Money Box

Millions of adults across the UK, have not told their families what they want to happen to their money and property when they die. STEP, the Society for Trust and Estate Planners, reported this week on a survey which found 8 out of 10 adults had kept their loved ones in ignorance of their wishes. A third of them did not even have a will, leaving its distribution to complex legal rules rather than what the family itself might want. What should people do to avoid this?
It is nearly forty years since the government sold off British Gas and encouraged us all to Tell Sid as part of Margaret Thatcher's 1986 dream of a share owning democracy. Today, the present Labour government wants people to invest more and it has appointed the Investment Association, alongside 19 of the UK's leading financial services firms, to lead an industry wide initiative to persuade people with savings to move at least some of them into shares. This "Invest for the Future" campaign has its own mascot - Savvy Squirrel. Could this lead to cultural change in the way we invest?
And when might you have to pay tax on the interest you earn on savings? We'll explain all.
Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner
Researcher: Catherine Lund
Editor: Jess Quayle
News Editor: Justin Bones
(First broadcast at 12noon, Saturday 16th May 2026)

We may be living longer, but are our finances in the best of health?
On today’s Money Box Live we take a stroll through the decades and examine the kind of financial challenges that living longer might throw at us.
A growing number of people in the UK are reaching 100 – Sir David Attenborough among them - and there are now more than 600,000 people in their nineties, but are we sufficiently prepared for the true costs of sustaining a healthy income into later life.
Felicity Hannah is joined by two expert panellists who are answering listener questions - Dr Suzy Morrissey, deputy director of the Pensions Policy Institute, and Jonathan Cribb, deputy director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
How do you ensure your money lasts as long as you do?
Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producer: Craig Henderson
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson
(First broadcast at 3pm Wednesday 13th May 2026)

Since lenders were ordered to repay billions to consumers who signed up to unfair car finance deals, millions of people have been sent adverts exhorting them to claim compensation through claims managers or law firms. But now the Financial Conduct Authority is to investigate the industry amid concerns of sharp practice and misleading marketing. Paul Lewis asks if the regulator has acted quickly enough to root out the rogue operators.
And we hear from the serial switchers - those tempted by cash perks to change their bank accounts. Is it worth it?
Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Jo Krasner and Felicity Hannah
Researcher: Catherine Lund
Editor: Rob Cave
Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

Teenage years are formative in many different ways – and being able to handle finances is one of them.
In this programme - one of our special Money Box Life episodes – presenter Felicity Hannah talks to teenagers from varied backgrounds about their early experiences of handling money.
We get their views on the guiding role of parents. We hear how making mistakes can prove helpful – if you learn from them. And how jobs can shape the understanding of money and how to use it, providing of course you are able to secure some form of work in an increasingly competitive environment.
Advice is on hand from Stephanie Fitzgerald, head of young people's programmes at the Money Charity, and Julia Evans from Spear, which is a charity which supports young people to find work.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producers: Craig Henderson, James Graham
Editor: Robert Cave
Senior News Editor: Sarah Wadeson
(First broadcast on Wednesday 6 May 2026)

Some bereaved listeners whose relatives had money put away with National Savings and Investments are facing weeks and months of delay in getting their own money. It comes as NS&I works to track down the accounts of tens of thousands of people who had died, after it admitted keeping nearly half a billion pounds in its coffers that should have been passed to their estates. The state-owned bank has apologised and says its working hard on its plan to ensure those affected are paid what is owed to them, along with returning the processing of current and new bereavement claims to their normal time-frame.
The cost of borrowing has been held steady by the Bank of England. On Thursday its Monetary Policy Committee held the Bank Rate at 3.75%. How is that affecting mortgage deals?
And, how can young people, who’re out of work, find a job? Dan Whitworth reports on a scheme run by the charity Spear to address barriers to work. It comes as University College London publishes research which finds being out of work and education between ages 16 and 24 has long-term consequences for people’s employment and finances in midlife.
Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner
Researcher: Catherine Lund
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson
(First broadcast 12pm, Saturday 2nd May 2026)