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BBC Radio 4's Money Box
Saturday 3 May
at 1204 BST
On Radio 4 and Online
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Six months after the government announced a major increase in inheritance tax thresholds, some families fear they may not benefit.
In October the Chancellor, Alistair Darling, told the Commons that a widow or widower would normally have a double inheritance tax allowance when they died.
But only if they had inherited all of their late spouse's estate.
And finding the documentary proof of that can be a challenge, as Bob Howard found out.
Paul Lewis got a response from the Revenue's Claire Merrills.
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The FSA regulates the financial services industry in the UK
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FSA Retail Distribution Review
The city watchdog, the Financial Services Authority (FSA), is proposing radical reforms to the way we buy our financial advice.
At present, many financial advisers rely on commission paid by product providers, and the FSA says this can lead to mis-selling.
It wants to prevent advisers from calling themselves "independent" if they receive commission.
We heard contrasting views from Stephen Haddrill of the Association of British Insurers and Chris Cummings from Association of Independent Financial Advisers (AIFA).
And then from Amanda Bowe, head of the FSA's Retail Distribution Review.
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Mike O'Brien said the rules about back payments were "complex"
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Women's pensions
Money Box has highlighted many times the issue of women whose state pensions are reduced as a result of incomplete national insurance contributions.
Under a special concession, women with gaps in their contribution history between April 1996 and April 2002 can "buy back" the missing years at a reduced rate until April 2010.
The government has identified a particular group of women who should benefit, and who will shortly receive letters from the Pension Service inviting them to claim the extra money.
Any extra state pension entitlement they receive will be backdated to the time they first started receiving their pension.
If the amount due is more than the cost of paying the extra contributions, then they will receive a lump sum as well as an enhanced pension in the future.
Pension Minister Mike O'Brien explained what will happen.
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HBOS owns Halifax and Bank of Scotland
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HBOS and RBS rights issue
HBOS has followed the Royal Bank of Scotland in going to private shareholders to raise billions of pounds of extra funding in the wake of the credit crunch.
Existing shareholders will be offered discounted shares.
So what should they bear in mind?
We asked Gavin Oldham, chief executive of the Share Centre.
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Other news
"Tesco Property Market" caused some controversy when it launched in June last year.
It offered a do-it-yourself home selling service for £199, but High Street estate agents accused Tesco of effectively being an estate agent without complying with laws which govern them.
The Office of Fair Trading looked into it, and in October Tesco withdrew the DIY sales element of the site.
Now it looks set to sell the business to the estate agent Spicerhaart.
Further information/related stories:
BBC Radio 4's Money Box was broadcast on Saturday, 3 May 2008 at 1204 BST.
The programme was repeated on Sunday, 4 May 2008 at 2102 BST.
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3 May 2008
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