Informed Choice Radio Personal Finance Podcast

This week on the show, Martin talks to Nick Britton, head of training at the Association of Investment Companies, all about Investment Trusts. If you’re an investor, this interview will provide a great introduction to Investment Companies, how they work and the risks involved. There’s also a round-up of the latest personal finance and investing news.

This week in episode 45 of the Informed Choice Podcast, Martin talks to his colleagues Nick and Andrew about pension freedoms, the end of investment commissions and important assumptions for Financial Planning. Back in April we experienced the introduction of new pension freedoms. Have these been a success? What is coming next in the world of pensions? With a new Pensions Green Paper, could we see a change in pensions tax relief? Ongoing commissions on many types of investments are coming to an end next April. What is happening to these fund based commission payments and what options do investors have when it comes to paying for financial advice? Assumptions underpin good Financial Planning, but how do we arrive at the assumptions we use for interest rates, inflation, investment returns or life expectancy? Why is it so important to keep these assumptions under regular review? 

This week in episode 44 of the Informed Choice Podcast, Martin talks to Chris Daems, founder of AE in a Box and one of the leading experts in pension auto enrolment. There’s also a roundup of the latest personal finance and investing news.

This week in episode 43 of the Informed Choice Podcast, Martin talks to Dr Peter Westaway, Chief Economist at Vanguard Asset Management about the five things influencing investment market sentiment. There’s also a roundup of the latest personal finance and investing news.

This week in episode 42 of the Informed Choice Podcast, Martin talks to David Sinclair, Director of the International Longevity Centre, about the myth of the baby boomer. He also shares the three questions you need to ask yourself about retirement and asks whether how you wear your shirt influences your success in life.

This week in episode 41 of the Informed Choice Podcast, Martin talks to Michael Scott, manager of the Schroder Monthly High Income Fund, about what rising interest rates mean for high yield bonds, explains why building societies are better than banks, and tells you what it takes to retire ten years early.

This week in episode 40 of the Informed Choice Podcast, Martin talks about the causes of intergenerational wealth inequality, whether Alzheimer’s disease can be transmitted by medical procedures and why teenagers are better with money decisions than young adults.

This week in episode 39 of the Informed Choice Podcast, Martin talks about time perspectives for retirement planning, what it means that we’re all living longer, and why nothing is often the best thing to do with your investment portfolio. In the personal finance and investing new roundup this week: –The payment limit for contactless payment cards has been increased. –Chinese authorities have punished 197 people for allegedly spreading online rumours about the recent stock market crash and factory explosions in Tianjin. –The state pension age could rise to 70 by the year 2050, based on the latest life expectancy figures published by the Office for National Statistics. –US Federal Reserve official Eric Rosengren has warned that stockmarket volatility and falling commodity prices could represent a setback to US growth prospects. –Morgan Stanley has issued its first ‘full house’ buy alert for global stockmarkets since early 2009. -The European Central Bank has cut its price inflation and economic growth outlooks for the rest of 2015 and the following two years. How can you use time perspectives to improve outcomes in retirement? Martin explores why understanding better how people relate to time, and the perspective they have on the past, the present and the future, can enable financial planners to help clients plan more effectively, particularly during times of maximum uncertainty. One in three women in England will live to at least 90 years old. A female baby born between 2010 and 2012 can, on average, expect to live to 82.8, while a male should live to 79. When the ONS last issued figures a decade ago, female longevity was 80.6, while for males it was 76. What does this rising longevity mean for your financial planning? When is doing nothing your best option for investing? Trying to time the markets can be a recipe for disaster, as new analysis from Fidelity shows. Missing out on the best few days of market returns can reduce overall investment returns dramatically. Time spent in the markets is far better than trying to time the markets. No listener question in the show this week, but we would love to hear from you! If you have a personal finance or investment question, we would love to hear from you and have the opportunity to answer your question in a future episode of the show. To leave your question as a voicemail, call 020 8144 2745 and record your message. Please leave a note of your full name, mention your website or blog if you have one, and then record your question. If you could keep the question to under 60 seconds, that would be perfect, and then we will feature it on a future episode of the podcast. Alternatively, if you click here you can record a voicemail for the show there using the microphone on your PC or Mac.

This week in episode 38 of the Informed Choice Podcast, Martin talks about the Great Fall of China, signs you might be financially unstable and the ostrich effect when it comes to your financial health. He also answers a listener question about investing in Investment Trusts. In the personal finance and investing new roundup this week: -The number of people complaining about packaged bank accounts has risen dramatically. -The government has sold more of its stake in Lloyds Bank. -The number of new homes being built in England rose by 15 per cent in the year to June. -Britain spends £4.5bn a year in coffee shops, with 1 in 3 adults visiting a coffee shop every week. -Spain has topped the list of favourite overseas retirement hotspots. Our listener question this week comes from George, who emailed martin@icfp.co.uk with the following: “My dad has told me that he has built up a lot of money by buying Investment Trusts. What are they exactly and should I be investing in them?” If you have a personal finance or investment question, we would love to hear from you and have the opportunity to answer your question in a future episode of the show. To leave your question as a voicemail, call 020 8144 2745 and record your message. Please leave a note of your full name, mention your website or blog if you have one, and then record your question. If you could keep the question to under 60 seconds, that would be perfect, and then we will feature it on a future episode of the podcast.

This week in episode 37 of the Informed Choice Podcast, Martin talks about the most important money lessons from the rich and why retirees are shunning financial advice. He also answer a listener question about investing his pension pot in a Croatian hotel. Yes, really.  New episodes of the Informed Choice Podcast are published every Friday morning. To subscribe, visit www.icfp.co.uk/itunes. We love to receive your questions, views and feedback. Visit www.icfp.co.uk/podcast to leave a voicemail for the podcast, or call 020 8144 2745 to leave a voicemail with your personal finance question. You can get in touch with Martin on Twitter @martinbamford or email him at martin@icfp.co.uk. Visit www.icfp.co.uk to find out more about Informed Choice. Don't forget that everything mentioned in this podcast is for information-only! For proper, regulated, independent financial advice, speak to us about becoming a client. Informed Choice Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. You can find us in real life at Sundial House, 20 High Street, Cranleigh, Surrey, GU6 8AE. Have a great day. 020 8144 2745 New episodes of the show are published every Friday morning, featuring practical tips for making the most of your money and interviews with leading experts. Your host for the Informed Choice Podcast is Martin Bamford; a Chartered Financial Planner, CFP professional and published personal finance author. - See more at: http://www.icfp.co.uk/podcast/#sthash.ZC4m0v1c.dpuf New episodes of the show are published every Friday morning, featuring practical tips for making the most of your money and interviews with leading experts. Your host for the Informed Choice Podcast is Martin Bamford; a Chartered Financial Planner, CFP professional and published personal finance author. - See more at: http://www.icfp.co.uk/podcast/#sthash.ZC4m0v1c.dpuf New episodes of the show are published every Friday morning, featuring practical tips for making the most of your money and interviews with leading experts. Your host for the Informed Choice Podcast is Martin Bamford; a Chartered Financial Planner, CFP professional and published personal finance author. - See more at: http://www.icfp.co.uk/podcast/#sthash.ZC4m0v1c.dpuf