Original Broadcast: Thought for the Week
The young owners of over two-thirds of all Child Trust Funds reach adulthood at the end of March 2026, but very large numbers of HMRC-allocated accounts remain unknown and unclaimed, including almost three-quarters of the £1 billion belonging to low-income young adults: the position is particularly acute in the north of England and devolved nations. These are accounts for which HM Treasury/HMRC are the 'settlor', and therefore have a duty to deliver these young adults' birthrights. Background music: 'Waiting' by Andrew Langdon
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans says that to understand Donald Trump, you need to know that, in the late 80s and early 90s, he was a close friend of Richard Nixon, who told him that he used the persona of an irrational madman to unsettle others. Indeed, Nixon and his wife urged Trump to enter politics. In terms of policy, Trump is also a devotee of Reagan and William McKinley, an advocate of tariffs in America's interests. The Archbishop of Canterbury is one of the most important constitutional positions in Britain. In an increasingly secular age, the new Archbishop will have a challenging task ahead, but Tim feels that she is the right person for the job. The issue of Net Zero has come to the fore in the midst of an energy crisis like the 1970s. Tim ponders the politics of it, wondering if it could become as divisive as Brexit.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Original Broadcast: The Financial Outlook for Personal Investors
Russ Mould of A J Bell marks the first anniversary of Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs. The overall impact hasn't been as great as feared at the time, with tariffs settling around 10-13%. Since then, the dollar has gone down, US equities have underperformed and US bond yields have generally gone up. The concept of the US being the only game in town has been reassessed, while supply chain management and national security in all its ramifications have come to the fore. In all this, the UK isn't the worst place to be invested in, thanks to the heavy emphasis on oils, mining and staples, which do well in times of uncertainy. The UK isn't immune if there's a worldwide recession but it does offer some balance and ballast.
Guests: Russ Mould
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Political commentator Mike Indian discusses Trump's threat to leave NATO, saying that the closer the mid-term elections are, the more desperate Trump becomes. It is hard to see what has been achieved by the US action against Iran, other than entrenching the regime's hardliners and closing a vital trade route. Trump's threat is a frightening prospect, as NATO is the bedrock of European security. With the UK local elections just a few weeks away, Keir Starmer has opted to focus on the cost of living. One of his aims is to seek closer economic ties with the EU. Mike hopes that he will take the chance to talk up collective security for which – in the fact of Trump's threats – Europe needs a long-term strategy.
Guests: Mike Indian
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Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin is surprised to find that Amazon can amend or even delete Kindle books you supposedly own. He is less surprised at how ChapGPT assesses good literature. He is very impressed with a drone that captures everything in 8K without you having to pay much attention to what's in view. There's a gizmo that turns an ordinary watch into a slightly smarter watch. The new iPhone OS can zoom in on audio as well as video. Yamaha have a 3-wheel motor scooter, but Sony have given up on their much-heralded e-car. There's a crowd-funded digital camera designed to look like the old disposable Kodaks, a folding kayak and a spork with lots of attachments. And, in Shenzen, they now have a games arcade where you can control everything with your mind.
Guests: Steve Caplin
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson found #2, the Enid Blyton fantasy The Magic Faraway Tree, to be a charmless, farcical misfire. With Claire Foy and Andrew Garfield, it is full of shouty overacting, with music numbers crammed in and is a wasted opportunity. #7 They Will Kill You is a grotesque horror film about a New York highrise which is a temple to Satan. It's another with a surprising 15 certificate. Amazon documentary Man on the Run is about Paul McCartney, covering the breakup of The Beatles to the murder of John Lennon. On Amazon, it starts promisingly but, while there's plenty of home video, there's little that's new. After a dispiriting week, James watched the harrowing but brilliant The Killing Fields to cheer himself up. It's on C4 and Plex.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: This is Money
There's just a week to go until the end of the tax year and if you haven't sorted your ISA, pension or the rest of your finances it's time to get your skates on. Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Simon Lambert discuss the important things you need to think about before 5 April — and ideally right now. From how your ISA allowance works to parking cash and drip-feeding it, and why a pension can not only boost your retirement savings but also cut your tax bill, they explain what you need to know. And Simon has some extra tips on how to use as much of your ISA or pension allowance as possible, even if you don't have the ready cash. Also, what on earth is going on at NS&I — and will it have to pay millions on compensation? And how to become a tradesperson on a six-figure salary, will interest rates really rise four times this year and, finally, what are the food items that have rocketed the most in price?
Guests: Helen Crane
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Original Broadcast: Motley Fool Show
The stock market has entered correction territory as the AI trade falls apart and rising energy prices risk a global recession. We discuss how to handle market downturns, what we see in energy markets, and why long-term investing is still the answer for investors. Travis Hoium, Andy Cross, and Lou Whiteman discuss: Nasdaq correction, Energy’s shocking rise, the AI trade, and — how well do you know your market history? Also, stocks on our radar. Companies discussed: Netflix (NFLX), Cintas (CTAS), Delta (DAL), Jetblu (JBLU), NVIDIA (NVDA), Microsoft (MSFT), Alphabet (GOOG). Host — Travis Hoium; Guests — Andy Cross, Lou Whiteman
Guests: Andy Cross,Lou Whiteman
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Original Broadcast: Motley Fool Show
The approach to AI so far can be best described as a using brute force to make things happen. It’s been effective so far, but the approach starts to run into problems when the numbers get really big. Thankfully, some new developments in AI could help alleviate that challenge. Matt, Jon, and Tyler discuss how Google and ARM are advancing AI efficiency. Plus, social media’s bad week in court and the mailbag. Tyler Crowe, Jon Quast, and Matt Frankel discuss Meta and Alphabet losing watershed social media cases, is a “tobacco moment” as bad as it sounds? Also — advancements in AI efficiency. Companies discussed: GOOG, META, BP, DD, DOW, MMM, ARM, AAPL, MU, SNDK, INTC, NVDA, AMD. Host — Tyler Crowe; Guests — Matt Frankel, Jon Quast
Guests: Matt Frankel,Jon Quast
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Original Broadcast: The Hypnotist
Is there something you've been putting off for ages due the burden it represents? We speak of such pressures being a millstone which holds us back. Adam Cox presents a way to switch your mindset in this episode: a switch that could be symbolised by switching that second 'l' into an 'e'. Rather than feel weighed down by the challenge, try looking ahead for the fact that, when you've dealt with it, you'll have irrefutable evidence that such adversities can be overcome.
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Original Broadcast: The Financial Outlook for Personal Investors
Chloe Wong of Edison Group discusses P Z Cussons, best known in the UK for brands like Imperial Leather and Carex. But this 140-year-old firm has a large international portfolo of consumer goods. Recently it has been concentrating its activities and geographical areas while reducing the number of brands. It has also increased its emphasis on marketing. With a 5% yield, it's a dependable stock in troubled times. Shepherd Neame is another heritage brand, having been brewing since 1698. As well as beers like Spitfire and Bishop's Finger, it is a hotel and pub company with a tenanted estate. Again it's the sort of company investors like when things are turbulent. Although cost and wage inflation is affecting the sector, this is manageable. 85% of its estate is freehold and the NAV is £182m against a market cap of £82m. With a yield over 5% it is looking attractively priced. More information on both companies is available on the Edison website.
Guests: Chloe Wong Yun Shing
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Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin discusses some of the features of Apple's updated operating sstem, including having the ability to talk to chatbots while driving although, worryingly, there will also be a curated "sleep" playlist. He craves a gorgeous red electric submarine. There's a cargo ebike with some interesting features. Be careful about telling the Gemini chatbot that it's wrong; apparently this causes it "emotional distress". A YouTuber has powered an electric car with thrown-away vape batteries. There's a crowd-funded robotic wasp which, suspects Steve, may not be all it is claimed. He finds himself able to resist a beer-filled transparent jacket, despite the two methods of extracting beer from it. And he discusses the world's first quantum battery.
Guests: Steve Caplin
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