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: This is Money
A solar revolution is on its way to Britain and can help save us from volatile and high energy bills, if you believe Ed Miliband. Plug-in solar panels are popular across Europe but currently rules in the UK mean that we can’t buy them and, as it says on the tin, simply plug them into our home’s electricity supply. But changes are afoot that will mean we could soon be buying individual panels that cost £400 and simply plugging them into a three-pin wall socket, where thanks to the magic of an inverter they would put power into your home. And we might even be able to nip down to the middle of Lidl to buy them, with the discount supermarket among those talking about offering them — in its famous middle aisle. In Germany, IKEA sells panels and there and in other European countries they are popular, so could they transform our homes? How long would it take to get your money back — and what’s the prepper angle on the interest in all this? Georgie Frost and Simon Lambert talk plug-in solar panels and energy bills on this episode, also discussing summer holiday flights and what the massive disruption triggered by the Iran war will do to prices and demand — and how to target a cheaper break. Plus, with the government announcing its new town locations, where do property experts think the best one will be? And, there are rumblings in the finance world over private credit, with the Bank of England among those warning about what’s been dubbed shadow banking. What’s going on, could it trigger a financial crisis and should you be worried?
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Original Broadcast: Motley Fool Show
Oil has soared to $110 per barrel, but it hasn’t hit the economy yet. We discuss why and than get to the hottest IPO ever, SpaceX, and what the future of the space economy might look like. Travis Hoium, Lou Whiteman, and Dan Caplinger discuss oil markets, SpaceX’s $2 trillion IPO, our mini-portfolio and stocks on our radar. Companies discussed: TransDigm (TDG), Truist Financial (TFC), Rocket Lab (RKLB), QXO (QXO), Nelnet (NNI), Booking (BKNG), Moderna (MRNA), Freeport-McMoRan (FCX), Microsoft (MSFT), Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B), Alphabet (GOOG), Uber (UBER), Intuit (INTU), Workday (WDAY), Disney (DIS), Nike (NKE), McCormick (MKC) York Space Systems (YSS). Host — Travis Hoium; Guests — Lou Whiteman, Dan Caplinger.
Guests: Lou Whiteman,Dan Caplinger
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Original Broadcast: Motley Fool Show
On the heels of the Artemis II launch and SpaceX’s confidential filing to go public, Amazon is reportedly looking to acquire Globalstar as it works on its own satellite internet ambitions. Our analyst team also takes a look at the economy through the lens of luxury furniture retailer RH before closing the show out by answering a question from our mailbag about good investing books for beginners. Tyler Crowe, Matt Frankel, and Jon Quast discuss Amazon’s reported interest in Globalstar, RH and housing trends, and best investing books for beginners. Companies discussed: Amazon (AMZN), Globalstar (GSAT), Nike (NKE), RH (RH), Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A)(BRK.B). Host — Tyler Crowe; Guests — Matt Frankel, Jon Quast.
Guests: Matt Frankel,Jon Quast
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CEO of Estatesearch (specialists in bereavement legal services) Jonathan Upton comments on the NS&I debacle and further lost money as follows: “This is just the tip of the iceberg. More than £33 billion has effectively become ‘lost’ in UK financial institutions, with only a fraction recovered over the past decade. Without more proactive asset searches by legal firms and stronger tracing efforts from financial institutions, this growing problem is leaving billions disconnected from their rightful owners.” Jonathan, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, has over two decades in the industry now, specifically dealing with estate assets after a bereavement. He's calling for financial institutions to undertake enhanced tracing exercises to follow customers who have changed providers or died to ensure assets are rightfully repatriated, and for legal firms can undertake Financial Profile searches or asset searches to establish the full extent of a person’s estate when they pass away so that assets can be passed on to the rightful beneficiaries.
Guests: Jonathan Upton
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Losing weight can be a somewhat dull and repetitive process: it's not an instant process. In order to increase the probability of a successful outcome, it requires patience and consistency to achieve an incremental outcome. This episode looks ahead to a compelling vision of where you want to be in the future, and it helps to build staging points so that your aim stays in reach as you move forward.
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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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