Informed Choice Radio Personal Finance Podcast

If you’re a business owner with a dream of selling your business, so you can enjoy financial freedom, then you need a plan. Knowing your number – how much you need to realise from the sale of your business – is essential. Equally as important is knowing what you will be doing next with your life. My guest on the podcast today is Adam Carolan, a Chartered Financial Planner and Fellow of the Personal Finance Society. Adam is author of Wealth Planning for Business Owners: Know your number, plan your exit and enjoy financial freedom. In our conversation today, we cover: -Adam’s Two Circles Principle, understanding the importance of connecting business goals and personal financial goals. -Why you need a Pitch Deck not a business plan -An effective framework for realising the value of your business and achieving your personal objectives too. -The importance of core value in your business and in your life. And much more too. Here’s my conversation with Adam Carolan, author of Wealth Planning for Business Owners, in episode 537 of Informed Choice Radio.

In this episode of Talking Money from Informed Choice Radio; Bitcoin has gone a bit nuts this week after setting a new record high of $57,000 and then crashing by 20%. But what does the future hold for the volatile cryptocurrency? We also talk about the latest unemployment figures and the roadmap to economic recovery. Welcome to episode 11 of Talking Money, with Martin Bamford and Hannah Godfrey. In each episode of Talking Money, we take a topical look at the big money stories of the week, putting our personal spin on the news.

In this episode of Talking Money from Informed Choice Radio; fallen star fund manager Neil Woodford has issued an apology and revealed plans to return to investment management, but might have incurred the wrath of regulators in the process. We also talk about the factors driving detached house price growth into double figures in the past year, and why bereaved families are being let down by banks at an especially difficult time. Welcome to episode 10 of Talking Money, with Martin Bamford and Hannah Godfrey. In each episode of Talking Money, we take a topical look at the big money stories of the week, putting our personal spin on the news.

Where is the best place in the UK to invest in a buy-to-let property? Aldermore’s Buy to Let City Tracker, analysing 50 cities across the UK to understand the top places for landlords to invest in, has found Manchester, closely followed by Cambridge, to be the best. The Tracker, which has been expanded from 25 cities in 2019 to 50 cities, was determined by analysing and assessing five key indicators that impact desirability; average total rent, the best short-term returns through yield, long-term return through house price growth over the past decade, the lowest number of vacancies as a proportion of total housing stock, and percentage of the city population in the rental market. In this episode of Informed Choice Radio, I speak to Jon Cooper, head of mortgage distribution at Aldermore. With a high level of uncertainty for landlords since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the private rented sector has never been more important. Renters have changing needs, which is creating investment opportunities for landlords. Here's my conversation with Jon Cooper in episode 534 of Informed Choice Radio.

In this episode of Talking Money from Informed Choice Radio; fears of a tax raid on pensions and pensioners in the Budget next month. We also talk about how Covid financial support has been skewed in favour of men, and why not knowing how much is in your partner's pension pot isn't necessarily a bad thing this Valentine's Day. Welcome to episode 9 of Talking Money, with Martin Bamford and Hannah Godfrey. In each episode of Talking Money, we take a topical look at the big money stories of the week, putting our personal spin on the news.

Younger people have flocked to platforms like Robinhood during the pandemic, making trading the pandemic hobby of choice. But how does Robinhood make its money? If something is free, there’s every chance that you are the product. My guest on the podcast today is Dr Richard Smith. Known as “The Doctor of Uncertainty”, Dr Smith has spent his life comprehending market risk, empowering traders to become savvy investors. Richard studied mathematics at U.C. Berkeley and earned his PhD in Systems Science from the Watson School of Engineering at SUNY Binghamton under the late Professor George Klir. Richard is also Chairman of the Board and CEO of Foundation for the Study of Cycles, an international nonprofit that promotes and conducts research of cycles and how they can be used to make the world a better place. His commentary has been featured in Forbes, CNN, BBC, MarketWatch and many others. During this conversation, I chat with Richard about how loss aversion influences our investment decisions, how Robinhood is making its money, the insurgency against Wall Street being coordinated on Reddit, and much more. Here’s my conversation with Dr Richard Smith in episode 532 of Informed Choice Radio.

In this episode of Talking Money from Informed Choice Radio; what on earth is going on with the GameStop saga as the Reddit bros continue with their battle against Wall Street? We also talk about the proposed regulated of buy-now, pay-later services, like Klarna. And we cover the Advertising Standards Authority rapping Ryanair over the knuckles for their irresponsible 'Jab and Go' advertising campaign. Welcome to episode 8 of Talking Money, with Martin Bamford and Hannah Godfrey. In each episode of Talking Money, we take a topical look at the big money stories of the week, putting our personal spin on the news. Amateur retail investors have attempted a 'short squeeze' designed to punish the hedge funds they hold responsible for the global financial crisis. But is there more behind this story? The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) wants to regulate the providers of buy-now, pay-later services, including Klarna. It's probably a good idea, with the use of these services quadrupling in 2020, as 5 million Brits borrowed £2.7 billion from currently unregulated lenders. With one in 10 of these borrowers already in debt arrears elsewhere, it's time for the FCA to step in. Ryanair got in trouble with the Advertising Standards Authority after screening their 'jab and go' television advertising campaign. Summer holiday in 2020? Probably not.

My guest on the podcast today became financially free at age 35, following a wake-up moment as he was following the traditional path of school, career and retirement. Todd Miller, also known as Tightwad Todd, is a money coach and thrifty saver. He grew up with a fascination about how money works, influenced by the frugality of his grandmother, who grew up during the Great Depression. After graduating with a degree in finance, Todd started working for a Fortune Global 500 company, but was laid off less than a year later at the start of the global financial crisis. This experience prompted the start of a 12-year journey to financial freedom. During our conversation in this episode, I chat with Todd about why the traditional career path is so risky, how wealth is something you can’t see, and why hedonic adaption creates a barrier to happiness with our spending. Here’s my conversation with Todd Miller in episode 530 of Informed Choice Radio.

In this episode of Talking Money from Informed Choice Radio; the Bank of England faces criticism for its financial support of high-carbon businesses, there’s a chance to the self-assessment deadline, and Covid income inequality needs to be tackled. Welcome to episode 7 of Talking Money, with Martin Bamford and Hannah Godfrey. In each episode of Talking Money, we take a topical look at the big money stories of the week, putting our personal spin on the news. The Bank of England has been criticised by the Environmental Audit Committee of MPs, after providing emergency funding to 230 large companies, more than half of which are high-carbon firms. While protecting jobs is the priority for today, is the future all about Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) investing? HMRC has pushed back the deadline for self-assessment, from 31st January to 28th February. But the deadline extension isn’t as straightforward as it first appears. Oxfam has published a damning report, The Inequality Virus, which reveals rising levels of income inequality in every country across the world. Are we living with a rigged economic system, with no recession for the richest?

The clock is ticking, with the self-assessment tax deadline coming up this Sunday, 31st January 2021. With the deadline looming, millions of people will be scrambling this week to finalise the information needed to complete and file their tax returns. Self-assessment can be a challenge at the best of times, but throw the pandemic into the mix, and more than a quarter of self-employed people have admitted they will find it harder to pay their tax bills. Pauline Green is Head of Product Compliance at Intuit QuickBooks, and I spoke to her ahead of the deadline to discuss what you need to know about self-assessment this year.