Hi there,

What a week. I spent the first two days closeted in a hotel with 200 financial advisers discussing radical plans to reform the financial services industry. The words Retail Distribution Review may not get your pulse racing.   But this dull title hides a radical plan to revolutionise the way we are sold pensions and investments. It could be very good news for customers. And it comes from – roll of drums – the Financial Services Authority. Many vested interests hate the plans. So will Amanda Bowe, the woman in charge of the review, be determined enough to make sure it happens?

The Pensions Minister, Mike O’Brien, has now responded to the complaints we’ve heard on Money Box over the last year about the complex rules which baffle many married women and stop them getting as much state pension as they should. He’s not changing the rules themselves. But the Pension Service is now actively seeking thousands of women who may have lost out, to ask them to come forward to be given more money.

There’s another (Oliver) twist in the banking crisis as two of Britain’s biggest banks say to their shareholders “Please, sir, I want some more.” Money that is. HBOS asked for £4 billion this week after its rival RBS/NatWest asked for £12 billion a couple of weeks ago. So listen and find out what “rights issues”, “capital adequacy” and even “nil paid rights” mean. And the choices if you have shares in either bank.

Another Labour tax reform is coming under scrutiny. Lots of you emailed us about inheritance tax changes announced in October. But are they as simple as the government said? Make your own mind up by joining the other 1,460,000 listeners (Radio Joint Audience Research, first quarter 2008)…

…on Saturday at noon or Sunday at 9pm. Or you can listen online at any time. Or you can download the podcast for your MP3 player or subscribe to get it sent every week. Value for money or what at www.bbc.co.uk/moneybox.

By the way, if you are not working on Monday (it’s 30 years since the Monday after May Day became an official Day Off in England and Wales) but you have problems at work or questions about your rights there, why not call Money Box Live? I will be here (working – isn’t there a law against that?) taking your calls with my panel of experts (also working but probably casually dressed). That’s 3pm on Monday. If it’s sunny you can always call on your mobile from the beach. Which is where I’ll be next Saturday – so listen out then for Chris A’Court who’ll be here with Money Box.

Best wishes,

Paul Lewis

PS Don’t forget the live preview of Money Box on BBC1 Breakfast between 8.45 and 9 on Saturday morning (working again)..

e-mail Paul Lewis