This is Money Podcast
547 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 days ago - ★★★★ - 8 ratingsWhat you need to know about money each week and what the news means for you, from the UK's best financial website.
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Episodes
Is this the clock ticking on a slowdown in the UK economy, or are we primed for a Brexit bounce?
February 15, 2019 17:07 - 44 minutes - 41 MBInflation has slipped to 1.8 per cent - below the 2 per cent target - and the Bank of England has downgraded the UK's growth prospects and indicated interest rate hikes are on hold. But at the same time, wages are rising by more than inflation and unemployment remains low. So has the clock already started ticking on a slowdown in the UK economy, or is this just some pre-Brexit jitters that could eventually be followed by a bounce? This is Money editor Simon Lambert, alongside assistant ed...
How to start investing or become a smarter investor
February 01, 2019 17:21 - 50 minutes - 46 MBInvesting has proven to be the best way to beat inflation and grow your wealth over the long-term, but how do you get started? And if you do already invest but feel you’ve lost track of your goals or ended up with a jumble of investments, how can you improve things? In this second edition of a two-part podcast special on saving and investing, Simon Lambert and Georgie Frost dive into how to be a smarter investor. They bust the jargon and look at why people should invest, how to get starte...
Everything you need to know about savings - and why you should ditch the big banks
January 25, 2019 16:03 - 55 minutes - 51.3 MBIn part one of two This is Money podcast specials, we tackle savings. When savings are mentioned, the first thought that springs to mind for many is: rates are low, what's the point? In the latest This is Money podcast, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost are joined by James Blower, the Savings Guru to explain why savings are important. James has inside knowledge of the industry, having helped a number of challenger banks set up their savings business. We talk about what the...
Boost for savers as CPI inflation falls to 2.1% - but the RPI controversy rumbles on
January 18, 2019 15:12 - 49 minutes - 45.8 MBInflation is within a whisker of its long-term target of two per cent – does that mean an interest rate rise off the table in 2019? Assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost talk about the latest inflation figures in the This is Money podcast – including why it has fallen, where it is heading next and what it means for savers. Savings rates are up, with nearly 100 accounts now matching or beating inflation. Lee explains a nifty trick on how to beat inflation with a one year fixe...
Trouble on the high street: The winners and losers of the Christmas battle
January 11, 2019 17:49 - 41 minutes - 38.1 MBJust how bad was Christmas for Britain’s shops? Retailers sounded the alarm early when advent brought a string of warnings about a terrible November, but this week we started to find out what the crucial festive period really brought. A rush of results arrived, as everyone from the big supermarkets to M&S, Debenhams and John Lewis updated on Christmas sales. The bar had been set low, but it turned out to be not quite so bad as thought – with a few winners and a bunch of losers who escaped ...
New Year Special - the impact of last year's big stories and campaigns
January 04, 2019 14:24 - 56 minutes - 52.3 MBHappy New NHS? Among last year's big stories was the 70th anniversary of our beloved health service and whether we are prepared to pay for it through higher taxes. Our campaign to out the rogue, sometimes criminal, private car park operatives began with a vengeance and will continue long into 2019. Editor Simon Lambert and host Georgie Frost also explain how to avoid losing your home because of inheritance tax. And are you ready to ditch your fossil-fueled car for an electric one yet? Th...
Are you penalised for your loyalty? This is Money Christmas podcast special with posh vs budget supermarket taste test
December 21, 2018 17:31 - 56 minutes - 52 MBHappy Christmas and welcome to the last This is Money podcast of 2018. Today, we cover the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. For the ghost of Christmas past, we look at what has gone wrong for high street retailers and if that is spilling over to online firms. Ghost of Christmas present… or presents, we give five reasons why you should think twice about giving gift cards this festive period. And for the ghost of Christmas future, how you can give friends and family a gift that...
Can you Brexit-proof your finances – and what happens next with Britain leaving the EU?
December 14, 2018 15:45 - 49 minutes - 45.7 MBNobody can escape the Brexit bedlam that has been playing out before our eyes, especially in the last week. In between backstops, trade deals, Norway, contempt of parliament, no-confidence, withdrawing withdrawal votes… what is really going on? Editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost discuss Brexit in the latest This is Money podcast. Are we going to leave? Should we really have a second referendum and can you do anything to Brexit-proof your cash? We talk...
How to invest and save for your child to give them a bumper pot of cash when they turn 18
December 07, 2018 12:57 - 52 minutes - 48.2 MBIt might not be on the top of your to-do list when you have a child, but investing and saving for them to build a tidy nest egg for when they reach adulthood is best done sooner rather than later. In the latest This is Money podcast, editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor (and new parent) Lee Boyce alongside host Georgie Frost look at the best ways to save for your children. We discuss investment options, Junior Isas, a pension and other ways, and why 'the hardest step is the first, but it...
What should we do about inheritance tax - and is it time to cut it?
November 30, 2018 17:11 - 40 minutes - 37.7 MBInheritance tax is a conundrum. Just 5 per cent of estates currently incur it but it’s been voted Britain’s most unfair major tax. Even with the number of people hit by it expected to double, it seems we just don’t like the concept. It’s no wonder then that the Chancellor commissioned a report into it from the Office of Tax Simplification, but no one forecast that to be as damning about the system as it was. It’s complicated, more than ten times as many bereaved families have to fill in f...
The Investing Show special - introducing our new podcast
November 27, 2018 18:04 - 15 minutes - 14.4 MBHello, I’m Simon Lambert, the editor of This is Money, and I’d like to introduce you to our new podcast the Investing Show. It is not replacing the weekly This is Money podcast that you know and love. But it is the new podcast of our popular video show that helps you to make more of your money, through smarter investing. Every fortnight we invite fund managers and professional investors to explain how they invest and tell us about the companies and parts of the world that they think will ...
What burst the bitcoin bubble and could it rise again?
November 23, 2018 17:22 - 38 minutes - 35.5 MBA year ago bitcoin could do no wrong – now it has slumped to 79 per cent below its peak. So what went wrong for the much vaunted cryptocurrency? The mania of a year ago gave way to a bust after Christmas and apart from a few short-lived rallies bitcoin has been mainly on the slide since. That’s not to say it has no use - the cryptocurrency and underlying technology are fascinating - but just because something has some value does not mean it can’t end up in a bubble. On this week’s podcas...
Does an 18 year house price cycle predict a rise? (Podcast cut)
November 21, 2018 09:26 - 6 minutes - 5.92 MBHouse prices move in an 18 year cycle. That is the theory of Fred Harrison, who used his cycle to forecast the 2008 slump after the financial crisis. If his theory holds, the housing market will have a short wobble this year and next, followed by a final sharp rise in prices to 2025. Does that stand up to scrutiny? Simon Lambert and Georgie Frost discuss the 28 year property cycle on this excerpt from the This is Money podcast.
Follow the money: Are bank scammers about to be stopped in their tracks?
November 16, 2018 11:49 - 46 minutes - 42.4 MBThis is Money has relentlessly campaigned to fight online fraud – and in a major victory, Britain's biggest banks are now trialling a new system to trace stolen money. Is the end nigh for scammers? Editor Simon Lambert and host Georgie Frost talk about bank fraud and our long-running campaign to help protect our readers from the growing crime. We also talk through new rules to come in early next year that will spell out exactly what banks have to do to help prevent customers falling victim...
Steve Webb pensions special: our panel answers 12 of the best questions submitted by readers
November 09, 2018 15:14 - 57 minutes - 52.6 MBAre you trying to save for retirement, make the most of your income in old age, navigate the state pension maze, or just feel baffled by some bit of pension jargon? In the This is Money podcast this week, former Pensions Minister and our regular columnist, Steve Webb, is on hand to help you out. Editor Simon Lambert and host Georgie Frost are also joined by The Pensions Advisory Service boss Michelle Cracknell to answer reader questions about retirement savings. Topics include: Am I bein...
Was that a good Budget – and is austerity really over?
November 02, 2018 17:50 - 48 minutes - 44.5 MBIs austerity really coming to an end? And are the rich getting richer thanks to the Government? In the This is Money podcast this week, editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost analyse the 2018 Budget. Money for the NHS, little extras for schools, cash for roads, help for the High Street and the baby rabbit in the hat - pulling the rise in the basic and higher rate tax thresholds to £12,500 and £50,000, respectively, a year earlier than promised. We also tal...
Stock market turmoil spreads across the globe – what's causing it and how concerned should we be?
October 26, 2018 12:37 - 35 minutes - 32.7 MBAs stock market turmoil spreads across the globe, the advice is to keep calm and carry on, folks. In the latest This is Money podcast, editor Simon Lambert and host Georgie Frost discuss what's causing it, how long will it go on for and how concerned we should be. Because we're a positive bunch, we also reveal the shares that have rocketed over the last five years, some by more than 1,000 per cent. Also, we answer a reader query about state pensions - can couples inherit it from each othe...
What can we expect from the Budget and how big a threat are Labour's tax plans?
October 19, 2018 15:46 - 34 minutes - 31.8 MBWith this year’s Budget moved to Monday, 29 October, we bring you a pre-Budget special. This is Money editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost debate the key areas that might feature in Chancellor Philip 'Spreadsheet' Hammond’s tax and spending review. This includes housing, inheritance tax, pensions and a whole host more, as he tries to find £20billion down the back of the Treasury sofa for the promised NHS boost. But this Budget has some extra spice, with ...
Private car park sharks are in our sights as our campaign for justice steps up a gear
October 12, 2018 16:50 - 40 minutes - 36.9 MBThis week, This is Money launched another campaign - and we have the private car parking sharks and the DVLA in our sights. We talk about the horrific cases of drivers being fined and penalised we have received from readers and listeners so far, ask how the DVLA is able to sell our details on without permission and what can be done about the menace – along with what we want changed. Elsewhere, editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost talk about Dave and Marcu...
How a child benefit form can lose you state pension?
October 05, 2018 16:44 - 37 minutes - 34.5 MBChild benefit and state pension - It’s not the most obvious link. But if you are a parent who is looking after a child instead of working, you need to register for child benefit in order to build up your entitlement in retirement age. Austerity swept away the universal child benefit and those households where one parent earns more than £50,000 have to start giving it back until it is removed altogether above £60,000. Unsurprisingly, many who fall into this bracket simply opt not to take i...
What exactly is Help to Buy? (Podcast cut)
October 03, 2018 14:34 - 11 minutes - 10.4 MBOn Budget day, March 2013, Chancellor George Osborne launched a scheme intended to help first-time buyers but was described at the time by This is Money as a 'very good day for builders'. Help to Buy was seen as just another ploy to prop up the UK housing market by helping first-timers borrow even more money to try to enter the housing market. It came in for flack then and is in the spotlight again, accused of forcing up house prices, benefiting the rich and trapping some people in homes t...
Can you still make money in buy-to-let? A professional's tips
September 28, 2018 15:09 - 36 minutes - 33.3 MBThe reports of buy-to-let’s death have been greatly exaggerated. That is the view of one of the few professional residential property fund managers in the UK. Alan Collett, who runs the Hearthstone fund, believes for the astute investor there is still money to be made from Britain’s homes. You could answer, ‘well, he would say that’, but for those interested in the property market, his reasons are worth listening to. In this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Sarah Davidson and Georgie Fro...
How safe is saving and how risky is investing?
September 21, 2018 16:53 - 48 minutes - 44.5 MBAs banks went kaput a decade ago, the safety of our savings was thrust into the limelight. Most had never considered that cash in the bank was at risk and knew little about the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. When Icesave blew up a year after the Northern Rock collapse things changed dramatically. We should all be up to speed now, but how safe are your savings? On this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Tanya Jefferies and Georgie Frost we look at savings protection but also how you c...
The tax trap awaiting Millionaire's Row – and how to beat it
September 14, 2018 10:15 - 47 minutes - 44 MBWhat do you do about the looming inheritance tax threat when you live with elderly parents along with your own child and the home is worth nearly £10million – and you want to continue living there? It sounds like a champagne problem, but IHT does hit ordinary people – including one reader who admits to being relatively cash poor. How can they make sure they aren't turfed out due to inheritance tax? This is Money editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost discus...
What would you teach a student about money?
September 07, 2018 16:58 - 40 minutes - 37.6 MBWhat would you teach a student about money? It’s almost time for a fresh year of students to start university and as they find their feet with new friends and a new way of studying they will also face another challenge – being in charge of their financial life. But we don’t have to send them off ill-equipped to deal with that, a few helpful tips can stop students ending up down to their last few pounds before the clocks even change. And as well as offering guidance, it’s perhaps even more...
Would a cashless society work in Britain – or is it a recipe for disaster?
August 31, 2018 13:48 - 37 minutes - 34.4 MBEstablished banks, challengers, fintech firms and payments providers – they all have one thing in common: none of them are immune to IT problems, glitches, hacks, meltdowns or customer service failures. Yet the momentum towards going cashless shows no signs of slowing down - but is Britain ready for it? In this week's podcast, assistant editor Lee Boyce along with host Georgie Frost talk about the future of payments. Elsewhere, we reveal what went 'wronga' at Wonga and why Lloyds Bank is ...
Everything you need to know about buying a home
August 24, 2018 08:57 - 30 minutes - 28.4 MBBuying a home, whether it is your first-time or not, can be a daunting experience. From the initial hunt trawling through property websites, to finally getting the keys, it can be an arduous process with plenty of tricky hurdles to overcome. In this housing podcast special, This is Money editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost talk all things property. We have tips on taking the temperature of the local property market, working out what you can really affor...
Why are smart meters being forced on us and are they a waste of money?
August 17, 2018 09:58 - 46 minutes - 42.8 MBThe Government's £11billion scheme to install 53million smart meters in homes and small businesses by the end of 2020 has been plagued by problems. Now it appears there may be more hidden nasties. A wireless tech expert says they have the power to take over customer accounts. In theory, this means suppliers could cut off a household's electricity or gas without visiting the property, add debt to a meter, remove credit on an account, change the charge levied or turn the meter into a pre-...
Why it’s time to fight back against parking madness (and how to beat a ticket)
August 10, 2018 15:51 - 41 minutes - 38 MBFrom pubs to hotels and shops to petrol stations, Britain has gone parking mad. Private land owners have been signed up across the country by operators, who stick in automatic numberplate recognition cameras and then dish out tickets to motorists who stop there. We’ve had countless stories of over-zealous fines and this week Lee Boyce revealed how he fought back after he was sent a ticket for stopping briefly at a BP petrol station. What allows all this to happen is the DVLA selling peopl...
Was the interest rate rise a wise move or mistake?
August 03, 2018 14:41 - 45 minutes - 41.9 MBInterest rates have finally risen above 0.5 per cent for the first time in almost a decade. The Bank of England has decided that the UK's economy is healthy enough to finally get above the financial crisis emergency level, but was the hike a wise move or a mistake. Of those in favour, some have been calling for a rate rise for a long time, others believe we must try to get back to normal before recession hits. But those opposed believe even this tiny shift up to a very low base rate level...
The summer holiday special: How to get more to spend and be safe
July 27, 2018 11:50 - 51 minutes - 47.3 MBWe’re all going on a summer holiday! Don’t worry, podcast fans, we aren’t really, but we are dedicating this week’s show to the lucky among you who are. We cover all things money from planning your holiday to arriving back home again. We talk through what you need to know to make sure you have the best travel insurance while you’re away, to how to pay for things and withdraw cash while abroad to make your money go the furthest, to car hire tricks and getting compensation if something goes ...
What would you do with a life-changing sum of money?
July 20, 2018 16:36 - 37 minutes - 34.8 MBWorking out what to do with a life-changing sum of money is a nice problem to have but that doesn’t mean it’s not tricky. We’ve all read the stories of inheritances, lottery wins and other windfalls squandered - and even if you have spent a lifetime building your wealth, whether through investing or business, it would still be all too easy to rattle through the cash. On this week’s podcast, we look at a question from This is Money’s new Wealth Check section on what to do with £1.2millio...
What I learnt when I wrote my will (Podcast cut)
July 18, 2018 12:41 - 5 minutes - 4.92 MBIn this five minute guide to what you need to think about when writing your will, This is Money editor Simon Lambert explains what he discovered when he wrote his - and the things you need to consider.
How soon will you be driving an electric car?
July 13, 2018 16:04 - 44 minutes - 41 MBHow soon will you be driving an electric car? The Government laid out its Road to Zero plan this week, adding some detail to previous announcements on how it wants to drum petrol and diesel cars off our streets. But is there enough in there to show how we will get from electric and hybrid cars currently making up a 2.2 per cent market share to 50 per cent by 2030? From 2040, new cars running only on petrol and diesel won’t be able to be sold and a decade after that we’re all meant to go el...
Are we seeing a shake-up in the savings world?
July 06, 2018 14:25 - 51 minutes - 47.7 MBThe world of savings could be set for a shake-up when a new player comes to town – Marcus. Marcus is an online challenger bank and an offshoot of investment banking giant Goldman Sachs, and may just put a bit of welcome pressure on rates in the savings market. But that’s not the only change afoot in savings. Virgin Money is launching an account where interest is earned in air miles, best-buy fixed rate deals are at a two-year high and Monzo has seen losses quadruple. There’s a lot going o...
Tips to make your home look good and get it sold (Podcast cut)
July 04, 2018 10:39 - 6 minutes - 5.77 MBIf you are selling your home you need to make it look as good as possible. And that starts before you welcome any potential buyers through the door, as to even get them to consider visiting it needs to look great in estate agent's photos. In a world where people go online to hunt for properties, how can you do that? In this excerpt from the This is Money podcast we give sellers some tips to make their home shine.
Would you pay more tax to save the NHS?
June 22, 2018 10:35 - 46 minutes - 42.5 MBThe National Health Service is 70 years old this year and most of us are proud of the British institution, leaning on it in our times of need. However, we’re living longer with more complex problems and the service keeps crying out that it needs more money. Where does it come from? Do we make cost-cuttings or plough lots of money in, do we increase income tax, make the rich pay, or introduce a new special ring-fenced tax? Theresa May announced plans for £20.5billion-a-year cash boost – bu...
How to sell your home and get the best price
June 15, 2018 15:07 - 41 minutes - 38.4 MBWhat's the most important thing when you want to move home? Should you worry more about getting the best price or simply about getting your home sold? On this week's podcast we delve into the art of home selling, looking at how to make sure the price is right, whether to do work before you sell, or just a quick spruce up and why what's happening in the property market near you should be a deciding factor. Another month and another set of mixed messages about the state of the housing marke...
Whatever happened to bitcoin?
June 08, 2018 16:33 - 40 minutes - 37.1 MBWhatever happened to bitcoin? After the mania at the end of last year when the price spiked to almost $20,000, the cryptocurrency took a tumble but more noticeably attention has drained away. You need no greater sign of that than figures showing bitcoin Google searches are down 90 per cent. That adds weight to the argument that much of the late 2017 big leg-up was driven by mainstream punters jumping on the cryptocurrency bandwagon. So with bitcoin largely out of the headlines, is that it...
What on earth has been going on in Italy and what does it mean for your money?
June 01, 2018 13:58 - 39 minutes - 36.9 MBGlobal financial markets have been flying up and down and all over the place this week and it’s all got to do with one boot-shaped country in the Mediterranean. Italy has found itself embroiled in a power struggle between Eurosceptic populists – winners of the March general election – and the pro-EU establishment. The ramifications have spread across the globe and will affect Britons from big-time investors to anyone building up a pension pot. As we write this a coalition deal has been re...
What did Charles Ponzi do - and is money flipping the dumbest scheme yet?
May 25, 2018 16:21 - 47 minutes - 44.1 MBEver heard of money flipping? It’s a new scheme doing the rounds on Facebook and social media that promises to turn your £50 into potentially thousands. So how do you do that? Simple really, you pay others to get onto the bottom rung of a pyramid and then recruit more people to move you up a level and get paid yourself. What makes it so dumb is that it doesn’t even try to have the legitimate veneer of famous pyramid schemes of the past. It’s a Ponzi scheme, plain and simple, but what is on...
How to buy a home with less than £10,000 - but is a small deposit mortgage wise?
May 18, 2018 15:35 - 42 minutes - 38.8 MBHigh house prices mean that the biggest barrier to buying a home in Britain is raising a deposit. With mortgage interest rates at near record low levels, many would-be homeowners could afford monthly payments - but saving the average £30,000 deposit would take years. For a lot of first-time buyers that means a trip to the Bank of Mum and Dad, but what if that's not an option? It is possible to buy a home without raising tens of thousands of pounds, if you take a 95% mortgage. With one...
Have you got a pension sorted and are you saving enough?
May 11, 2018 15:47 - 29 minutes - 26.9 MBYou don’t need to spend long reading the news to find a warning that Britain isn’t saving enough for retirement. But with a little bit of effort it is possible to get saving so that you can enjoy a richer retirement. On this week’s podcast Simon Lambert, Tanya Jefferies and Georgie Frost discuss how to start a pension, how to improve on the one you’ve got and how to work out if you are investing enough for retirement. They also take a look at how, if you are approaching retirement, you ca...
What are 'money mules' and how can we halt this scam in its tracks?
May 04, 2018 16:34 - 33 minutes - 31 MBA top bank has formed a 'money mule hunting squad' and is planning to share its secrets with rivals. How does this scam work and what is being done to fight it? Should banks, universities and schools take more action to prevent young people getting sucked into helping hardened criminals hide their cash? And as Nationwide starts turning away grandparents trying to deposit cash for their grandkids, what is behind this new curb on everyday cash transactions? The interest-only mortgage tim...
Should people cash in on their homes to enjoy life or help their kids?
April 27, 2018 15:58 - 41 minutes - 38.5 MBShould you cash in on your home to help yourself or your kids? As a generation retires with more money in their houses than the bank, this question will only become more pressing. And it’s been a topic of much debate on This is Money this week, as we revealed how a new wave of retirement interest-only mortgages could be about to emerge. Homeowners could use one to have a more comfortable retirement, clear some debt, or hand the kids or grandkids an early inheritance – perhaps to buy a hom...
As inflation falls will the base rate now finally rise?
April 20, 2018 16:50 - 38 minutes - 36 MBWhat has Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, got to do with long-forgotten television soap Eldorado? Find out in the latest This is Money podcast, in which editor Simon Lambert and consumer affairs editor Lee Boyce discuss the inflation figures out this week and whether they have increased the likelihood of a base rate rise. Discover why Simon believes raising interest rates wouldn't be a bad idea but raising rates because the country finally got a pay rise would be. Meanwhi...
Big energy firms including British Gas to bump up prices for millions - it's time to fight back!
April 13, 2018 10:39 - 36 minutes - 33.3 MBBritish Gas have revealed this week that more than four million households face a 5.5 per cent bill increase from the end of May thanks to changes to its standard variable tariff. Hot on its heels, EDF Energy announced it will be hiking the cost of energy bills by 1.4 per cent for 1.3million customers. In this week’s podcast, Rachel Rickard Straus and Lee Boyce say it is time for people to fight back and switch. Energy: The latest podcast looks at the latest energy price rises - and the f...
Will you be a tax winner or loser this year?
April 06, 2018 07:00 - 39 minutes - 36.8 MBGood news. Chances are you just got a tax cut. Well an income tax cut at least, problem is your council tax is likely to be rising and if you are an investor the Government is after more of your dividends, or if you’re a landlord it wants your rental income. So who are the winners and losers of the new tax year that rolled round on 6 April? And what are the candidates for dumbest bits of Britain’s tax code. In this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Rachel Rickard Straus and George Frost take...
How to save enough for a richer retirement
March 30, 2018 12:05 - 48 minutes - 44.7 MBBuilding up a pension was once relatively simple, for each year you worked for a company it promised to pay you some money in retirement. The death of the final salary scheme put paid to that and now most people must invest into a pension instead - with their work helping out. But while it is tempting to put off a pension and think you have more pressing financial matters to deal with, that's a mistake. The earlier you start and the more you pay in, the greater your chance of having a ric...
Property vs pensions: Does buy-to-let still stack up?
March 23, 2018 17:12 - 46 minutes - 42.9 MBMy property is my pension. That was the popular saying when buy-to-let was all the rage and every other person you met fancied their chances as a minor property mogul. But life has got much tougher for landlords, with a series of tax grabs and tougher mortgage rules hitting. So does buy-to-let still stack up as a way to build your wealth? It certainly requires a lot of money upfront, even more now than ever before, and while the taxman will take a big chunk of your buy-to-let investment p...