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In ancient Roman religion and mythology, Mars was the God of War but, judging by the fact that almost all wars in our modern age have their origins in disputes and disagreements over faith, you could be forgiven for thinking that Mars was still in the ascendant today. The difference is, today's wars can literally bring life on earth to a close. However, almost all religions have love and peace at their heart; initiatives such as the 'Common Word' prepared in 2007 by leading Muslim scholars and teachers reflect Jesus's teaching to 'Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you'. This very irenic and ecumenical document is in ironic contrast with today's Iranian conflict. Background music: 'Beauty for Brokenness' by Graham Kendrick Image source: Wikipedia

  The Chancellor was like a person sitting on the cliff-edge of colossal public debt last week, convinced that her massive 'investment' commitments can overlook the void below. It appears that economic stimulation is the only game in town for the British economy, and even that seems to avoid joined-up thinking in some key areas. Background music: 'Ether Oar' by The Whole Other 

Author of 'Capitalism in the 21st Century' Thomas Piketty proposes an unconditional 'inheritance' endowment for all young people on reaching 25 years of age. Grants often appear to offer instant solutions to problems of inequality, but unless they are accompanied by conditional incentivised learning they will not achieve inter-generational rebalancing. In contrast, Muhammad Yunus has built accountability into his design for micro-finance, thereby enabling young people to look forward with a constructive approach towards achieving their potential in our fast-changing world. Attitudinal transformation takes time and commitment to take hold, but it does achieve results. Background music: 'World's Sunrise' by1 Jimena Contreras Image source: Wikipedia

Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University says that the wheels are coming off the welfare project that began in the early 20th century. The state can no longer do it all and either massive changes are made proactively or it will happen reactively through a money market crisis. Sadly, few politicians show the necessary pragmatism and we may already be seeing the early signs of a legitimation crisis. He also looks at Donald Trump. The domestic picture is mixed but, internationally, he cannot remember a US President moving so many dials so rapidly and in such significant ways.

Steve Caplin expresses surprise that Elon Musk (or his lawyers) claims not to use a computer, despite previous contrary evidence. Tesla has launched its RoboTaxis while Amazon's Zoox intends making 10,000 robotaxis in a year. Perplexity AI is being sued by the BBC. A Chinese student was arrested in the UK for using an SMS blaster to scam people. A new bike helmet has a way of charging bike lights. An internet blackout in Iran caused 80 social media accounts supporting Scottish independence to go down. UK adults are using their phones more than their TVs for the first time. And Liverpool scientists reckon that dinosaurs were five times slower than previously thought.

Writing about marriage in 1923 in his book, 'The Prophet', Kahlil Gibran said, 'Love one another, but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls'. This episode is all about how to assess the values that could be, or could not be, met in order to build a good, strong relationship resting on freedom and acceptance. There's an old saying, 'If you love someone, let them go'. It may sound somewhat paradoxical, but a relationship based on trust relies on love and synergy, not control.

The nation's favourite savings product has just got a little less generous. The prize rate on NS&I's supremely popular Premium Bonds will be slashed from 3.8% to 3.6% from the August draw — the fifth cut since March 2024. Helen Crane, Tanya Jefferies and Georgie Frost discuss why Premium Bonds are the Marmite of the savings world, and ask whether the latest cut will prompt devotees to jump ship. We also look at where else they could stash their rainy day fund - and keep the tax-free benefits. Elsewhere, the team ask why a Lloyds Bank customer was turned away from the counter when they asked to withdraw £600 in cash - and told they could only do it at the machine outside. We also hear from a reader who has a moral dilemma. They are having £40,000 of work done on their home, and the builder has asked them to pay in cash. It seems there may be some creative accounting at work — but our reader hasn't been told that in so many words, and it could of course be perfectly above board. Could they get in trouble if it does turn out the builder is evading tax? Will the bank ask questions? And can you even take out that much money in one go? Next, Tanya discusses the latest number crunching which reveals that opting out of your work pension in your twenties, even for five years, could leave you £40,000 poorer at retirement. With younger people's budgets stretched in many directions, paying into a pension isn't always a priority. So how can they ensure they save enough for a comfortable retirement, and is it possible to make up for lost time? Finally, we look at what most people would spend the money on if they received an inheritance — or at least, what they say they would spend it on.

Chloe Wong Yun Shing of Edison Group looks at London estate agency Foxtons, which operates in lettings, sales and financial services. It has 6% of the market and expects to move beyond London through acquisitions. It is pivoting towards lettings, which will reduce cyclical volatility. Edison's analysts feel the shares are only half their fair value. Record plc is a specialist asset manager for institutions focussing on currency and derivative management. While full year results saw a drop in revenue and profits, assets under management remained solid at over $100m. It's a cash-generative business with no debt and a yield of 8% supports the shares.

James Cameron-Wilson waxes lyrical about #1 ‘28 Years Later’, Danny Boyle's first film in six years. It's 23 years since ‘28 Days Later’ and the zombie horror is as fresh as ever, with the likes of Ralph Fiennes and Jodie Comer starring in the third in the series, which begins on Lindisfarne. The film has been doing incredibly well wherever it has opened. #3 ‘Elio’, however, has had the worst opening ever for Pixar. A children's sci-fi animated adventure, James found himself unmoved while the kids seeing it were far from being gripped. On Amazon Prime, his hopes for the supposedly funny film about improv actors involved in police stings, ‘Deep Cover’, were soon dashed, despite the presence of Orlando Bloom and Sean Bean. It simply isn't funny enough.

Amazon’s latest data centre will require the same amount of electricity as one million homes. Jason Moser and Matt Argersinger join Ricky Mulvey to discuss the data centre spending boom. Hims & Hers messy breakup with Novo Nordisk, and overrated and underrated business stories from the year so far. Then, 19 minutes in, Progyny CEO, Peter Anevski, joins Tim Beyers and Holly Anderson to discuss the growth path ahead for the health benefits company. Finally, 31 minutes in, Jason and Matt discuss Disney’s box office struggle with “Elio” and offer up two radar stocks: Uber and Otis Worldwide. Companies discussed: AMZN, HIMS, NVO, TSLA, PGNY, DIS, UBER, OTIS. Host - Ricky Mulvey; Guests - Jason Moser, Matt Argersinger, Tim Beyers, Holly Anderson, Peter Anevski

FICO turns to BNPL data and Fiserv embraces a new stablecoin. Andy Cross, Jason Hall, and Matt Frankel discuss FICO to include BNPL data, the importance of Tesla’s robotaxi, Tesla’s advantages and challenges in self-driving, and Fiserv launches its own stablecoin. Companies discussed: FICO, TSLA, GOOGL, UBER, FI, PYPL, CRCL, SHOP. Host - Andy Cross; Guests - Jason Hall, Matt Frankel

Rory McGowan is joined by Dr Olivia Ahn, co-founder of FLUUS and an expert in innovation and sustainability. With it being Climate Change Action Week, Dr Olivia talks about new research that shows a growing demand in sustainable period care. https://wearefluus.com/ 

The unabridged recording of Rachel Reeves’ speech in the House of Commons on 11^th June 2025.

Rory McGowan is joined by Dr Juho Jalkanen from Faron Pharmaceuticals. In this episode they discuss a new blood cancer trial has shown highly promising results, particularly for patients who have relapsed or live with hard-to-treat forms of the disease. https://faron.com/

For the 500th show, Steve Caplin takes a look back at some of the highlights of ten years of Gadgets & Gizmos. He covers sprayable sleep, cows imitating zebras to ward off mosquitoes, crows collecting cigarette butts, NFTs, self-parking slippers, KFC chicken-tasting nail polish, the first human head transplant, the Skunklock noxious bike lock, Refrigerdating, the robot dog flamethrower, ant populated gin and how to make pain relief pills 10 times more effective.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves delivers her March '25 Spring Statement — this is an unabridged audio record of her speech to the House of Commons.

Berkshire’s cash hoard is approaching “Dr. Evil” levels. Tim Beyers and Dylan Lewis discuss Warren Buffett’s message to investors and Berkshire Hathaway shareholders in his annual letter, Berkshire’s growing cash position and what it might say about his view of the investing opportunities out there, and Apple’s $500Bn commitment to its Advanced Manufacturing Fund, AI development, and R&D efforts. Then, 16 minutes in, American's pharmaceutical options for legally treating mental health issues could expand soon. MindMed is testing the effects of LSD on depression and Anxiety, the company’s CEO Rob Barrow talks Ricky Mulvey through his company's work and the future of psychedelics and mental health. Companies discussed: BRK.A, BRK.B, AAPL, MNMD. Host - Dylan Lewis; Guests - Tim Beyers, Rob Barrow, Ricky Mulvey

James Cameron-Wilson reports on box office -13% but still up on 2024, with ‘Wicked’ becoming last year's most successful film with £59.6m. The musical biopic of Bob Dylan, ‘A Complete Unknown’, with Timothy Chalomet and Edward Norton is the new #1. The tedious and unbelievable ‘Wolf Man’ limps in at #7. James found Netflix's spy thriller ‘Back in Action’, the return from retirement of Cameron Diaz, all very silly and over the top, despite some good stunts. The Oscar nominations were coming out during recording, so James gives his first thoughts on who's in and who's out.

Steve Caplin gives Simon Rose a plethora of tech ideas for Christmas gifts, for others and for yourself. He finds some bizarre advent calendars. The top toy for kids appears to be a Fart Blaster. From the Chinese version of Amazon, Alibaba, he recommends heated gloves, a vacuum phone holder, a portable ceiling fan, sewing needles that thread themselves and a car charger with retractable cables. There's also a camera drone, an impressive iPhone case, rechargeable LED work lights, colour changing LED bulbs, magnetic tool holders and an avocado slicer. He was delighted with his game-playing SteamDeck and also recommends Bridge Command, where you can immerse yourself in a Star Trek-style experience. 

Warren Buffett sends us into the season to be thankful with his philanthropic acts and his poignant words, and gives us all a place to start the conversation with family about money. Asit Sharma and Dylan Lewis discuss NBC’s negotiations to extend their rights to broadcast rights to the Macy’s Day Parade, and why holiday live events are turning into an arms race, the expectations for Black Friday through Cyber Monday, and two predictions on the direction of consumer spend and who will be driving it in future years, and Warren Buffett’s plans for passing his wealth on to his family and philanthropic efforts, and the words of wisdom we should all have in mind as we get together with loved ones this week. Companies discussed: CMCSA, M, NFLX, AMZN, BRK.A, BRK.B. Host - Dylan Lewis; Guests - Asit Sharma

Adam Cox is joined by Thea Watson from Bright HR. They discuss a new report carried out by Bright HR, all about business confidence. What did it find? Well, it shows how 68% of UK businesses who have embraced a technology strategy see growth as their number one objective for 2025.Shockingly though, over half of all survey respondents — many without a tech plan — say they are not expecting to grow in 2025, and more than a quarter are simply looking to survive. https://www.brighthr.com/

UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves delivers her first Budget. The recording is unabridged and without additional comment.

The State Opening of Parliament on Wednesday 17th July was somewhat of a watershed after fourteen years of Conservative governments. Here is the unabridged King's Speech, encapsulating in just over twelve minutes the priorities of the new Labour Government. Image Source: Daily Express. Background music following the speech: 'Pastorale' by Joel Cummins

The core of the problem with unclaimed, adult-owned Child Trust Funds (of which there are over £2 billion waiting to be claimed) is with accounts opened by HMRC. That's why The Share Foundation has proposed a 'default withdrawal at 21' process, based on the young person's National Insurance number. Danny Kruger MP took part in the CTF conference in Westminster on Tuesday 5th March, and two weeks later in a Westminster Hall CTF debate, and supported this initiative which could release £1/4 billion each year to help these young and predominantly low-income young adults. Background music: 'Waiting' by Andrew Langdon

The debate on 19th March 2024 was hosted by Sir Jeremy Quin MP to call for the need to simplify family access to Child Trust Funds for disabled young people, and a number of MPs contributed to the debate, including Danny Kruger and Ed Davy. The audio record is provided by Parliament Live, and is an unabridged recording of proceedings, without additional comment. Listeners may notice an adjournment for voting in the House of Commons.

Adam Cox is joined by Gemma Bourne from Big Society Capital to discuss why the government should reallocate a larger proportion of its existing spend to further scale initiatives that tackle the UK's homelessness and temporary accommodation crisis. With new research showing that these house funds are already having a major impact, it could help us combat homelessness. https://bigsocietycapital.com/

Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University explains why he so enjoyed new Argentine President Javier Milei lecturing the great and good of the World Economic Forum about libertarian and Austrian economics, attacking corporatism and socialism. He feels Milei could be the most consequential politician economically-speaking for many years. He also looks at falling EV car sales, lamenting the way in which politicians set goals for achieving their hobbyhorses irrespective of scientific progress and consumer demand. And he is fascinated by a meeting between journalist John Humphreys and members of Gen Z, which showed them to be different to the popular perception.

Welcome to a special episode of The Financial Outlook: the investment section of the Managing My Money course. What's the difference between saving and investment? It's all in the risk. We talk about shares, bonds and funds, and which perform best over the long term. The Managing My Money course has 16 sections in total, and is presented by Glen Goodman and Annie Weston. You can enjoy the whole course, produced in association with the Open University via Share Radio's home page. Here's the link to the slides for this episode: https://www.shareradio.co.uk/help-guides/managing-my-money/supporting-slides/mmm-week-5-episode-10-supporting-slides/

“The [Child Trust Fund] scheme has been closed to new entrants for over 12 years. In this time HMRC has been focusing resources on evaluating and improving existing schemes. We will continue to keep the need to evaluate old schemes under review.” So said Andrew Griffith MP, Economic Secretary to HM Treasury in reply to a parliamentary question from John Ashworth MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. But this is not an 'old scheme' — there is currently over £1.7 billion sitting in mature accounts belonging to over 900,000 mainly low-income young adults throughout the UK who don't know anything about their good fortune! Their Child Trust Fund harvest is seeing too little action at present: but it's not too late to get it sorted, and the current focus from the National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee will certainly help.
Background music: 'Hopeful Freedom' by Asher Fulero

The huge take-up of ChatGPT over recent weeks has brought the challenge of Artificial Intelligence into sharp relief. As the Chief Executive of its creator, OpenAI, said in one of his blogs, 'Artificial Intelligence will bring unimaginable wealth but, unless something changes, most of us will get none of it. We need a radical solution'. Conventional wisdom sees Universal Basic Income as the way through this dilemma, but this will only bring us more state intermediation and human subservience. We can put forward a better solution, by enabling all to share in the wealth that technology brings and to play their part in its future governance.
Background music: 'Digital Solitude' by Silent Partner

Jonathan Davis, editor of the Investment Trusts Handbook, tells Simon Rose what makes investment trusts special and why investors should consider their merits. He explains the differences to other types of funds, including the premium and discount. He discusses the yields on alternative assets (including renewable energy and even music royalties) and how trusts can continue paying dividends even in bad years. The handbook, from Harriman House, is available in hardbook or free as an ebook (https://tinyurl.com/mt69fc24).

It’s the last episode of Answers (but don’t worry, we’re just moving to Motley Fool Money every Tuesday). We’ll reminisce on our biggest lessons learned over the last seven years and answer your questions, some financial, some festive.

The Talk by the WealthiHer Network, every month on Share Radio: this month we are here to talk about the secrets of some of UK leading female businesses leaders and their journeys within launching their businesses. Tamara Gillan is joined by Charlotte Bobroff, the executive director at J.P. Morgan who has been incremental with working with female founders from female high-powered businesses. She recently curated an event surrounding female high-powered businesses and she will be discussing her findings. Also, we have the pleasure of Daina Speddings, who is an investor at BGF and will share her perspective on the investment journey.

Scrooge has made the deal of his life with Chinese investors and must now quickly return to London on Christmas Eve to close the deal. On the flight back, during a fitful sleep, Scrooge confronts his past and present and learns the future consequences of his miserly life to find the true meaning of Christmas. Proscenium Online Theatre is super excited to be bringing you a whole new season of audio dramas in 2022. Starting off with 'The Girl in the Yellow Dress', a dark romance by South African playwright Craig Higginson, and 'Plunder', an original Hong Kong based thriller by American playwright Alan Olejniczak. In the meantime - sit back, close your eyes and enjoy the Proscenium Online Theatre’s production of 'A Christmas Carol'.

https://www.prosceniumonlinetheatre.com

Join the Sustain:Social panel session on December '21, considering the outlook for investors in the wake of the COP26 in Glasgow. The panel comprises of - Chair: Rodney Hobson Panel: Gervais Williams (Premier Miton Group); Jamie Broderick (Impact Investing Institute); Mohan Gundu (Sustainable Funds Group); Mike Appleby (Liontrust Sustainable Investment team); Gavin Oldham (The Share Foundation / Share Radio).

Food banks are providing a vital role to help people this winter, and the Trussell Trust supports more than 1,200 throughout the United Kingdom. In this special episode of The Bigger Picture, their Chief Executive Emma Revie briefs supporters about their progress, and their plans for the future. If you would like to support the extraordinary work undertaken by this charity, please visit https://trusselltrust.org

Imagine a world in which everyone has a stake in the great tech firms that serve them each day, and where dividends are gradually replacing wages to provide regular income for everyone, as work becomes scarcer as a result of automation? Imagine a world where every young person not only has a small inheritance with which to start their adult life, but also the opportunity to build its value by learning life skills? Simon Rose is taking a well-earned break this week, so we’re taking the opportunity to bring you a talk given Gavin Oldham in August to the leading City of London think-tank Z/Yen.

Click link for slides for presentation

Every child in the UK born between 1 Sept 2002 and 2 Jan 2011 has a Child Trust Fund (CTF). But one child in six has lost contact with the money. Gavin Oldham, Chairman of The Share Foundation – which runs the Junior ISA & Child Trust Fund schemes for children in care for the Department for Education - is trying to re-connect them. He talks through the CTF, how to track an account down, and what a child can and can’t do with the money.

In a new partnership with publishers Harriman House, Share Radio has produced its first audiobook 'Superinvestors', written by Matthew Partridge and read by some of Share Radio's best known presenters. 'Superinvestors' lays bare the investing secrets of legendary investors - from early 20th-century figures such as Benjamin Graham and John Maynard Keynes, through to more modern names such as Anthony Bolton and Warren Buffett.

How you can help young people in care prepare for adult life by supporting The Share Foundation’s ‘Stepladder of Achievement’ programme.

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Share Radio has put together a list of our ‘Top 5 Money Saving Apps’ to help our listeners make the most of their money.  All the apps featured here are free to download on either Apple or Android devices. Read more...