Share Sounds

Steve Caplin and Simon Rose discuss Google's new "Talk to Books" function, the Amazon Echo that insists on good manners, a MIDI representation of the world, Snapchat's relaunch of its Spectacles and a game combining physics with a word game.

Dividend investing isn’t just for retired people who need an income from their share portfolio – it can also be a rewarding strategy for younger investors who can reinvest their dividends. Ed Bowsher finds out more from Adam Laird of Lyxor, Oliver Smith of IG Smart Portfolios, and Laura Suter of the Telegraph.

As a generation retires with more money in their houses than the bank, this question will only become more pressing. We revealed how a new wave of retirement interest-only mortgages could be about to emerge. Homeowners could use one to have a more comfortable retirement, clear some debt, or hand the kids or grandkids an early inheritance – perhaps to buy a home for their own young family. Is that a good idea or a recipe for disaster – and how did we even end up here? In a conversation that tracks all the way back to the mortgage boom of the Thatcher years, Simon Lambert, Rachel Rickard Straus and Georgie Frost dive into the homes as a cash machine question on this week’s podcast.

Want to keep up with the latest earnings updates from the States? Well join Chris Hill and the Motley Fool Radio Show team here on Share Radio, direct from Washington DC, for news, views and analysis of the US stocks that matter. In this week's show: Amazon hits a new high, and raises the price on Prime; Alphabet racks up big profits amid higher spending; Facebook posts record revenue, while Microsoft’s cloud goes higher; Which one of these tech behemoths will get to a $1 trillion market cap.

In this episode, Sue Dougan welcomes Graham Harris, whose entire career has been spent in the printing industry – since the age of 16, when his mother rang up a local firm and made an enquiry on his behalf. He then became a successful inventor when he created a mechanism to prevent creasing in the printing process. While he admits it's not the most exciting invention, he’s a problem-solver, and enjoys finding solutions to issues within the industry. He now runs two companies specialising in print industry technology. Graham reveals that a serious accident in his late teens gave him the push he needed to focus on his career; and he's still waiting for his idol – fellow inventor and founder of the Dyson company, James Dyson – to read his new book, Against the Grain. Plus, do all inventors adhere to the “eccentric” stereotype? Graham has a thing or two to say about that.

Adam Cox is joined by accountability and goal-setting coach, Karmin Meckael, to talk about how to move from simply setting a goal to actually achieving it. They discuss the importance of clarity and accountability, and the different ways to unlock motivation. Plus, Karmin reveals how one moment of decision can transform your life, and Adam shares why, once he finally had the financial ability to buy a much-dreamed-of Lamborghini, he no longer wanted one.

We live in a time of considerable intolerance towards free speech – on campus – and, increasingly, in broader society as well. But just how widespread is the situation – and how did we get here? On this week’s podcast, we were joined by Claire Fox, Director of the Academy of Ideas, and Kristian Niemietz, the IEA’s Head of Health and Welfare. They examined so-called “Generation Snowflake” – a term often used to describe a perceived millennial distrust in free expression. They discussed how common these views actually are amongst the young, how seriously we should take them, and who else may be to blame for this culture of intolerance.

Ian Forrest of The Share Centre looks at recent numbers from Taylor Wimpey, Whitbread and Barclays and looks ahead to forthcoming numbers from WPP, Sainsbury's and IAG.

Steve Caplin examines evidence that violent videos make you fat, the space hotel that will cost $10m for a stay, an autonomous boat, a tooth-mounted sensor and, best of all, a gadget that FINALLY helps you to hang a picture in exactly the spot you want.

Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University turns his attention to the 10 reasons why wealth inequality is soaring in the UK, to the reasons Oman is a beacon of hope and stabiity in the Middle East and why Israel and Iran might be heading towards war, and the prospects for Cuba in a post-Castro era.