ICR200: Past, Present & Future

Today’s episode is a big milestone, 200 episodes of this podcast.

I look back at some of the highlights of those past 200 episodes, and describe the evolution of this podcast during that time.

I also share a behind the scenes look at Informed Choice Radio; how do we actually produce three new episodes of this podcast each week?

And I talk about some plans for the future, the first time I’ve spoken about this publicly, what the future has in store for Informed Choice Radio.

Personal finance news update

-The UK housing market is stagnating, according to surveyors.

-Postal unions could take strike action following the news the Royal Mail is closing its final salary pension scheme next year.

-A new savings bond from National Savings & Investment has gone on sale, offering a ‘market leading’ interest rate of 2.2%.

-New research commissioned by Gocompare.com Money has found the average age parents expect their children to leave home is 25.

-Official figures released this week show that the UK employment rate is at 74.6%, with 31.84 million people in work.

Money article of the week

How Your Body Responds to a Financial Windfall from Investopedia

Random fact of the week

In what was generally considered to be the first recorded financial bubble, the Tulip Mania of 1636-1637 involved speculators inflating the price of tulip bulbs. By the peak of tulipmania in February 1637, a single tulip bulb was worth about ten times a craftsman’s annual income. The bubble subsequently burst and the Dutch economy was plunged into a mild economic recession which lasted for several years.

Inspirational quote

Our inspirational quote this week comes from James W. Frick, former vice president for public relations, alumni affairs and development at the University of Notre Dame, who said:

“Don’t tell me where your priorities are. Show me where you spend your money and I’ll tell you what they are.”

Get answers to your personal finance questions

Do you have a personal finance or investing question for Martin?

Email martin@icfp.co.uk or ask on Twitter @martinbamford.

You can call our dedicated podcast voicemail line on 020 8144 2745 with your question or visit www.icradio.co.uk/voicemail to leave an online voice message.

Aftershow links

–The Upstarts: How Uber, Airbnb and the Killer Companies of the New Silicon Valley are Changing the World, by Brad Stone