Private vs public sector pensions - and how to avoid a race to the bottom

How much spare cash do you have to spend? A new index shows we typically have £836 in disposable income each month. That’s the amount of money you have left over to spend or save after taxes and bills have been paid, according to comprehensive research. This week, Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce talk income and ask... does a £100,000 annual salary really not make workers feel wealthy anymore? The annual list of happiest and unhappiest towns to live in Britain has been released, with Slough in Berkshire being labelled the most miserable. Is that a fair tag for any town? Bitcoin topped $100,000 for the first time. It soared in the wake of Donald Trump's election.  So, have the crypto evangelists been proved right, can you still make money from bitcoin and what other coins are worth looking into? Lastly, wood stoves are back in the news. What are the rules around them - and are they really a polluting menace?

House price predictions for next year have started to roll in, so where do the experts think they are headed next?  Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Lee Boyce discuss the property market - and delve into figures that attempt to tackle the tricky question: is it harder to buy a home now versus 50 years ago. And sticking with property, Halifax has launched a highly unusual fixed-rate mortgage - should borrowers be tempted? With the weather turning colder, we talk how to stay warm this winter without breaking the bank and whether it is worth getting a fixed tariff with your energy firm. We reveal the amount you should have saved in your pension in every decade of your life to guarantee a golden retirement - and how much notice you should pay to these formulas.  And lastly, Lee reveals his top tips for avoiding the out of contract rip-off trap - and how he's saving more than £400 in the next 12 months by doing so. 

Inflation's spell below the Bank of England's 2 per cent target has been brief and the latest CPI figure came in at a higher than expected 2.3 per cent. Meanwhile, Bank of England boss Andrew Bailey has joined the Office of Budget Responsibility in stating that the recent Autumn Budget is likely to lift inflation, as employers face higher costs from national insurance and the rising minimum wage. On the other side of the Atlantic, President-elect Donald Trump is seen as bringing his own inflationary pressure, which could spread from the US to the rest of the world. So what does this mean for interest rates? Are cuts about to stall - and what happens next for borrowers and savers? On this week's podcast, Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Simon Lambert, talk inflation, rates, mortgages and savings. The team also look at whether those needing to get a mortgage now should fix for two or five years. Plus, why the row over inheritance tax and farmers is symptomatic of Britain's bad tax system - and Simon's plan for a trade-off on IHT-free land. Crane goes on the case of money refunded ffor a faulty coffee machine much later to an empty gift voucher that had understandably gone in the bin. And finally, the listener question of the week is up and running, and it's one on sticking it to the man and having enough money to quit work for good.

Crypto has been a little quiet of late. Out of the spotlight, minding its own business. But Donald Trump gets voted back in as US president and boom - bitcoin surged beyond $90,000 for the first time. The rest of the crypto market has also seen a boost, so what's going on? Where is it likely to head next and what do you need to be aware of if you are cashing out your gains? Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost delve into bitcoin and friends to give their verdict. The number of Isa millionaires has soared, with a 228% jump of investors joining the club in just two years.  And there are 25 of them who hold an average of £8.9million. Just how do you build such a big pot? Britain's first Isa millionaire, Lord Lee, gives his three tips. Fresh from her Budget speech, the Chancellor has announced plans to use our pension savings to boost economic growth by creating megafunds. Just what are they? We tackle an tricky question about IHT and giving away a home. And finally, Lee's Collecting Corner is back... this time, he reports from a trading card, and reveals two Paddington themed treasures sent in by readers... a 50-year-old stuffed toy, and a limited edition signed print snapped up at a charity shop for just £30.

President Trump is back. The US election finally came to a head this week and rather than the knife-edge result many expected, Donald Trump secured a decisive win over Kamala Harris. This podcast episode is a special double header: the team discuss that US election result and interest rate cuts in the first half and then celebrate the tenth anniversary of the This is Money podcast in the second. First up it’s President Trump. In a sense, he is more of a known quantity this time round – having already racked up four years in the White House before. But that’s only in so much that Donald Trump can ever really be a known quantity and the financial world is preparing to strap itself in for another rollercoaster ride. But why does Trump claiming a second run at US president matter to our finances in the UK? What could his policies and pronouncements mean for small investors in Britain? And will the President-elect really drive mortgage costs up on British homes? Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert discuss the potential impact of the new Trump presidency on the show this week. Plus, the Bank of England has cut base rate again to 4.75 per cent but cautioned that it sees higher inflation and slower rate cuts in future. The team discuss what that means for our mortgages and savings. The menace of out-of-control bamboo in people’s gardens and what you can do if a neighbour has some is also up for debate. And finally, podcast fans should listen to the end for the tenth birthday chat – and an announcement on some celebrations.

On this special bonus episode of the This is Money Podcast, Rob Morgan, chief analyst at Charles Stanley Direct, joins Simon Lambert to answer the big questions that have emerged from last week's Budget. On this podcast, Simon and Rob cover among other things. Pensions and inheritance tax: Who will be caught out What can investors do – should they spend their pensions before other savings? What has happened with capital gains tax - and who will it catch? What are the best ways to keep a CGT bill down? How can savers and investors beat the frozen threshold stealth tax? What are the financial planning basics people should make sure they get right?

Rachel Reeves' maiden Budget this week saw the first-ever female chancellor make £40billion of sweeping tax rises to plug funding gaps, everywhere from the NHS and schools.  While it left many of us with something to be miserable about when it comes to our money, there were also some important dodged bullets, as Simon Lambert, Georgie Frost and Helen Crane discuss on this week's podcast.  Among the losers were landlords, investors and those who have stashed wealth in their pension, as stamp duty, capital gains tax and inheritance tax all came under the spotlight.  The attack on the middle classes was perhaps to be expected from a Government which has told us those with the broadest shoulders must bear a bigger burden.  But aside from a rise in the minimum wage and 1p off a pint, did the Budget give enough of a boost to 'working people' - and will changes to employers' National Insurance Contributions indirectly hit them in the pocket anyway? Given growth was the buzzword of the Labour election campaign, did Reeves miss an opportunity to get people excited about British industry and entrepreneurship?  We also dig into what wasn't announced in the speech, including a not-so-fond farewell to the short-lived British Isa, and a child benefit change that could have helped parents but found itself on the scrapheap.  

Whether you voted Labour or not, with any new government, there is a sense of optimism. Things can only get better… apparently. But within days, Rachel Reeves and co poured cold water over all that - and the gloom and doom about the economy and what then could be (and crucially not be) in the Budget hasn’t stopped. Well Simon Lambert is fed up. So he has put forward an alternative budget with less than two weeks to go. Do you agree with him? And what would you do? Alongside Georgie Frost and Lee Boyce, the trio talk about budget pessimism. Did it need to be this way? There has been plenty of speculation that NI paid by employers will rise and they may even have to pay NI on pension contributions. What does that mean? This week, CPI fell below the Bank of England's 2 per cent target in September, reaching its lowest point in three years. What does that mean for interest rates? More major lenders have put mortgage rates up - where next for home loan deals... and just what is Sonia, if not an Eastenders character or 80s pop star? And lastly, there has been plenty of pre-budget speculation about inheritance tax. But what about the here and now... can you really get caught out by taking your extended family on an annual holiday?