Share Sounds. presented by Georgie Frost

This week has seen a number of changes to our personal finances in the wake of energy bill and council tax rises, along with a number of key utilities such as broadband and mobile contracts. It also marks the start of a new tax year and with it a National Insurance rise, a meagre state pension hike and the start of new 'no fault' divorce system. Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Helen Crane run through what these changes potentially mean for you and why they're important. Renting is set to become cheaper than mortgage repayments for the first time in 14 years according to a study. This could signal 'trouble ahead,' as the data shows that when this happens, often a recession follows shortly afterwards. We discuss why. The pandemic boom could also leave high-earning homeowners trapped and unable to move, if they've overstretched themselves to buy. They may be unable to remortgage as lenders consider their squeezed incomes during the cost of living crisis. And finally, with the energy price cap soaring, are there gadgets that could help you save money? Lee comes with a warning with his own 'smart' thermostat.

It's the time of year when we are urged to put our money into an Isa or pension, but faced with the choice which should you pick? After all, most of us don't have the £52,000 needed to max out both (£20,000 into an Isa and £32,000 into a pension plus the £8,000 tax relief added). So, we must make a decision: take the upfront tax relief of a pension and that lovely boost to the money you pay in, but not be able to get the cash until at least age 55, or opt for the tax-free gains of an ISA and its flexibility, but no contribution booster. Georgie Frost and Simon Lambert look at the perks of each, where the drawbacks are and how you can make an informed decision. Plus, is the Lifetime ISA a better option for your hard-earned cash? Also, they discuss the child benefit mess and how many mums are missing our on vital state pension credits, whether Chase's bank account is now Britain's best, and how to work out if buying an expensive electric car might save you money.

Why would you cut tax and raise the same tax at the same time? That’s been the slightly baffled response from many people to Rishi Sunak’s Spring Statement. Effectively, the Chancellor both cut and raised National Insurance – lifting the threshold it is paid at but ignoring calls to 'spike the hike' and ploughing ahead with the 1.25% being added to rates. Bizarrely, the tax rate goes up in April, only for the threshold to rise and reduce bills shortly afterwards in July. And we wonder why people find tax taxing? Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert dive into the detail of the Spring Budget to explain what the NI hike/cut means for you. Depending on their earnings some will be in the group paying more than now and some will pay less? The team also look at the other measures in the Spring Statement and whether a 5p petrol duty cut and some money off solar panels really cuts the mustard in the face of a cost of living crisis. The Office of Budget Responsibility also had some bad news for us: inflation is tipped to hit almost 9%, energy bills are likely to rise another 40% or so, and there’s the not so trivial matter of the biggest fall in living standards since records began in the 1950s. How bad will this feel? Away from the Spring Statement, ths episode looks at what’s going on with building costs and how to try to get the best quote from a builder, stick to a budget and protect against price rises. And finally, you might not go fully down the secretive POA (price on application) route when selling your home, but should you name an asking price, guide price, or ask for offers over a certain amount? Georgie, Lee and Simon dabble with a bit of estate agentese.

It's a hat trick. After all those years of waiting in vain for a rate rise after the financial crisis, now the Bank of England has the wind in its sails and has raised rates three times since December. The shift up in the base rate to 0.75% hardly takes rates into the stratosphere but moving from 0.1% to here in four months stands at serious odds with the lower for longer mantra that dominated the past decade and a bit of central bank thinking. It's being done to combat inflation that's now forecast to hit 8% (or maybe higher admits the Bank). The irony is that interest rate rises will do little to tackle imported inflation. So is the Bank making the right moves? Is it right to try to crack down on inflation now, or is it putting the Covid recovery at risk? And what does this mean for savers, borrowers and investors? Tanya Jefferies, Georgie Frost and Simon Lambert discuss the rate hike - if you can call a quarter point rise a hike - and how much more of this may be coming down the line. Plus, what are the best shares and funds to stash in your ISA in volatile times, do you have to pay tax on a £20,000 bitcoin profit, and would you swap your device trash for cash at Currys?

Simon Lambert and Georgie Frost discuss the potential benefits of Stocks & Shares ISAs for young investors, the end of rock bottom interest rates for mortgages and rising rates for depositors and, of course, escalating energy & fuel costs.

House prices have soared in the pandemic boom – with the average home an astonishing £44,000 more expensive at £260,000, according to Nationwide. But mortgage rates are rising, the cost of living crunch is hitting hard, and the idea of a post pandemic Roaring Twenties seems very distant right now, so is a reckoning for Britain’s property market on the way? Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert dive into the housing market to look at why homes are now the most expensive they have ever been when compared to wages – and what could send them even higher or tip them into decline. They also look at the mortgage market, where the best bargain basement fixed rate deals have long vanished and rates have been rising rapidly. But while they might be going up, mortgage rates are still very cheap and the Bank of England is weighing up loosening some lending rules, so where does that take us next? Simon also has some advice for anyone whose mortgage fix is up for renewal this year. Spoiler alert: it’s to start looking into a new fixed mortgage now. And a reader question – and yes, this was a genuine one – of whether taking $1 million-plus in payment for a property in the Caribbean in crypto is a good idea? And finally, credit cards are dead: it’s all about buy now, pay later… or is it? There’s a new Avios-earning Barclaycard out and Lee’s excited. Find out why by listening to the end.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has created a tragic situation that goes far beyond worries about our finances, but it will have an impact on them. The ins and outs of the conflict are not something that This is Money is qualified to comment on, but the financial impact of events is something that readers and listeners come to us to learn about. Georgie Frost, Tanya Jefferies and Simon Lambert look at what that impact could be. How the Russian-Ukraine conflict will affect out personal finances: from energy bills, to petrol prices and food, to the immediate volatility it has thrust on to people's investments, the team look at what is happening and what may happen next. Should investors stay calm and stick to their guns, or are their merits in one outlier suggestion of moving 50% to cash and battening down the hatches? Also, the added problem of inflation for people's investments and how to combat it. Plus, the latest on the state pension underpayment scandal and how some councils are now trying to rake in money from those paid back lump sums. And finally, its not an uncommon situation now to sell a property and step out of the market while you find a new one, but what should you do with a huge sum of cash in the meantime?

A free 'midlife MOT' course has been launched aimed at people who want to do a stock take of their current finances, career and health. This is an idea championed by the finance industry and government. But is it any good? Investments and pensions editor Tanya Jefferies undertook the course by finance giant Legal & General and the Open University and tells Georgie Frost and Lee Boyce of her experience. NS&I has doubled the rates on its green bonds – are they still missing the mark or is the boost good for eco-conscious savers? The Power of Attorney system has come in for plenty of slack this week with the 'creaking' system said to be in desperate need of improvement. What can be done and why is it important? Could you, or someone you know, be entitled to a social broadband tariff which could save hundreds on an annual internet bill? And finally, Lee goes into detail about This is Money's new retro revival series – with the first 'cash in the attic' style subject in focus being video games, and more specifically Nintendo and its late 90s N64 console.

Where do you stand on smart meters? This seemingly common sense technological advance in how we are billed for energy has proved hugely divisive. From concerns over security and surveillance, to a mistrust of energy companies, and a botched and sometimes accused of bullying rollout, smart meters have not proved the popular success it was hoped they would be. Now things have stepped up a gear, as an Ofgem change will lead to smart meters being able to send half hour updates to energy providers - opening the door for electricity pricing to change at different times of day. The idea is that this will help smooth usage and make the transition to green energy easier and cheaper, while saving customers money. That makes sense: why not charge your electric car or run the tumble drier when demand is low and so are prices? But it also creates the potential for a troubling scenario for many, where energy pricing is used to change our behaviour. Meanwhile, people also question whether private companies that sell us power are likely to give up profits and allow our energy bills to get cheaper overall. Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert look at the latest smart meter controversy and whether we are overthinking this. Also, there’s some number crunching on what people need to do to combat inflation’s effect on their spending, income and wealth. The team discuss the weird world of rising second hand car prices and used cars worth more than new ones. And finally, friend of This is Money, Dave Fishwick – of Bank of Dave fame – is going to be the subject of a movie. Lee updates on what Dave briefed him about earlier.

Thursday marked a big day for the pound in our pocket. First of all, it was announced the energy price cap was to rise 54 per cent. Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Helen Crane take a look at what that means, what support has been made available and what happens next. Hot on the heels of that bombshell we had another rate rise from the Bank of England - piling pressure on borrowers. What will it mean for mortgages and will we finally seeing savings rates begin to head higher? With rates on the rise, would you fix your mortgage for a decade? Halifax and Lloyds unveil 10 year deals. And Helen launches her Crane on the Case consumer column – the first saw a remortgage mix-up land our reader with a bill of nearly £4,000.