Property vs pensions: Does buy-to-let still stack up?

My property is my pension. That was the popular saying when buy-to-let was all the rage and every other person you met fancied their chances as a minor property mogul. But life has got much tougher for landlords, with a series of tax grabs and tougher mortgage rules hitting. So does buy-to-let still stack up as a way to build your wealth? It certainly requires a lot of money upfront, even more now than ever before, and while the taxman will take a big chunk of your buy-to-let investment pot in stamp duty, he’ll give you money back if you invest in a pension instead. Simon Lambert, Sarah Davidson and Georgie Frost take a look at buy-to-let and the property market in this week’s podcast, including how it compares to investing in your Isa or a pension. They also look at investing in property without buying it directly yourself, and whether houses are too expensive now for good profits in years to come, or if there are some areas where an investment still makes sense. Also, tackled on this week’s show is whether interest rates will definitely rise in May and what’s behind the tough times on the High Street. And finally, ever wondered whether you could stick a hypercar on finance. We explain how much that costs and why further down the ladder a lot of those supercars you see are going on the never never.