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With markets roiled by the new Covid variant and the Fed Chairman admitting inflation may not be temporary after all, Russ Mould of A J Bell asks if we are finally seeing the Taper Tantrum central banks have been so nervous about. Quoting the US Misery Index and the Fear Index, he feels investors - to whom absolutely rather than relative return is most important – should not think that what has worked for 10 years will necessarily work in future. He has some suggestions for protecting private investors' portfolios.

Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University discusses a paper from John Penrose MP which could galvanise the debate on poverty, tackling the underlying causes, rather than treating its symptoms. He reflects on Nigel Farage's interview with Donald Trump on GB News, wishing Trump had faced a rather less friendly interviewer. And, confessing his own bias, he looks at the timeless and messy issue of the politics surrounding abortion, explaining why it is so divisive.

James Cameron-Wilson on the latest UK box office numbers. Opening at #1 is House of Gucci with Lady Gaga, directed by Ridley Scott, pushing Ghostbusters: Afterlife into second place. Disney's 60th animated feature, Encanto, opens at #3 while a special screening of the Cole Porter musical Anything Goes was #7 ("like the best seat in the theatre"). James's pick of the week is Jane Campion's The Power Of The Dog on Netflix. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, James reckons it will pick up many Oscar nominations.

Steve Caplin looks into the latest tech, with Sainsbury's opening a checkout-free store – again, this time in competition with Tesco. South Korea is introducing dancing, singing and farting robots in 300 nursery schools, there's a singing cactus that's ruder than expected, an air taxi that will make you feel you're Superman, a camera the size of a grain of salt, the oldest iron and fridge that are still working and a way of using two lenses at once on an iphone.

Adam Cox is joined by Mathilde Mackowski, leading “sexpert” and co-founder of the Sinful Group, to discuss why UK couples are having less sex around Christmas and why this trend may continue post-pandemic. They look at why it is so important to take time for both ourselves and our partners, even during busy periods, and Mathilde provides some advice on some of the ways in which couples can remain sexually intimate over the festive period.

We all have both good and bad memories: how often do you re-visit either? If you can focus on the former, it can lead to a sense of optimism and better decisions going forward. Adam Cox uses regression in this episode to help focus on those positive memories, so that they can act as conscious anchors on which to build better decisions for the future.

What makes a good consumer story to take up the cudgel on and fight a reader’s corner – and why don’t companies and organisations just do the right thing? A year ago, This is Money started its Grace on the Case column, where reporter Grace Gausden fights for reader’s rights and tries to solve their problems each week. Over those 12 months, roughly £381,000 worth of victories have been racked up – more than £1,000 a day. On this week’s podcast, Grace takes us behind the scenes of the column and talks about the cases she has tried to help with. She joins Georgie Frost and Simon Lambert to discuss the biggest issues that have emerged, and how things have played out when This is Money took on firms and organisations for readers. Also, on this week’s podcast, do you know how much tax you pay? Most people only have the vaguest idea based on their headline rate, but what percentage or amount do you actually pay, and where are the sneaky glitches in the tax code that catch people out. Plus, the LitterLotto where you can win money by putting stuff in the bin, whether Black Friday is a con or a golden opportunity, and finally, would you swap items in your shopping or lifestyle to beat inflation?

It's our Thanksgiving Special! Host Chris Hill and Motley Fool analysts Ron Gross and Jason Moser explain why they're thankful for The Trade Desk, Costco, Home Depot, and Lowe's. We discuss why investors might want to avoid Peloton, Zillow, and Avis Budget Group. And since no Thanksgiving is complete without dessert, we dig into a few slices of humble pie and talk Under Armour, Verizon, and Macy's. Ron and Jason share why the Energy Select Sector SPDR and Roblox are on their radar, as well as investing resources for anyone hoping to learn more about finance. Plus, we talk Procter & Gamble, Target, and toothpaste when we revisit our conversation with Charles Duhigg, bestselling author of The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business.

In his latest look at technology, Steve Caplin marks 50 years of the microchip. Uber is about to reach its 1 billionth trip in the UK, while Tesla's app locked owners out of their cars. There's an LED-lit zebra crossing, Adele putting an end to album-shuffling on Spotify, which has added lyrics to its songs, 8 million of them. There's crowd-funding for a gizmo that cancels out spurious noise when you're working at home and the Japanese are using discarded adult nappies to heat public baths.

James Cameron-Wilson looks at the UK box office, with Ghostbusters: Afterlife, directed by Jason Reitman, storming into the #1 slot with £4.3m. King Richard, with Will Smith in a possible Oscar-winning role, enters at #5 taking only £570,000. On Netflix, James much admires Tick, Tick… Boom! with Andrew Garfield another possible Oscar nominee. He also looks at sports drama Bruised, starring and directed by Halle Berry.