Share Sounds presented by Sarah Pennells (1)

If you're close to retirement, or thinking of setting up a pension pot, where do you start when it comes to choosing a private pension? Lorna Blythe, from Royal London, explains to Sarah Pennells what pensions are and how they work; Danisha Chada, a chartered and certified financial planner with Smith and Williamson, looks at how much help could a pension company give to its individual customers, Alan Chan, from IFS Wealth and Pensions, explains what the first steps are when taking out a pension for the first time.

Sarah Pennells looks at credit card surcharges and why we still have to pay an extra 2.5% interest fee. This week's Young Money Champion, Amelia Murray, explains what the credit card charges are and why they are being changed this year. Helen Saxon, from Moneysavingexpert.com, debates whether credit card rewards are worth considering after cash back offers and loyalty incentives were reduced. Richard Koch, from the UK Cards Association, explains what further changes are being introduced next month.

As part of Dying Matters Awareness Week, Sarah Pennells and her guests look at the legal and financial aspects of funerals and why those arrangements can still be a taboo subject. Poppy Mardall, from Poppy's Funerals, and Gemma O'Driscoll, Funeral Director at G.E O’Driscoll & Daughters, discuss different types of funerals available and how funeral directors can offer help and support. Toby Scott, from the Dying Matters Coalition, explains how you can take part in the debate, and Rod Smith from Stone King Solicitors and part of the Law Society Wills and Equity Committee looks at wills and how to take care of them.

If you're self-employed and need to set up a pension, where do you start? Sarah Pennells looks at a recent report published by Royal London with former Pensions Minister Steve Webb, currently Director of Policy at pensions and life insurance provider Royal London. Paul Allington founder and head of The Code Guy, gives his own account of setting up his pension, while Claire Walsh, Chartered Financial Planner and Head of Advice at Unbiased, gives advice on how to set up a pension plan. Sarah discusses whether the new Lifetime ISA can also help people set their pension.

What do you do when you buy big ticket item, like a computer or a car, and it immediately breaks down? Sarah Pennells is joined by James Walker, founder of Resolver, Matt Stone, founder of TestDrives2U and Peter Stonely, from Trading Standards on this week's programme. Together they look at the changes in the Consumer Protection Law, what warranties are available for faulty cars and how to avoid any pitfalls when researching the products.

How much did you spend on a cup of coffee this week? Sarah Pennells is joined by this week's Young Money Champion Rachel Healey, Jasmine Birtles, founder of Money Magpie, and Justin Urquhart-Stewart, Head of Corporate Development at Seven Investment Management. Together they discuss how the cost of coffee can add up, how you can save money and what you could spend your money on instead.

These days, you can borrow or rent just about anything. Homes, cars, handbags, even pets! But how does it work, and what's important to think about when it comes to the fast growing sharing economy? Sarah Pennells is joined by Alex Stephany, a sharing economy expert, author of The Business of Sharing and Chief Executive of Just Park, Sam Stephens, the founder of Streetbank, and Tim Godwin, the Financial Director of Swishing Online, to help understand more about the sharing economy and to help answer some of your burning questions.

Sarah Pennells is joined by Mike Edwards, founder of the DIY Doctor, Michael Holmes, property expert for The Homebuilding & Renovating Show and chair of NaCSBA (The National Custom & Self Build Association) and Simon Warpole, home insurance expert at Aviva, to talk about the practical repairs you can do to your home, and how to cut costs, as well as making sure you're covered by insurance for any DIY disasters!

An increasing number of people are choosing to live together, rather than get married or form a civil partnership. But, while it’s becoming more commonplace, the legal status of cohabiting couples remains something of a mystery to most of us. Sarah Pennells is joined in the studio by Mary Marvel of Advicenow and Law for Life, Paula Myers, a lawyer with Irwin Mitchell, and over the phone by Christine Webber, a writer, broadcaster and psychotherapist, to discuss the various different issues moving in with a partner can have, and how best to deal with them.

If you started university in England in September 2012 or later, you’ll come under the new tuition fees and student loan regime. That means you’re likely to have graduated with tens of thousands of pounds of debt. So how do you start to go about paying that back? Sarah Pennells is joined by our Young Money Champion, James Connington from the Telegraph’s Personal Finance Team, James Seymour from the Complete University Guide and Ani Bailey from NASMA, the National Association of Student Money Advisers, to share tips and advice on how to tackle rising interest rates on hefty student loans.