Money Box

Latest Episodes:

Concern over quick sale estate agents Jan 25, 2020

Show notes

Home owners are at risk of losing large amounts of money when selling their properties by using so called quick sale estate agents. That’s a warning from Trading Standards. It’s told Money Box it’s seen dozens of examples of people losing tens of thousands of pounds from the market value of their homes when agents exploit people who are desperate to sell quickly.

In the first half of last year private parking firms requested 4.32m driver details from the DVLA so they could issue fines to motorists. This number of demands is 25% up on 2018 which was itself a fifth higher than 2017. We get many emails to moneybox@bbc.co.uk from listeners asking what they should do when they think they have been sent a demand which they believe is unfair. We speak to parking expert John Wilkie to find out.

A Money Box investigation has found that councils around the country are charging students Council Tax over the summer holidays when they should be exempt. Last week we heard from a student at Durham University who'd been sent a bill for hundreds of pounds. After the programme we were contacted by students from Oxford, Norwich, Salford, and Chester who had a similar story. Student bodies are now calling on the government to address the issue with local authorities to ensure that students aren’t forced to pay Council Tax.

Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Dan Whitworth Researcher: Darin Graham Producer: Dan Whitworth/Alex Lewis Editor: Emma Rippon

MBL: How to make the gig economy work for you Jan 22, 2020

Show notes

The gig economy is booming in the UK. More than a million people are using online platforms to secure jobs. Some people say that Uber drivers and couriers are the poster boys and girls for an exploited part of the workforce. Others argue the flexibility of working when and where you want works perfectly for those who don't want a 9-5 job.

Adam Shaw hears the good, the bad and the ugly tales from those working within the industry and he finds out how people can make the gig economy work for them.

Email moneybox@bbc.co.uk with your experiences or questions for the panel.

Guests:

Nye Cominetti, economic analyst at the Resolution Foundation Max Dewhurst, courier and IWGB unionist Andy Chamberlain, Deputy Director of Policy and External Affairs at the IPSE.

Producer: Ben Carter Editor: Emma Rippon

Should students pay council tax? Jan 18, 2020

Show notes

Four students studying at Durham University received a surprise bill for Council Tax. They were billed hundreds of pounds for a period when no-one was living in the property over the summer. After Money Box got in touch, the council looked again at it and concluded that the request for payment was made in error. The charge has now been cancelled. It also reviewed their council tax records for 2019/20 and found no other cases of students being asked to pay. We speak to the editor of the Council Tax Handbook.

Police forces across the UK have seen a recent spike in cases of what is called courier fraud. Criminals persuade older people to take cash out of the bank and then give it to a courier to keep it safe. What can potential victims do to avoid being scammed?

Earlier this year we looked at the history of financial mistakes. We asked listeners to get in touch with their biggest financial mistakes. A number of people told us theirs was buying a flat with Grenfell-style cladding and then being billed tens of thousands of pounds for its removal. We hear from people in this position.

Presenter: Paul Lewis Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Emma Rippon

MBL: How to buy a property without help from mum and dad Jan 15, 2020

Show notes

For many young people buying a home can seem like an impossible dream. High property prices, no way of saving for a big deposit and worries about paying for a hefty mortgage. But it's not all doom and gloom. Plenty of people are buying their first homes and the programme will hear from some of them. There are some cautionary tales though and we'll hear about those too.

Felicity Hannah is joined by - Kate Faulkner, property market analyst and commentator, Ella Cheney, shared ownership programme manager at the National Housing Federation and BBC journalist Thea de Gallier who focuses on housing issues.

Producer: Ben Carter Editor: Emma Rippon

Travelex customers face continued chaos Jan 11, 2020

Show notes

Council tenants on Universal Credit are much more likely to be in rent arrears than those who don’t get the benefit. That’s according to research carried out by Money Box. We surveyed local authorities for 12 of the largest cities across Britain and found tens of thousands of people having to manage this debt. The numbers also suggest not only are people on the benefit more likely to be in arrears, but they’re likely to owe much more too. We find out why.

Proposals about how to reform leasehold laws in England and Wales have been described as 'nothing more than tinkering' by campaigners. We speak to Professor Nick Hopkins the member of the Law Commission responsible for this report.

And foreign exchange company Travelex is still closed for business after a ransom attack eleven days ago. We find out what this means for its customers.

Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Howard Mustoe Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Emma Rippon

MBL: How to make money from social media Jan 08, 2020

Show notes

The world of the influencer is a lucrative one. Online stars made $8bn in 2019 and it's not just household names that are earning money. Louise Cooper and her guests explain how you can make money from your social media presence.

Louise talks to -

Beckii Cruel who posted videos of herself dancing to Japanese pop music in the late 2000's and ended up 120,000 subscribers to her Youtube channel.

Sara McCorquodale who has written a book (Influence) about the rise of the social media influencer and runs her own influencer marketing agency Corq.

Kate McCabe who turned to social media when she lost her job a couple of years ago and now posts videos of her spotting bargains at car boot sales and antique

Mike Parkes from Go Simple Tax who explains how influencers - whose remuneration comes in the shape of income, gifts and experiences - should complete their tax returns.

Producer: Ben Carter Editor: Emma Rippon

The history of financial mistakes Jan 04, 2020

Show notes

History is littered with tales of financial error – many instantly familiar even though they may have taken place several centuries apart.

Why do we keep on making the same mistakes with our money and what can we do to stop making them?

Paul Lewis discusses with Russell Napier, the Keeper of Edinburgh's Library of Mistakes, Prof Nicky Marsh who is writing a book on the history of financial advice and Dr Joe Gladstone from UCL's School of Management who helps people make better behavioural choices with their money.

Picture: General Gregor Macgregor - Scottish soldier, adventurer and confidence trickster.

Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Emma Rippon

The Money Clinic revisited Dec 28, 2019

Show notes

Money is one of the top three strains on relationships and it’s a common cause of rift between family and friends.

You might be cautious and risk averse and hate to see your partner frittering their money away on new clothes and nights out; while they might think you should stop being so miserly with your cash and splash out once in a while.

Earlier this year Ruth Alexander introduced ‘The Money Clinic’. In this special Money Box series we eavesdropped on the conversations of three couples and a mother and son talking honestly about their finances with a relationship counsellor. We learnt about their relationship with each other and how money impacted on their relationships, as well as hearing how they managed the emotional side of money. We learnt that individual attitudes to money are formed in early life, and how arguments about it are often about much more than just money.

In this programme we catch up with two households and hear what impact the Money Clinic had on their relationship with money.

If you have a money and relationship issue you would like to share, email moneybox@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Ruth Alexander Producer Smita Patel Editor Emma Rippon

The gift of money Dec 21, 2019

Show notes

The Government has accepted all but one of the recommendations made by Sir Amyas Morse in his review of the controversial 'loan charge'. This means that 11,000 people will be let off paying money to HMRC. They had signed up to schemes that paid part of their salary as a loan. Promoters of the scheme had told them that meant they were not liable to income tax but had ended up receiving bills for thousands of pounds retrospectively.

Financial advisers are not happy with changes the regulator has made to how you check if a financial adviser is registered.

And the best way to gift money to children at Christmas.

Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Dan Whitworh Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Emma Rippon

Money Box Live: Communal Living Dec 18, 2019

Show notes

From a housing cooperative near the city, to an organic farm in the sticks, communal living can vary enormously. So what are the financial pros and cons of a shared lifestyle? Adam Shaw visits a co-housing scheme in Leeds where residents enjoy the privacy of their own home, whilst sharing meals, cars and mortgage costs. How much can they save on their monthly bills and what are the downsides of living together with your neighbours?

If you have experience of communal living - whether a hippy commune, a co-housing scheme or even a student housing cooperative - do get in touch and share your stories. You can email moneybox@bbc.co.uk any time, or tweet @moneybox. Or call 03700 100 444. Lines open from 1pm on Wednesday 18 December.

Guests: Chris Coates, an editor at Diggers and Dreamers, a website offering information about communal living Angela Vincent, from the UK Cohousing Network

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Money Box

Related Podcasts

1

2

3

4

5

6