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Inflation falling, wages rising, mortgage rates fall back a bit and fixed savings rates seem to be peaking at 6% - all without a recession (yet)! Is the oasis in sight, or is this a mirage? Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Helen Crane review the prospects looking forward. Also, Rishi Sunak vows to keep the 'triple lock' on pensions, but can we afford it?

After months of mortgage mayhem some better news finally arrived this week with major lenders delivering a slew of hefty rate cuts. Halifax, Nationwide, and NatWest have all delivered big chops to their home loans, with analysts saying that we may be past the moment of peak panic in the mortgage market. That’s the silver lining to a very dark cloud though, as mortgage rates are far higher than they have been in recent years and almost all of those whose fixes come up for renewal will face paying much more. So if this is the end of Mortgage Mayhem Part 2 (the uncalled for sequel to Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng’s original instalment), what happens next? Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Simon Lambert survey the wreckage of the past few months and look at what could come next for mortgage rates and homeowners? With higher rates here for the foreseeable future, they also discuss what this means for people’s finances and how mortgage hikes are likely to eat most people’s pay rises and then some. Simon explains why after such a long period of stagnant real wages, this is a major problem. In cheerier news, Premium Bonds have had another big bump up in the prize rate, so are they now a no-brainer? (For those listening to the podcast and looking for it, here is the link to our Premium Bonds winning stats piece Simon mentions: https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/saving/article-12161769/Premium-Bonds-likely-win-1m.html). Plus, what is the tale of good customer service that Simon has returned from holiday with? And finally — how did Helen go viral with an old carrier bag?

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.

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?

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.

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.

And there it was, another interest rate hike. Another quarter point move up seems almost commonplace now, but cast your mind back to the era after the financial crisis and we had to wait nearly ten years for the base rate to climb above its 0.5% 'emergency level'. It cut first and then base rate got all the way to the heady heights of 0.75%, before it was cut again when Covid hit. Yet, less than 18 months since the Bank of England started raising rates in December 2021, base rate has rocketed from 0.1% to 4.5%. The rate itself is still relatively low in historic terms, but the magnitude of the rise is not. So, are the Bank's ratesetters right to keep voting for hikes, has the full pain been felt yet, and why would you do this when all the forecasts suggest inflation is soon to nosedive? Georgie Frost, Tanya Jefferies and Simon Lambert discuss the latest rate rise and how high interest rates will go. Plus, is the return of the 100% mortgage absolute madness, a helping hand for trapped renters, or something in the middle of all that? Why people should claim pension credit or help their friends or relatives? And finally, not only will it lack the crisp one-liners of Succession, but an inheritance drama is not something you want to get into, so how can people avoid one?