Money Clinic with Claer Barrett

Buying your first home is one of the biggest financial decisions you’ll ever have to make, so how can you prepare for it? On the Money Clinic podcast this week, presenter Claer Barrett meets a couple  — 29-year-old Alex and her partner 31-year-old Sarah — who are midway through their property buying journey. They have lots of questions: Did they get the right kind of mortgage? Should they prepare for unexpected costs? And what other financial questions should they consider before signing on the dotted line? Claer sources advice from Daniel Knott, the mortgage broker who posts as @DanDoesMortgages on Instagram, as well as Jo Little, who runs chartered financial planning firm Emery Little. If you would like to be a guest on a future episode, you can email the team at money@ft.com or drop @ClaerB a DM on Twitter, Instagram or TikTok.Follow Dan on social media @DanDoesMortgages You can read Jo Little’s blog here: https://emerylittle.com/author/joannalittle/This free to read FT article goes into more detail about the legal aspects of joint property ownership: https://www.ft.com/content/f321264f-bb8e-472b-9f95-a4bd26b6d89bThis will help you find out how much you might have to pay in stamp duty: https://www.which.co.uk/money/mortgages-and-property/home-movers/stamp-duty/stamp-duty-calculator-ar7uu5s1fycxPresented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How financially compatible are you as a couple? On Money Clinic podcast this week, presenter Claer Barrett meets newly-weds Sahil and Priya, who have very different attitudes to money.Sahil is a spender and a high-risk investor. Priya is a diehard saver who finds it hard to enjoy spending her hard-earned cash. The couple want to iron out their financial differences, but confess that conversations about money often end in arguments or nagging.Financial psychotherapist Vicky Reynal examines the roots of the couple’s attitudes to money and suggests how they could move forward. Ken Okoroafor, money expert and co-founder of The Humble Penny website, advises how couples can communicate and work towards shared financial goals. If you have a money question you’d like to see tackled on the show, email money@ft.com or send Claer a DM on social media - she’s @Claerb on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Follow Ken on Instagram https://instagram.com/thehumblepenny and visit his website at https://thehumblepenny.com. Find Vicky here: https://www.reynal-psychotherapist.co.uk/And for more ideas, check out Claer’s free to read FT column: Six ways to manage money - and not fall out with your partner: https://on.ft.com/35qQJZdPresented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Record inflation! Soaring energy prices! Tax rises! Those are the gloomy economic and financial headlines, but three-quarters of the readers who answered an FT poll said they expected their bonus to be bigger, or substantially bigger, than last year’s.  If you’re lucky enough to be one of those people, this episode is for you, because the squeeze on living standards and turbulent world markets mean it’s even more important to use your bonus wisely.Claer is joined in the FT studio by three experts, FT columnist and former investment banker James Max, Nimesh Shah, chief executive of tax specialists Blick Rothenberg, and Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Landsdown. The three of them give their views on the comments from the FT readers who bravely bared their financial souls to tell us whether they intended to spend, save or invest their bonus.If you would like to be a future guest on Money Clinic podcast, please email the team via money@ft.com or follow Claer on social media @Claerb. Read the results of Claer’s bonus season survey here: https://www.ft.com/content/4deb9688-5c35-4d4b-a364-a43e0d000995James Max on how to get a bigger bonus: https://www.ft.com/content/aacbd190-535c-47dc-8046-b9ea31415acaWant advice getting a pay rise? Listen to this episode of Money Clinic: https://www.ft.com/content/eeb84e5e-acf2-4b92-a99a-bd3514e1837dPresented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why does the crew of the world’s biggest rock band have its own financial literacy programme? Well, life in the music industry is rife with financial instability - workers are often on short-term contracts, missing out on employee benefits such as pension savings and health insurance. A tour can stop at the drop of a hat - when a rockstar breaks their leg, or a pandemic hits - and workers are left without any income.That's why, when the retirement planning nonprofit, Alliance for Lifetime Income, became the Stones tour's latest sponsor, production manager Dale Skjerseth came up with an idea for helping the younger roadies manage their money better. This episode is packed with financial tips for budgeting and long-term saving, especially for gig and short-term contract workers. Featuring Stones roadies Nick and Dale, and Alliance for Lifetime Income chief executive Jean Statler.If you would like to be a future guest on Money Clinic podcast, please email the team via money@ft.com or follow Claer on social media @Claerb. Check out Claer’s column ‘The mere thought of retirement stresses me out’ ​​https://www.ft.com/content/d44f0e55-5726-47f3-af31-bfc49aae0e16And her free to read retirement planning guide for readers of all ages - How Covid-19 rebooted retirement: https://www.ft.com/content/2984f010-3496-4859-875d-deb23edcd2baCIf you’re in the US, you can access loads of information about saving for retirement on the website of the Alliance for Lifetime Income - https://www.protectedincome.org/You can also delve into the Money Clinic back catalogue. Our previous episodes include getting started in investing: https://www.ft.com/content/e035ebf1-a9ff-4057-a1bb-591f2be296e4Sorting out your pension: https://www.ft.com/content/99d962b7-dd15-4a7c-a3c8-40ba883ea1beAnd financial tips for the self employed: https://www.ft.com/content/9889e9c6-1168-4a5d-b5a6-8ab84ea36c92 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ashley dreams of owning his own home, but is well aware that the cash he is saving for a deposit is at the mercy of rising inflation. Would he be better off investing his money in his pension, in stocks and shares, or should he stay focused on getting on the property ladder?Expert guests Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, and Jason Butler, financial guru and FT columnist, have lots to say about the challenges facing younger investors, and offer tips for devising a long-term financial strategy.If you would like to be a future guest on Money Clinic podcast, please email the team via money@ft.com or follow Claer on social media @Claerb. To read Claer’s FT column about how 20-somethings are being forced to choose between targeting property or pensions, click on this link: https://www.ft.com/content/2815d35d-2297-4712-a4c5-0178de343eb1 To hear Claer chatting to Paul Johnson in-depth about the pensions challenges facing young people on the IFS podcast, click here: https://ifs.org.uk/podcast/should-people-be-saving-more-for-retirement To listen to our previous episode ‘How to get a pay rise’, click here: https://www.ft.com/content/eeb84e5e-acf2-4b92-a99a-bd3514e1837d You may also be interested to hear our previous episode about using the Lifetime Isa or Help to Buy Isa to save up for a property: https://www.ft.com/content/bf08da37-7901-4446-811b-ceef108824b4 Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With so many investing options out there, getting the right balance for your portfolio can be difficult. So this week presenter Claer Barrett has invited two listeners in for a portfolio makeover. Thirty-seven-year-old James holds UK-focused equities in his stocks and shares Isa. He was doing well, but market movements and rising inflation have made him think he might need to diversify. Thirty-four-year-old Gillian has taken a different approach, investing as much as she can into her company pension. However, she hasn’t paid much attention to what her pension is actually invested in.Investment experts Rosie Carr, editor of the Investors Chronicle, and Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, give their views on how James and Gillian can get the best out of their investments. Tips include how investors can manage the threat of rising inflation, different ways of approaching asset allocation and building a diversified portfolio.If you want to hear more about how to get started on your investment journey, try this episode of Money Clinic:  https://www.ft.com/content/e035ebf1-a9ff-4057-a1bb-591f2be296e4Want to talk to Claer on the show? Email money@ft.com or drop her a line on Instagram @ClaerbFinally, Money Clinic is a general discussion about investment topics, and does not constitute an investment recommendation or individual financial advice. Your capital is at risk when you invest.Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Investors traditionally turn to gold as a ‘haven investment’ during volatile times so it will come as no surprise that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as rising global inflation, have caused a jump in its price. But there are many ways to invest in gold and in this episode, presenter Claer Barrett, the FT’s consumer editor, visits the vault of a gold shop in Mayfair and speaks to FT columnist Merryn Somerset Webb about what role gold can play in an investment portfolio.Read Merryn’s column at https://www.ft.com/merryn-somerset-webbPresented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next month has been dubbed ‘Awful April’ as the cost of pretty much everything is going up — but is your budget ready to withstand the strain? 22-year-old podcast listener Lil is worried about how she’ll cope with higher energy bills, rising rent and bigger food bills at the supermarket — not to mention National Insurance increases and changes to her student loan repayments. She’s already pretty thrifty — so can presenter Claer Barrett come up with more ways that Lil could stretch her money further?Charlotte Jessop, founder of the website Looking After Your Pennies, explains easy ways everyone can get to grips with budgeting and saving money, as well as ideas for boosting your income. Plus, Claer visits the home of Miguel Barclay, better known on Instagram as the £1 chef, to see what budgeting tips he’s been cooking up in his latest book.You can follow all of the podcast experts on Instagram: @Claerb, @lookingafteryourpennies, @miguelbarclay To make the fried rice recipe Miguel cooked up for Claer, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT2bzS-vnF4Here’s the link to claim tax relief worth up to £125 if you’ve worked from home in the UK: https://www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/working-at-homeTo listen to our previous episode How to get a payrise, click here: https://www.ft.com/content/eeb84e5e-acf2-4b92-a99a-bd3514e1837dCharlotte’s recommended websites that offer small payments for completing consumer surveys include YouGov, Prolific and UserTesting.Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the highs and lows of crypto, to weathering the cost of living crisis, to your financial compatibility with your partner - Money Clinic is here to help you feel more in control of your finances.New episodes every Tuesday from March 15.Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

REPEAT: This week, Money Clinic is having a pay rise takeover - we’ll be pulling apart that big, scary box labelled ‘Asking for a pay rise’ - and unpacking the dos, the don’ts, the tips and tricks for getting the salary you think you are worth.Visiting our pay-rise clinic today are three podcast listeners with three different financial predicaments: Natalie keeps getting knocked back when she asks for a raise; Max knows that he could get paid more elsewhere, and Charlotte is trying to negotiate a bonus that really matches the effort she puts into her job. With expert advice from Isabel Berwick, the Financial Times’ work and careers editor and presenter of the Working It podcast, and Jonathan Black, director of the University of Oxford’s careers service and the brains behind the FT’s popular ‘Dear Jonathan’ advice column, this is a podcast you can’t afford to miss. Listen and subscribe to the Working It podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/0mRZG4fxCheck out the Dear Jonathan column: https://www.ft.com/dear-jonathanPlus the FT’s recent article: Want to get a pay rise? Here’s how! https://www.ft.com/content/967db31f-f49b-4039-a295-23db588d2a1cWant to be a future guest? Email us at money@ft.com or reach out to Claer on Instagram and Twitter: @ClaerB. Presented by Claer Barrett. Executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Produced by Persis Love. Assistant producer is Talia Augustidis. Sound design by Breen Turner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.