Money Box

Over 13 million smart meters have been installed in the UK. By the end of December next year gas and electricity suppliers will be expected to have taken "all reasonable steps" to roll them out to domestic and small business customers. One of those steps involves offering cheaper tariffs to customers - but only if they agree to have a smart meter installed. There's no legal requirement to have one so is it an unreasonable step too far? Guests: Lawrence Slade, Chief Executive at Energy UK and Joe Malinowski, founder of energyscanner.com To what extent does the way we bank affect the way we spend, or don’t spend, our money? Guest: Abi Adams, Behavioural Economist at the University of Oxford. The Serious Fraud Office has opened an investigation into individuals linked to London Capital & Finance. The failed high-risk mini-bond provider entered administration in January, but not before over 11,000 people had trusted it with £236m of their cash to invest in what they were told were fixed-rate ISAs. They now stand to get 20% of their money back at best. Annuities are a retirement income product bought with some or all of your pension pot. The insurance and pension provider Prudential is currently transferring around 400,000 policy holders to Rothesay Life following the sale of its portfolio to the annuities specialist. Guest: Billy Burrows, Retirement Director at specialist pensions adviser Better Retirement who explains the underlying security behind annuities and how they are protected if the provider changes. Reporter: Dan Whitworth Presenter: Paul Lewis Producer: Charmaine Cozier Editor: Richard Vadon

The number of first-time buyers is up, says Chancellor Philip Hammond. Will it continue? If you've managed to buy your first property, how did you do it and what help did you get?

In his first budget speech for the new Labour government chancellor Gordon Brown announced the 1999 introduction of individual savings accounts. The idea was to encourage the habit of putting money away, especially those who had never saved before. Twenty years later, there are more types available. We look at non-cash ISAs with Mark Polson, Founder of The Lang Cat financial services consultancy. Money Box reporter Dan Whitworth looks into warnings sent to the Financial Conduct Authority years before it took action against London Capital & Finance plc. LCF entered administration in January. By that time over 11,000 people had put £236m into high risk mini-bonds. At best they might only get around 20% of their original investment back. Laura received a letter from the Department of Work and Pensions asking for £625 of benefits it had placed into the bank account of her deceased grandmother. Laura's only involvement was to register the death. There was no will and no executor. The few assets her grandmother had went towards meeting funeral costs. The DWP confirmed to Money Box that there's no legal obligation to return a benefit direct payment of this type and if the recovery letter it sends is ignored, it will not pursue the amount. It also confirmed there are no plans to reimburse Laura the £625 she struggled to raise to pay it. Guest: Adam Sym, Probate Executive, Stephensons Solicitors. The exit fees charged by investors who want to move from their current online platform, and the difficulty many face in doing so, is the subject of the latest market study from the FCA. What might change for investors and do the proposals go far enough? Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Dan Whitworth Producer: Charmaine Cozier Editor: Richard Vadon

The Chancellor, Philip Hammond, gives an update on the health of the UK economy. What will it mean for your household finances? A panel of experts will analyse what he says and we want to hear your assessment too. Are you cheered or concerned by the state of the nation's finances? And how will it affect the way you spend or save your hard-earned cash? Also, looking ahead to the new tax year, we'll discuss the tax cuts which begin in April and the outlook for our personal finances over the next twelve months. Guests: Tina Riches, Chartered Institute of Taxation Michelle Cracknell, independent pensions consultant Jane King, independent mortgage adviser from Ash-Ridge Private Finance Shirley McIntosh, Head of tax for Scotland at RSM accountants and tax advisers Presenter: Paul Lewis Producer: Sally Abrahams

Money Box reporter Dan Whitworth investigates the companies which marketed London Capital & Finance plc ('LCF') mini-bonds to investors, including on comparison websites. LCF entered administration in January, by then 11,000 bondholders had invested £236m of savings. The joint administrator to LCF, Finbarr O'Connell, also provides an update on efforts to determine how the investments of those 11,000 bondholders unravelled and whether they have any hope of getting any of their money back. The cost of obtaining a death certificate in England and Wales recently increased from £4 to £11. People usually find, to their surprise, that they need to purchase multiple copies of certificates when alerting financial institutions or utility companies to a bereavement. Guest: Ian Bond Director and Head of Trusts and Estates at Talbots Law and chair of the Law Society's wills and equity committee. Financial Independence, Retire Early or FIRE is a movement driven by the idea of extreme saving in order to fund an early retirement. How realistic is it? Guests: Kristian Danielson who is 27 and planning to retire before he's 40 and Nick Earl, Financial Planner at London Money where he specialises in investments and retirement planning. Reporter: Dan Whitworth Presenter: Paul Lewis Producer: Charmaine Cozier Editor: Richard Vadon