Paul Lewis writes…

Dear Listener

Oh dear. There are new fears this week that the Government may be planning to let company pension schemes cut back on benefits they have already promised to their members. It’s all under the flag of deregulation. But could that mean company pensions in future which don’t rise with inflation or pay out to a widow or widower? Three live guests will argue it out.

I spent a very interesting couple of hours at the Grosvenor House Art & Antiques Fair this week asking people there if works of art really were an alternative to investing in shares – or putting your money in a savings account. Grosvenor House is more like visiting a museum than an antiques fair. Car Boot Sale – even Bentley Boot Sale – it is not. So should your nest egg be Fabergé? Tune in for our conclusions.

Members of insurance company Standard Life got a nasty shock this week when the company told them the windfall that almost all of them voted for in May will in fact be worth less than was predicted before they cast their vote. Standard Life explains why and a financial adviser tells us live what members should now do with the free shares and with the offer to buy more shares at a discount.

Finally, one of Britain’s most trusted institutions is to start selling one of our least trusted financial products. My lips are sealed until Saturday.

Must dash. Scripts to write and so on. All to make everything perfect for you when you tune in to Money Box at 1204 BST on Radio 4.

PS Don't forget you can find further information about all the items and listen online both live and on demand at the Money Box website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/moneybox

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