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Older people received another boost to the state pension this week taking the full rate to over £11,000 a year. This year's increase of 8.5% was thanks to the triple lock commitment - a guarantee the state pension will rise each year by the higher of CPI, wages or 2.5%. What does the future hold? While there is plenty of speculation the state pension may become means tested, in reality it could be incredibly hard to implement. Tanya Jefferies, Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Lee Boyce talk state pensions – and how they compare to other countries. And sticking on the theme, there is another delay for the Government’s new online state pension top-up service. When will it launch? NS&I has a four-day IT meltdown that makes it a struggle for customers to log-in – and it suggests to one that she may have a ‘time drift.’ What does this bizarre explanation mean? Crane is on the Case once more, this time Eon is in the firing line after it insisted a part-time dance teacher used £95,000 worth of energy … in a month. And who on earth would hold an American Express card in their wallet with an APR 704.6%? Lee has the answer.

Google is the latest tech company to host a conference full of AI pronouncements. Asit Sharma and Deidre Woollard discuss why the market is smiling on Alphabet lately, how Google’s announcements show the company’s AI ambitions and what Blackstone might buy next. Then, 17 minutes in, Robert Brokamp interviews Steve Chen, the CEO of NewRetirement, on what savers often miss about retirement. Companies discussed: GOOG, GOOGL, BX, MSFT, AZMN. Host - Deidre Woollard; Guests - Asit Sharma, Robert Brokamp

James Rhee is the former CEO of Ashley Stewart, a professor, entrepreneur, and the author of “red helicopter — a parable for our times: lead change with kindness (plus a little math).” Mary Long caught up with Rhee for a conversation about: an unlikely turnaround at a retailer serving plus sized, moderate income black women, eing kind versus being nice, when liabilities can become assets and vice versa, and real world goodwill versus the accounting version. Companies mentioned: NVDA. Host - Mary Long; Guest - James Rhee

Driving in difficult conditions can challenge your comfort zone: do extreme weather conditions, fast or heavy traffic or darkness bring on anxiety for you? If you believe you can't handle difficult situations, if anxiety amplifies — this episode could be for you. Adam Cox uses a Virtual Reality headset as a metaphor of disassociation, helping to build resilience resources and to generate confidence for handling challenges which can trigger anxiety.

Professor Tim Evans discusses the way in which an ageing population and fewer young people is creating huge problems for our economy. Money is not necessarily the answer. We are running up the down escalator and public services must be reformed. He considers an article which points out how even our top institutions and economists don't understand money and how it is lent into existence from thin air. Lastly, he recaps an article from an American think tank which points out how 1990s libertarians almost inadvertently started developing early forms of digital cash before the arrival of the internet.

James Cameron-Wilson reports on a box office down 36%, with blockbusters maintaining the four top spots. Dev Patel's directorial debut Monkey Man comes in at #5, a violent film about a hustler with a score to settle. Although it has kinetic energy, it lacks humanity and is derivative and wearisome. Worse is The First Omen at #6. Incredibly similar to the plot of Immaculate, it's a horror film with no sense of credibility. James much preferred the Amazon Prime superior remake of Road House with Jake Gyllenhaal as a charming bouncer. Directed by Doug Liman, it's more complex and interesting than the original and, while violent, it also has a great deal of humour.

Steve Caplin admires a Singapore company offering electric rental vans. In Denmark, they are developing drones that can recharge from power lines. Japanese scientists are experimenting with drones that can become a rolling wheel on land as well as fly. Hyundai are producing a robot that can deliver tea and post and cope with lifts. A new multitool lets you select the tools you would find most useful. Imperial College has grown a vegan leather shoe from bacteria which even dyed itself. And in Australia, they've found they can retrieve criminals' DNA from air conditioners.

Russ Mould of A J Bell explains why inflation – and the risk-free rate – are so important for pricing in markets. Expectations for interest-rate cuts being scaled back as inflation persists have helped gold reach record levels as investors look for stores of value. But Russ points out that silver has had less attention and is relatively cheap in comparison with gold. If there is a shift in the mood music, could it be silver's turn for a run?

Just in the United Kingdom alone, it has been estimated that there is £200 billion lying unclaimed as dormant assets. Better analysis is needed, more use should be made of search facilities by families — but the money needs to be put to work, prioritising inter-generational rebalancing. The Dormant Assets Act 2022 is a major step forward by Government, and the Reclaim Fund will enable its provisions to be put into practice. This will become an increasingly important contribution to empowering disadvantaged young people as the birth rate falls. Background music: 'Sea of Ancestry' by Jesse Gallagher.

There's a warning for savers who's fixed term deals are coming to an end - don't take your eye off the ball now or risk having your returns wiped out in a matter of months. A year ago, there was a flurry of savers choosing fixed-rate bonds as they improved drastically. But if you don't act, the chances are it'll rollover into an awful rate. Helen Crane, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost talk savings, just as we head into a new financial year. Also on the savings front, NS&I reveals the rate of the new British Savings Bond - is it worth it? And an ISA millionaire reveals all to This is Money on how he built up a seven-figure pot. Helen tackles another reader problem – this time, it's a case of the unwanted and unneeded SIM card costing a pensioner couple hundreds of pounds. And on the utilities front, Lee reveals how Ofcom saved him from a 75% rise in his monthly broadband costs, and why you should check if you're out of contract with your mobile phone. Mortgage approvals are up - but house prices nudge lower. What's going on? Meanwhile, research shows a record third of all homes are being bought by first time buyers – and they make up 89% of buyers in one Berkshire town. Lastly, entrepreneur Tim Armoo runs the rule over five money-making fads doing the rounds on social media – are any of them worth your time?