Informed Choice Radio Personal Finance Podcast

Today on show, we're getting to grips with the Budget.

It was Chancellor Philip Hammond's first autumn Budget on Wednesday, always an exciting day in the world of personal finance, and today we're going to take a closer look at some of the key Budget measures.

Can money buy you happiness? That's our topic for this episode, with some new research aiming to place an actual monetary amount on being happy.

The latest research from SunLife reveals that while cash and happiness are related, you don’t need to a millionaire to be happy – just £82 spare per week.

In this episode we talk about how money is linked to happiness, some ways to find that extra spare cash each week, and why spending money on experiences leads to greater happiness levels than simply buying stuff.

Personal finance news

-Behavioural economist Richard Thaler has been awarded the Nobel Prize for Economics. Professor Thaler is co-author of the best-selling book Nudge, which examined why people make bad or irrational choices.

-Car insurance premiums have fallen for the first time in more than three years, but drivers are unlikely to feel the benefit for long. Analysis by price comparison website Confused.com shows insurance prices fell by 1% in the third quarter of the year.

-Retailers are planning to defy the Royal Mint's deadline and continue accepting the old £1 coins. The Federation of Small Businesses, which represents 170,000 small shops, has advised members to continue accepting the round pound after the 15th October deadline.

-The latest figures from Visa UK show a continued decline in household spending in September. It's the fourth monthly fall in expenditure in the last five months.

-Younger savers are increasingly likely to want responsible investment choices for their pensions. A YouGov poll of 2,100 people found 13% of 18 to 34 year olds said it was their job to make sure their money was invested ethically.

This week on the show, we're talking about how to declutter your personal finances.

Katy and I chat about why it's so important to declutter when it comes to your personal finances, before sharing a few of our own tips for decluttering.

Katy Stevens

Katy Stevens is a money blogger known online as Katykicker.

Katy started Katykicker because she was making money online and people wanted to know how.

She’s happy knowing that she is able to share money making and saving websites and tips with her readers. Katy also loves to share product reviews, frugal recipes, the odd craft and much more.

You can follow Katy on Twitter @katykicker.

Personal finance news

-Monarch Airlines has gone out of business, leading to the cancellation of 300,000 flight booking. The Civil Aviation Authority says around 110,000 customers of the airline are currently stranded overseas, in need of repatriation on UK government charter flights.

-The latest Markit/Cips UK manufacturing PMI index shows signs of a slowdown in manufacturing sector growth. Despite a boost for exporters from a weak pound, higher production costs and Brexit uncertainty is hampering growth prospects.

-Prime Minister Theresa May has promised an additional £10bn of funding for the Help to Buy Scheme. The money will help another 135,000 people buy their first home.

-Bank of England governor Mark Carney believes interest rates could rise in the "relatively near term". Speaking to the BBC, Carney suggested that it was time for the bank to "ease its foot off the accelerator".

-Lack of financial protection among women is leaving families in a precarious situation. According to new research from Scottish Widows, despite saying that their households could only pay the bills for seven months should they not be able to work or pass away, only three in ten women have life insurance.

It's now less than 100 days until Christmas, so for those of us who like to plan ahead, it's really not that long to go.

We've seen some new research this week which shows consumers start their Christmas shopping as soon as they see festive items in the shops, which can be as early as September, but it still takes 42 shopping trips and 37 hours of planning until they are finished with Christmas shopping.

Lynn and I discuss effective Christmas shopping, gift inspiration and saving money during the festive season.

In this episode, I share everything you need to know about the Spring Statement. There's an interview with Tim Roache General Secretary of GMB Union and Jon Craven from UIA Mutual Insurance about new research which has found 65% of UK workers are not part of any trade union. And I chat with Martin Dropkin, director of research for fixed income at Fidelity International, about Fidelity's new analyst survey which has found corporate confidence among the world’s largest companies for the year ahead has reached a five-year high.

There's also a roundup of the latest personal finance news and I share the latest from Informed Choice, including the reason why this episode has been published a day late.