Money Box – Details, episodes & analysis

Not every dream job has an obvious route to success, so how do you make your passion project pay without falling behind on your bills?

Visa research shows that around 45% of Gen Zs (people born between the late1990s and the early 2010) have a side hustle, but it's not just for the cash. More than a quarter of those are working at a passion project.

So how do you make it if you want a career in comedy or to bag an Olympic gold? Do you have to tell your boss if you're doing extra work on the side? And what should you do about tax?

Today we're talking to an Olympian who worked as a custody officer, a comic book writer who worked in a biology lab and an aspiring DJ who's on a zero-hours bar contract.

Felicity Hannah is joined by Jack Gamble, Director and CEO of the Campaign for the Arts and employment lawyer Rupa Mooker.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Sarah Rogers & Catherine Lund Editor: Jess Quayle

(First broadcast 3pm Wednesday 31st July 2024)

Nearly 10,000 people have needed free debt advice because of accidental overpayments by the Department for Work and Pensions in the past 12 months. That's according to figures from Money Wellness, a debt advice company which is funded by the government's Money and Pension Service. It says because most of its clients are low income households these debts can have significant knock-on impacts on the rest of their finances. The DWP says its staff work hard to support customers, and it's important to explore ways to reduce fraud and error so it can support the most vulnerable in society.

What will the new Pensions Bill announced by the Labour government in the King's Speech mean for your finances? We'll discuss plans to bring small pension pots, which people get after short term jobs, together.

Campaigners are calling for bereavement support payments to be extended for longer and for the amount given to families to rise with inflation. At the moment parents under pension age whose partner dies are entitled to bereavement benefits - as much £3,500 followed by 18 monthly payments of up to £350. The charity Widowed and Young would like those payments to be in place for longer. The Department for Work and Pensions told us that it knows losing a loved one is devastating and that it's committed to supporting those most in need through the welfare system.

And what's the best way to pay while you’re on holiday abroad?

Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth, Sarah Rogers and Jo Krasner Researchers: Immie Rhodes Editor: Jess Quayle

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 27th July 2024)

Around 38,000 children move into care every year in the UK. That's one every 15 minutes and a significant number of looked-after children will remain in the system until they reach adulthood. So what happens then?

In this programme Felicity Hannah talks about what happens when you leave care. Without the bank of Mum and Dad, what financial support are those young people promised?

We're joined by Jess and Callum, two care leavers as well as Kirsty Doull, Care and Transitions Lead at CELCIS, which is the Centre for Excellence for Children's Care and Protection, Carrie Wilson-Harrop from the Care Leavers Association and Clare Bracey, Policy, Campaigns and Communications Director at the care leavers charity, Become.

Presented and Produced by Felicity Hannah. Producer: Neil Morrow Editor: Jess Quayle

(First broadcast 3pm Wednesday 26th June, 2024)

A “staggering failure” is how one senior MP has described a government scheme designed to help nearly a million households with their energy bills last winter. Former SNP and now independent MP Angus MacNeil, who's Chair of Parliament’s Energy Security and Net Zero committee, has called on the government to reopen the scheme after a Money Box investigation reported that 750,000 eligible households have not received the £400 to help with their fuel costs and can't now apply for it. The Energy Bill Support Scheme Alternative Funding was launched in February to give the £400 to people who live in park homes, on narrow boats, in care homes, and travellers who had not automatically had the £400 which was sent to households with an electricity meter. In response, a government spokesperson said: "We spent billions to protect families when prices rose over winter, covering nearly half a typical household's energy bill – this includes more than £50m supporting 130,000 households without a domestic energy supplier".

What do the government’s new proposals for pensions mean for the millions of people with money invested and how risky are the plans?

There's a warning about mortgage scams where people are being tricked into giving away personal details by phishing emails and texts.

And will government plans to reform consumer credit law strengthen or weaken our rights?

Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Dan Whitworth Researchers: Sandra Hardial and Jo Krasner Editor: Jess Quayle

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 15th July, 2023)

Millions of people are booking their holidays right now, but with hundreds of flights already cancelled and the threat of air traffic control strikes looming, how do you fight for your rights if your travel plans get disrupted? What's the best way to manage your money overseas? And how is the cost of living impacting people's plans if you are lucky enough to be getting away?

The experts in this podcast are: Cathy Adams, Senior Content Editor (Travel) at The Times and Sunday Times, Alan Dean, Managing Director at CoverForYou and Cedar Tree, and Sean Tipton, Media Relations Manager at the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA).

Presenter: Dan Whitworth Reporter: Sarah Rogers Researcher: Luke Smithurst Producer: Amber Mehmood Editor: Elisabeth Mahy

(First broadcast 3pm, Wednesday 12th July, 2023)

New data shows more than 700,000 households across Great Britain have missed out on £300 million worth of support with their energy bills. The government said in February 900,000 households were eligible to apply for a one-off £400 payment because they did not have an energy supplier that would apply it automatically. The government said it had spent more than £50m 'supporting households without a domestic energy supplier', but this data suggests just over £300 million of the possible £360 million in Great Britain had not been claimed before the deadline.

The big high street banks have been told to be more open with their customers about savings rates - what will that mean in practice?

And could Artificial Intelligence transform how banks decide whether to lend us money?

Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Sarah Rogers Researcher: Sandra Hardial Editor: Jess Quayle

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 8th July, 2023)

Bank bosses are being asked to explain why interest rates on savings aren't keeping up with the rising cost of borrowing.

The heads of Lloyds, HSBC, NatWest and Barclays banks will meet the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on Thursday.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has already stepped in to tell banks to put up rates for savers.

At the moment the Bank of England base rate is 5 per cent, following last months 13th consecutive rise.

UK Finance who speak for banks say "savings rates are driven by a number of factors," not just the base rate.

Laura Suter, head of Personal Finance at AJ Bell and Kirsty Stone, Chartered Financial Planner at The Private Office, are here to help make sense of your savings.

Presenter: Adam Shaw Producer: Sarah Rogers Editor: Jess Quayle

(First broadcast 3pm, Wednesday 5th July, 2023)

The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has stepped in to tell banks to put up the rates paid to savers after the Bank of England raised the official Bank Rate to 5%. Many mortgage rates went up at once and more have been increased this week, but the rates paid on savings by the banks have not followed them. The gap between the two has almost doubled from December 2021. We hear from Gillian who runs a business in Bromsgrove and ask how banks make decisions on savings rates.

More than two million calls to a helpline for people wanting to boost their state pension have been blocked by the Department for Work and Pensions. The Minister in charge of what is called the Future Pension Centre, Laura Trott, has admitted that in the first five months of the year more than two million calls were cut off without even being allowed to join the call waiting queue.

A new energy price cap comes into effect today. This will see households pay an average of 2,074 pounds a year. This is lower than the level at which government subsidies kept bills but still 800 pounds more than two years ago. We'll also look at how smart meter data is being used to research fuel poverty.

Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Felicity Hannah Researcher: Sandra Hardial Editor: Jess Quayle

(First broadcast 12pm, Saturday 1st July, 2023)

Amidst a cost of living crisis, almost 9 in 10 young adults say that simply having enough money to cover their basic needs is classed as aspirational, according to a survey by the children's charity Barnardo's. We hear about some of the financial pressures burdening young people - from renting, to food costs and car expenses.

In this podcast, BBC Newsbeat's Cost of Living Reporter, Sam Gruet, joins Felicity Hannah and Alice Haine, Personal Finance Analyst at Bestinvest.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Amber Mehmood and Sarah Rogers Reporter: Sam Gruet (Newsbeat Cost of Living Reporter) Editor: Beatrice Pickup

(First broadcast 3pm, Wednesday 28th June, 2023)

Rising interest rates are putting pressure on those homeowners with variable mortgages, or with fixed terms due to end this year. The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has met with the big banks to discuss the forbearance options lenders can offer to customers in difficulty. We discuss the long term financial implications of options such as payment deferrals, extending the length of the mortgage or switching to interest only with Sarah Coles, Head of Personal Finance at Hargreaves Lansdown.

The children's charity Barnardos is concerned about the impact of rising living costs on young people aged 18-25. The charity worked with the Co-op to survey 2,500 people in that age bracket. Almost 9 in 10 responded that having enough money to cover basic needs was considered 'aspirational', and more than half had worried about whether they could afford things in the last six months. We speak to a 20 year old care leaver about their relationship with money.

And what should you do to protect large sums of money from fraud? We've been contacted by listeners in the process of buying and selling a house, wondering where to keep large sums safe until they're ready to make their purchase. Reporter Dan Whitworth has the answers.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah Reporter: Dan Whitworth Researcher: Sandra Hardial Editor: Beatrice Pickup