Forget 5 per cent savings rates. Forget 7 per cent. A new regular savings deal has landed paying a headline-grabbing 9 per cent. But, is it actually a good deal? Saffron Building Society aren't the only savings provider pumping up rates, with fixed-rates now hitting 5.25 per cent. And cash Isas are back with a bang with a record amount poured into tax-free accounts in March and April. That comes as more savers look to shield their money from the taxman, with more potentially busting their Personal Savings Allowance this year. On this podcast, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Helen Crane discuss all things savings and why people should be tracking down better rates. The debate moves on to housing, with one property price index suggesting an annual value fall of 3.4 per cent. So what's going on? Mortgage deals are being pulled left, right and centre and the amount borrowed in new mortgages dips a record low. Where is it all heading? Plus, Lee argues that tech giant Meta needs to listen to big banks and take the huge volume of social media scams more seriously. Helen gives a big update on her Crane on the Case column and the great dishes debate finally resolved: Is it cheaper to wash up by hand or use a dishwasher?

We had some good news this week about our energy bills - or did we? Ofgem's price cap is coming down - saving households around £400 a year on average. The last 18 months have been horrendous for households, so bad the Government had to step in in October and introduce a price freeze - but that was still double what the typical bill payer would have had to fork out a year previously. And although the cap is coming down, the removal of Government grants means most people will actually only be saving about £19 per month, or £225 per year. So what will we have to pay when the new cap starts in July, will bills keep going down, and when will energy companies start under-cutting the price cap with fixed tariffs again? On this podcast, Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Simon Lambert discuss when energy bills might go back to 'normal', and whether we should jump on fixed deals when they return, or treat them with caution. We also got the latest UK inflation figures this week. Despite a not insignificant drop from 10.1 per cent to 8.7 per cent in April, experts are pricing in another interest rate rise - and that is down to a surprise jump in something called core inflation. We explain what that is, and discuss just how high the base rate might go. Mortgage rates have also been on the rise, with major lender Nationwide hiking its fixed and tracker mortgage rates by up to 0.45 per cent among others. We look at why that is happening, and take in some advice from brokers on what those with a remortgage deadline coming up should do. But with bad news for mortgage holders comes good news for savers, with easy-access rates edging ever closer to 4 per cent. We list the best buys. The US debt ceiling has also been in the news this week, with the two main parties engaged in a stand-off about whether it should be raised. If it isn't, the world's biggest economy could default on its debts - but what exactly would that mean, and how big is the risk? Finally, with warmer weather on the way we discuss the new phenomenon of 'campervanflation', and why the younger generation can't seem to get enough of the classic VW Camper.

Almost five times as many people will soon be paying 40 per cent tax than in the early 1990s, when it was seen as a tax bracket reserved for the rich, the Institute for Fiscal Studies warned this week. It said that fiscal drag triggered by freezing the higher rate tax threshold would pull 7.8million people into its net by 2027. The study suggested that the threshold would have to be almost doubled from its current level, at £50,271, to almost £100,000 to return the tax band to the level intended for it. Alongside the report, came the IFS’s warning that 40 per cent tax had stopped being the preserve of high-earning professionals and was now hitting electricians, plumbers, teachers, nurses and more. The taxman nabbing 40p of every pound earned from a pay rise rather than 20p comes at a time when workers are running to stand still, with inflation at just above 10 per cent. So, is it time the government stopped taxing by stealth and using tools like fiscal drag – instead raising thresholds with inflation or wages? And is it time to hike the higher rate threshold and pull people back down to basic rate tax? On this podcast, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert discuss the thorny issue of tax and who counts as wealthy. The debate moves on to inheritance tax – another levy designed for the very rich but now hitting the wealthy middle classes. Why is IHT so unpopular when most don’t pay it and does it need reform? Plus, how much have you lost to inflation, will you get Nationwide’s new £100 Fairer Share bung, and finally, would you buy food two years past its best before date for big savings?

And there it was, another interest rate hike. Another quarter point move up seems almost commonplace now but cast your mind back to the era after the financial crisis and we had to wait nearly ten years for the base rate to climb above its 0.5 per cent 'emergency level'.  It cut got first and then base rate got all the way to the heady heights of 0.75 per cent, before it was cut again when Covid hit. Yet, less than 18 months since the Bank of England started raising rates in December 2021, base rate has rocketed from 0.1 per cent to 4.5 per cent. The rate itself is relatively low in historic terms, the magnitude of the rise is not. So, are the Bank's ratesetters right to keep voting for hikes, has the full pain been felt yet, and why would you do this when all the forecasts suggest inflation is soon to nosedive? On this podcast, Georgie Frost, Tanya Jefferies and Simon Lambert discuss the latest rate rise and how high interest rates will go. Plus, is the return of the 100 per cent mortgage absolute madness, a helping hand for trapped renters, or something in the middle of all that? Why people should claim pension credit or help their friends or relatives who could. And finally, not only will it lack the crisp one-liners of Succession, but an inheritance drama is not something you want to get into, so how can people avoid one?

A row over housebuilding has erupted again. Labour leader Keir Starmer has said he would bring back a 300,000 annual housebuilding target, after Rishi Sunak scrapped it.  Meanwhile, some backbench Tory MPs are reportedly unhappy about their party ditching that target in the first place – with the number having featured in the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto. At the same time Michael Gove has been cheered in many quarters for blocking a development in Kent, as it was deemed to be poor quality and ugly, but is now being taken to court by developer Berkeley Homes over the decision. So, what can we do about housebuilding and how do we get ourselves out of this mess – especially as the younger generation are squeezed out by high house prices and rents? On this podcast, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert dig into the myriad problems with UK housebuilding and what can be done to build better homes that people want to buy and have near them. Is the answer just bringing back targets or is it more complicated than that? Is not wanting housing developments Nimbyism if there’s a failure to build well and deliver infrastructure? How can we convince local communities to back new housing? All this and more come up for debate. Also on the podcast:  If you are in the fortunate position of being able to buy a home but are worried about falling house prices and locking into high mortgage rates, what should you do? Sam North, of eToro, joins us for the latest market update, including the reaction to the Fed's latest rate rise. Will a new crackdown on scams finally stop the fraudsters? And finally, we said it was coming. The 5 per cent savings rate is back, but should you get one?