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Join the latest episode from Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce, Tanya Jefferies and guest Angharad Carrick: business owners experience difficulties with HMRC service — the challenge of being an executor — interest rates rise again, but is it the right call? Plus, the team discuss fake lawns.

Energy firms have had their feet held to the fire this week. The industry as a whole has been blasted by the regulator Ofgem over poor customer service, while our investigation revealed that 200 customers don't think Ovo has been billing them properly. Meanwhile, British Gas has been in the spotlight for its bumper profits, which jumped by a whopping 889 per cent for the first half of this year. These firms are certainly making plenty of money - so should they be spending more of it to help their customers? Lee Boyce, Helen Crane and Georgie Frost ask why things are going so wrong, and what people can do if they don't think they are being billed correctly. We also look at what's going on with bank accounts. Crisis-hit Natwest is winning the switching battle thanks to its tasty cash incentives, and it’s not just Farage being 'de-banked'. We hear the story of one vulnerable couple who were left unable to pay bills and buy food after HSBC closed their account. Inheritance tax has also been in the news, as there are noises it might be scrapped - but the Treasury are raking in even more money from it. Will it go? Finally, we explain what blended families need to know about making a will - after one woman was forced to bid for her late mother's belongings at auction when her stepfather amended their mirror wills after she had died.

Earlier in the week, the consumer prices index measure of inflation fell by more than expected thanks to a fall in transport and food prices. It eased to 7.9% in June, a bigger drop than expected, according to the Office for National Statistics. This was the lowest CPI rate since March 2022 when inflationary pressures began to amplify the headline figure. So what does that mean for the typical household and for potential future base rate rises? Lee Boyce, Sam Barker and Georgie Frost delve into CPI and what that means for mortgages and savers. And on the note of savers, two pieces of data this week point to a mixed picture for our financial resilience. On one hand, a survey suggests one in three people do not have enough savings for an emergency - and on the other, that a third of savers are earning 1% or less, and for some that's on five figure pots. If inflation does stay sticky, pensioners could see a big rise in in the state pension - if politicians keep the 'triple lock' pledge. Data suggests that by 2030, the annual state pension figure is likely to be between £13,000 and £14,000. Before you head off on holiday, we reveal the cruel new scams you need to know about. And… bitcoin to surge to $120,000 by the end of 2024 according to one major bank. How likely is that and why does one expert think it's nonsense.

There has been plenty of doom and gloom in recent months – and today, we go searching for cheerier news. The energy price cap will fall from the weekend, plunging to £2,074 – below the £2,500 set Energy Price Guarantee from the Government. So, what should you be doing to prepare – and what does that mean for your usage? Will we soon see the return of fixed tariffs? Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Lee Boyce discuss the new price cap, along with a sneaky move from a major energy supplier to stop quarterly billing. Mortgage rates are rising – that's not good news for homeowners coming up to remortgage. However, there is some good news… This is Money has a new Navigate the Mortgage Maze column written by L&C broker David Hollingworth. We reveal what the column is all about and details of the first one, which covers a question on many lips: how do I overpay and take advantage of a low fixed rate as much as possible? There has been a flurry of new saving deals, with the top rates now nudging past 6% – challenger banks are driving the rises, but even bigger banks are boosting some deals. Personalised licence plates on cars have surged in popularity – but why? And what makes one worth a five-figure sum? Can you live without sat nav, parking sensors, heated seats and a… CD player in your car? A new survey reveals the motoring gadgets we can't live without. We talk about the scammer turned good who is worried about AI and fraud. And what money stories did Helen bring back from her Glastonbury adventure?

The Bank of England’s bumper 0.5% rate hike this week was the 13th rise in a row. After sitting on their hands for more than a decade, ratesetters have been shaken out of their slumbers by an inflation storm. By historic standards 5% is not high for interest rates, but unfortunately for borrowers we also started from a historic low and have gone from 0.1% to here in just 18 months. The belated headlong rush into raising rates is also the exact opposite of what the Bank of England spent years assuring homeowners would happen: the party line used to be ‘gradual and limited’. The Bank is hiking rates to try to crush inflation but at the same time this affects a much smaller slice of homeowners than it once did and rapid rise in mortgage costs is crushing a generation of homeowners. So, was another rate rise a wise move? How bad is the pain for borrowers? Is this not a patch on the '80s, or just as bad? Has the Bank of England even given its rate rises long enough to take effect? On this rate rise special podcast, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert tackle all that and more.

The mortgage market is mayhem, with lenders pulling deals and rapidly hiking rates. Average fixed mortgage rates have soared over the past month and we are now at the stage where it looks a lot like the panic after the mini-Budget. At the same time savings rates are going gangbusters and there is barely a day that passes without a new best buy. Meanwhile, UK gilt yields have also leapt, sending the UK’s borrowing costs even higher. What on earth is going on? Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Simon Lambert dive in and try to explain why the sudden inflation-driven chaos has kicked off and what borrowers and savers can do. What should you do if you need a mortgage? Is this a prime time to grab a savings deal or should you wait for better rates? How does it compare to the double-digit rates days of the 1980s? What does this mean for the economy? Are we all doomed? Or will this pass? Listen to find out their views and get tips on how to sort your mortgage and savings.

Universal basic income is a controversial idea and not just because it's money for nothing. Paying everyone a set amount every month as a baseline level of income has intrigued economists and central bank geeks for years. Supporters say it has the power to improve physical and mental health and the economy and society, but critics say it's the start of a slippery slope to state dependency and control. A new proposed trial for 30 people in the UK to get £1,600 a month has put the topic back on the agenda. So — is universal basic income a good or bad idea? Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert discuss it on this episode. Also — why aren't our energy bills lower if wholesale prices have plummeted? What can you do if you are caught in the mortgage storm? And finally, which UK shares have done best and worst so far this year?

Forget 5% savings rates. Forget 7%. A new regular savings deal has landed paying a headline-grabbing 9%. But, is it actually a good deal? Saffron Building Society aren't the only savings provider pumping up rates, with fixed-rates now hitting 5.25%. And Cash ISAs are back with a bang with a record amount poured into tax-free accounts in March and April. That comes as more savers look to shield their money from the taxman, with more potentially busting their Personal Savings Allowance this year. Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Helen Crane discuss all things savings and why people should be tracking down better rates. The debate moves on to housing, with one property price index suggesting an annual value fall of 3.4%. So what's going on? Mortgage deals are being pulled left, right and centre and the amount borrowed in new mortgages dips a record low. Where is it all heading? Plus, Lee argues that tech giant Meta needs to listen to big banks and take the huge volume of social media scams more seriously. Helen gives a big update on her Crane on the Case column and the great dishes debate finally resolved: Is it cheaper to wash up by hand or use a dishwasher?

We had some good news this week about our energy bills - or did we? Ofgem's price cap is coming down - saving households around £400 a year on average. The last 18 months have been horrendous for households, so bad the Government had to step in in October and introduce a price freeze - but that was still double what the typical bill payer would have had to fork out a year previously. And although the cap is coming down, the removal of Government grants means most people will actually only be saving about £19 per month, or £225 per year. So what will we have to pay when the new cap starts in July, will bills keep going down, and when will energy companies start under-cutting the price cap with fixed tariffs again? Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Simon Lambert discuss when energy bills might go back to 'normal', and whether we should jump on fixed deals when they return, or treat them with caution. We also got the latest UK inflation figures this week. Despite a not insignificant drop from 10.1% to 8.7% in April, experts are pricing in another interest rate rise - and that is down to a surprise jump in something called core inflation. We explain what that is, and discuss just how high the base rate might go. We look at why that is happening, and take in some advice from brokers on what those with a remortgage deadline coming up should do. But with bad news for mortgage holders comes good news for savers, with easy-access rates edging ever closer to 4%. We list the best buys. The US debt ceiling has also been in the news this week, with the two main parties engaged in a stand-off about whether it should be raised. If it isn't, the world's biggest economy could default on its debts - but what exactly would that mean, and how big is the risk? Finally, with warmer weather on the way we discuss the new phenomenon of 'campervanflation', and why the younger generation can't seem to get enough of the classic VW Camper.

Almost five times as many people will soon be paying 40% tax than in the early 1990s, when it was seen as a tax bracket reserved for the rich, the Institute for Fiscal Studies warned this week. It said that fiscal drag triggered by freezing the higher rate tax threshold would pull 7.8 million people into its net by 2027. The study suggested that the threshold would have to be almost doubled from its current level, at £50,271, to almost £100,000 to return the tax band to the level intended for it. Alongside the report, came the IFS’s warning that 40% tax had stopped being the preserve of high-earning professionals and was now hitting electricians, plumbers, teachers, nurses and more. The taxman nabbing 40p of every pound earned from a pay rise rather than 20p comes at a time when workers are running to stand still, with inflation at just above 10%. So, is it time the government stopped taxing by stealth and using tools like fiscal drag – instead raising thresholds with inflation or wages? And is it time to hike the higher rate threshold and pull people back down to basic rate tax? Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert discuss the thorny issue of tax and who counts as wealthy. The debate moves on to inheritance tax – another levy designed for the very rich but now hitting the wealthy middle classes. Why is IHT so unpopular when most don’t pay it and does it need reform? Plus, how much have you lost to inflation, will you get Nationwide’s new £100 Fairer Share bung, and finally, would you buy food two years past its best before date for big savings?