Share Sounds related to Investing in Funds

For those searching for a long-term investment perspective risk and volatility are big issues: and there's no better example of that rollercoaster ride than crypto-currencies. Adam Cox has chosen to focus this episode on Bitcoin due to its reputation for major swings in value — but it applies just as well to major asset sectors such as property and stocks. The fact is that cash left on deposit at a time of high inflation erodes real value just like a leaky bath: so it's important to come to terms with asset risk and not to suffer 'analysis paralysis'. Adam's time machine and rollercoaster analogy might help.

When gilts hit the headlines it’s a clear sign that trouble has not only been brewing but has been unleashed. Government bond yields only tend to break through into the mainstream when things aren’t going well and they have been firmly in the spotlight since Kwasi Kwarteng’s ill-fated mini-budget. But what is a gilt, why does its yield matter, what’s that got to do with prices and why do we worry about such things? Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert, take a step back from the maelstrom to explain gilts, why investors worry about government bonds, what’s causing ructions in the pensions industry and what this all means for normal people. Chancellor Kwarteng has now departed – in fact, news of his imminent exit from the job while the team were recording the podcast, triggering a breaking news style interruption – but will Chancellor Jeremy Hunt fare any better (and last longer)? The team discuss why the mortgage market is key to the answer to that and also look at what first-time buyers should do in this scenario. There are some for whom the current rapid rate rises aren’t bad news though and that is savers. We now have a top savings rate above 5% for the first time in many years, but is it worth taking? It requires locking in for five years, but that’s the sort of return knocking on what could reasonably be expected from the stock market, where you also have to take the risk of losing money. And finally, investors are hunkering down at the moment, but when share prices fall the stock market is on sale – and if you look at some investment trusts there is a double sale going on, as discounts have widened to 13% on average. Should you be greedy when others are fearful, as Warren Buffett is often quoted as saying, or exercise some caution rather than having your head turned by knockdown prices?

Adam Cox is joined by Sam Brooks and Mike Webb, from Vintage Acquisitions, to discuss new research looking at Brits attitudes towards traditional investment routes. They explain how vintage cask whisky could be a good alternative, and what to look for when investing in cask whisky. www.vintageacquisitions.com

Adam Cox is joined by Randeep Somel, Fund Manager for Climate Solutions Fund at M&G Investments, for World Earth Day to discuss impact investing, and the size of the opportunity to get to net-zero by 2056. Randeep explains some of the constraints that could arise in getting to net zero, and how impact investing can help the environment. www.mandg.com

Adam Cox is joined by Chand Chudasama, Partner in Strategic Corporate Finance at Price Bailey, to discuss new data which highlights considerable investment growth for regions of the UK. They look at the sort of industries that are currently particularly popular with venture capitalists, and Chand gives advice to business owners currently looking for investment. www.pricebailey.co.uk

The Talk by the WealthiHer Network every month on Share Radio. Tamara Gillan, founder of WealthiHer, is joined by partners and experts from within the network to explore different aspects of what women should know about business, investing, money and leadership.

In this week’s episode, we take on the big topic of how we can work together to make leadership, businesses, and investments more environmentally sustainable and socially responsible. We face many challenges – but we believe in the power of collaborative action, and that women represent great hope in driving a more responsible approach to business and investing. 89% of women, as compared 79% of men, want to engage with businesses and investments that are both environmentally and socially responsible – including gender balanced leadership and positive supply chains which protect women and girls. Joining Tamara is Claire Blackwell, Marketing Director of St. James’s Place, and Sian Sutherland, co-founder of A Plastic Planet, to discuss how we as individuals and the finance industry can use our investments to encourage more responsibility and sustainability.

Mistakes. We all make them, but whether we will admit them freely often depends on what they are and how we made them. Investing mistakes can be among those that are tough to swallow and own up to. Often the easiest thing is to brush them under the carpet and try not to think about it too much. But looking at where we went wrong and learning from it is an important part of long-term investing. On this week’s podcast Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert discuss investing blunders. Simon confesses some of his and what he thinks he’s learnt from them over the years, the team look at new research on why people give up investing and how big a part loss aversion plays in that. And This is Money invites listeners to get in touch and reveal their investing slip-ups to feature in a future show (no names need to be mentioned, of course). Also on this week’s show, is the Bank of England flirting with negative rates or just indulging in Maradona monetary policy? And what on earth is an estate rent charge on a prospective new home and should it put you off?

‘It’ll end in tears.’ How many times did you hear your parents sound that warning - and how often did you actually pay attention? The army of traders playing with fire in the GameStop stock market frenzy this week have had their warning from a plenty of those who supposedly know best. But it’s fun, they feel a common sense of purpose, they’re giving the big boys a bloody nose, and for now they’re winning. And so the game continues? But should it have been allowed to get this far? Should the trading platforms have tried to nip this in the bud, should watchdogs have stepped in, or in a free market should we just let people get on with stuff – even if it’s punting call options on ramped up shares? On this week’s podcast, Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Simon Lambert discuss the Reddit-led rebellion, where small traders got together on the Wallstreetbets thread to take GameStop from a beaten-down and heavily-shorted stock to a cause celebre. The bedroom traders piling in realised that by combining forces they could make the share price rise and beat the hedge funds at their own game, putting them in a short squeeze. But is this really a rallying point for a financially disenfranchised generation still angry at the financial crisis and its after effects, or a get-rich-quick bandwagon that’s being jumped? Will those who hold the line win out, or as with any bubble will it be the little guys and girls who lose big? Also on this week’s show, the team discuss the property tech tricks that can help you get a hedgie-style edge when buying a home (or at least convince you that you know a little more than the next person) and whether a five-year fixed rate mortgage is a no-brainer. The latest Grace on the Case investigation that won £13,500 for a widow given the runaround by VW Financial Services over her late husband’s car is explained. And finally, just in case we are ever allowed to fly anywhere ever again, is it worth taking Nectar’s new Avios deal.

Happy new year, happy new lockdown. 2021 has seen off 2020, but schools and large chunks of the economy have shut down again and people have been ordered to stay at home, as across the UK the nations adopt their own version of lockdown. It’s probably been the gloomiest start to a year for as long as many can remember and a tough winter for people, businesses and the economy lies ahead. So what happened? The UK stock market jumped, of course. Contrary as this may seem, there is some logic to investors buying into the hope that better times lie ahead. We have Covid-19 vaccines being rolled out that will hopefully make this national lockdown the last people have to endure – and we also have a Brexit deal. On this week’s podcast, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert look at what the fresh lockdown means for the economy and why investors are choosing to look straight through it and develop a new appetite for buying British. Are UK shares undervalued and a great opportunity for 2021 and beyond – and will a strong consumer rebound once the economy is reopened prove the catalyst the FTSE needs? The team also discuss the potential implications of the Brexit deal for people’s finances and businesses. Meanwhile, the FTSE 100’s gains may have been substantial for a week on the stock market, but they are nothing compared to bitcoin’s continuing rise. The cryptocurrency cracked $40,000 this week: what’s going on, are people making real money out of this, and is there any idea what could happen next? Also, on this week’s podcast, the team talk moving home and getting your property looking attractive for a sale and with everyone stuck at home again, how to improve your wifi.