Simon Webster | Money Talk

Why should you use an Independent Financial Adviser?

IFAs offer an unbiased view of your present financial position and your objectives. Most importantly they’ll help you chart the best route between the two – hopefully avoiding any bear traps! With sound advice and a strong plan comes the reassurance and security of knowing you are making the most of what you have and protecting the people you care about.

“We help our clients make smart financial moves leaving them feeling organised, in control and confident about the future…”
Simon Webster

Tune in to Money Talk with Simon Webster at 1pm tomorrow to find out more! #MTRadioUK

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February 2020

Why should you use an Independent Financial Adviser?

IFAs offer an unbiased view of your present financial position and your objectives. Most importantly they’ll help you chart the best route between the two - hopefully avoiding any bear traps! Wi...

Thu 13 Feb

Commercial Property purchase in Pensions

Self invested personal pensions (SIPPs) and small self administered schemes (SSAS) are often best used as vehicles for the purchase of commercial property which renders the property freed from cre...

Thu 06 Feb

January 2020

Brexit

BREXIT happens at 11.00 pm Friday night. Will anyone notice? Reflections on the most momentous day in Britain in a generation. Join Simon on Money Talk at 1pm this Friday! #MTRadioUK www.cha...

Fri 31 Jan

Salary Diversion and The Gig Economy

This week Money Talk explores salary diversion; a means of increasing the value of pension contributions funded by HMRC. There are other ways that the tax man can help investors and those making c...

Wed 22 Jan

New Year Planning

This week Money Talk host Simon Webster explores the ways in which you can plan your finances to kick start the new year with an organised and effective financial plan. Whether this be through ...

Thu 16 Jan

The Seasonal News

Firstly, Happy New Year from the team at Money Talk! We hope you had a relaxing Christmas break ready for this new year. This week Money Talk has a look at the seasonal news. From the raging bu...

Wed 08 Jan

December 2019

2019 Election Results Show

2019 Election Results Show - there could only ever be one subject for Money Talk this Friday and by the time we go live we should know the winners & losers and be able to predict what the next...

Thu 12 Dec

Fair Shares: Morality and Tax

How much tax should people pay? What is fair and what isn’t? Plus a section on how the young are shopping – the answer is not what you’d expect. Tune in to Money Talk at 1pm this Friday. ...

Wed 04 Dec

November 2019

Labour’s Tax Plans

Labour pledges that no one earning less than £80,000 will pay more tax but those who run their own businesses, those with savings and those with buy to lets will ALL pay more tax under Labour - A...

Wed 27 Nov

Making Business Work

Last week Simon looked at some of the issues confronting business start ups. This week he will consider how you take your business to the next level, what business structure you should use and why...

Thu 21 Nov

Business Start Ups and Development

There is much conflicting advice on how to set up and develop a business - what is right for you? Simon Webster has been advising business owners for over 40 years - tune into Money Talk on Fri...

Fri 15 Nov

Are Low Interest Rates Costing You Money?

Your mortgage may already feel cheap but too many are missing out on potentially huge savings. Current low interest rates mean monthly mortgage payments are as low as they have ever been in abs...

Thu 07 Nov

October 2019

Mobile Phone Coverage

Hello…hello…sorry I can’t hear you… The UK has some of the worst mobile phone coverage in the developed world - 66% coverage by landmass. Finally something is happening to address the p...

Wed 30 Oct

Investment Success

The calamitous fall from grace of once elite fund manager Neil Woodford reminds us all of the old adage: “investments may fall in value as well as rise…” But if a superstar fund manager can ...

Tue 22 Oct

Estate Planning

What Happens to Your Stuff When You Die? Making a will is one of those things none of us want to do. But none of us live forever and dying without a will has some pretty awful consequences – ...

Tue 15 Oct

Hedging your financial “bets” in an increasingly uncertain world

Hedging your financial “bets” in an increasingly uncertain world. The imminence BREXIT or not is starting to be felt by UK PLC: Productivity down House Price growth down UK Constructio...

Thu 10 Oct

September 2019

Wine Gender Bias

Wine, the most popular alcoholic drink among women in the UK, has seen more than double the tax rises over the past decade compared to beer – the most popular alcohol drink among men. A 39% ris...

Thu 26 Sep

Language of Money

Money Talk presents an interview with English language specialist and TV’s Countdown word expert, Susie Dent. It seems the charity Guide Dogs has been struggling to recruit describers for the 36...

Thu 19 Sep

Brexit

Brexit. Amidst the chaos, wage growth stays strong as unemployment falls and the employment rate remains at a record high. While the politicians fight amongst themselves, business continues to pro...

Tue 10 Sep

August 2019

‘PPI – The end of an era’ and ‘Business Relief’

PPI - The end of an era? Midnight 29th August marks the deadline for claiming on mis-sold PPI. A total of £340.4m was paid out in compensation in June 2019 bringing the total paid out since Janu...

Fri 30 Aug

Approaching Retirement

10% of historic state pension forecasts were wrong! So, what should you do? The new state pension for someone with a full National Insurance history is £168.50 per week or £8,762. If both par...

Thu 22 Aug

‘Equitable Life downfall’ and Nationwide-‘a nation of procrastinators’

Household name Equitable Life got itself into serious trouble in 2000 in promising unsustainable annuity rates to policyholders. For several years policyholders have battled to get their money ...

Tue 13 Aug

Property Ownership – First time buyers

Landlords ask “is it worth the hassle?” Those in need of accommodation ask and rent or buy? For much of the last century the saying was, “an Englishman’s home is his castle". But proper...

Wed 07 Aug

July 2019

Boris : Dude or Disaster?

Boris has been branded all show and no substance. Will he surprise us or confirm his critics’ fears? What next for the UK? Simon Webster discusses this on Money Talk this Friday at 13.00! #MT...

Thu 25 Jul

Credit Cards

It now costs £75,436 for a couple to raise a child to age 18. Due to the high costs of childcare, doing it on your own costs more, £102,627. These figures come from the child poverty action grou...

Thu 11 Jul

Financial Planning for Parents

It now costs £75,436 for a couple to raise a child to age 18. Due to the high costs of childcare, doing it on your own costs more, £102,627. These figures come from the child poverty action grou...

Thu 11 Jul

Pension Death Benefits

On death, the full value of an individual’s estate is assessed for Inheritance tax and is charged at 40% on everything in excess of the nil rate band – currently at £325,000. But note pension...

Fri 05 Jul

June 2019

Debt – When to get into it and how to get out of it!

Debt is probably the biggest single stressor in modern life. We are all bombarded with powerful messages urging us to buy the latest and best – after all it’s only a few quid a month and you�...

Thu 27 Jun

Equity Release

Money talk on Friday - Equity Release unpacked… Finding enough money to live on is a big issue for all approaching retirement. While the state pension has much improved in recent years, many ...

Wed 19 Jun

Everyone Makes Mistakes

We all make mistakes. One only has to look at Neil Woodford’s Equity Income fund, his flagship, which has crashed in value by over 35% in the last two years. A fund which returned a stellar 17.0...

Fri 14 Jun

May 2019

The Credit Card Industry

Research shows that 7 million business hours a week are wasted queuing at banks and up to a whopping £39 million is lost in small change largely due to human error when counting. Although nearly ...

Wed 29 May

‘Building a diverse portfolio’ and ‘Tracing a lost pension’

Time, patience and making informed decisions. 3 key factors that determine the success of a portfolio. Diversity thus spreading investment risk is also particularly important. Diversification of a...

Fri 24 May

An eclectic mix – ‘Investment & Tech Growth’ and ‘The negative impact of an absence of ‘money talk’ on society’

An eclectic mix on Money Talk this week as Simon Webster is joined by Head of Insights at Tech Nation, Dr George Windsor, to discuss how the UK now ranks 4th in the world in fast growth investment...

Tue 14 May

Commercial Funding

Cash is the life blood of all business so the availability of funds to fuel expansion, purchase assets or merely support cash flow during a lull is often the difference between success and failure...

Thu 02 May

April 2019

Mitigating Inheritance Tax

HMRC celebrated record Inheritance Tax receipts of £5.4 billion in the 2018/19 tax year, a 3.1% increase on last year. The upward trend is set to continue! Planning is essential to ensure that...

Fri 26 Apr

Tax planning for the 2019/20 tax year

As we enter another new tax year, now is the time to plan ahead and tweak your financial arrangements for maximum returns. The pension lifetime allowance has increased to £1,055,000; an increa...

Fri 12 Apr

Family Protection

If I had my way, I would write the word ‘insure’ upon the door of every cottage and upon the blotting book of every public man, because I am convinced, for sacrifices so small, families and es...

Wed 03 Apr

March 2019

Retirement Planning

The triple lock has significantly improved the lot of those in receipt of state pension, but an aging population has forced the government to push back the age from which we can expect to receive ...

Fri 29 Mar

Consequences of the Brexit mess

Following a second massive BREXIT humiliation, May’s government staggers on under ever increasing pressure. With just three weeks to go until the legal date of BREXIT, the whole country waits wi...

Thu 14 Mar

Money Talk Taboo plus What to expect from the Chancellor’s Spring Statement

Renowned Chartered Clinical Psychologist and Patron of the charity, Relate, Professor Tanya Byron and Catherine Kehoe from Lloyds Bank will join us in the studio. They’ll be discussing why money...

Tue 05 Mar

January 2019

Budget for 2019

This week’s program will cover How to so organise your affairs that you enter 2019 organised, in control and confident about the future! Whether this be through the use of a budget planner or...

Wed 09 Jan

December 2018

Christmas Financial Planning

Although we usually associate Christmas with precious family time and offering gifts to loved ones, we all tend to over consume and for many Christmas is overshadowed by debt and financial worries...

Tue 04 Dec

November 2018

Stress

This week’s program focuses on stress. Money worries are a major stressor and a major contributor to poor mental wellbeing. The NHS website has a whole section on coping with money worries; whil...

Wed 28 Nov

Inheritance Tax

As I write this blog Money Talk will be focusing on Inheritance Tax - once described by Roy Jenkins as a voluntary levy paid by those who distrust their heirs more than they dislike the Inland Rev...

Thu 15 Nov

Communications

The internet has already revolutionised shopping and it continues to revolutionise communications – both business and personal. BT has not installed any new Integrated Services Digital Networ...

Mon 05 Nov

October 2018

The Budget

The Budget: “Great giveaway or kick in the teeth for the poor?” Spreadsheet Phil finally loosened the purse strings in the first Monday budget since 1962. Will his budget measures give the ...

Tue 30 Oct

Protection

An offer you can't refuse? The vast majority live from paycheque to paycheque. But what happens if that cheque stops? What happens if you’re sick, injured or dead? Who pays the rent? Who pays...

Wed 24 Oct

Wise investing in a crazy world….

The pervasive influence of Trump, BREXIT and state sponsored murder - not forgetting state sponsored cyber terrorism – all combine to continue one of the longest periods of global market uncerta...

Wed 17 Oct

SIPPs

Investors have used SIPPs to buy esoteric assets that have turned out to be worthless. There is a court case on the subject running even now. SIPPs are allowed to hold a wide range of different in...

Thu 11 Oct

Children’s Financial Education

Money Talk presenter Simon Webster would argue that the ultimate purpose of education is to prepare our children for the world of work. Only a few can leave school to work in PR, in media, or “c...

Thu 04 Oct

September 2018

The Tobacco industry and Strategies for first-time buyers

Does the tobacco industry have a future? And if it does should it? With many actively avoiding investing in the tobacco companies what is holding up their share price? Philip Morris the tobacco �...

Tue 11 Sep

Is “an Englishman’s Home Still His Castle”?

Yet another set of recently published numbers suggests that it is now taking 3 or 4 times longer to save for a deposit to buy a house than it did in the 80’s! What can be done? If you want to get...

Tue 04 Sep

August 2018

Artificial Intelligence Stole My Job

We may soon be hearing that line a lot as the Bank of England warns that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will soon put millions out of work. Their Economists envisage a Fourth Industrial Revolution w...

Tue 21 Aug

Pension scams and how to avoid them

With 253 fraud victims reported to Action Fraud during 2017 and £23 million lost, pension scam artists continue to steal money by luring people by offering unrealistic returns on their pension sa...

Tue 14 Aug

Interest Rates

On 2 August 2018 the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England unanimously voted to increase interest rates by 0.25% for the second time in 9 months following their historic collapse ...

Tue 07 Aug

July 2018

The Rise of the FAANGs!

The 5 technology giants: Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google (parent Alphabet) collectively known as the FAANGS, now have individual annual turnover greater than many countries! Together, ...

Wed 25 Jul

How not to run out of money…

Cashflow planning - the best kept secret in financial planning? “Is it a truth universally acknowledged that those in possession of a good fortune must be in want of financial advice?” T...

Thu 19 Jul

BREXIT IN CRISIS

The resignations of David Davis and Boris Johnson have placed huge pressure on Teresa May over Brexit. Make no mistake this is a full-blown crisis impacting every man, woman and child in the count...

Mon 09 Jul

Financial exclusion

An estimated 12,000 branch-based jobs are at risk due to bank closures around the country. With mobile banking being adopted more than ever before, the relevance of branches is starting to be questi...

Tue 03 Jul

June 2018

Home ownership hopes collapsing?

Stepping onto the first rung of property ladder has become an ever-greater challenge. As a result, the younger generation now asks, “is the dream of owning any home over?” Ever increasing hous...

Fri 29 Jun

Income Roulette

16 million people in the UK are balancing on a knife edge, literally just one pay cheque away from financial disaster – with insufficient savings if they lose their job. It’s the middle age...

Tue 19 Jun

Commercial Business Finance

The banks are sometimes accused of “offering business customers an umbrella when the sun is shining but taking it away as soon as it starts to rain.” This week Simon unpicks the vexed issue of...

Tue 12 Jun

May 2018

The gender pay gap follows women into retirement

Research from Prudential shows that the average woman can expect a pension income £4,900 per annum lower than the average man – for life! Thus while the average man expects £21,800 the average...

Tue 29 May

Equity release or mired in debt?

We are all living longer which means our money needs to stretch even further…and what happens when it starts to run out? If you have been lucky enough to own a property in the UK any time in ...

Thu 10 May

April 2018

Mythbusting- Common Law marriage

This week Money Talk hosts Helen Noble, a mediator and collaborative lawyer with solicitors Rix and Kay… She’ll unpack the urban myth that is “Common Law” marriage. There is really no such...

Tue 24 Apr

How to avoid personal liability from business errors

Simon’s guest this week is Dan Sherlock, commercial lawyer with Rix & Kay Solicitors and together they will be discussing the limitation of personal liability for those running an incorporat...

Tue 17 Apr

Pension Transfers

Many people are sitting on a fortune and just don’t know it. The cash equivalent transfer value of many final salary pensions (the cash a final salary pension scheme gives you to go aw...

Tue 10 Apr

Tax Strategy for the New Tax Year

Every March, radio shows and newspapers give top tips for last minute tax planning, but that’s it, they’re last minute! Far better to set a tax strategy for the year ahead so that you can impl...

Tue 03 Apr

March 2018

The end of the tax year

The end of the tax year is nearly upon us. If you haven’t done so already, it’s time to start thinking about making the most of your money! Some of the things you could consider are: • Us...

Wed 21 Mar

Local businesses enjoy a revival

Local businesses are enjoying a revival, thanks to social media. The popularity of small businesses is on the rise as more of us are reconnecting with our local establishments. The latest resea...

Tue 13 Mar

Who pays when something goes wrong?

Society has come to expect a pay-out should something go wrong. Why is it always somebody’s fault? Last year the NHS paid out nearly £1.6 billion in compensation for medical negligence. How ...

Tue 06 Mar

February 2018

Getting on the Housing Ladder

Home ownership is at a thirty-year low and housing continues to eat up a growing proportion of household income. Owning a home by the age of 25 has become an unachievable dream for many over the l...

Wed 21 Feb

Evolving laws on Britain’s roads

Britain's roads are a hazardous place and the laws ruling them are ever evolving. This Friday on Money Talk, Simon is joined by David Barton, a solicitor specialising in motoring law. David ...

Thu 15 Feb

Has the Stock Market Bubble Burst?

This week America sneezed, so the rest of the world caught a cold. The Dow dropped by more than 1,175 - its biggest one-day points fall in its history – and European, UK and Asian markets all sa...

Fri 09 Feb

Crypto currencies and other scams

When we last talked about Bitcoin it had just hit a peak value of $17,000 USD. Today it’s fallen through $10,000 USD so all those people who did not buy it on our advice can be extremely gratefu...

Thu 01 Feb

January 2018

Tax doesn’t have to be taxing

As the deadline for online tax returns looms, for many panic may be setting in! Some may not even know that they need to submit a tax return. Here are some of the reasons you’ll need to sen...

Wed 24 Jan

Business ownership: the key to success

Failure to manage its business properly just brought down Carillion, it has previously brought down Lloyds Bank – only saved by a tax payer bailout, Northern Rock, HMV, Blockbuster, Kodak, Borde...

Tue 16 Jan

Financially Fit for 2018

New year, new you! It's the mantra we hear repeated January after January, year after year. Yet financial fitness is overlooked at the best of times, and around the festive season our bank acco...

Wed 10 Jan

December 2017

2017 in retrospect

2017 - a year that has been absolutely packed full of both highs and lows. This Friday Simon will be reflecting on the good, the bad, and the bits in-between. For a one hour summary of the y...

Wed 27 Dec

Data Protection – knowing where you stand

With the New Year comes new regulation impacting every business in the land - including yours! General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) aims to return control of personal data to the individ...

Tue 12 Dec

All things Christmas

All things Christmas with Money Talk live on Friday. A great Christmas need not cost the earth; how to stay safe on winter roads with Rachael Hogg from Auto Trader. Simon will also investigate�...

Tue 05 Dec

November 2017

Tax Breaks for the Wealthy or Investing in Enterprise? EIS Unpacked…

One of the few big things “Spreadsheet Phil” did in his 2017 budget was double the “EIS tax allowance” from £1m to £2m (as long as at least £1m was invested in knowledge intensive compa...

Tue 28 Nov

The Budget 2017

Phil Hammond’s last budget was a disaster. Will this one be his last - or will he fare better this time? 300,000 new homes a year is apparently his new target. They’ve released 230,000 this...

Tue 21 Nov

Vital tax planning tips for all

The hyper efficient Hong Kong Tax code is the world’s shortest at 276 pages long. Meanwhile the UK tax code is the world’s longest at 17,000 pages. HMRC would have us believe that “tax doe...

Tue 14 Nov

Hanging on to your drivers licence this Christmas

Navigating Britain's roads can be a hazard at the best of times, particularly in the lead up to the festive season. The situation could only be made more complicated should you be found to have...

Wed 08 Nov

October 2017

Raising business finance

Business finance has been harder to come by since the 2008 crash. While the high street banks tell us they are doing much more to help small business, many such business owners still cite “raisi...

Tue 31 Oct

Working through divorce

In 2016 there were 106,959 opposite sex divorces and 112 divorces of same sex couples. Interestingly these numbers are down from their 2005 peak. There seem to be no official statistics on cohabit...

Wed 25 Oct

Alternative finance options

Nearly two thirds of UK SMEs (small & medium sized enterprises) don’t understand how invoice finance works, despite their financial directors and CFOs considering restricted cash flow a bar...

Thu 12 Oct

The Conservative Party Conference 2017

Conference Season Episode Two: The Tories The Tory party has the biggest peacetime challenge of any government in history - negotiating the UK out of the Eu. Anyone who thinks this is straight ...

Tue 03 Oct

September 2017

The Labour Party Conference 2017

What should we make of the Labour party conference? Will they win the next election? Where do they stand on BREXIT? Is this the end of Private Finance Initiative (PFI)? What about student ...

Wed 27 Sep

Retirement: are you prepared?

Are you prepared for retirement? When it comes to planning for later life, doing nothing is not an option! Whatever your situation, saving for the latter years of your life is crucial. However,...

Wed 20 Sep

August 2017

Convenience costing motorists cash

You're skidding?! Motorists lose almost £1,000 selling their cars through car buying websites BMW's & SUV's lose out the most Cars registered post 2014 lost £1,548 on average More t...

Tue 15 Aug

Auto Enrolment

Over 700,000 small & micro employers will be looking to auto-enrol in the the next 6 months, accordingly to The Pension Regulator. The automatic enrolment legislation imposes duties on empl...

Wed 09 Aug

Tax Credits – does your business qualify?

Thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s) are receiving tax credits from the government for research and development (R&D) projects. SME’s can see a return of up to 25% of re...

Wed 02 Aug

July 2017

The UK’s vanishing Bank & Building Society branches

• 84% OF BRITS STILL BANK OVER THE COUNTER • ONE IN 10 WHO BANK IN BRANCH CITE SKETCHY BROADBAND OR NO INTERNET BANKING ACCESS AT ALL • 31% BELIEVE THEY COULD SUFFER FINANCIAL EXCLUSION IF...

Thu 20 Jul

Cars: lease or buy?

Do you know what car to buy next? Hybrid, petrol, diesel or full electric? Would it be best to lease, buy, or HP your next car or van? Should you go through your bank, or use a specialist as...

Tue 11 Jul

Interest rates: historic lows – Student debt: historic highs

With the lowest interest rates in living memory, the last ten years have been great for borrowers but awful for savers – and it’s not changing any time soon! Meanwhile students in England a...

Wed 05 Jul

June 2017

Final salary pensions – opportunity or unexploded bomb?

It’s taken some time, but George Osborne’s pension freedoms are finally coming into play. These freedoms have captured the attention of many, and subsequently Final Salary Pension transfers are ...

Thu 29 Jun

Unpicking fairness

Paraphrasing Churchill “Capitalism is the world’s worst economic system – except for all the rest.” ..and therein lies the dilemma. Socialism failed in Russia and in Cuba. It was only whe...

Tue 20 Jun

Election Results June 2017

Friday is set to bring a clearer picture of who will be taking us into the UK's exit from Europe. But who will be leading the way? Simon will be discussing the results of the election this F...

Tue 06 Jun

May 2017

Pension freedoms…

More people than ever before are transferring their secure Final Salary pensions into potentially high risk personal pensions, opening the door to a future mis-buying scandal. In days gone by fina...

Tue 30 May

Election Special

Uncovering the truth in an era of fake news. U Turn if u May? Corbyn’s policy platform. The National Debt. This Friday Simon examines the issues and as a lifelong Tory voter he is not happy! ...

Tue 23 May

The Key is Productivity

Productivity can make or break a business. But how can business owners ensure that they are getting the most out of their staff? This week Money Talk is hosted by Jo Dodds who will be joined b...

Tue 16 May

Lenders in the spotlight

First credit card companies were ordered to clean up their act - now car loans are coming under the spotlight as the financial regulator launches a new investigation into car finance. With 90% of ne...

Thu 04 May

April 2017

Excess Capital going to waste

BRITISH FIRMS HAVE £500BN LOCKED UP IN EXCESS WORKING CAPITAL CASH TIED UP SHOWS BUSINESSES UNDER HISTORIC PRESSURE LATE PAYMENTS AND STOCKPILING AHEAD OF PRICE HIKES CAUSING A HUGE FINANC...

Tue 25 Apr

From the ground up

Without the right foundations many new business fail...so what is the key to building a successful business? This week on Money Talk Simon is joined by special guest Denise Wilton, founder of Mark...

Thu 20 Apr

Debt threat

In Money Talk this week Simon and Jo will tackle the thorny issue of credit card debt. In an overdue but welcome move the UK Financial Services Regulator proposes compelling card issuers to provide ...

Tue 04 Apr

March 2017

Where there’s a Will, there’s a way

Money Talk this week features solicitor Keith Betts. We will be exploring the reasons why pretty much everyone should make a will and the consequences of dying without one. We’ll be looking a...

Fri 31 Mar

A bumpy ride?

This week Money Talk will live up to it's name. With so much happening in the financial world, Simon will be tackling: The fallout from Article 50 Scottish devolution The Trump Effect ...

Tue 21 Mar

Should you join the local chamber of commerce?

The short answer is YES! Jo James Chief Executive of Kent Invicta Chamber joins Simon this week. They’ll be discussing importance of the work the Chamber does behind the scenes on behalf of busin...

Thu 16 Mar

Budget tightrope

The chancellor has a difficult balancing act to perform in this week’s budget. UK Plc is still in massive debt and is still spending more than it receives in tax. Meanwhile vital public services...

Tue 07 Mar

Human capital – the value of people

~ Money Talk this week focuses on human resources. Identifying vacancies/opportunities, constructing a job description and person profile, advertising, shortlisting, selecting, on boarding, traini...

Thu 02 Mar

February 2017

Divorce: the hard facts

There were over 130,000 divorces in the UK in 2013. So more than half a million adults and their children went through what is often described as the most stressful event in life in a single year. C...

Tue 21 Feb

Political & economic upheaval – a week in review

Continued political and economic uncertainty leave much to ponder this week: Will rising inflation trigger early interest rate rises? Will the Uber led GIG economy crash due to changes in em...

Wed 15 Feb

Get wed for a pension?

The rights of public sector pension scheme members with partners (rather than spouses) have been significantly improved following a ruling by the UK Supreme Court. Denise Brewster lost her long-t...

Wed 08 Feb

January 2017

Mergers & Acquisitions – Pure Science or Dark Art?

Companies spend more than $2 trillion on acquisitions every year, yet according to the Harvard Business review the M&A failure rate is between 70% and 90%. Why do so many go wrong. Money Talk ...

Tue 31 Jan

Cyber-crime threatens us all

Cybercrime – crime involving computers and probably the internet and identity theft are now a far greater threat than “old fashioned” mugging and robbery. These days everybody knows someone...

Wed 18 Jan

Greedy lenders defy regulator at borrower’s expense

If you are being penalised by your existing lender what can you do? Homeowners are still being forced to undergo strenuous credit-checking if they wish to move their mortgage from one property to a...

Wed 11 Jan

The ‘hidden hungry’ with Canterbury Food Bank

Joining Simon this Friday the 6th of January will be Canterbury Food Bank Trustee Peter Taylor-Gooby and volunteer David Whitehouse. Peter and David will be sharing the work that their charity ...

Tue 03 Jan

December 2016

2016 Best Bits

This week Simon will be reviewing the year gone by (the good, the bad, & the ugly!). On top of this we will be revisiting some of our favourite past shows! Tune in from 1pm this Friday the...

Thu 22 Dec

Credit and store cards: the good, the bad and the ugly

Convenient or dangerous? A help or a hindrance? Credit & store cards can be viewed entirely differently depending on who you ask. For the most part, whether a credit/store card is beneficia...

Thu 15 Dec

Financial survival at Christmas

At Christmas family budgets always come under huge pressure. The cost of food, hosting and visiting, plus gifts & toys for the kids are fed by the natural desire to give the family t...

Wed 07 Dec

Employment law in an uncertain world

The job security of millions is threatened by BREXIT. Many of the UK’s employment protections emanate from Brussels. The terms of our departure and the attitude of future UK governments will hav...

Thu 01 Dec

November 2016

How will the Autumn statement affect you?

Tax, benefits & housing - just a few of the areas affected by this year's Autumn statement But as always, the real question is what affect this is going to have on real, day-to-day life, partic...

Fri 25 Nov

Carrying on post-Brexit

How a small family business is moving on after Brexit In the wake of Brexit, one key issue has reached the headlines time & time again: 'What impact will this have upon Britain's interna...

Tue 08 Nov

October 2016

Growing Pains: Living in an expanding Britain

A third runway at Heathrow has been approved, following a government cabinet meeting on Tuesday. In a post-Brexit UK, many people are singing the praises of this decision. Supporters have already a...

Wed 26 Oct

Empowerment Through Education

It is widely accepted that education opens many doorways in life. However, in a society that prides itself on it's education system there seems to be a general lack of resource and knowledg...

Wed 12 Oct

Brexit – Hard or Soft?

And what does this actually mean? It has been three months since Britain voted to leave the EU, and much has happened in the UK since then. Little, however, seems to have been decided around the...

Tue 04 Oct

September 2016

Is a £10 Living Wage viable?

Labour's latest proposal has outlined plans to implement a £10 living wage by 2020. But how feasible an option would this be? McDonnell has said that "Under the next Labour government, everyo...

Fri 30 Sep

Millennials: Coming of Age in an Economic Crisis

Younger generations are facing a more challenging financial outlook as they plan for the future. Since 2015 then there have been a number of improvements for the family purse. Both m...

Wed 21 Sep

Avoiding the Debt Trap

What savings options are out there for Britain's young? Following on from last week's show this week Jo & Penny will be investigating this. Tune in from 1pm on Channel Radio this Friday ...

Wed 07 Sep

August 2016

The Debt Crisis in Britain’s Young

Accordingly to recent studies a third of Britain's under 24s are over £3000 in debt. The study conducted for the Money Advice Trust by YouGov found that credit cards, over drafts, short-term loans...

Wed 31 Aug

Something is rotten in the state of UK pensions

Just about everything that could have gone wrong with the UK pensions system has gone wrong over the past 20 years, and there is no end in sight. The rot began with former Chancellor Gordon Bro...

Thu 25 Aug

The Gender Pay Gap

Mother's earning power falls behind their male counterparts upon their return to work, says a recent UK survey carried out by the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Figures have long suggested that wo...

Wed 24 Aug

Making Money Out of Cash

Britain is in a savings crisis... On the 4th of August the Bank of England cut interest rates to a new record low of 0.25%. While this is great news for borrowers, this cut is looking t...

Tue 16 Aug

The World of Residential Mortgages

Buying a house is considered to be one of the most stressful times in one's life. So who are the people who choose to be involved in this process every day of their lives? This week on Money...

Thu 11 Aug

State Pension

UK state Pension provision is already amongst the poorest in the civilised world. In an attempt to improve the situation a triple-lock on state pension was introduced to guarantee that it will incr...

Wed 03 Aug

July 2016

Britain’s Position in a Changing World

Following on from last week's show, this week Simon, Penny & Marcus will be discussing Britain's position in an ever changing world. From youth employment to coalition parties, American...

Wed 27 Jul

PR & Politics

This week on MoneyTalk Simon and Penny will be joined by special guest Marcus Chrysostomou, owner of South East based Equilibrium PR. Together they will be discussing the latest news in the po...

Tue 19 Jul

Brexit – What now?

Approximately a third of the population voted for BREXIT which of course means that two thirds did not. How democratic is that? The stock market is up, the pound may have plummeted but is now e...

Fri 15 Jul

Unintended Consequences of the Brexit

Britain currently appears to be very different country to that which it was prior to the 24th of June. Our political parties are in upheaval, we are untangling ourselves from a long term relationship ...

Tue 05 Jul

June 2016

The Challenges Facing First Time Buyers

Despite the considerable ‘hoorah’ around the new Help to Buy scheme implemented by the government, a recent study carried out by the BBC has shown that the average price of a starter home exce...

Tue 28 Jun

Brexit – The Result

What happens next? Today millions of people around the UK will be placing their vote for what they believe is the right way forward for the United Kingdom. Will we be staying in the EU? Or ste...

Thu 23 Jun

Fair Money?

BHS & Sports Direct VS National Living Wage & Auto-Enrolment Are we any closer to building a just society? Philip Green and Mike Ashley have made huge personal fortunes from British bus...

Tue 07 Jun

May 2016

Equity Release

Do you have the money for the lifestyle you desire? Many older people find that their pensions will not stretch to the lifestyle that they want - they are income poor. Meanwhile, they find thems...

Tue 31 May

The Future of Buy-to-Let Property Investment – Safe as Houses?

Careful structuring of your Buy-to-Let portfolio is now more important than ever £50,000 it in a building society, will be lucky to earn 2% or £1,000. That same £50,000 as a deposit on a £200...

Tue 24 May

Senior Finances Part Two

You know what you want to do, but how are you going to get there? Having touched on the subject of planning for retirement in the last show, this Friday (the 20th of May) Simon & Jo will be ...

Tue 03 May

April 2016

Senior Finances

Do you have a plan? As you get older you may find yourself thinking about things that may have hardly crossed your mind previously. In fact, many of these thoughts boil down to just the one...

Tue 26 Apr

The Behavioural Biases of Investors

Are your investments being held back by hidden prejudices? Investing your hard-earned savings can often be a nerve-racking experience. A recent study carried out by Schroders has identified that...

Tue 19 Apr

Inheritance Tax

Following the revelation that David Cameron received a £200,000 gift from his mother, Inheritance Tax is once again in the political spotlight. But what is Inheritance Tax, and how could it...

Tue 12 Apr

The Politics of Tax Evasion

What is all the hype around tax evasion? Hiding your identity is not necessarily illegal - neither is hiding your money. However in most places in the world doing either to evade tax is. On this...

Tue 05 Apr

March 2016

The Lifetime ISA

Receive a bonus of up to £1000 a year from the government! In the 2016 Budget George Osborne announced that from April 2017, if you are between the ages of 18 and 40, you will be eligible to op...

Tue 29 Mar

The Budget Fallout

Who pays for austerity? The 2016 Budget is now a battle over the government’s approach to the vulnerable. It initially appeared to be a ‘non-event’. But the real question now is: “were Ge...

Tue 22 Mar

The 2016 Budget

How will the 2016 Budget affect you? Due to be unveiled by George Osborne tomorrow (Wednesday the 16th of March), the 2016 Budget is will set the tone for the upcoming financial year. This week ...

Tue 15 Mar

Making the Most of Your ISA

In a time of record-low interest rates how are you making the most of your savings? When considering this an ISA (Independent Saving Account) seems like the obvious choice. However, due to...

Wed 09 Mar

February 2016

Tips for Starting a Business

Ever dreamed of starting up your own business? This week on MoneyTalk Simon will be joined by fellow entrepreneur (and new co-host) Jo Dodds to discuss how they each found themselves creating a...

Mon 29 Feb

Pensions & Property Purchases

Using a SIPP to purchase a property is highly tax efficient. This week on Money Talk... Write a cheque from your personal or business bank account to purchase a property and it's purely a bal...

Mon 22 Feb

The Time Bomb That Is Interest-Only Mortgages

Why are nearly one million people on the verge of having their houses repossessed? Money Talk investigates... In the 1980’s and 90’s interest-only loans combined with an endowment policy...

Mon 15 Feb

End of Year Tax Planning

This coming Friday on Money Talk Simon will be looking at the the ins and outs of Year End Tax Planning. As the end of financial year looms (April 5th), it is worth investigating whether or not you ...

Mon 08 Feb

Investing Ethically

In today's world it is often easy to remove oneself from where our money is being invested. Entrusting your hard earned cash with banks, pension funds and financial advisers (often without question) ...

Mon 01 Feb

January 2016

Investing Your Money in Stormy Times

Falling oil prices and fears about China have recently turned many people's minds to the Global Financial Market. Although things may have stabilised over recent years, some fear we are on the ve...

Mon 25 Jan

Law with Keith Betts

On this Friday Money Talk will be joined by guest speaker Keith Betts from Robson & Co Hythe. Simon & Keith will be looking at a variety of topics that Keith deals with in his line...

Mon 18 Jan

2016 Self-Assessment Tax Return

Over four million taxpayers still need to submit their self-assessment tax return before midnight on January 31st. In this week’s show we will be covering the whos and whys of self-assessment, ...

Mon 11 Jan

Owning Your Finances in 2016

New Year, New You! But how many of us actually stick with our New Year's resolutions? Take control this year and make the time to review your budget, making sure you will continue to make ends...

Mon 04 Jan

December 2015

The Change in US Interest Rates

Now that the Fed has raised rates – finally some might say - Money Talk is looking into whether or not a 0.25% rise in rates really matters... An interest rate increase anywhere means: B...

Fri 18 Dec

August 2013

Facts & Figures: A Profile

Simon was asked to write a piece for Kent Profile Magazine about successful Ashford businesses. So while this is history about the firm – we never forget that we got here by putting ou...

Fri 30 Aug