Informed Choice Radio Personal Finance Podcast

In this episode of the Informed Choice Podcast, Martin talks about what could happen to investment markets if the UK votes to leave the European Union in the referendum this June. There is also a roundup of the latest personal finance new and an update from the world of Informed Choice. What happens to investments if the UK leaves Europe? David Cameron has finally announced a referendum on whether Britain should remain in the European Union will be held on Thursday 23rd June. This follows intense negotiations about the UK’s membership of the EU, including changes to child benefit, migrant welfare payments, keeping the pound without fear of discrimination, protection for the City of London and a so-called ‘red card’ system for national parliaments who want to block EU legislation.So, where do you stand on Europe and how will you be voting in the referendum this June? When you are asked, "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?", will you be answering yes or no? What would be the likely impact on investment markets if UK voters decided to leave Europe? Please let Martin know how you plan to vote in the EU referendum and what impact you think a decision either way could have for investment markets. Email him at martin@icfp.co.uk or get in touch on Twitter @martinbamford, he would love to hear from you. Right click here and save as to download this episode to your computer Personal finance news update -House prices rose by 6.7% in 2015, according to the Office for National Statistics.  -Price inflation rose by 0.3% in the year to January, as measured by the Consumer Prices Index or CPI.  -The cost of stamps is going up in March, with a first class stamp costing 64p. Second class stamps will also go up in price, to 55p from 29th March.  -No UK or European banks have sold any so-called Coco bonds this year, following concerns about the health of the banking sector.   -Chancellor George Osborne is likely to miss his public borrowing goals for the 2015/16 tax year after recording a smaller-than-expected surplus in January.  Martin and Informed Choice Martin Bamford is a Chartered Financial Planner, Chartered Wealth Manager and SOLLA Accredited Later Life Adviser. As Managing Director of Informed Choice, the award-winning firm of Chartered Financial Planners in Surrey, he is responsible for nearly £200m of client assets. Martin is the author of several bestselling personal finance books and produced his first feature-length documentary in 2014, about the post-war Baby Boomer generation in retirement. “Bamford excels at making even the dullest topics interesting” – Pensions Management Visit www.icfp.co.uk to find out more about Informed Choice, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/informedchoice. Follow Martin on Twitter at www.twitter.com/martinbamford or email him at martin@icfp.co.uk.

In this episode of the Informed Choice Podcast, Martin talks about love and money. There is also a roundup of the latest personal finance news and an update from the world of Informed Choice. Love and Money With Valentine’s Day coming up, this episode of the podcast is all about love and money. Martin starts by sharing some tips for martial bliss with money.  Talking about money in your marriage is really important. Understanding how each spouse feels about money, what they want it to achieve in your life together and their preferred approach to managing finances will help with marital harmony. Keeping secrets about money can place unnecessary strain on a marriage. According to research by BlackRock, most people don’t keep financial secrets from their significant others.  With Valentine’s Day coming up, lots of the personal finance press releases we have been sent have romantic theme. According to new research from American Express, Brits are set to spend £431 million this Valentine’s Day as 41% of UK adults plan on celebrating with their loved ones. Confused.com found that Brits are expected to splurge more than £240 million in last minute Valentine’s Day spending on February 14th.  TopCashback research reveals single Brits feel short-changed from their dating experience – some are even asking their dates for money back! Ocean Finance have done some research and found that uncovering secret debts is the biggest financial turn-off in a relationship. Please let Martin know what tips you have for money and relationships. Email him at martin@icfp.co.uk or get in touch on Twitter @martinbamford, he would love to hear from you. Personal finance news update -Stock markets in Europe and the US remain shaky with investors worry about the state of the global economy. -A surge in buy-to-let property investing is raising house prices. -Food shoppers are failing to identify the best deals. -Charity Age UK has reportedly stopped a commercial deal with energy supplied E.On, after facing criticism. -Low interest rates could be here to stay. Martin and Informed Choice Martin Bamford is a Chartered Financial Planner, Chartered Wealth Manager and SOLLA Accredited Later Life Adviser. As Managing Director of Informed Choice, the award-winning firm of Chartered Financial Planners in Surrey, he is responsible for nearly £200m of client assets. Martin is the author of several bestselling personal finance books and produced his first feature-length documentary in 2014, about the post-war Baby Boomer generation in retirement. “Bamford excels at making even the dullest topics interesting” – Pensions Management Visit www.icfp.co.uk to find out more about Informed Choice, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/informedchoice. Follow Martin on Twitter at www.twitter.com/martinbamford or email him at martin@icfp.co.uk.

In this episode of the Informed Choice Podcast, Martin talks about rethinking the emergency fund. There's also a roundup of the latest personal finance news and an update from the world of Informed Choice. Rethinking the emergency fund All Financial Planners talk about the importance of a cash emergency fund. This is  a  pot of cash put aside to cover any financial surprises in your life. But why is an emergency fund so important? How much do you need to save? Where should you keep it? In this episode of the Informed Choice Podcast, Martin answers all of these questions and starts to rethink some of the conventional wisdom about emergency funds. He describes some scenarios where that old rule of thumb to keep the equivalent of three months committed expenditure in cash is far too little. Personal finance news update-The price of oil has rallied above $35 a barrel, as support from a weaker US dollar offset investor concerns about oversupply in the oil market.-Average house prices in the UK grew by 9.7 per cent in the year to January, according to the Halifax.-British pensioners overseas could see their state pension income uprated in the future. -According to a new report, the largest proportion of happy people in England live in Mid Sussex.  -The charity Age Concern faces an investigation by the Charity Commission, following allegations they promoted unfavourable gas and electricity deals in return for cash.  -Lloyds Banking Group is cutting 1,755 jobs and closing 29 branches in an attempt to save money.  Martin and Informed Choice Martin Bamford is a Chartered Financial Planner, Chartered Wealth Manager and SOLLA Accredited Later Life Adviser. As Managing Director of Informed Choice, the award-winning firm of Chartered Financial Planners in Surrey, he is responsible for nearly £200m of client assets. Martin is the author of several bestselling personal finance books and produced his first feature-length documentary in 2014, about the post-war Baby Boomer generation in retirement. “Bamford excels at making even the dullest topics interesting” – Pensions Management Visit www.icfp.co.uk to find out more about Informed Choice, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/informedchoice. Follow Martin on Twitter at www.twitter.com/martinbamford or email him at martin@icfp.co.uk.

In this episode of the Informed Choice Podcast, Martin talks about what the name of your road means for house prices, some investment market predictions for 2016, and there’s a roundup of the latest personal finance news. In the personal finance news roundup this week: -The final sale of the government’s stake in Lloyds Banking group has been postponed. -The UK economy grew by 0.5 per cent in the final quarter of last year. -A row is growing over the controversial tax deal between Google and HM Revenue & Customs. -The average deposit required to buy a home in Britain has exceeded £80,000 for the first time. -There has been a 6.7 per cent increase in registrations for new homes across the UK, according to the National House Building Council. Martin Bamford is a Chartered Financial Planner, Chartered Wealth Manager and SOLLA Accredited Later Life Adviser. As Managing Director of Informed Choice, the award-winning firm of Chartered Financial Planners in Surrey, he is responsible for nearly £200m of client assets. Martin is the author of several bestselling personal finance books and produced his first feature-length documentary in 2014, about the post-war Baby Boomer generation in retirement. “Bamford excels at making even the dullest topics interesting” – Pensions Management Visit www.icfp.co.uk to find out more about Informed Choice, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/informedchoice. Follow Martin on Twitter at www.twitter.com/martinbamford or email him at martin@icfp.co.uk.

In this episode of the Informed Choice Podcast, Martin talks about stock market volatility. There's also a roundup of the latest personal finance and investing news.  It's been a pretty terrible start to the year for investors. The FTSE 100 officially entered bear market territory, falling by 20% from its peak last April. Investors are worried about a slowdown in China's economy and the very low price of oil. Why should you, as an investor, hold your nerve at a time like this? Martin explains why volatility is a normal part of equity investing, how market timing can go horribly wrong, that diversified portfolios are not experiencing the massive falls being reporting in newspapers, and how Financial Planners add substantial value to investment portfolios at times like these. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe in iTunes at www.icfp.co.uk/itunes and write a review!  Find out more about Informed Choice at www.icfp.co.uk and follow us on Twitter @InformedChoice www.twitter.com/informedchoice. 

In this episode of the Informed Choice Podcast, Martin answers a listener question about moving the entire value of her pension pot to cash ahead of retirement. He takes a look at a new survey from Barings which suggests property is growing in popularity as a retirement income option. And he talks about an open letter from 40 charities to Prime Minister David Cameron calling on the government to take more seriously the issue of our ageing population.

In this special episode of the Informed Choice Podcast, Martin explains why investors should avoid panic, despite current investment market events and doom-mongering. Talking about a note from the RBS credit team predicting a 20% fall in global equity markets in 2016, Martin explains the importance of portfolio diversification, taking the long-term view, the fallacy of market timing and some words of wisdom from Warren Buffett. Subscribe to the Informed Choice Podcast at www.icfp.co.uk/itunes and check out our back catalogue of episodes at www.icfp.co.uk/podcast. You can follow Martin on Twitter @martinbamford www.twitter.com/martinbamford and find out more about Informed Choice at www.icfp.co.uk. 

In this episode of the Informed Choice Podcast, Martin talks about what makes women much better investors than men and what the latest retirement income survey figures tell us about the income decisions people are making in later life. There's also a roundup of the latest personal finance and investing news.

In this episode of the Informed Choice Podcast, Martin reviews progress at Informed Choice in 2015 before looking ahead to 2016, sharing his business and personal goals, and explaining how we can best make personal finance resolutions stick.

In this episode of the Informed Choice Podcast, Martin answers a listener question about the best way to invest a defined contribution pension. There's also a roundup of the latest news from the world of personal finance and investing. You can find more episodes of the Informed Choice Podcast at www.icfp.co.uk/podcast. This week, Martin would like to hear about your New Year's Resolutions. You can email him at martin@icfp.co.uk, get in touch via Twitter at www.twitter.com/martinbamford or record an audio message by following the link at www.icfp.co.uk/podcast.