Money Box

Investment Changes and Women's Financial Rights

Sweeping changes to the way investments are recommended across the UK will start in April. This week the Financial Conduct Authority set out its plans. The regulator hopes they will encourage more people to invest their savings rather than keep them in cash. From April it will bring in what…

9 Jan 24 min

Money Box Live: Impulse Spending and Debt

It’s December, a time of year when there’s pressure to say yes to every night out, buy the perfect presents and spend without really thinking. All that can lead to snap decisions we later regret, whilst for others, impulse spending can be a real issue all year round. In this…

6 Jan 29 min

Energy Costs for Families and Salary Sacrifice Pensions

New research suggests there are 6 million children across the UK living in fuel poverty, according to the charity National Energy Action. It defines fuel poverty as when a household has to spend at least 10% of its income to keep their home warm. It says the impact on children…

2 Jan 26 min

Money Box Live: Making Sense of Your Pay

How much do we really understand about our pay? From frozen tax thresholds to salary sacrifice and minimum wage increases, a number of changes made in the Chancellor's budget might have left you looking a bit more closely at your payslip. So, what do all those figures mean, what is…

30 Dec 2025 30 min

Cash ISA Change and Carers Allowance

The Chancellor announced dozens of changes in the Budget that will affect the money in your pocket from wages and energy bills to savings. Many of them won't happen for some time - years in some cases - so we look at the more imminent tax changes. That will include…

26 Dec 2025 27 min

Money Box Live: Autumn Budget 2025

For months we’ve heard speculation about what the Autumn Budget might bring - now we know. The Chancellor has delivered her statement, setting out plans for taxes, benefits, and spending. But what does it mean for your money? Our panel of experts break down the key announcements and explain how…

23 Dec 2025 30 min

Life-changing Scams and Child Benefit

Money Box takes a special look at how victims of fraud are treated by those supposed to help them in the weeks and months afterwards. How are they helped in their fight for justice by the police, their banks and the courts? Or are they all too often left struggling…

19 Dec 2025 25 min

Water Bills and Graduate Jobs

A record number of households across England and Wales are now getting social tariffs from water suppliers to help cut their bills. Two million households now get support according to a new report from the Consumer Council for Water, which is up by 22% on last year. It comes as…

12 Dec 2025 25 min

Suspended child benefit and the cost of school trips

MPs on the Treasury Select Committee are seeking answers from HMRC after thousands of parents have had their child benefit stopped because they took a holiday abroad. The mistakes happened during a fraud crackdown on people emigrating from the UK but still claiming the benefit for their children. Now, among…

6 Dec 2025 26 min

Funeral insurance cancelled and not-so-simple assessment?

Thousands of people who've paid millions of pounds into an insurance plan they thought would cover their funeral costs face getting nothing in return. The insurer has told them their policies are being cancelled. Some had paid into the plan through their credit union for decades expecting a cash payment…

28 Nov 2025 28 min

Money Box Live: Beating the squeeze?

Inflation may not be in double digits anymore, but it is still almost double the Bank of England's target. That means prices are rising twice as fast as they should be. So we might have come through the cost of living crisis - but many people are still feeling its…

25 Nov 2025 31 min

Infected Blood Compensation and Standing Charges

Lawyers acting for victims of the infected blood scandal have written to the Chancellor demanding urgent action to avoid families and loved ones having to pay £100,000s in tax. The government has previously said compensation payments would not be subject to Inheritance Tax. But with around 3,000 victims having already…

21 Nov 2025 29 min

Money Box Live: First-Time Buyers

For some it's the dream, for others it's the plan, for most it's an effort. On this programme we look at buying a first home. It's rarely easy but plenty of people are making the jump. The property site Zoopla says first time buyers accounted for 40% of sales in…

18 Nov 2025 32 min

Unauthorised Recurring Card Payments and Overpaying Mortgages

The Chartered Trading Standards Institute is warning people to keep a close eye on their bank and credit card accounts after thousands of unsuspecting shoppers have said they're having money taken without their knowledge. Individual payments are usually quite low, but if not spotted, they can quickly start to add…

14 Nov 2025 27 min

Money Box Live: Apprenticeships

The government wants more young people to be offered "gold standard apprenticeships". The plan was unveiled at the Labour party conference as the Prime Minister ditched the ambition for half of young people to go to university. So we're looking at the financial side of apprenticeships, from how much they…

11 Nov 2025 32 min

Investing and Car Finance Compensation

The Chancellor wants more people to invest in shares, UK companies and infrastructure projects in a bid to boost growth in the economy. Rachel Reeves argued in her recent Mansion House speech that it would make people better off, but this kind of investment involves risk and is making some…

7 Nov 2025 30 min

Money Box Live: At the London Stock Exchange

Money Box Live hits the road and heads to the heart of the City of London for this special programme on investing. We're live at the London Stock Exchange to look at the basics and weigh up the different options. According to the Financial Conduct Authority, about a third of…

4 Nov 2025 31 min

Paying with Cash and Pension Age Rise

Cash now accounts for less than 10% of all the retail payments we make. New figures out this week UK Finance, which represents banks and others, show the latest in the long term decline of cash. Just over a year ago new rules from the regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority…

1 Nov 2025 25 min

Money Box Live: Private Healthcare

More of us than ever before have access to private medical insurance. New data shared with Money Box Live shows that more than 8 million people were covered last year - that's about 5 million adults, plus their families. It's a rise of 4% on the previous year and comes…

28 Oct 2025 32 min

Teachers' Pensions and Car Insurance Compensation

The National Association of Head Teachers has written to the Department for Education demanding it take action to address what it describes as the failing Teachers' Pensions Scheme. The union has told Money Box it's shocked at the number of members contacting it for help describing a litany of delays,…

25 Oct 2025 28 min