Six million people will have £150 knocked off one winter electricity bill this winter. The Government has announced an expansion of the Warm Home Discount scheme which will almost double the number getting it. Who is eligible and how will people get the payment?Money Box has been receiving a steady stream of emails from members of the Teachers' Pension Scheme complaining about how their pensions are being managed. With more than 2 million members and liabilities of £278 billion the TPS is one of the largest in the UK. So what is going on? Dan Whitworth investigates.Child maintenance is a regular financial payment made by a parent who doesn't live with their child to help support the child's living costs. This week the government has announced plans for some significant changes to the way those payments are collected and transferred. We'll explain what's changing.Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporter: Dan Whitworth
Researchers: Eimear Devlin and Jo Krasner
Studio Producer: Sarah Rogers
Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 28th June 2025)
--------
25:00
--------
25:00
Money Box Live: Does Being Single Cost You More?
More people are living alone, in fact 3 in 10 households are made up of single adults, according to the latest government figures.Research from the pension specialist Royal London also suggests single people are more likely to be in their overdrafts at the end of the month and have smaller savings and pension pots than married couples.Today, we're looking at the impact of the single supplement, from travel costs to inheritance tax thresholds as well as hearing from those very much enjoying their financial freedom.Joining presenter Felicity Hannah is Sarah Pennells, Consumer Finance specialist at Royal London and Laura Suter, Director of Personal Finance at the investment platform AJ Bell.Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producers: Sarah Rogers and Helen Ledwick
Editor: Jess Quayle(This episode was first broadcast on at 3pm on Wednesday the 25th of June 2025 ).
--------
28:14
--------
28:14
Mansion House and Council Tax for Terminally Ill
It was a momentous day on Tuesday as the government and regulators announced major changes in the way investments will be sold. What's been proposed and what's the role of the regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority, in that?Inflation rose to 3.6%, this week the highest it has been since January 2024 - what's behind that?And two of the UK's leading end of life charities have told Money Box people given less than 12 months to live should not have to pay Council Tax before they die. The call from Marie Curie and Hospice UK comes just a few weeks after Manchester City Council became what's believed to be the first local authority in the UK to introduce such a scheme. Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner
Researcher: Eimear Devlin
Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 19th July 2025)
--------
24:55
--------
24:55
Child Trust Funds and the Cost of Insurance
Campaigners say more needs to be done to help the parents and carers of tens of thousands of disabled young adults access their own money held in Government backed Child Trust Funds. The Financial Inclusion Commission has told Radio 4's Money Box it wants the Government to officially endorse an informal process that some financial providers are already using to help grant access in days, instead of months or, in some cases, not at all. The cost of insurance might be falling but if you choose to pay monthly then you could be paying an extra 20-30% more. The Financial Conduct Authority has been carrying out a study into the market but what can it do to help protect people who can't afford to pay the whole amount up frontAnd we also look why a record number of people are taking money out of their pension pot as soon as they're able to at the age of 55. What could be the impact on your financial situation later in life?Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporter: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner
Researchers: Eimear Devlin and Catherine Lund
Editors: Sarah Rogers and Justin Bones
--------
25:04
--------
25:04
Money Box Live: AI and Your Money
Three quarters of financial firms are already using Artificial Intelligence, according to the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority, with more set to follow in future.Last month a new inquiry by the Treasury Committee began looking into the potential impacts of AI in banking, pensions and other financial services.So what does that all mean for your money? We speak to the experts about how it's being used, the rise of the chat bot and how to spot AI scams after one woman lost £10,000 to fraudsters. Joining Felicity Hannah this week are Gbenga Ibikunle, Professor and Chair of Finance of Edinburgh University and Jana Mackintosh, Managing Director for Payments and Innovation at UK Finance. Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producer: Sarah Rogers and Catherine Lund
Editor: Sarah Rogers(This episode was first broadcast at 3pm on Radio 4 on the 18th of June 2025)
UK