How to make the most of saving and investing into an Isa

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 per cent 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 per cent. 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. This week, 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 per cent? Lee has the answer.

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. On this week's This is Money podcast, 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 per cent 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 per cent 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?

The row over small deposit mortgage is the gift that keeps on giving. Hot on the heels of the Budget plan that never appeared arrives Yorkshire Building Society's new deal, that's been dubbed a 99 per cent mortgage. But is it really one of those and does it have any redeeming features? And if it's cheaper than you rent, is there anything wrong with taking a 99 per cent mortgage? On this week's This is Money podcast, Georgie Frost and Simon Lambert talk tiny deposit mortgages, negative equity and buying vs renting. Plus, gift card draining scammers, can your pension last retirement, and finally, where are the experts investing their Isa and how can you easily sort yours?

There is less than a fortnight to go before the end of the tax year and that means it's time to sort your Isa, pension and finances before it's too late. With another tax raid on the way for investors on capital gains and dividends, this is one of the most important tax year ends in years. On this special bonus episode of the This is Money podcast, Simon Lambert talks to Rob Morgan, of Charles Stanley Direct, to find out what investors need to do and why sorting your pension and Isa can save you a substantial amount in tax.

The Bank of England held interest rates again this week as inflation dropped once more. So, are we out of the woods yet? Will inflation keep coming back down towards target and the Bank of England soon seamlessly switch back to cutting rates? Or will central bankers be keen to hold onto higher rates, even if we get hit by a bout of disinflation? On this week’s podcast, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert look at what next for inflation and interest rates and what it means for your money. Also on the episode, should the Waspi women who saw their state pension age rise rapidly be compensated for the poor communication and how much of a victory was this week’s Parliamentary Ombudsman Waspi report a victory for them? As that happened, more news emerged on underpaid state pensions – as exposed by our Tanya Jefferies and pension columnist Sir Steve Webb, and the team update us on that. Plus, what’s going on with the chaos at HMRC and who is to blame for the failure to keep up with our increasingly tricky tax system. And finally, meet the Scambaiters – we find out what they do and why.

Jeremy Hunt bounced around delivering his Budget on Wednesday, proudly declaring his commitment to tax cuts and supporting working families. Another 2p was chopped off National Insurance and the threshold at which child benefit is removed was raised from £50,000 to £60,000. But you don’t need to be a financial expert to know that the Chancellor’s version of events isn’t quite the whole story. Because Mr Hunt is also presiding over a long-term stealth tax freeze to thresholds that is costing workers dear and his child benefit move merely kicked sky-high marginal tax rates down the road, rather than getting rid of them altogether. Nonetheless, a tax cut and an extra £5,000 Isa allowance – even if it’s a slightly iffy, limited one – is not to be sniffed at. So, was this an escape velocity Budget that puts Britain back on the path to growth? Or was it too little, too late, from a Tory party that has sported successive Chancellors who have been keener to raise our taxes by hook or by crook rather than cut them – or even just keep thresholds in line with inflation. On this week’s Budget special This is Money podcast, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert look at the winners and losers and go searching for the devils in the detail. What is the NI cut worth to you? Will you get some child benefit back? Did pensioners deserve a tax cut too? With a failure to reverse his capital gains and dividend tax raid, what has the Chancellor got against small investors? And will the British Isa be any good? All that and more – plus a look at why Nationwide is buying Virgin Money and whether that’s good or bad for us all.

On this bonus episode of the This is Money Podcast, Simon Lambert is joined by Charles Stanley Direct’s Lisa Caplan and Garry White for a quick run through what was in the Budget. Investment experts Lisa and Garry talk us through the main Budget points and what they mean for people. Join us on Friday for the full Budget episode where the This is Money Podcast team will dissect Jeremy Hunt's plan and reveal the devils uncovered in the details.

The debacle over widespread errors in the state pension that This is Money and Sir Steve Webb uncovered, continues. As of the end of October last year, DWP had paid out just under half a billion pounds to more than 80,000 people who’ve been underpaid. But what about those who have died? This week, Tanya Jefferies, Lee Boyce, Angharad Carrick and Georgie Frost reveal the case where a letter was sent to the daughter of an 100 year-old man three years after he passed away, stating he had been unpaid state pension for two decades. Yet, despite the letter – months later, she was left hanging on what the DWP was actually going to do about it.  And still on the state pension front, people continue to complain of top-ups chaos as the Government gets ready to launch a new online service next month. Sir Steve is calling on DWP and HMRC to get in more staff.    You don’t need HMRC to have more staff to answer your call, oh no! You just need to be a VIP. Apparently there is a helpline, also known as Public Department 1 (PD1) which answers calls nine times quicker. We explain more.  On the savings front, the FCA is launching a campaign to encourage savers to shop around – and if you rushed to sign up for a one-year fixed-rate cash Isa this time in 2023, Lee explains why you must act. Optional and mandatory service charges at hospitality venues – Georgie, Ang and Lee give their verdict.  And finally the price of bitcoin jumped beyond $60,000 this week. What’s behind the latest cryptocurrency surge?