few months. And what a few months it has been! From Brexit to the Bank of England rate cuts, and don’t forget the BHS and Sports Direct scandals. We’re going to take you back, and get some perspective on it all. Maybe it will start to make sense... We'll also be looking at the major takeover of Britain’s own ARM holdings, a much-loved current account getting its rates slashed, and the best and worst of Great British Auto Manufacturing. This is Money is presented by Georgie Frost, in partnership with NS&I