Making Money

One thing we've learned from interviewing hundreds of people about money is that the numbers are only part of the story. Today we’re speaking to Neil, better known as Neil Invests, not just about his portfolio, but the journey that got him there - from sleeping on his sister's floor and battling shame and depression, to building £175k in his ISA over 6 years and being planning to retire at 50.  He...

They say our money habits are shaped by our parents, with many of them formed before we're even seven years old. So I wanted to find out where my relationship with money really came from. To do that, I sat down with the one person who's been there from the very beginning. 🤝 Want 1:1 financial help from us? Answer a few questions to find the right service & book free call: https://getmost.typeform...

Patrick Foster is a recovering addict who spent every day for 13 years gambling. It all started with a 2 pound bet... TW: This video contains discussions of suicide and addiction, which some listeners may find distressing. If you are struggling with addiction in the UK: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/addiction-support/ Patrick's website: Patrick's app: https://reclaimapp.co.uk/ 🤝 Want 1:1 financial...

Does UK politics actually work? Is the system broken? And if it is, what needs to change? We don't often do political interviews, but this felt like an important moment to have one. We spoke to political commentator Ian Dunt two years ago before Labour came to power. He correctly predicted what would happen. So we got him back on. 🎉 Sponsors Vanta - Get your company secure and compliant: ⁠https:/...

Modern Britain has been shaped by economic decisions. Was austerity the biggest economic mistake of the last generation? Cahal Moran is an economist and host of the YouTube channel Unlearning Economics. His latest book is Why We’re Getting Poorer (https://amzn.eu/d/0cNLJJDO). 🎉 Sponsors Vanta - Get your company secure and compliant: ⁠https://vanta.com/makingmoney Xero accountancy software - get 9...

Ramin Nakisa from PensionCraft is back. Like me he’s spent years explaining why investing 100% in global equities works. But recently, he changed his portfolio, cutting his exposure by almost half. What changed? And what might make him change his mind again? 💬 Get personal help with your money from our AI Sorry, the retirement features aren’t quite ready yet (we had to keep that ending!) but you...

What’s the best kind of stock market for a new investor? Most people assume you want years of rising prices. But Andrew Clare, who’s spent decades researching investing, says that’s not always true. Here’s Andrew’s paper: https://doi.org/10.3905/jor.2025.1.180 ❓Survey - how are you saving for your future? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://makingmoney.email/survey⁠⁠ 🤝 Want 1:1 financial help from us? Answer a few qu...

Megan was in her early 30s when she and her partner finally faced up to more than 14 years of debt. After years of overdrafts, credit cards and quietly spiralling finances, they confronted nearly £40,000 they owed. Megan documented their journey out of debt (@that_girl_in_debt), and now they’ve taken their first steps into investing and hope to save £40,000. Do you have your own story about money,...

The UK has some of the most expensive household electricity in the world. Why are energy bills so high, and will they ever come down? The price you pay is shaped by rules set by Ofgem, the UK’s energy regulator. Neil Kenward is their Interim Director General of Markets. Thank you to everyone who sent in a question!  ❓Survey - how are you saving for your future? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://makingmoney.email/surv...

Chris Budd is a former financial planner who believes we’re building wealth in completely the wrong way. ❓Survey - how are you saving for your future? ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://makingmoney.email/survey⁠⁠ 🤝 Want 1:1 financial help from us? Answer a few questions to find the right service & book free call: https://getmost.typeform.com/pod-episodes 🎉 Sponsors Vanta - Get your company secure and compliant: ⁠http...

70% of people don’t budget which means there’s an opportunity for you to be better than most. A budget helps you navigate from the financial stage you’re at now to the one you want to get to, whatever your goal is. We’re here to find out how to budget, but first of all, let’s find out what Damo and T are wasting their money on... *This episode was originally published in May 2023 Get the budgeting...

In 1995, Nick Leeson brought down the UK’s oldest merchant bank, Barings, with £862 million in hidden losses. The final hit to Barings was £827 million, triggering one of the biggest financial collapses in history. He explains how it really happened and how things spiralled over time. Was it fear of failure, the pressure to succeed, or something deeper that kept him going? 🤝 Want 1:1 financial he...

Can you actually afford to buy a home right now? And if you can, should you? Eddie Ross is co-founder of Tembo Money, a mortgage broker that helps first-time buyers get on the ladder. He answers your questions about affordability, how mortgages actually work today, what’s happening with LISAs and covers some of the lesser-known options that most people don’t talk about. 🏡 Here’s the link Eddie me...

Finance professor Mo Milevsky explains why your “human capital” (your career, income, and life choices) should shape how you invest both when you're building wealth and when in retirement and why most people are taking the wrong kind of risk. 🤝 Want 1:1 financial help from us? Answer a few questions to find the right service & book free call: ⁠https://getmost.typeform.com/pod-episodes⁠ ❓Survey -...

Have you ever felt it is too late to start investing? Dave is 46, and he started investing at 44. He’s just managed to max out his ISA this year. How did he do it? Thank you to everyone who entered the competition, the winners have now been contacted. Thank you so much for listening and also a big thanks to Andrew Craig, the author, for kindly providing an additional five copies. Do you have a sto...

Will your pension actually be enough for retirement? Or are you heading for a shortfall without realising it? Al Miles is an investment actuary who has analysed the UK pension system, and found that millions of workers will fall short of what they need for retirement. But she didn’t stop there. She’s also looked at ways we can fix it.  💬 Do you have a money story you'd like to share on the podcas...

The S&P 500 once delivered 17 years of zero real returns. Could it happen again? Jim Reid is the Global Head of Macro Research at Deutsche Bank. In a recent report, The Ultimate Guide to Long-Term Investing, his team analysed data from 56 countries over 200 years. You can read the full report on the Deutsche Bank Research Institute website: https://www.dbresearch.com/PROD/RI-PROD/PDFVIEWER.calias?...

More than half of adults in the UK don’t have a will. So what happens if you die without one?  Sam Grice is CEO of Octopus Legacy. If you don't have a will like T, you can get one here: https://makingmoney.email/OctopusLegacy Correction: Outside of the free wills campaign, the cost for a simple will is £150, and a will with trust is £450 💬 Do you have a money story you'd like to share on the podc...

Susan wrote into us: What do you think of the ‘Die with Zero’ philosophy by Bill Perkins? I know many people who work so hard that they never get to enjoy retirement. There are three widows in my gym group in their 50s. I also know many people hoarding money in their late 70s, frightened to spend anything. 💬 Do you have a money story you'd like to share on the podcast? ⁠https://makingmoney.email/...

Timothy Armoo was twenty seven when he sold his company Fanbytes for tens of millions of pounds. He’s written the book he wish he’d had when he was starting out (https://amzn.eu/d/05juET3K) 💬 Do you have a money story you'd like to share on the podcast? ⁠https://makingmoney.email/listener-story-form 🤝 Want 1:1 financial help from us? Answer a few questions to find the right service & book free c...

What if you live longer than you expect? Can you make your money last in retirement? Marianna Hunt is a personal finance specialist at Fidelity International. She’s looked at how you can actually plan for it. Here’s our compound calculator: https://makingmoney.email/compound-interest-calculator 🤝 Want 1:1 financial help from us? Answer a few questions to find the right service & book free call: ⁠...

Is slow population growth going to change your retirement? Amlan Roy is an expert in demographics and has advised governments all over the world. He says the way our population is changing is at the heart of all the big issues we’re facing today, not just pensions.  You can get Amlan’s book ‘Demographics Unravelled’ here: https://a.co/d/0gyPSQbi 💬 Do you have a money story you'd like to share on...

Are you being misled about the state of the UK economy? What really went wrong? And how do we fix it? Vicky Pryce was a top economist inside the civil service, and worked for years in the private sector. Her latest book is Mismanaged Decline: What Politicians Won't Tell You About the Economy (https://amzn.eu/d/0kD8EVO). 💬 Do you have a money story you'd like to share on the podcast? ⁠https://maki...

What if personal finance wasn’t just complicated, it was actually rigged against you, Tarun Ramadorai, professor of financial economics at Imperial College London, has advised central banks and sovereign wealth funds. And he’s co-written a book ‘Fixed: Why Personal Finance Is Broken and How to Make It Work for Everyone’. 💬 Do you have a money story you'd like to share on the podcast? ⁠https://mak...

Ask anyone who the world’s best investor is, chances are, they’ll say Warren Buffett. Every move he makes makes headlines. Together with Charlie Munger, he built Berkshire Hathaway, one of the biggest names in the S&P 500. Now that he’s stepped down as CEO, we’ve invited Glen Arnold, who literally wrote the book, in fact, all four books of The Deals of Warren Buffett. 💬 Do you have a money story...