Personal finance with public-service bite.
Money Box treats household finance as a live public-interest beat. Recent episodes connect mortgage rates, fraud strategy, pension-age changes, debt, car finance claims, and payment choices to the decisions people have to make under pressure.
PRESS PLAY
Money Box is built around the point where personal finance stops being theoretical. It begins with people facing bills, delays, fraud, debt, and decisions they cannot easily postpone. Then it widens the frame. A rise in mortgage rates is linked to bond markets, oil prices, inflation fears, and the Bank of England. A government fraud strategy is measured against the experience of people who have been financially and emotionally devastated by scams. A pension-age rise is not treated as a line in a policy timetable, but as a change that makes some people wait longer for income they expected. The programme also spends time on smaller financial choices that can have large effects. Recent episodes have covered contactless limits, pay by bank, junior ISAs, car finance claims, civil service pension loans, and buy now, pay later at the till. The result is a show that feels practical without becoming simplistic. It is comfortable with figures, but it usually asks what those figures mean for mortgages, fuel, savings, compensation, debt, or rent. The interview style is direct and grounded. Experts are pushed to translate forecasts, rules, and schemes into plain consequences. Case studies keep the programme from sounding detached. Sarah's crypto losses, Benji's debt-linked homelessness, Alison's delayed pension payment, and Hannah's use of buy now, pay later all give the financial systems a human edge. Money Box also pays attention to institutions: banks, regulators, charities, government departments, lenders, energy companies, and claims firms. It is skeptical of vague promises. It prefers clear eligibility, risks, and next steps. There is little appetite for financial theatre. Even when the subject is alarming, the programme stays steady. That makes it useful for people who want consumer finance explained with urgency, but not panic.
Made for: Money Box suits people who want financial news translated into everyday consequences for borrowing, saving, pensions, debt, bills, and consumer rights. It is especially useful for listeners facing major money decisions or trying to understand schemes, claims, and policy changes.
What sets it apart: The programme combines live consumer cases with financial, regulatory, and policy analysis. It stands out by pressing every topic toward practical consequences rather than leaving it as market commentary or generic advice.
The latest news from the world of personal finance plus advice for those trying to make the most of their money.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Money Box connects financial headlines to household consequences, pairing practical questioning with clear attention to consumer risk and institutional responsibility.
Money Box follows financial pressure to the point where it changes an ordinary decision. Paul Lewis moves from rising mortgage rates and water bills to delayed pension payments, buy now, pay later borrowing, fraud and the difficulty young people face getting hired.
No cheaper water supplier to flee to: Money Box meets you where the bill lands.
Press play if you want
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A clear look at mortgage pressure, fraud policy, and the household impact of money headlines.
The piece brings mortgage pressure, fraud policy, and the everyday knock-on effects of money shocks into the same frame. It is at its best when it moves from higher mortgage rates to the strain on people at renewal, then into scams and the damage they leave behind.
Moneybox links war-driven price shocks with the brutal mechanics of a cryptocurrency scam.
Moneybox frames just over a week of war through the everyday pressure points of money, following how attacks involving the USA, Israel and Iran spread across 16 Middle Eastern countries, lifted oil and gas prices, disrupted transport routes, and fed into the mortgage outlook.
Moneybox connects pension timing and tax changes with the household pressures already visible in debt and housing insecurity.
Moneybox frames household finance as policy that lands in ordinary calendars and bank accounts. The episode is clearest on the state pension age shift, setting out who waits longer and what each delayed month may mean for those affected.
Pension delays, buy now pay later, and a 12 million Pokemon card shape a sharp consumer-money hour.
Money Box turns a steady eye on how money troubles land in everyday life, beginning with former civil servants still waiting for pension payments and a loan scheme that has managed only 564 loans while thousands remain in the queue.
A practical, measured look at youth unemployment, automated hiring and changing routes into a first job.
Money Box Live: Starting Out looks at the first job not just as a rite of passage, but as a labour-market squeeze that is landing hard on younger applicants.
A clear Money Box look at a water-bill squeeze, measured by the 34% using less to save money.
Money Box frames England and Wales' water-price rise through a practical household question: what can people do when bills climb and there is no rival supplier to switch to?
Mortgage pressure meets the human cost of scams.
Money Box tracks household finances at a tense moment, as average mortgage rates from lenders move above 5% for two- and five-year fixed deals and hopes of a Bank of England rate cut are pushed back.
Paul Haavardsrud unpacks Canadian money stories, from ski-hill VIP pricing to French butter tariffs.
Real-estate freedom, taught in plain numbers.
This Money Box episode covers rising mortgage rates, with averages exceeding 5% for the first time since last summer, impacting nearly two million homeowners.
This episode discusses the cancellation of funeral insurance policies by Maiden Life affecting low-income customers through credit unions, and also touches on tax assessment issues and upcoming budget expectations.
This Moneybox Live podcast explores how money works in prison and the challenges of reintegration for ex-offenders, featuring exclusive access to a charity-run residential centre in Preston.
This episode of Money Box Live explores inheritance tax, a topic frequently requested by listeners, explaining what it is and how it applies to estates above a government-set threshold.
This Money Box episode covers rising water bills in England and Wales, with exclusive research showing a third of households are cutting usage to save money.
Average mortgage rates have moved above 5% for two- and five-year fixed deals.
This episode covers the escalating Middle East conflict between the USA, Israel, and Iran, including its global economic impacts like rising oil prices, alongside financial topics such as cryptocurrency scams and a car finance compensation scheme.
Money Box with Paul Lewis focuses on the state pension age rising from 66 to 67 and on April tax changes affecting dividends, ISAs, and business relief.
Money Box opens on former civil servants caught in long waits for pension payments and lump sums.
This Moneybox podcast episode discusses motor finance claims, the risks of online financial scams, and the implications of paying by bank versus card for online purchases.
Barry Fletcher says youth unemployment is at a 10-year high and apprenticeships for under-19s have declined over 40%.
This episode explores how to choose the right mortgage in the UK, discussing market complexity, expiring fixed-rate deals, and expert advice to help listeners navigate their options.
This Moneybox podcast discusses the upcoming rise in the state pension age from 66 to 67 and explores a former pensions minister's view that people should pay more for it, while also addressing recent energy price trends.