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Our commentary for w/c 28 February: as Peter Kropotkin predicted over 100 years ago, the communist legacy of centralised dictatorship has left the Russian leadership in a total moral vacuum, steered by fear and greed; and now, noting their nuclear warning, also with a degree of insanity. By a strange co-incidence, two programmes broadcast by the BBC on the day the war started point the way to a brighter future, if we can steer our path through the current tragedy engulfing Ukraine.

If you want to do well as an investor, you have to get comfortable with the idea of holding great companies through difficult times. (Like the one we're in right now). Motley Fool senior analysts John Rotonti, Maria Gallagher, and Ron Gross take a look at how strong companies bounced back from difficult times, and how investors can apply those lessons today. They discuss the tough decisions from management at Domino’s and Apple that ultimately rewarded shareholders, how Disney found strength in its intellectual property, key takeaways from investing through the Great Recession, and - 'Best Buy' rebounding from being "Amazon’s showroom"

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has created a tragic situation that goes far beyond worries about our finances, but it will have an impact on them. The ins and outs of the conflict are not something that This is Money is qualified to comment on, but the financial impact of events is something that readers and listeners come to us to learn about. Georgie Frost, Tanya Jefferies and Simon Lambert look at what that impact could be. How the Russian-Ukraine conflict will affect out personal finances: from energy bills, to petrol prices and food, to the immediate volatility it has thrust on to people's investments, the team look at what is happening and what may happen next. Should investors stay calm and stick to their guns, or are their merits in one outlier suggestion of moving 50% to cash and battening down the hatches? Also, the added problem of inflation for people's investments and how to combat it. Plus, the latest on the state pension underpayment scandal and how some councils are now trying to rake in money from those paid back lump sums. And finally, its not an uncommon situation now to sell a property and step out of the market while you find a new one, but what should you do with a huge sum of cash in the meantime?

Rats induce fear and symbolise greed. Phobias are brought on by all sorts of things and people: this episode focuses on rodents. People apply a variety of coping strategies to deal with anxieties, and Adam Cox uses a technique called 'Staged Disassociation' to help provide a more effective approach to particularly challenging situations. Can there be a future without phobias? Please listen, and decide for yourself.

A sudden upswing for stocks late in the week is only the latest reminder of why it's a bad idea to try and time the market. Jason Moser and Ron Gross share data that proves staying in the market is much more efficient (and lucrative) for investors than jumping in and out, and discuss: Etsy increasing their seller transaction fee, Block's transaction revenue growth, Home Depot and Lowe's getting different reactions from similar 4th-quarter reports, and the latest from Beyond Meat, Mercadolibre, Fulgent Genetics, and Booking Holdings. Chief Investment Officer Andy Cross talks with Jeff Green, CEO of The Trade Desk, and Jason and Ron answer a listener's question about how to build a portfolio. Jason's radar stock is Zoom Video and Ron unveils his "Resilient Basket" of stocks! (Costco, Disney, Domino's Pizza, Home Depot, Microsoft, Target).

Victoria Scholar of Interactive Investor talks to Simon Rose about the startling market movements in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and why the FTSE is proving more resilient than some. With energy and safe havens in demand, how should investors react and position themselves, with the future so uncertain and events doing nothing to still recent volatility?

In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University speculates what Putin's aims might be and discusses how the West should react and, indeed, whether it will be able to manage without Russian oil, gas and even wheat. He explains about the coming refugee crisis for Europe and why China matters so much. He concludes with the ultimate question: How can we reboot the Western system to cope with what may prove a new era?

With Uncharted still riding high, James Cameron-Wilson reviews last weekend's UK box office. The only big new film is Channing Tatum's directorial debut, Dog, at #4 in which he also stars, oddly marketed as a family film. Resorting to streamed movies, James reviews box-ticking tornado disaster movie Thirteen Minutes with Thora Birch and Anne Heche and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the 9th in the franchise, which he found a cut above the average modern horror, though not for the faint-hearted.

Share Radio's tech whizz Steve Caplin waxes lyrical to Simon Rose about Netflix's interactive Cat Burglar cartoon. He also discusses Ben Gurion Uni's line-of-sight bugging device that can detect speech from objects like coffee cans and Venetian blinds, Sony's new ear buds that allow you to hear ambient noise, a way of stopping glasses fogging up, some of the bizarre online shopping substitutions, a versatile portable guitar amp and Tesla's odd response to news that cars have been suddenly braking at high speeds.

A free 'midlife MOT' course has been launched aimed at people who want to do a stock take of their current finances, career and health. This is an idea championed by the finance industry and government. But is it any good? Investments and pensions editor Tanya Jefferies undertook the course by finance giant Legal & General and the Open University and tells Georgie Frost and Lee Boyce of her experience. NS&I has doubled the rates on its green bonds – are they still missing the mark or is the boost good for eco-conscious savers? The Power of Attorney system has come in for plenty of slack this week with the 'creaking' system said to be in desperate need of improvement. What can be done and why is it important? Could you, or someone you know, be entitled to a social broadband tariff which could save hundreds on an annual internet bill? And finally, Lee goes into detail about This is Money's new retro revival series – with the first 'cash in the attic' style subject in focus being video games, and more specifically Nintendo and its late 90s N64 console.