Share Sounds.

Just when you thought the cost of living crisis was meant to be on its way out another round of bill hikes are hitting. From council tax to mobile bills, seemingly every organisation wants another piece of your bank account - and some of the rises are even higher than inflation. Is there anything you can do about it? Could a bit of switching, planning and another round of cutting back on energy usage, shave some money off? And is there light at the end of the tunnel? Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Simon Lambert look at what's going up and how to fight it. Meanwhile, do you know how much tax you pay and are you in the firing line for Britain's worst tax traps? Ben Laidler of eToro delivers the latest update on the markets, after a much better week than the banking shakeout delivered last week. Plus — if you haven't done it yet, what can you do to sort your ISA?

The NASDAQ rose 17% in the 1st quarter, but we're not popping champagne just yet. Ron Gross and Matt Argersinger discuss new inflation data and real estate concerns in Silicon Valley, why they're watching company margins and guidance updates over the next few weeks, Disney shutting down its metaverse division, Lululemon's (unsurprising) write-down of Mirror, and the latest from Walgreens, RH, and McCormick. Plus, 19 minutes in, Brad Stone, head of Bloomberg's global tech coverage, weighs in on the state of affairs at Amazon, whether Jeff Bezos will return as CEO, and what to watch in the growing industry of AI and ChatGPT. Then, 33 minutes in, Matt and Ron discuss Moderna's prospects, Pepsi's new logo, and share two stocks on their radar: ERP Properties and Wesco International. To get your copy of Motley Fool's free report "Top Stocks For Rising Interest Rates" just go to fool.com/interest. Stocks discussed: DIS, META, LULU, WBA, RH, MKC, AMZN, GOOG, MRNA, PEP, EPR, WCC. Host - Chris Hill; Guests - Ron Gross, Matt Argersinger, Brad Stone

It helps to know the difference between an investing opportunity and a falling knife. Asit Sharma discusses RH (aka, Restoration Hardware) wrapping up a rough fiscal year, how the retailer's great margins during the pandemic have gotten....less great, and Electronic Arts and Roku joining the list of tech companies laying off employees. Then, 13 minutes in, Jason Moser and Matt Frankel take a closer look at beaten-down bank stocks with strong fundamentals. Companies discussed: RH, ROKU, EA, KRE, SCHW, SOFI, BAC, ALLY. Host - Chris Hill; Guests - Asit Sharma, Jason Moser, Matt Frankel

Adam Cox is joined by Ria Kalsi, Founder of Matriarch, to discuss why companies which place emphasis on their diversity and inclusion generate up to 30% higher revenue per employee. They look at how racial inclusion benefits people, and why it is still something society still struggles with. www.mtrrch.com

Adam Cox believes that the best time to be alive is right now. That's not just a statement of the psychologically obvious, but he feels there are more opportunities, more ways of doing positive things, and with less restrictions than at any time in human history. But it's also a psychological truism — if you think it's not the best time to be alive, you're onboarding regret and disappointment. So why not look on the bright side of life, and see if you share Adam's conviction?

Russ Mould of A J Bell finds it curious that central bankers are not looking in the mirror, but blaming social media and older people for recent problems, given that an excess of cheap money is at the root of so much that has gone wong. He believes there will still be reckonings to come in some areas and that the chances of a recession in the US have increased. UK investors, though, should concentrate on value and ignore short-term static. Don't be influenced by the mistakes of others.

James Cameron-Wilson takes Simon Rose through the UK box office chart, which has picked up thanks to the arrival of John Wick: Chapter Four at #1. Almost 3 hours long, James though it assassin porn, repetitive and exhausting. He found 80 for Brady (#8) a major embarrassment for Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno & Sally Field. He adored Zach Braff's A Good Person with Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman but it only debuted at #18. Fans of Life of Brian should note a re-release on April 7.

Steve Caplin uses AI to build a website in just 30 seconds but 1,000 AI experts have called for a halt to the AI race. German monks have made the world's first powdered beer, there's a 3D-printed cheesecake (with no cheese), a 3D-printed rocket, carbon-negative concrete, an amazing glamping RV, superb paint-matching for next to nothing, smart socks for old people and airbags for motorcyclists.

Political commentator Mike Indian considers Boris Johnson's Partygate evidence and wonders if will be the end of the ex-PM's political career. He explains why he feels Rishi Sunak has had a good fortnight with his more pragmatic approach to the country's problems. And, while he believes the SNP leadership result will benefit Labour, he wonders if it will be enough.

At first sight the challenges facing TikTok and John Lewis appear very different. For the former, it's the risk of being denied access to much of the free world as regulators clamp down over concerns of it becoming a major security threat. For the latter, John Lewis's need to raise investment is threatening the partnership which staff and customers hold in such high regard. These very different problems could, however, both be solved by applying customer stock ownership — in TikTok's case, in return for the immense wealth creation made possible by data harvesting; in John Lewis's case, in return for that £2 billion which they urgently need to update their business model. In each case, disintermediation leading towards a more egalitarian form of capitalism. Background music: 'On Hold' by Silent Partner