This is Money Podcast

Follow us on Instagram @dmgnewmedia.Follow us on TikTok @dmgnewmediaFollow us on X @dmgnewmediaEmail us hello@dmgmedia.co.ukText us  020 7938 6000.Hosts: Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce, Helen CraneProducer: Georgie Frost Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the sort of theoretical question you might discuss at the pub with your mates. If you won the lottery and had the choice, would you pick a £1million lump sum, or take £1,000 a week for life?  Pollster YouGov posed the question to 7,000 Britons recently, and it is fair to say opinions are divided. According to two money experts, there is a right answer - so which is the best strategy, and why is likely to make you much richer? Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Helen Crane discuss. Easy access savings rates have barely budged in recent weeks, but fixed-rate deals are becoming much more attractive. We look at some of the best - and Helen explains why a number of HSBC customers are feeling disgruntled after Isa transfers to the bank were hit with a raft of delays. The team also looks at Volvo's chaotic EV recall, and what drivers who have been told their car is a potential fire risk can do. It has been confirmed that the energy price cap will rise by 13 per cent in July, with costs for the average household climbing by £221. So is it worth thinking about fixing your tariff? And in this week's heatwave, we discuss data which reveals exactly how expensive it is to keep cool. Are new-fangled air cooler devices worth it, and is air conditioning as pricey as many assume?Follow us on Instagram @dmgnewmedia.Follow us on TikTok @dmgnewmediaFollow us on X @dmgnewmedia. Email us hello@dmgmedia.co.uk. Text us 020 7938 6000.Hosts: Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce, Helen Crane. Producer: Georgie Frost. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.Follow us on Instagram @dmgnewmedia.Follow us on TikTok @dmgnewmediaFollow us on X @dmgnewmediaEmail us hello@dmgmedia.co.ukText us  020 7938 6000.Hosts: Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce, Helen CraneProducer: Georgie Frost Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A week is a long time in politics... and what a week it’s been. But what does all the turmoil mean for our money? And can we blame it all on Labour?Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce discuss the threat to Keir Starmer's leadership and why it has caused some market panic. If the Prime Minister is ousted, what could the new man or woman in charge change when it comes to tax and wealth?Nearly a quarter of retailers now no longer accept cash - but there is a cohort of 'cash preppers' tucking money away at home in case of payment outages. Should we care?NS&I has bumped up the underlying rate on Premium Bonds and made the odds of winning a prize shorter - are they now a good home for your cash again?And finally, Lloyds Bank launches a first-time buyer mortgage requiring a £5,000 deposit. Is it a good way to step onto the property ladder?Follow us on Instagram @dmgnewmedia.Follow us on TikTok @dmgnewmediaFollow us on X @dmgnewmediaEmail us hello@dmgmedia.co.ukText us  020 7938 6000.Hosts: Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce, Helen CraneProducer: Georgie Frost Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this bonus This is Money podcast episode, Simon Lambert interviews Marcus and Alexander Blunt, the brothers behind travel firm Heidi, to find out how they turned a start-up into the UK's second biggest ski package holiday firm in eight years - and survived the pandemic's threat to the business along the way. Eight years ago, brothers Marcus and Alexander Blunt were passionate skiers frustrated by the difficulty of trying to organise the mountain holidays that they and their friends really wanted.Deciding on a ski resort, sorting flights, accommodation, transfers and getting friends from different parts of the country to the right place at the right time, had Marcus building complicated spreadsheets to work things out.After one mammoth piece or organisation, they had a lightbulb moment. Maybe it was time for a package holiday firm that allowed people to tailor their ski trips to what they needed, find the best place to go to and put customer service centre stage.With both the brothers working in the travel industry, they decided to figure out how to test their concept and the appetite for it and then launched their start-up in 2018, while doing full-time jobs - and both having babies born that year.They made a pact that if they could do £500,000 worth of sales in their first year, they would quit their jobs and go all-in, explains Alexander.From there, in the space of less than eight years Heidi has grown to become the UK's second biggest package holiday firm. That's no mean feat considering that the pandemic hit just two years in - and halfway through the ski holiday season.Marcus and Alexander tell Simon how they turned their business idea into reality, how they grew Heidi, the lessons they have learnt along the way and share their tips for other aspiring entrepreneurs.Follow us on Instagram @dmgnewmedia.Follow us on TikTok @dmgnewmediaFollow us on X @dmgnewmediaEmail us hello@dmgmedia.co.ukText us  020 7938 6000.Hosts: Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce, Helen CraneProducer: Georgie Frost Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Student loans look like another mess that has reached a tipping point in Britain's shonky financial system.There are three different types of student loan plan that graduates could currently be on and one of them offers a particularly bad deal.Those who took out Plan 2 student loans, between 2012 and 2022, suffered fees being hiked to £9,000, face interest rates of RPI plus 3 per cent, and have seen the repayment threshold above which they lose 9 per cent of their income bounce around at the whim of governments.Meanwhile, lots of graduates are staring down the barrel of decades of a big extra chunk coming out of their wages, but then never actually clearing the debt before it gets written off after 30 years.As the reality bites of the student loans they signed up to at 18 - for an average post university debt of £50,000 - without properly realising the consequences, many late 20 and 30somethings are increasingly angry.Do they have a point and what can we do? On this week's podcast, Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Simon Lambert talk student loans, what might happen, what we could do - and who should pay for university.Plus, what does the Bank of England holding rates mean for borrowers and savers.For those who aren't losing their spare cash to a student loan and have got on the property ladder, should you overpay your mortgage?The man who got his mortgage paid off in four years - and how he did it.What on earth is happening to bitcoin and why is it crashing?And finally, what are the rules on flexible Isas and putting money back in?Follow us on Instagram @dmgnewmedia.Follow us on TikTok @dmgnewmediaFollow us on X @dmgnewmediaEmail us hello@dmgmedia.co.ukText us  020 7938 6000.Hosts: Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce, Helen CraneProducer: Georgie Frost Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump has been hijacking the headlines this week, with his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos a major talking point globally. With plenty of geopolitical drama afoot, what does a weakening US dollar mean for UK investors with money tied up in US and global funds?Simon Lambert, Georgie Frost and Lee Boyce discuss.One of the world’s biggest investment firms, Vanguard has spurned the Chancellor's efforts to drive up investment in the UK, as it plans to cut its LifeStrategy exposure to the UK - why and what should you do?Nationwide has bumped up what it will lend on mortgages to six times salary – it means borrowers can potentially borrow £50,000 more.Is this a step in the right direction or the path to trouble? Are you saving enough for retirement? Our analysis shows what you need in your pot at every milestone age to be on track… and what to do if you’re off target.This is Money reporter Harvey Dorset tries out a £5,000 smartphone - so what do you get for such a huge outlay?Lastly, Lee speaks to actress Joanna Page about her finances – the Gavin and Stacey star reveals what her mum and nan taught her about money. Follow us on Instagram @dmgnewmedia.Follow us on TikTok @dmgnewmediaFollow us on X @dmgnewmediaEmail us hello@dmgmedia.co.ukText us  020 7938 6000.Hosts: Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce, Helen CraneProducer: Georgie Frost Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What are the financial foundations you need so that you can then start living a richer life?On this episode of the This is Money Podcast, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert discuss what they think are the essential building blocks for taking control of your finances.From budgeting to protecting your family, what are the things you absolutely must do? They share what they've done right... and what they have done wrong and still slip up on.Meanwhile, the new year has seen the row over pubs and business rates blow up, with the Prime Minister and Chancellor rumoured to be about to have to do another U-turn. What went wrong, why didn't they listen straight after the Budget and are publicans right to feel aggrieved?Bank shares have been on a tear, but is there still time to invest as Lloyds breaks through the symbolic 100p mark for the first time since its financial crisis plummet?And what would it take for you to turn your home into a zero bills house - and is it worth the cost?Follow us on Instagram @dmgnewmedia.Follow us on TikTok @dmgnewmediaFollow us on X @dmgnewmediaEmail us hello@dmgmedia.co.ukText us  020 7938 6000.Hosts: Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce, Helen CraneProducer: Georgie Frost Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.