Share Sounds presented by Sarah Pennells (1) related to Personal Finance - Savings

An increasing number of people are signing up for subscription boxes - paying a monthly fee for a whole range of things to be delivered to their door. But, are they good value or just a waste of money? Sarah Pennells is joined by Sue Hayward, a consumer expert, who explains the idea behind subscription boxes. Emma Saitch, from Birchbox, and Ian White, from Love Lula, tell Sarah how one can tailor what's in their subscription box, while Alice Hughes, blogger and journalist, looks at beauty boxes and the products that go unused. Alun Johns, from Pomora, explains what people get by subscribing and what they wouldn't get in the shops.

If you're trying to save money on your holiday accommodation, what are the options? And what do you have to think about if you want to use Airbnb? Sarah Pennells speaks to this week's Young Money Champion, Rachel Healy, about how Airbnb works, meanwhile David Weston, of B&B Association, debates whether it would be cheaper to stay in a B&B. Will Coldwell, Journalist at The Guardian and Guardian Travel, also tells Sarah why he's concerned about organisations such as Airbnb.

When was the last time you read all the small print that comes with a plan or policy? And if you read it, did you understand it? Sarah Pennells and her guests talk through financial jargon and try and demystify some of the important terms you may not be familiar with. Financial Journalist Simon Read explains what terms that can catch people out while Ian Lees, author and financial IFA, looks at investment charges, what they mean and why they matter. Rod Jones, from USwitch, looks at energy companies and the issues revolving around exit fees.

Can you imagine not spending money on anything but essentials? That's no trips, no going out for a meal, no treats, nothing but groceries and bills for a whole year? Well this is exactly what freelance financial journalist Michelle McGagh is doing. She joined Sarah Pennells in the studio to discuss how this is going, and what the pros are.

On this week's episode, Moira O'Neill and Helen Knapman join Sarah Pennells in the studio. On the agenda, what happens when you run out of credit at the bank of Mum and Dad? Then, we get the low-down on making money using Air BnB. And finally, how to be a successful investor, it's more than just buy low sell high, you got to have the mettle...

Now it's something that over 21 million people in the UK do at least once a year and they don't get paid a penny. What is it? Volunteering. This week is Volunteers' Week where you can find out more about what's involved in volunteering. Volunteering can be anything from getting involved in projects and charities in your neighbourhood to travelling abroad. So, how can you get involved? What are the benefits and how do you work out what type of project to get involved in? Sarah Pennells and our Young Money Champion, Rachael Healey, are joined by Alison Harvie who's the head of communications at Volunteering Matters and by Stefan Watham who's the chief executive of Year Out Group.

If you've invested money in a private pension or in an investment fund, you'll be paying some sort of regular fee and charges. And, depending on the type of investment fund, those charges could be quite high. If you've taken advice from a professional financial adviser, you'll also have to pay for his or her time. But what's a fair charge and when do the charges become a rip off? Sarah Pennells speaks to Tom Wilcox-Jones, from independent financial advisers Blackstone Moregate, Gina Miller, founder of True and Fair Campaign, from SCM Private and founder of MoneyShe.com and Claire Walsh, Head of Advice at IFA Promotions, to find out more.

Figures show that an increasing number of people in their 50s and 60s are getting their elderly parents to move in with them, moving into their home, or are pooling their money to buy a property that they can all live in together. It can be a good option for some families, but there are some disadvantages. So, what do you need to think about if you're considering asking your parent to live with you and what are the pros and cons? Sarah Pennells is joined by Christine Webber, an author, broadcaster and psychotherapist, Adrian Kidd from Plan Your Money.co.uk and Deborah Stone who's the founder of the website Myageingparent.com.

If your son or daughter is planning to go to university in the autumn, are you planning on how you'll help them pay for it? Are you going to be supporting them with help towards their rental costs or will you be paying some of their bills? And if you're off to university, are you wondering how much debt you'll leave with? Sarah Pennells is joined by Annie O'Leary from the parenting website Netmums, Jane King who's from Ash-ridge financial planning and James Seymour who's from the Complete University Guide.

This week Sarah Pennells explores the issues revolving automatic enrolment pensions, the government's programme to encourage more people to save for their retirement through a workplace pension. While millions of people are being placed into their workplace pension, new research from pensions provider Aviva shows that one and a half million don't know what their money is invested in. Sarah is joined by Chris Daems, from Cervello Financial Planning, Ranila Ravi Burslem, from NEST, and Malcolm Goodwin from Aviva to discuss the topic.