Share Sounds

Political commentator Mike Indian looks at the rumpus over who paid to redecorate Boris Johnson's Downing Street flat and at the allegations made against the Prime Minister by Dominic Cummings. He also looks at the complexity of Northern Irish politics in the wake of Arlene Foster's resignation. And he looks across the Atlantic to assess Joe Biden's first 100 days as President. He begins, though, with a look at Ed Balls Day.

Tech expert Steve Caplin is bemused by the UK's go-ahead for self-driving cars only on motorways and no faster than 37 mph. He looks at Amazon's trials of contactless palm scanning, at their smart doorbell to deter porch package purloining, at Porton Down's new machine for training bomb-sniffing rats, at a smart bird feeder, at B&O speakers masquerading as books and at the development of paper-thin loudspeakers.

Russ Mould, Investment Director of A J Bell, applies Sir John Templeton's dictum on the four stages of bull markets to suggest how investors can spot the next round of market winners – and dodge the losers. He compartmentalises the market's sectors into those suffering pessimism, scepticism, euphoria and optimism and suggests how investors might be able to suppress their natural instinct to follow the herd; as Warren Buffett said, "You cannot buy what is popular and do well".

Adam creates a bedtime story hypnosis session suitable for children based on Aesop's fable - The Grasshopper and the Ant. In the story, the grasshopper possesses the quality of mindfulness and enjoyment while the ant represents the qualities of diligence and preparedness. This short hypnosis session enables the listener to appreciate that both are important resources and that balance is essential to benefit from the best of both.

Alison Southwick and personal finance expert Robert Brokamp challenge the conventional wisdom on life's biggest financial issues to reveal what you really need to know to make smart money moves. Longtime Motley Fool analyst Tim Beyers joins us to discuss how much to invest in one stock, whether to invest a lump sum all at once, accounts for kids, and which types of options strategies are most Foolish.

Life is tough for first-time buyers. House prices were already expensive before the coronavirus lockdowns and defying all logic a mini-boom has sent the average house price up £20,000 further over the past year. At the same time mortgage lenders have indulged in a flight to safety, canning the vast majority of 95% loan-to-value mortgages and bumping up the gap between rates on 90 per cent mortgages and those for borrowers with more equity. 'Once more into the breach' has stepped the Government, with taxpayer aid for banks and building societies to offer more 5% deposit mortgages. But is this a wise move? Should we stop meddling in the mortgage and property market, as short-term assistance ends up meaning long-term pain as more credit is extended and house prices climb ever higher? And could it be that while the 95% mortgage push is the wrong move at the national economic level, on a personal level taking one might prove a good move for some, who could end up paying less than they do in rent? Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert discuss the 95% mortgages, the rise in house prices and whether buy-to-let is still a good investment. Also this week, the lowdown on the Barclaycard customer service meltdown as long-standing customers see their credit limits slashed. And finally, you want a shed-office (aka a shoffice) to work in down the bottom of the garden, but can you power it with solar panels?

Netflix slides on slowing growth; Boston Beer, Chipotle, and Intuitive Surgical serve up big earnings. MarketAxess slips, Johnson & Johnson reports surprising results but continues to deal with vaccine issues, and automation software maker UiPath has a big debut on Wall Street. Motley Fool analysts Andy Cross, Ron Gross, and Jason Moser discuss those stories, weigh in on a potential increase in the capital gains tax rate for wealthier Americans, and offer up a few tips on international investing. Plus, our analysts share two stocks on their radar: Roblox and PJT Partners; and corporate governance expert and film critic Nell Minow talks financial scandals and previews the Oscars.

Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University looks at how much life in the UK has changed over the past 40 years and how much that owes to the philosophies of Classical Liberals. He ponders the future of money in the light of the race for Central Bank Digital Currencies. And he considers why the future of the UK could depend upon a revival of Labour's fortunes in England.

James Cameron-Wilson admires the box office take of Godzilla vs Kong. He reviews Netflix's Japanese drama Ride or Die and laments the time he wasted watching Me You Madness, written, directed, produced and starring Louise Linton. He also welcomes the return to the screen of Dustin Hoffman, though in the bizarre Italian film Into the Labyrinth. And, as ever, James looks ahead to the Oscars and speculates who will win in the main categories.

Share Radio's tech connoisseur Steve Caplin waxes lyrical about apple's new iPad, though not its new iMac. He admires the company's Airtags key finder, using the power of 1 billion iPhones to find any that are lost. He explains how ultra-white paint can lower temperatures, wonders why Amazon has set up a hair salon, is impressed by a 3D printable ivory substitute, wants an electric bike trailer and mulls buying a flying car despite its $789,000 price tag.