Â鶹ԼÅÄ

Automatic pensions are suggested for 18-21-year olds, the best ways to invest your money in 2022, the tax implications of cash inducements - and the rise and fall of cheques.

There is growing support to reduce the age at which auto-enrolment pensions start. Currently, the limit is 22 years old, leaving younger people missing several years of contributions. We look at what those extra years could mean in terms of financial support for later in life.

2021 was a good year for investors with the FTSE 100. It recovered from a 14.3% fall in 2020 by rising…14.3%. It was the best year for the UK stock market since 2016. But with inflation on the rise, what are the best options for people with some cash to invest in 2022? We get advice from two experts.

What are the tax implications of all those cash offers and incentives customers get to switch things like bank accounts? Does HMRC even have to know? We answer one listener’s question about just that.

And when did you last write a cheque? A generation ago they were a common means of payment. Even ten years ago they were still used regularly. But with the introduction of internet banking and instant online transfers and payments their use has plummeted. Last year cheques accounted for fewer than one in three hundred payments made in the UK — just 135 million out of a total of 40 billion transactions. So what does the future hold for those small bits of paper?

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporter: Chris Flynn
Producer: Dan Whitworth
Researcher: Drew Miller-Hyndman
Editor: Emma Rippon
Studio Manager: Antonio Fernandes
Production Coordinator: Janet Staples

Email moneybox@bbc.co.uk or tweet @Moneybox with questions for the team.