What the 2017 budget means for you, plus rents 'out of step' with incomes

We’ve looked at the figures to see how Philip Hammond’s budget will affect your finances – whether you’re single, married, with or without children or retired. Illustration: Leon Edler

Hello and welcome to this week’s Money Talks – a roundup of the week’s biggest stories and some things you may have missed.

Money news

UK in worst decade for pay growth for 210 years, says thinktank

John Lewis slashes staff bonus to 6% – the lowest in 63 years

The retailer has cut payouts for a fourth year in a row despite profits rising by a third. Photograph: Sean Dempsey/PA

Rents are ‘out of step’ with incomes, housing body warns

E.ON price rise branded ‘monstrous’ as users face £97 a year extra

Pret a Manger: just one in 50 job applicants are British, says HR boss

Feature

Will the diesel car you are driving be worthless in five years’ time?

Sales are falling, older cars are facing bans: we explore the future for the owners of these high-polluting vehicles. Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty Images

In pictures

Castles

A 12th-century castle for sale in Siena, Italy.

In the spotlight

What the budget means for you: we’ve looked at the figures to see how Philip Hammond’s budget will affect your finances – whether you’re single, married, with or without children or retired.

Consumer champions

Le Creuset proves its lifetime guarantee really is cast iron

Lost for words when unwanted satnav doubled our Hertz car hire bill

BA’s answer to passengers stranded in a corridor for seven hours? Ignore them

Whirlpool left my elderly in-laws afraid to use their dryer for 14 months

A letter sent out early last year about safety issues of tumble dryers under the Hotpoint, Indesit and Whirlpool brands. Photograph: Alamy

Lost for words when unwanted satnav doubled our Hertz car hire bill

Money deals

Get great value annual travel cover with Guardian travel insurance, provided by Voyager.

You could save on international money transfers with free online transfers and competitive exchange rates from Guardian International Money Transfers, provided by Moneycorp.