Podcasts

This is a new edition of The Apprentice Investor. Regular listeners to the programme will know that our Apprentices are five members of the Share Radio team who've each been given £15,000 of virtual money to build their own share portfolios. They're allowed a minimum of eight stocks from different sectors which they've been buying and selling through the Share Centre. Our two apprentice investors today are Valsa De Winter and Matt Cox - and giving us his verdict on their efforts is Share Radio's senior analyst, Ed Bowsher.

How often do you get your car serviced? Around half of us are delaying taking our vehicle to the garage because of the cost. Also, half of us don't make a pit stop before making a long journey. But could this be adding more money to your yearly car bill. To find out how, Share Radio's Dan Goldsmith spoke to former Top Gear presenter Tiff Needell.

Consumer writer Megan French talks us through Black Friday. Whilst you may be able to grab some bargains beware of marketing ploys which aren't as good as they seem, Megan runs us through what is genuine and what is not as good as it all seems. We also find out our rights when returning products. And as ever we'll have a roundup of the latest and best deals the team have come across this week.

Apprenticeships can be an alternative to university but for women, there is apparently still a struggle to break into certain sectors. New research shows that in sectors such as engineering and electronics, women make up a lower proportion of apprentices than a decade ago. So, what can be done to change this? To find out, Georgie spoke to an electronic apprentice, Amy Lambden.

Georgie is joined by editor Moira O Neill and their web manager Gary Adams, from the Moneywise team, for their sideways look at the weeks top money stories including the winners of the Moneywise home finance awards and what your readers want to see in this year's autumn statement. Also, the grandparents saving their children billions by looking after the grandkids. Plus and all the regular features including poll of the week, the one minute challenge and not forgetting funny money.

What do you look for when buying a house? Proximity to local transport? Location? Interior design? Despite the vast range of modern home innovations just over a tenth of us consider strong Wi-Fi a top priority whilst only 3% would look for hi-tech appliances. For more information, our reporter Tom Hill spoke to Carolanne Dieleman, from Stewart Milne Homes.

What does the Chancellor have in store for the housing market. We know that he's promised the building of tens of thousands of new affordable homes and plans to ban letting agents from imposing up-front fees. But what else can we expect today. Georgie was joined on the line by Russell Quirk CEO of eMoov.co.uk to find out.

One of the biggest issue facing landlords next year will be rent arrears with two thirds reportedly already owed back payments from tenants. And with rents predicted to rise faster than house prices over the next five years, this situation is only set to worsen. To find out why, our reporter Mary Newman spoke to James Davis, CEO and Founder of Upad.

Georgie Frost is joined in the studio by Share Radio's senior analyst Ed Bowsher. On the agenda today, they discuss the big story - The Autumn Statement. With the 'mini budget' set to be announced at 12.30 today by new Chancellor Philip Hammond, Georgie and Ed discuss what he is likely to announce and how it will impact us. Elsewhere, it's bad news for consumers as UK's supermarket prices are set to rise by at least 5% over the next six months. Plus, Rolls-Royce has been named the best company to work for in Britain. All these stories and more on The News Review.

Swiss watch exports plunged 16% in October, the biggest monthly drop in seven years. The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry said demand weakened in nearly every major market for timepieces, such as Rolex and Omega. So is it a race against time for the Swiss watchmaking industry, or will it manage to beat the clock? Matt Cox spoke with Rob Corder, Editor of WatchPro, a Market Intelligence publication for the British Watch Industry.