Forty-nine-year-old Jane has always been careful to squirrel money away, and a recent inheritance has boosted her nest egg to £125,000. But there’s one problem: it’s all in cash. Now, with half an eye on retirement, Jane wants to start investing but is unsure about how to do this. Presenter Claer Barrett hears from experts Emma Sterland, chief financial planning director at Evelyn Partners, and Investors’ Chronicle editor Rosie Carr. Together, they discuss how Jane might make the most of tax-efficient vehicles like the stocks and shares Isa, how a first-time investor could build a diversified ..read more

Sixty-seven-year-old Paul invests using index funds. Over the years, his exposure to US tech stocks has helped him build up a sizeable retirement pot — but recent stock market volatility is making him worry. Now that he’s no longer working, Paul wonders if he should diversify into other equity markets, consider buying bonds, or an annuity. But he is finding this is hard to do without looking at the bigger picture of his finances in retirement. Financial Times consumer editor Claer Barrett is joined by Adam Walkom, co-founder of financial planning firm Permanent Wealth Partners, and Moira O’Ne ..read more

Software engineer Stephan has a problem. As an early backer of bitcoin, he has made a lot of paper profit from cryptocurrencies, which now make up about a fifth of his portfolio. But Stephan’s also a big believer in ethical investing, including green investments. Given the energy-intensive nature of bitcoin mining, how could he approach resolving this conflict? Podcast host Claer Barrett, the FT’s consumer editor, is joined by FT columnist and personal finance expert Moira O’Neill, and David Baxter, funds editor at the Investors’ Chronicle. Together, they discuss the true meaning of green ..read more

Twenty-nine-year-old Faye has made some sensible investing decisions and … some more outlandish ones. Should this high-earning City worker, who’s dabbled in everything from cryptocurrency to novelty number plates, get a little bit more serious about how she invests? Presenter Claer Barrett, the FT’s consumer editor, is joined by Adam Walkom, co-founder of financial planning firm Permanent Wealth Partners, and Nimesh Shah, CEO of accountancy firm Blick Rothenberg. They speak to Faye about tax-efficient vehicles (such as like venture capital trusts), the six-figure salary tax trap, and why ..read more

With a £22bn ‘black hole’ in the public finances, the new chancellor Rachel Reeves has difficult decisions to make ahead of Labour’s autumn Budget next month. How might this hole be plugged, and where might tax rises land? In this episode, Dan Neidle, founder of think-tank Tax Policy Associates and former head of tax at Clifford Chance, considers which tax-raising levers the chancellor might pull on October 30, and puts forward a case for fairer, growth-focused tax policy. For more tips on how to organise your money, sign up to Claer's email series 'Sort Your Financial Life Out With Claer Bar ..read more

With a string of companies preparing to launch stock market listings on both sides of the Atlantic, investors may be tempted to invest in an IPO. But when companies stage an initial public offering, what are the factors to consider? In our new miniseries, The Five-Minute Investor, consumer editor Claer Barrett challenges Rob Armstrong, co-host of FT’s Unhedged podcast and author of the Unhedged newsletter, to explain why companies go public, and the risks of getting carried away with investing on the first day of public trading. Tune in every Tuesday to catch the latest episode of The Five-Mi ..read more

With the bills rolling in after Christmas, this week’s episode is devoted to helping listeners tackle their credit card debts on a practical and emotional level - no matter how big or small they might be. Host Claer Barrett hears from experienced debt adviser Sara Williams of the popular Debt Camel blog and Instagram account, Helen Saxon, deputy editor of Money Saving Expert, and Dr Pamela Roberts, a shopping addiction specialist at the Priory Clinic. They give tips on balance transfers and on how to resist the urge to splurge.  To sign up for Claer's Sort Your Financial Life Out money s ..read more

How does one double a sizeable portfolio in under a decade? The short answer is by taking more investment risk - and in today’s episode one of the FT’s most experienced investment columnists weighs up the potential risks.  Stuart Kirk has set an ambitious financial goal to hit ahead of his 60th birthday — growing his portfolio from just over £500,000 today to £1mn by 2032.  Will he be persuaded to take a punt on flashy US tech stocks, dabble in alternative investments such as private equity, go for gold, or even gamble with cryptocurrency? In the edited highlights from the FT Week ..read more

‘If you can tell a good story,’ says Morgan Housel, ‘you’ll get people to line up and listen to you.’ In this episode of Money Clinic, Morgan shares some of those stories with host Claer Barrett and challenges us to think differently about our attitude to wealth and wealth creation. This episode is a repeat of a Money Clinic first published in January 2024. More information on Morgan Housel and his books: https://www.morganhousel.com/ Follow Claer on social media @Claerb  Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Philippa Goodrich. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound d ..read more

The Magnificent Seven could make up a much bigger slice of your own portfolio than you realise, but what are these seven stocks, and why are they so dominant? In our new miniseries The Five Minute Investor, consumer editor Claer Barrett challenges FT markets columnist Katie Martin to explain the hype around these gigantic US stocks. Tune in every Tuesday to catch the latest episode of the Five Minute Investor, and subscribe to Money Clinic wherever you get your podcasts. If you would like Claer to demystify an investment term, email the team at money@ft.com or send Claer a DM on social media ..read more