The Bear Necessities – This is Money show

Banks, the City, Wall Street, call them what you will – they use jargon to steal your money.

It’s what caused the walloping financial crash in 2008.

And it’s possibly what’s going to cause another one eight years later – that’s right, in 2016; this year!

We’re in a bear market.

What even is a bear market? The opposite of bull, of course. See how easy it is?

This week, This is Money editor Simon Lambert and personal finance editor Rachel Rickard Straus join Share Radio’s Georgie Frost to help listeners understand some of this nonsense.

There’s even a Hollywood movie just out about financial jargon, The Big Short, the story of how collateralized debt obligations brought down the world economy because no one knew what they were. It’s nominated for five Oscars, including best picture.

A bear market is a bad one. Bear = bad. It’s when share prices fall. Bull = good. That’s it really. Listen to Rachel and Simon for more detail.

Also in the podcast:

Davos – why the hell do our financial leaders go to Davos to discuss the global economy? It’s a ski resort in Switzerland - the most expensive place they could choose. What do they do when they get there? Do they even go skiing?

Why does a low oil price affect everything else so much? It’s not what you think. It’s what oil producers do with all that income and what they can’t do with it now that’s the problem.

Why are broadband companies allowed to mislead customers with their advertising? Surely it’s not because of a supine advertising regulator?

In ‘good on the face of it’ news of the week E.on customers are going to have their energy bills CUT by 5%. But the wholesale price of oil and gas has fallen 20% since its peak. E.on gets points for being first but that’s not enough E.on! Will the others follow suit?

If you’re worried about the markets this year - keep worrying.

If you’re thinking of ever retiring or voting Tory – you probably ought to understand what Chancellor George Osborne is planning to do with your pension.

If you’ve ever had a job or fancy a change you must listen to the bit at the end about CVs.

If you thought you knew what to put in your CV, such as volunteering experience and keeping it to two pages. You’ve been doing it it all wrong.

Listen and learn.

And then you might get a new job.