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The threat of negative interest rates is looming large for savers. This week, a government bond auction saw UK gilts sold at a negative rate for the first time, while Bank of England boss Andrew Bailey refused to rule out the base rate flipping below zero. But could you end up with a negative rate on your savings account? On this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost look at the weird world of negative rates – an upside down where investors effectively pay to lend the government money, banks are charged interest for depositing funds with the Bank of England, and you’d end up being stung rather than rewarded for saving. Not that there’s much reward for saving in many places right now: a This is Money investigation this week revealed that 235 savings accounts now pay 0.01 per cent interest. That is 10p per year on £1,000 saved and some may prefer not to be insulted in that way and have their bank or building society join the six accounts where absolutely zero is paid. The best accounts pay just over 1 per cent and while that’s not much, at least savers are getting a real return on their money, with inflation at 0.8 per cent. But another warning has been sounded and it’s that the end game of through-the-looking-glass monetary policy could be inflation soaring. The team look at what the argument is and whether it stacks up. The base rate is at 0.1 per cent (and could go negative) and bond yields are on the floor, because of the economic destruction of the coronavirus crisis. The furlough scheme is one of Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s flagship efforts to combat this, but another This is Money investigation this week revealed companies that have taken advantage of the taxpayer’s offer to pay 80 per cent of their staff’s wages are now threatening to make them redundant anyway. And finally, on a lighter note, if you’re feeling brave then you might decide now is the time to buy a home, while house prices and confidence have taken a knock, but is the estate agent allowed to tell you what others have offered?

As of 13th May 2020 in England, Government guidelines have enabled the housing market to re-open for business. In this episode of Inside Property, Richard Blanco is joined by broker Jay Rooney; Lawrence Bowles from Savills Research; and Arla Propertymark board member, Rachel Hanniquet-Brooking. They look at how agents and customers are coping with the new procedures and discuss the ongoing mortgage holiday, rent holiday challenge facing many landlords and tenants. How is the mortgage landscape evolving, and what are the prospects for house prices and sales and lettings activity moving forward?

Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University looks at the lessons we can draw from past pandemics, remarking how similar attitudes are in the modern world to those of our ancestors. He discusses how the NHS must turbo-charge innovation if it is cope with the legacy of Covid-19. And he looks at the a little-reported decision of German's constitutional court that may have massive ramifications for the Euro and the EU.

James Cameron-Wilson looks at the news that the new WW2 Tom Hanks film Greyhound will premiere online and examines the current DVD chart. He reviews new Netflix release All Day And A Night and home entertainment debuts for The Truth, starring Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche and true-life tale Bombshell, with Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie.

Share Radio's technology editor Steve Caplin looks at Apple & Google's Covid-19 tracing system, at the cyber attack on Easyjet and at Warren Buffett being allegedly misled by a German steel company he bought. He also looks at a new system for e-scooters that aims to reduce pavement clutter, at the delay of new emojis, at sobriety tags, skin-powered fitness trackers, a weird fresh air system for bikes, a board game for cats, a method for saving many gallons of white wine and how blind people might be able to "see" using electrodes.

Helal Miah of The Share Centre looks at recent company news from Imperial Brands, Compass, Marks & Spencer and Intertek. He looks ahead to what might be expected when we hear from British Land, Britvic and First Group.

Adam Cox is joined by Marie Diamond: a globally renowned Transformational Teacher, Leader, Speaker, and International Best-Selling Author; Creator of Diamond Feng Shui, Diamond Dowsing and Inner Diamond Meditation Programs. She uses her extraordinary knowledge of Energy, Quantum physics, the Law of Attraction – and ancient Wisdom like Meditation, Feng Shui and Dowsing – to support individuals, organisations and corporations to transform their success, financial situation, relationships, motivation, and inspiration. They discuss how to ensure the environment you live and work in helps you to create the success and future you desire. Marie was the only European in the movie The Secret. She explains that while it helped introduce people to the law of attraction, it was missing crucial details. These important additional insights will be in her new movie, How Thoughts Become Things.

In this episode of Policy Matters, hosts Franz Buscha and Matt Dickson talk to Simon Burgess, Professor of Economics at the University of Bristol. With COVID-19 and all the policy responses to it still very much at the forefront of public policy, Franz and Matt begin by asking Simon about the likely impact of school closures on child attainment, how this may affect existing socio-economic inequalities and what policymakers could do to tackle the issue once schools settle back to “normal”. The additional problems of replacing GCSE and A-level exams with teacher assessments are also considered, along with the difficult situation facing graduates finishing university this year. The discussion then moves on to Simon’s research into the impact of students’ effort on their educational outcomes. Simon explains how international football tournaments and school visits from Michelle Obama have provided insights into the huge effect that students’ effort can have on their results – and how policymakers might harness these findings.

Saving, spending, planning — you've got money questions and we've got answers. Every week host Alison Southwick and personal finance expert Robert Brokamp challenge the conventional wisdom on life's biggest financial issues to reveal what you really need to know to make smart money moves. In this week's show: How has the college experience changed and what could it look like going forward? Brokamp explains how, for the near term, it will be more solo and less solo cups. However, In the long run, we might see much-needed disruption in higher education (for the better).

Want to keep up with the latest earnings updates from the States? Well join Chris Hill and the Motley Fool Radio Show team here on Share Radio, direct from Washington DC, for news, views and analysis of the US stocks that matter. In this week's show: Retail sales fall more than 16% in April; Uber and GrubHub explore a possible merger; Marriott and Under Armour tumble on disappointing earnings; Diagnostics company Quidel gets a big boost from the FDA; And DraftKings hits a new high. Motley Fool analysts Ron Gross and Jason Moser discuss those stories and weigh in on the best way to build a portfolio. Our analysts share a couple of stocks on their radar: Intellia Therapeutics and Axon Enterprise. Plus, Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis talks about the business of RVs and shares some insights from his CNBC show, The Profit.