The wisdom of crowds?; single tier pension worries; how it pays to quibble when buying holiday money

Available for over a year

On Money Box with Paul Lewis: Is crowd-funding the new investment? Especially when the fund is property? Several websites will put investors' money into tenanted homes and promise a steady, risk-free return. Can they really do that? Ruth Alexander reports. David Cox of the Association of Residential Letting Agents speaks to the programme. The Government has passed the Pensions Act 2014. The key component is the reform of the State Pension system. From April 2016 the Single Tier Pension replaces the current system. It's expected the payment will be around £155 a week. But not everyone will get that amount. Many will get less - especially if they 'contracted out' when in a final salary or career average pension scheme. Others will get more than the expected weekly figure of £155. It all depends on your National Insurance contribution record. The Pensions Minister, Steve Webb and Malcolm Mclean explain all. Is it worth quibbling for a better rate when buying holiday money? Money Box listener Barney Parsons got a better return when he argued in a bureau de change. Money Box carried out its own survey. Simon Calder, travel editor, Independent newspaper, joins the programme.