China’s economy has been growing faster than almost any other for a generation, so a slowdown is unfamiliar territory. Today on the show we look at three indicators — the CPI, exports and property sales — and try to understand why growth in China is finally slowing, and what it means for the rest of the world. Also, we go short cable news and long Argentina as a perpetual lesson in economics. For a free 90-day trial to the Unhedged newsletter go to: https://www.ft.com/unhedgedoffer Follow ...
Aug 15, 2023•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rob has been invited to nine weddings this year and it’s playing havoc with his finances! How can wedding guests approach the subject of money when the costs of travel, accommodation, hen dos, stag dos and suits are all totting up? Presenter Claer Barrett is joined in the studio by Alice Tapper, founder of Go Fund Yourself, and Hamish Shepherd, chief executive of wedding planning app Bridebook. They explore the latest trends in wedding planning, and share stories of the lengths to which people h...
Aug 08, 2023•28 min•Ep 73•Transcript available on Metacast Barbie is a big spender and high earner, fast approaching the age of retirement. But after a long and varied career that has seen her build a portfolio of multiple dreamhouses and a low-commitment, long-distance relationship with casual boyfriend Ken, what financial advice should she be looking for? Presenter Claer Barrett is joined in the studio by wealth manager Christine Ross from Handelsbanken and FT personal finance columnist Moira O’Neill, who share their tips on everything from prenups to...
Aug 01, 2023•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Exchange traded funds or ETFs have been growing in popularity recently but as Money Clinic listener Saranya has found, there’s a bewildering array of different types of ETFs to choose from. Presenter Claer Barrett is joined in the studio by Dave Baxter, funds editor at the Investors’ Chronicle, and Lynn Hutchinson, head of ETF and index solutions at investment manager Charles Stanley. They unpick the many different types of ETFs, how to use them to build an investment portfolio and what to look ...
Jul 25, 2023•26 min•Ep 71•Transcript available on Metacast Are you an insurance addict? Listener Joss thinks he might be and wants to know what type of insurance he really needs and whether he's getting the best possible deal. Presenter Claer Barrett speaks to Dean Dunham, who presents the Friday night ‘Consumer Hour’ show on LBC Radio, and Sam Richardson, deputy editor of Which? Money, the magazine of the consumer campaign group. They share guidance on finding the right insurance cover for your needs, how to look out for overlapping policies and how to...
Jul 18, 2023•26 min•Ep 70•Transcript available on Metacast Algy Hall has four strategies for seeking out stocks that will outperform the index, highlighted in his new book Four Ways to Beat the Market . They are: quality, value, income, and momentum. Each one homes in on a very different kind of company – from the undisputed champion to the comeback kid, and from the slow-but-steady to the on-a-roll. Presenter Claer Barrett gets Algy to explain the thinking behind each strategy. The two also reminisce about their time working together as financial journ...
Jul 11, 2023•30 min•Ep 69•Transcript available on Metacast The government has just extended the deadline to April 2025 for people to top up their National Insurance contributions. For many people approaching retirement, especially women, it offers a fantastic opportunity for them to increase their state pension by thousands of pounds by paying in only a few extra hundred. As you can imagine, the demand is huge, and has jammed the government pensions hotline. Money Clinic host Claer Barrett speaks to Sir Steve Webb, the former pensions minister and now a...
Jul 04, 2023•26 min•Ep 68•Transcript available on Metacast The 13th interest rate rise in a row has piled on the pain for many homeowners. Money Clinic host Claer Barrett has assembled a team of experts to talk through the options for managing the hit on overstretched wallets. Sarah Pennells, consumer finance specialist at Royal London, Adrian Anderson of mortgage brokers Anderson and Harris, and the FT’s Chris Giles offer analysis, strategies and solutions. Want more? Banks must play fair as mortgage rates rise Q&A: What should I do about...
Jun 27, 2023•31 min•Ep 67•Transcript available on Metacast There’s a live debate in the UK over whether regulation of crypto trading should come under the scope of financial services or be treated like gambling. The FT’s digital assets correspondent Scott Chipolina and our producer Persis Love report from Castle Craig in Scotland, a rehab centre where people are being treated for crypto addiction. Plus presenter Claer Barrett and Scott Chipolina discuss what different regulation would mean for crypto investors. If you’ve been affected by a crypto or gam...
Jun 20, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Introducing Unhedged, a new podcast from the FT. Ethan Wu, Katie Martin and other markets nerds at the Financial Times explain the big ideas behind what’s happening in finance right now. Every Tuesday and Thursday. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 14, 2023•58 sec•Transcript available on Metacast Lord John Lee of Trafford was the first person in the UK to reach £1mn invested in his stocks and shares ISA. He has a clear strategy based around choosing UK smallcap companies that pay dividends. He tells presenter Claer Barrett why this is his investment strategy and how he chooses stocks. Want more? My Isa has suffered - but I’m still a firm believer ‘I’m 22 and I earn more than my parents’ What should I do with my cash savings? Click here for tickets to the Investor's Chronicle Future of Pr...
Jun 13, 2023•23 min•Ep 65•Transcript available on Metacast Former asset manager Stuart Kirk writes about investing for FT Weekend in a column where he shares both his investment successes and failures with readers. He tells host Claer Barrett what he’s investing in now, how he chooses stocks, why he isn’t keen on funds that follow a particular theme and what he thinks needs to change in the world of ESG or sustainable investing. Want more? Being honest about my portfolio’s performance Active management is a sham — no wonder my returns are suspect ...
Jun 06, 2023•27 min•Ep 64•Transcript available on Metacast Brooke Masters, the FT's US financial editor, speaks to Anne Ackerley, managing director of the Retirement Group at BlackRock, one of the world’s largest investment companies. Anne spends her days thinking about how to make good retirement plans accessible to more people. Lately, that has included focusing on one particular problem: the differences between men and women when it comes to retirement planning. Anne tells Brooke about the challenges faced not just by women but also gig economy worke...
May 30, 2023•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast With inflation running higher than the interest rates provided by most banks, cash accounts can rapidly lose value. What does that mean for emergency savings funds? Brooke Masters, the FT’s US financial editor, speaks to investing columnist Moira O'Neill, and Georgia Lee Hussey, founder of wealth management company Modernist Financial, about how much savings to have in cash and where to keep it - both in the UK and the US. Want more? Keep up with the latest from Brooke on FT.com and follow her o...
May 23, 2023•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Bank of England has lifted its main interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 4.5 per cent, the 12th consecutive rise since December 2021. But if interest rates are going up, why are some mortgage lenders putting their rates down? Presenter Claer Barrett is joined in the studio by Chris Giles, the FT’s economics editor and Andrew Montlake, chief executive of Mortgage Broker Coreco. They explain how the uncertain outlook for base rates is affecting mortgages, the pros and cons of fi...
May 16, 2023•21 min•Ep 62•Transcript available on Metacast It’s getting harder to keep up with the cost of essentials such as water, energy and internet. FT reporter Leah Quinn speaks to 26-year-old renter Conor, who explains what he has been paying over the past few months and which bills are starting to add up. Host Claer Barrett is on hand with tips and advice on everything from whether you should get a water metre installed to whether energy bills will go down later this year. Useful links: How to get a smart metre Find out if you’re entitled to the...
May 09, 2023•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Does sorting out your personal finances fill you with anxiety and trepidation? What can you learn from your money mistakes? Money Clinic host Claer Barrett, and Isabel Berwick, host of the FT’s work and careers podcast, Working It, answer listeners’ questions in this special episode, taken from a webinar made in conjunction with the FT’s financial literacy charity, FLIC. Want more? The first lesson for female financial education? Money is power How to ask for a pay rise - and when to give one Is...
May 02, 2023•38 min•Ep 60•Transcript available on Metacast How do you know if you need a financial adviser, how do you go about finding one and how do you know you’re getting value for money? Presenter Claer Barrett guides 22-year-old Laureen, who works for a bank, through the many forms of professional financial advice, and sources expert tips from Financial Times columnist Moira O’Neill and Sally Hickey, chief reporter at FT Adviser, our specialist publication for financial advisers. Want more? Clear’s latest column: The dash for cash savings is...
Apr 25, 2023•25 min•Ep 59•Transcript available on Metacast Aligning our love lives and our financial lives is not always easy. Presenter Claer Barrett sources advice from Dr Nicola Sharp-Jeffs, founder of Surviving Economic Abuse, Tobi Asare from My Bump Pay, and Davinia Tomlinson, founder of Rainchq and author of Cash is Queen, on everything from talking about money in a relationship, the single tax, spotting the signs of financial abuse and planning for a baby. This episode is taken from a recording of an event Claer hosted in partnership with F...
Apr 18, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Simran Kaur thinks the stock market is a lot more straightforward than it is made out to be. The 26-year-old is the founder of Girls That Invest, an investing community and podcast that she set up with her best friend Sonya Gupthan when they realised that, as women of colour, there were not many people who looked like them in the financial world. Presenter Claer Barrett sources her tips on getting started as an investor, how to balance your portfolio and when to have a portfolio review. Check ou...
Apr 11, 2023•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast How does the global monetary system work and what should investors bear in mind about it? Professional investor Rob Dix had been investing for years before he set out to understand the mechanisms behind his money. Why do we have inflation? Why do central banks increase interest rates? Will this monetary system last? Dix shares his view on the financial world with presenter Claer Barrett, plus she asks what rules he follows with his own investments. Rob Dix is author of The Price of Money: How to...
Apr 04, 2023•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Bank of England raised its key base rate to 4.25 per cent last week, its highest level in 14 years. But if interest rates are going up, why are some mortgage lenders putting their rates down? Presenter Claer Barrett is joined in the studio by Chris Giles, the FT’s economics editor and Andrew Montlake, chief executive of Mortgage Broker Coreco. They explain how the uncertain outlook for base rates is affecting mortgages, the pros and cons of fixed rate and variable rate mortgages and what mor...
Mar 28, 2023•27 min•Ep 55•Transcript available on Metacast What does a week of turmoil in the banking sector - with the collapse of California’s Silicon Valley Bank and the Swiss state-backed rescue of Credit Suisse - tell us about what central banks will do next with interest rates? And what does it all mean for your money and investments? Host Claer Barrett hears from Financial Times markets editor Katie Martin, and author of the FT’s Unhedged newsletter Ethan Wu. Want more? Are banks on the edge of another 2008-style precipice? Central banks an...
Mar 21, 2023•24 min•Ep 54•Transcript available on Metacast What should you be thinking about for your finances when you are just about to enter the adult world? In today’s episode Claer Barrett meets four sixth-form students Demi, Patrick, Lucinda and Loisse-Lhana, who are trying to figure out how to manage their money as they get ready to leave school. Claer answers their questions about investing, saving and how to budget so that your earnings last the month. Want more? What They Don't Teach You About Money: Habits to Get You Unstuck and on the Road t...
Mar 14, 2023•20 min•Ep 53•Transcript available on Metacast Divorce inquiries tend to peak in the first few months of a new year, so in this episode presenter Claer Barrett, the FT’s consumer editor, sources expert advice on how to manage your costs and finances through a legal separation. Listeners Jane and Tina recount their stories - and what they wished they had known at the start of the process - and Claer speaks to Brett Frankle from the law firm Withers as well as financial planner Tamsin Caine of Smart Divorce about how to ensure your finances su...
Mar 07, 2023•25 min•Ep 52•Transcript available on Metacast It’s called the ‘cash stuffing’ or ‘cash envelope’ method: separating your money into different envelopes of cash to control your spending. Host Claer Barrett speaks to ‘cash stuffer’ Euphemia Senna, better known on TikTok as She’s On a Budget, about the pros and cons of budgeting this way (and the digital equivalent). She also goes inside the Bank of England, the UK’s central bank, to speak to its chief cashier Sarah John about why there are record levels of banknotes in circulation. Is th...
Feb 28, 2023•24 min•Ep 51•Transcript available on Metacast Former asset manager Stuart Kirk writes about investing for FT Weekend in a column where he shares both his investment successes and failures with readers. He tells host Claer Barrett what he’s investing in now, how he chooses stocks, why he isn’t keen on funds that follow a particular theme and what he thinks needs to change in the world of ESG or sustainable investing. Want more? Being honest about my portfolio’s performance https://www.ft.com/content/91e59c79-1275-49c3-986c-f1c6778ecfa5 Secto...
Feb 21, 2023•26 min•Ep 50•Transcript available on Metacast Chris Pitt, chief executive of First Direct, the UK’s first ever telephone bank, tells presenter Claer Barrett why banks should be doing more to help customers through the cost of living crisis, and shares his own tips on saving and investing. We'd love to hear from you. Please help us by filling in our listener survey at ft.com/moneyclinicsurvey . It will take you around 10 minutes to complete and you will be in with a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort earbuds! If you would like t...
Feb 14, 2023•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Bank of England has raised its key interest rate to 4 per cent, the highest level the UK has seen since the 2008 financial crisis. Presenter Claer Barrett is joined by Helen Saxon, deputy editor of Money Saving Expert, James Pickford, deputy editor of FT Money, and Katie Martin, the FT’s markets editor, to discuss how you can best navigate those higher rates with your savings, mortgages and investments. We'd love to hear from you. Please help us by filling in our listener survey at ft....
Feb 07, 2023•26 min•Ep 48•Transcript available on Metacast One in six women in the UK has experienced financial abuse in a relationship. That’s according to charity Surviving Economic Abuse. Anyone can become a victim, as Sarah Coles, senior personal finance analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, found out. She tells presenter Claer Barrett about her experience of surviving an economically abusive relationship. Claer also hears from another victim, Francesca, and sources advice on recognising and escaping financial abuse from Dr Nicola Sharp-Jeffs OBE, founder...
Jan 31, 2023•27 min•Ep 47•Transcript available on Metacast 
