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Georgie Frost

This Is Money: You can bag a £10k heat pump discount — would that tempt you to get one?

Georgie Frost
Original Broadcast:

This is Money

This Is Money: You can bag a £10k heat pump discount — would that tempt you to get one?
The Government wants us to get heat pumps fitted in our homes and it's offering up to £7,500 for us to do so. Now Worcester Bosch is bumping that up by an extra £2,500 - if you pick one of theirs of course. But with the devices cost between £8,000 to £30,000 to buy and fit, would it tempt you? Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Lee Boyce reveal all... and talk the 'boiler tax'. Is inflation back on the rise? How worried should we be by the latest figures? And where next for interest rates? And millions face a big price hike for their mobile and broadband from March. Isn't it time these inflation-busting mid-contract increases were banned? Also, following campaigning by This is Money for years for fair treatment for parents who do not qualify for child benefit, parents denied state pension credits WILL get them. Tanya Jefferies explains all you need to know. Tanya also talks about a bungled handover to a new administrator that has left BAE Systems retirees suffering drastic cuts of up to 50% in their pensions. And Crane is on the Case, this time over a robot vacuum cleaner...
Guest:

Helen Crane


Published:
Georgie Frost

This Is Money: Will investors have a good year in 2024 - and what do they need to look out for?

Georgie Frost
Original Broadcast:

This is Money

This Is Money: Will investors have a good year in 2024 - and what do they need to look out for?
Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Tanya Jefferies run the ruler across 2023 and look ahead to 2024. Are we in for recession, recovery, and what impact will elections have both in the United Kingdom and the United States? The team consider the outlook for the stock market, bonds and gold. Also — a question over the Boots pension scheme.
Guest:

Tanya Jefferies


Published:
Georgie Frost

This Is Money: How to turn your work pension into a moneyspinner and boost your pot

Georgie Frost
Original Broadcast:

This is Money

This Is Money: How to turn your work pension into a moneyspinner and boost your pot
We all know pensions are important but most of us rarely engage with them. Yet, with a little bit of time and effort, you can get your work pension working as hard as possible for you - and at some point in the future you will be very glad you did so. Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert talk pensions: why you should start early, the reason that it involves free money, how to invest for a richer retirement many years down the line and much more. Also on the agenda, what happens if you get stuck in a mortgage with your ex, why is Lee so annoyed at a sneaky insurance tax that swiftly adds up, and can M&S's sales and share price resurgence continue? And finally, listen to the end if you want to find out where Lee buys his socks and Georgie gets her underwear.

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Georgie Frost

This Is Money: Pension blunders and why a bond spike is worrying investors

Georgie Frost
Original Broadcast:

This is Money

This Is Money: Pension blunders and why a bond spike is worrying investors
Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Tanya Jefferies discuss a new online service coming next Spring for state pension top-ups. Also, Simon looks at what's going on in the Bond market. There's also comment on premium bond values, and the team pick up a cause of local disputes: cameras in the back garden!
Guest:

Tanya Jefferies


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Georgie Frost

This Is Money: How much further could house prices fall?

Georgie Frost
Original Broadcast:

This is Money

This Is Money: How much further could house prices fall?
House prices will continue to fall, says an influential poll of estate agents. The latest survey by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors found that buyer demand is declining and fewer homes are coming to the market. Meanwhile, Halifax’s latest house price figures show a £14,000 drop compared to the recent peak in August 2022 and 4.7% fall in the year to the end of September, the largest since 2009. So, how much further could they fall and are buyers in danger of trying to time the market? Will there be a big pause before a general election next year? Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce discuss the age old favourite of house prices. Last week has also seen the Bank of England sound the alarm over 35 year mortgages – should we be concerned? Skipton Building Society launches a headline mortgage rate of 3.35%. What’s the catch? It comes as its rival Nationwide has new best buy home loan rates. Could mortgage deals continue to fall? And we look at the top up-and-coming areas for first-time buyers: Does your area make the cut? Spoiler: it features Hull, Middlesbrough and Ipswich. DIY investors went on a gilt-buying spree in September - shunning the stock market and savings accounts. The UK government bonds were paying as little as 0.125% last month – so why were they getting involved? Hargreaves Lansdown is launching a basic, no-frills pension for those who want an easy way to invest for retirement but aren’t quite sure how to get started. They are the first SIPP provider to give details after regulators said they had to offer customers a 'default' option by the start of December. Will it make SIPPs sexy enough to the self-employed? Shrinkflation, bogus loyalty card savings and variable prices in supermarkets... we’re fed up with the lot of them. Are you?

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Georgie Frost

This Is Money: Should we keep the triple lock or come up with a better pension plan?

Georgie Frost
Original Broadcast:

This is Money

This Is Money: Should we keep the triple lock or come up with a better pension plan?
If the triple lock is stuck to, the state pension should rise by 8.5% next April. That will be an inflation-busting rise but a promise is a promise - and the triple lock is meant to be a cast iron guarantee that the state pension will rise by either 2.5%, average wages, or inflation. Except it's already been unpicked once and arguing about whether the government can wriggle out of it has become an annual event. It's expensive and paid for by current workers, but the triple lock has improved the state pension - and one day those workers should get that payout themselves. Yet, has it run its course and is it time for a better policy than the triple lock? Georgie Frost, Sam Barker and Simon Lambert debate the triple lock and whether to keep it. Plus, why is Facebook Marketplace such a wild west for consumers and what happened when we tried to set up our own (fake) scam? Santander's cracking 5.2% easy access savings deal was pulled this week. The team discuss whether another account will come close in future and why those who signed up to This is Money's savings alerts didn't miss out. And finally, a reader has viewed 40 homes for sale but not found one they like. What should they do?
Guest:

Sam Barker


Published:
Georgie Frost

This Is Money: Are you on track for a comfy retirement and do you really need a £600k pot?

Georgie Frost
Original Broadcast:

This is Money

This Is Money: Are you on track for a comfy retirement and do you really need a £600k pot?
Inflation has been ravaging our finances, but it is also threatening our future. According to new research, if you want a comfortable retirement, you need to build a pot of nearly £600,000. The rising cost of living requires an extra £4,200 a year to maintain the same lifestyle as in spring last year - which means you have to save another £69,000 in all. Tanya Jefferies, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Helen Crane delve into pensions, as separate research shows more than half of people saving into one believe they will never put away enough to stop working when they get older. What can you do? Tanya reveals how to invest your pension and live off it in retirement. One thing that isn’t going to help your retirement funds is forking out to help your kids get on the property ladder. But that is exactly what is happening at the moment and in huge numbers. Financial aid is expected to support almost half of all homes purchased by buyers under the age of 55 this year - totalling £8.1billion. Is tapping into the Bank of Mum and Dad fair? People who spent big sums on state pension top-ups are angry their cash has gone missing and they can't get answers out of HMRC or the Department for Work and Pensions – Tanya gives an important update. Lee runs the rule over the new 6.2% one-year fixed-rate from National Savings and Investments, alongside four savings trends gleaned from a new Bank of England report. Helen reveals the four pressures landlords are facing as more of them opt to sell up. And lastly, are you suffering from dogflation, catflation or any kind of petflation? And how can you bite back?

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Georgie Frost

This Is Money: Do you really want your pension invested in risky unlisted companies?

Georgie Frost
Original Broadcast:

This is Money

This Is Money: Do you really want your pension invested in risky unlisted companies?
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is looking for more risk to be taken in pensions - is this right? And should they not first sort out the estimated ten million errors in state pension records? Meanwhile one million people will be paying an additional £5,000 per annum on mortgage payments: could the Bank of England have done more? And finally - would Britain be safer if only women were allowed to drive?

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Georgie Frost

This Is Money: State pension goes above £10,000 — but has something got to give?

Georgie Frost
Original Broadcast:

This is Money

This Is Money: State pension goes above £10,000 — but has something got to give?
The state pension is getting a boost this week, meaning many pensioners will see their payments go above £200 per week or £10,000 per year for the first time. The Government has also recently announced that it is delaying a decision on hiking up the state pension age to 68 until after the next election – perhaps influenced by protests across the channel. Pension commentators said move would be 'incredibly unpopular', and likely 'political suicide'. Governments don’t like to upset retirees because they vote in high numbers — but maintaining the status quo is incredibly expensive. Has something ultimately got to give when it comes to the state pension age and maintaining the triple lock? Georgie Frost is joined by Tanya Jefferies and Helen Crane to discuss. We also look at one lucky This is Money reader who is getting an even bigger rise, seeing his pension go up by more than 16%. It sounds like great news — but he is wondering whether it means he has been short-changed in the past. Elsewhere, research this week has shown Britons are still dragging their feet when it comes to making a will. The team looks at why it’s important, how to do it — and why it isn’t just about money. Also, E-Toro’s Sam North provides the latest update on the markets as we head into the long weekend. We also discuss why broadband companies have been able to get away with ignoring instructions from regulator Ofcom to make switching easier for customers. It told them two years ago that they needed to make it possible to swap providers in just one day — so why are most of us still left languishing without an internet connection for up to two weeks? Finally, do you fancy a sabbatical from work to travel? Some big firms are offering the extended time off as a perk to long-serving staff — but would your boss let you go, and how would you afford it?
Guest:

Tanya Jefferies


Published:
Georgie Frost

This Is Money: The Budget Verdict — pensions, childcare, energy bills and dodging recession

Georgie Frost
Original Broadcast:

This is Money

This Is Money: The Budget Verdict — pensions, childcare, energy bills and dodging recession
Jeremy Hunt had a spring in his step this week as he delivered his Budget. It was a considerably different air to the gloomy warning of trouble ahead in his November Autumn Statement. The headline act was a major shake-up of pension saving rules, removing restrictions that limit the amount that can go in without tax penalties. The lifetime allowance was abolished rather than raised, the annual allowance got a big bump, and rules to stop pension recycling were eased. Was this a bung for the rich shovelling cash into their pension - and doctors - or a move that will help many more young professional savers aspiring to a decent retirement, who may not realise the lifetime limit could be hit? Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Simon Lambert delve into the Budget and joining them to explain the pensions element is a special guest, This is Money's retirement columnist and ex-pensions minister Steve Webb. Also in the Budget was news on the economy, a ray of hope on energy bills, and a big expansion of free childcare... but it won't come in for some time. The team look at all those elements and more. And finally, as the Budget claimed the headlines something else was rumbling on: a mini-banking crisis sparked by the Sillicon Valley Bank collapse. What is going on there and should we be worried?
Guests:

Sir Steve Webb, Helen Crane


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