Money Box

What happens when Long Covid means you just can’t work like you used to? What kind of support could you be entitled to? And do you qualify for any benefits? Seb Choudhury hears from Holly, Jules, Lesley, and Sara about their experience with Long Covid. Whilst our panel of experts offer their advice and tips for returning to and leaving work. Panel: Ruth Cornish – Founder and HR Expert – Amelore Will Hadwin – Benefits Adviser & TrainerMore information:https://longcovidwork.co.uk/Presenter: Seb ChoudhuryProducer: Drew HyndmanEditor: Maggie Latham

According to the charity National Energy Action 6.5 million households are now living in fuel poverty which is up 50% on October last year. Fuel poverty is defined differently across the UK, but if you cannot afford to heat your home to the temperature needed to be healthy then you are in fuel poverty. People struggling to afford their energy bill are always advised to contact their supplier. We've been finding out what help is available.A report has highlighted the need to ensure low-cost flood insurance is available for those on lower incomes. According to the Resolution Foundation more than 1-in-3 of the lowest income households would like contents insurance but cannot afford it. It says as floods become more common in the UK more people could lose out financially. The government says everyone should have access to affordable flood insurance. The Association for British Insurers says there are already some low cost home contents insurance products for those in social housing and that it's looking at ways t

How much does it cost to rent an allotment? What food can you grow if you don’t have a garden? And can you really save money by growing your own food?Felicity Hannah chats to Sheila, Rebecca, Ross, Paul, and Jess about their growing questions and experiences. As always our expert panel is on hand to answer their questions and give their green fingered tips.Panel:Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones – The Black FarmerRussell Attwood – The National Allotment Society

Some government guidance to give some people a £150 council tax rebate in April to help with record energy bills has been changed. The treasury says it was always clear, including its press notice and the leaflet which went out to millions of households, that the £150 council tax rebate to help with the cost of living would be paid “from” April. More on this story.More than two million people who rely on six means-tested state benefits are going to be moved to the newer benefit Universal Credit over the next couple of years. Just over half of them will be better off on Universal Credit, but the government estimates 900,000 people will be entitled to less money. The Department for Work and Pensions says Universal Credit is a dynamic system which adjusts as people earn more or indeed less, and simplifies the safety net for those who cannot work. We'll speak to a benefits advisor about the transition.And, we'll hear from an 83-year-old grandmother who says her financial independence has been taken away after ext

How much would you pay to increase your chances of having a baby? Would you travel abroad? Borrow money or ask family for help?The use of private IVF clinics is soaring and prices for a cycle of treatment can reach over £10,000. Felicity Hannah chats to Jess, Steve, Peter and Pragya.And our expert panel responds to their questions and experiences.Panel:Tone Jarvis-Mack – Chief Executive – Fertility FoundationKayleigh Hartigan – Founder – Fertility MapperKatherine O’Brien - Associate Director of Communications and Campaigns – British Pregnancy Advisory Service

Ukrainian refugees are now beginning to arrive in Britain under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. Money Box has been contacted by two host families having difficulty helping their guests open UK bank accounts. Karina, a doctor, escaped from Kyiv and with her mother and her 5 year old daughter. They then travelled 1,700 miles to London. They are being hosted by Roger Corke and his family. They need a bank account to get benefits and give them some financial independence. We'll hear about their experiences and get a response from the banks and the government. Energy company bosses have been grilled in Parliament this week by MPs unhappy about price rises that critics are warning could push millions of people into fuel poverty by the end of this year. Also discussed at the same meeting was the issue of credit balances - when suppliers hold onto customers' money above and beyond what they actually owe. We'll hear from a listener about that and discuss plans by the energy regulator Ofgem to put in place more re

Energy bills, the big food shop, the price of filling up the car - everything costs more just now and there’s no sign it’s going to change soon.Felicity Hannah and guests ask where can you look for cheaper options, to make our money go further, but still have some fun?She is joined in the studio by expert deal hunters who promise not to suggest cutting back on Easter eggs.Bukiie Smart, accountant and the creator of the Save Spend Invest. Claire Walsh, a chartered financial planner. And journalist & money saver extraordinaire Mike Powell.Producer Smita Patel Editor Emma Rippon

Scams are on the rise and small businesses are no safer from fraudsters than consumers. And in some cases, businesses are being scammed by their own customers.Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cyber-crime, say that one in four small businesses are affected by fraud every year, with costs to businesses estimated at early £19 billion.How do entrepreneurs keep their budding business safe? What should companies do to protect their data? And when it all goes wrong, who can help small businesses?Louise Cooper hears from Shara, Raoul and Louise about their experience of scammers targeting their businesses.And she’s joined by our expert panel:Paul Meskall - Manager of Fraud & Cyber Crime Prevention - UK FinanceDr Roger Barker - Director of Policy and Corporate Governance - Institute of DirectorsGary Rycroft - Partner - Joseph A. Jones & Co.

The Government announced plans this week to impose more regulation on firms where people legally buy and sell bitcoin. One major crypto platform where people do this is called Kraken - which is where 77-year-old Graeme moved more than half a million pounds which thieves then stole. Graeme was robbed of his savings, his car, and his house by thieves who manipulated him to buy cryptoassets. We hear from Curtis Ting, a Managing Director of Kraken.In an extreme case of council tax arrears, we hear from Robert who has just received his first council tax bill after 24 years living in the same house. The London Borough of Barnet is demanding more than £30,000 in arrears. So what's going on? And does Robert have to - finally - cough up? We hear from barrister Alan Murdie who specialises in council tax, and edits the Council Tax Handbook for the Child Poverty Action Group.Thinking of claiming a Working From Home tax rebate? Listen to this first. HM Revenue & Customs has told Money Box it will be launching a consul

Millions of households are facing a £700 a year rise in fuel costs from now with the increase in the energy price cap. This comes on top of other hikes in the cost of living like council tax and more expensive food bills. How are people coping now the cap has been lifted? An expert panel gives advice. Expert panelDhara Vyas - Policy, Advocacy & Campaigns Energy UK Abby Jitendra - Principal Policy Manager on Energy, Citizens Advice

Welcome to April, the season of rising prices and higher taxes - including the largest increase in energy bills. The first of two payments to help with those bills should arrive this month - a £150 rebate paid by local councils to all householders in Great Britain in council tax Bands A to D. (In Wales and Scotland the money will also go to Band E-H householders who benefit from council tax reduction schemes.) For those who pay council tax by direct debit, getting the money should be straightforward. But as Money Box's Dan Whitworth reports, others - including students - may find it more difficult. We hear from Abby Jitendra, principal policy manager for energy at Citizens Advice.What's going on at the pensions and insurance company Scottish Widows? Listeners ask Money Box for help with very long delays in accessing money and problems with funeral plans. We hear from Kirsty Stone, independent financial adviser at The Private Office.From Wednesday 6th April, divorce will be easier in England and Wales. No more

The cost of living crisis is fuelling valid fears about personal and household finances - but what happens when money anxiety gets out of control? Many young people worry about their own and their family's finances, but what can they do to conquer the fear? We hear from Iona Bain, musician turned financial author who specialises in millennial personal finance. She founded Young Money Blog after suffering with money anxiety herself. And we also hear from Sharon Davies, CEO of Young Enterprise, the national charity providing enterprise and financial education to young people up to the age of 24. Presenter: Bukiie Smart Producers: Paul Waters, Maggie Latham & Drew Miller Hyndman Production Coordinator: Janet Staples Editor: Emma Rippon

Inflation is the rise in the price of everything we buy. This week the Office for Budget Responsibility predicted prices would rise more than 7% this year, peaking at nearly 9% this winter. We hear from Isabel Stockton of the Institute of Fiscal Studies, on tax changes and the worst inflation most people have ever seen.Some very vulnerable people are facing an even worse cost of living crisis than the rest of us. The amount of money that working age disabled adults are allowed to keep from their benefits - the "minimum income guarantee" - has been frozen for 7 years, even though prices have risen. Money Box reporter Dan Whitworth investigates. And we hear from a family affected, and from Jackie O'Sullivan, Executive Director of Advocacy for the learning disability charity Mencap.The Chancellor is raising the income level at which employees start paying National Insurance. From July, anyone earning less than £12,570 will not pay NI contributions. How will this affect your state pension at retirement age?Money

The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, gives an update on the health of the UK economy. What will it mean for your household finances?A panel of experts will analyse what he says and we want to hear your thoughts too. Are you cheered or concerned by the state of the nation's finances? And how will it affect the way you spend or save your hard-earned cash? Also, looking ahead to the new tax year, we'll discuss the tax rises which begin in April and the outlook for our personal finances over the next twelve months.Guests:Heather Self, Corporate Tax Partner, Blick RothenbergMike Brewer, Chief Economist, The Resolution FoundationLaura Suter, Head of Personal Finance, A J BellPresenter: Paul LewisProducer: Drew HyndmanEditor: Emma Rippon

We report on a man who was fed up with poor returns on his savings and tried to invest in cryptocurrency instead. But he ended up losing his savings, his car, and his house as thieves stripped him bare. Money Box reporter Dan Whitworth investigates.The government is about to announce changes to who is eligible to receive the Warm Home Discount in England and Wales. This £140 payment off one electricity bill will be raised to £150 from next winter. But charities are warning that there will be more than 200,000 disabled people who will no longer get the payment even though, overall, it will go to more people. We hear from Louise Rubin, Head of Policy and Campaigns at the disability equality charity, Scope.One in four households will not be able to pay their electricity and gas bills in October if prices rise again as they are expected to - that's according to Citizens Advice, as the cost of heating our homes rises much faster than our incomes. Already millions of households are in what is called fuel poverty —

How do you make sure your pensions and savings and invested ethically? Do you know where your pension is invested? How much of your money is invested in Russia? How can you put pressure on your pension providers to invest ethically?Felicity Hannah chats to listeners, guests and our panel of experts about how to make your money ethical.Panel:Lucy Coutts, Investment Director at JM Finn wealth managementBecky O’Connor, Head of Pensions and Savings at Interactive InvestorFind out more: https://makemymoneymatter.co.uk/Producer: Drew HyndmanEditor: Maggie Latham

Buying things online will be more difficult from Monday. A new law means that every purchase will have to be authenticated by an extra process after you have put in your card number, expiry date, and CVV code on the back. It will mean better protection against fraud, but may exclude some people from online shopping. We hear from Rob Cameron, Chief Executive of Barclaycard Payments, and Helen Saxon, Deputy Editor at Money Saving Expert.Two not-for-profit lenders have come up with a way to help low income families get the state help they are entitled to. Millions of people miss out of billions of pounds in means-tested benefits every year. Now these lenders have built in a benefits calculator to their loan approval process to help customers claim money they didn’t know they were eligible for. We hear from Theodora Hadjimichael, Chief Executive of Responsible Finance.Thousands of people try to avoid paying care home fees by putting their house into a trust. They're told it's a way to avoid the local authority co

The average UK rent has broken through the £1000 barrier for the first time and inflation is starting to push up landlords costs.How do you beat the rush for viewings? Could rent controls be a short term solution? And could a good tenant and landlord relationship solve all your woes?Charmaine Cozier is joined by an expert panel for tenants and landlords to answer questions and offer advice.Ruth Ehrlich, Policy Manager at Shelter.Chris Norris, Director of Policy and Campaigns at the National Residential Landlords Association.Elsie Bradley-Middle, Member of ACORN Renters Union.For more information on renting and letting: https://www.nrla.org.uk/ https://www.shelter.org.uk/Producer: Drew Hyndman Editor: Emma Rippon

The telecoms watchdog Ofcom has drawn up proposals to make it harder for criminals to fake caller ID when they phone people. It’s called number spoofing and happens when crooks use technology to make the number that comes up on your phone appear as though the call is coming from a legitimate organisation like your bank or the police. We hear from Lindsey Fussell, Ofcom’s Group Director for Networks and Communications.Big changes to the way student loans are repaid in England could change the balance for parents who can afford to pay for their education. The government's plans would extend the repayment period for the loans from 30 to 40 years before any balance is written off and reduce the earnings threshold at which the extra 9% tax kicks in. We hear from Sarah Coles, senior personal finance analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.A listener who pays for energy via prepayment meters asks if it's worth topping up ahead of prices rises in April. We hear from energy suppliers and the regulator, Ofgem.Plus a David and

As Russian military forces continue bombarding Ukrainian cities and civilians, are your investments supporting the Kremlin's regime? International companies have been pulling out of Russian investment, and pension funds and investment firms say they are reducing holdings in Russian companies. But what can ordinary investors do? Are you aware that a tracker fund or an investment bond might help support Russian firms? We hear from Lucy Coutts, Investment Director at JM Finn Wealth Management.For 1.7 million people across the UK, funeral plans offer peace of mind that when the inevitable happens their loved ones will be spared having to pay for a funeral. But there is big change on the way for the industry and those customers. By this summer all firms in the sector must be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority, to raise standards in the industry. But an indirect consequence of this is that tens of thousands of customers could lose out. Money Box reporter Dan Whitworth has been investigating. We also hear