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All that glisters. But should you invest in it?

Paul Lewis visits a gold bullion dealer. Banks should treat customers better, but are new initiatives tough enough? Plus a top economist is baffled by pensions.

All that glisters. Investors have snapped up gold at a record pace in the first three months of 2016, according to the World Gold Council. It says global growth fears and worries that the UK may vote next month in favour of leaving the EU, are a factor. Paul Lewis visits a new gold bullion dealer in London. The programme also hears from an investment expert about the different ways of investing in gold.

Banks should cap unarranged overdraft fees and warn customers before they go overdrawn, the competition watchdog has said. But the study by the Competition and Markets Authority didn't go as far as ordering banks to make our current accounts portable to make customer switching easier. Consumer groups say it's been a missed opportunity. Alasdair Smith, who chaired the CMA's investigation, answers his critics.

If the UK votes to leave the EU, will the statutory compensation we get if our flight is delayed at an airport for more than three hours still apply? At the moment we are entitled to a payout of up to 600 Euros, depending on the length of the flight. But this rule was brought in by the EU not by UK legislative bodies. Money Box continues its series looking at the personal finance implications of a Brexit.

The Bank of England's chief economist, Andy Haldane, has admitted that despite being "moderately financially literate" he is not able to make "the remotest sense of pensions". Money Box sets out to help him, by collecting the top pension gripes of experts and how they would make retirement saving more simple.

Available now

30 minutes

Chapters

  • CMA report into retail banking

    Making switching bank accounts easier - has an opportunity been missed?

    Duration: 07:05

  • Gold

    As demand for gold grows - how does it fare as an investment to protect against inflation

    Duration: 07:52

  • Flight delay compensation

    Could we still claim compensation for flight delays if we left the EU?

    Duration: 04:13

  • Pensions

    A top economist says he doesn't understand pensions. What would help?

    Duration: 03:34

Related Links

CMA report into retail banking

GOLD

Flight delay compensation

Pensions

Broadcasts

  • Sat 21 May 2016 12:04
  • Sun 22 May 2016 21:00

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