Money Clinic with Claer Barrett

Former asset manager Stuart Kirk writes about investing for FT Weekend in a column where he shares both his investment successes and failures with readers. He tells host Claer Barrett what he’s investing in now, how he chooses stocks, why he isn’t keen on funds that follow a particular theme and what he thinks needs to change in the world of ESG or sustainable investing.Want more?Being honest about my portfolio’s performance Active management is a sham — no wonder my returns are suspectSectors make sense for investors, not themesIf you would like to talk to Claer on a future episode, please email the Money Clinic team at money@ft.com with a short description of your problem, and how you would like us to help.  Say hello on social media: You can follow Claer on Twitter and Instagram @Claerb Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brooke Masters, the FT's US financial editor, speaks to Anne Ackerley, managing director of the Retirement Group at BlackRock, one of the world’s largest investment companies. Anne spends her days thinking about how to make good retirement plans accessible to more people. Lately, that has included focusing on one particular problem: the differences between men and women when it comes to retirement planning. Anne tells Brooke about the challenges faced not just by women but also gig economy workers and others who have non-standard employment patterns.If you would like to talk to the FT’s consumer editor Claer Barrett about a future episode, please email the Money Clinic team at money@ft.com with a short description of your problem, and how you would like us to help. You can follow Claer on Twitter and Instagram @ClaerbFollow Brooke Masters on Twitter @brookeamastersPresented by Brooke Masters. Produced by Zach St Louis. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With inflation running higher than the interest rates provided by most banks, cash accounts can rapidly lose value. What does that mean for emergency savings funds? Brooke Masters, the FT’s US financial editor, speaks to investing columnist Moira O'Neill, and Georgia Lee Hussey, founder of wealth management company Modernist Financial, about how much savings to have in cash and where to keep it - both in the UK and the US.Want more?Keep up with the latest from Brooke on FT.com and follow her on Twitter @brookeamastershttps://www.ft.com/brooke-masters?segmentId=09d1c097-c0ef-7dd1-2d95-bfc6eb43e74eCheck out Moira’a latest column herehttps://www.ft.com/content/e04ddbf1-bf9c-490c-94ac-657743d55c25?segmentId=09d1c097-c0ef-7dd1-2d95-bfc6eb43e74eFor more from Georgia, check out the Modernist Financial websiteIf you’d like to talk to Claer about a future episode, please email the Money Clinic team at money@ft.com with a short description of your problem, and how you would like us to help. Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Jake Fielding and Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Bank of England has lifted its main interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 4.5 per cent, the 12th consecutive rise since December 2021. But if interest rates are going up, why are some mortgage lenders putting their rates down? Presenter Claer Barrett is joined in the studio by Chris Giles, the FT’s economics editor and Andrew Montlake, chief executive of Mortgage Broker Coreco. They explain how the uncertain outlook for base rates is affecting mortgages, the pros and cons of fixed rate and variable rate mortgages and what mortgage rates are available at the moment.NB: This episode is a repeat of a Money Clinic that ran on March 28th this year, days after the last Bank of England rate rise.Want more?Read Claer’s column about mortgage rates hereCheck out a related, previous episode of Money Clinic: Interest rates, bank crises and your moneyWe'd love to hear from you. Please help us by filling in our listener survey at ft.com/moneyclinicsurvey. It will take you about 10 minutes to complete and you will be in with a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort Earbuds! If you would like to talk to Claer about a future episode, please email the Money Clinic team at money@ft.com with a short description of your problem, and how you would like us to help. You can follow Claer on Twitter and Instagram @ClaerbPresented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Jake Fielding and Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s getting harder to keep up with the cost of essentials such as water, energy and internet. FT reporter Leah Quinn speaks to 26-year-old renter Conor, who explains what he has been paying over the past few months and which bills are starting to add up. Host Claer Barrett is on hand with tips and advice on everything from whether you should get a water metre installed to whether energy bills will go down later this year.Useful links:How to get a smart metreFind out if you’re entitled to the new government energy scheme Money Saving Expert guide to council tax bandsOfcom social tariffs and speedsIf you’d like to talk to Claer about a future episode, please email the Money Clinic team at money@ft.com with a short description of your problem, and how you would like us to help Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Jake Fielding and Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does sorting out your personal finances fill you with anxiety and trepidation? What can you learn from your money mistakes? Money Clinic host Claer Barrett, and Isabel Berwick, host of the FT’s work and careers podcast, Working It, answer listeners’ questions in this special episode, taken from a webinar made in conjunction with the FT’s financial literacy charity, FLIC.Want more?The first lesson for female financial education? Money is powerHow to ask for a pay rise - and when to give oneIsa season this year is a stampedeFind out more about FLIC here You can follow Claer on Twitter and Instagram @ClaerbFollow Isabel Berwick on LinkedInFT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.comIf you’d like to talk to Claer about a future episode, please email the Money Clinic team at money@ft.com with a short description of your problem, and how you would like us to help Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love and Audrey Tinline. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Jake Fielding and Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you know if you need a financial adviser, how do you go about finding one and how do you know you’re getting value for money? Presenter Claer Barrett guides 22-year-old Laureen, who works for a bank, through the many forms of professional financial advice, and sources expert tips from Financial Times columnist Moira O’Neill and Sally Hickey, chief reporter at FT Adviser, our specialist publication for financial advisers. Want more?Clear’s latest column: The dash for cash savings is a new experience for many UK customersMoira’s recent column: Isas: time to take cover from taxFollow Sally @hickles and Moira @moiraoneill on Twitter. You can follow Claer on Twitter and Instagram @ClaerbIf you’d like to talk to Claer about a future episode, please email the Money Clinic team at money@ft.com with a short description of your problem, and how you would like us to help Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Jake Fielding and Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aligning our love lives and our financial lives is not always easy. Presenter Claer Barrett sources advice from Dr Nicola Sharp-Jeffs, founder of Surviving Economic Abuse, Tobi Asare from My Bump Pay, and Davinia Tomlinson, founder of Rainchq and author of Cash is Queen, on everything from talking about money in a relationship, the single tax, spotting the signs of financial abuse and planning for a baby. This episode is taken from a recording of an event Claer hosted in partnership with FLIC, the FT’s financial literacy charity.Want more?Flying solo with your finances: managing money as a single personMind the gap! What women need to know about investingChildcare in the UK: ‘Dysfunctional, unaffordable, inaccessible’‘I was a victim of financial abuse’If you would like to talk to Claer about a future episode, please email the Money Clinic team at money@ft.com with a short description of your problem, and how you would like us to help. You can follow Claer on Twitter and Instagram @Claerb. Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Jake Fielding and Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simran Kaur thinks the stock market is a lot more straightforward than it is made out to be. The 26-year-old is the founder of Girls That Invest, an investing community and podcast that she set up with her best friend Sonya Gupthan when they realised that, as women of colour, there were not many people who looked like them in the financial world.Presenter Claer Barrett sources her tips on getting started as an investor, how to balance your portfolio and when to have a portfolio review.Check out the Girls That Invest website here If you would like to talk to Claer about a future episode, please email the Money Clinic team at money@ft.com with a short description of your problem, and how you would like us to help. You can follow Claer on Twitter and Instagram @ClaerbPresented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Jake Fielding and Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does the global monetary system work and what should investors bear in mind about it? Professional investor Rob Dix had been investing for years before he set out to understand the mechanisms behind his money. Why do we have inflation? Why do central banks increase interest rates? Will this monetary system last? Dix shares his view on the financial world with presenter Claer Barrett, plus she asks what rules he follows with his own investments.Rob Dix is author of The Price of Money: How to Prosper in a Financial World that’s Rigged Against YouWe'd love to hear from you. Please help us by filling in our listener survey at ft.com/moneyclinicsurvey. It will take you about 10 minutes to complete and you can have a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort Earbuds. If you would like to talk to Claer about a future episode, please email the Money Clinic team at money@ft.com with a short description of your problem, and how you would like us to help. You can follow Claer on Twitter and Instagram @ClaerbPresented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Jake Fielding and Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Bank of England raised its key base rate to 4.25 per cent last week, its highest level in 14 years. But if interest rates are going up, why are some mortgage lenders putting their rates down? Presenter Claer Barrett is joined in the studio by Chris Giles, the FT’s economics editor and Andrew Montlake, chief executive of Mortgage Broker Coreco. They explain how the uncertain outlook for base rates is affecting mortgages, the pros and cons of fixed rate and variable rate mortgages and what mortgage rates are available at the moment.Want more?Read Claer’s latest column about mortgage rates hereCheck out last week’s Money Clinic: Interest rates, bank crises and your moneyWe'd love to hear from you. Please help us by filling in our listener survey at ft.com/moneyclinicsurvey. It will take you about 10 minutes to complete and you will be in with a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort Earbuds! If you would like to talk to Claer about a future episode, please email the Money Clinic team at money@ft.com with a short description of your problem, and how you would like us to help. You can follow Claer on Twitter and Instagram @ClaerbPresented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Jake Fielding and Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Clips: BloombergRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does a week of turmoil in the banking sector - with the collapse of California’s Silicon Valley Bank and the Swiss state-backed rescue of Credit Suisse - tell us about what central banks will do next with interest rates? And what does it all mean for your money and investments? Host Claer Barrett hears from Financial Times markets editor Katie Martin, and author of the FT’s Unhedged newsletter Ethan Wu. Want more?Are banks on the edge of another 2008-style precipice?Central banks announce dollar liquidity measures to ease banking crisisBanking turmoil intensifies the need for better Federal Reserve policymakingWe'd love to hear from you. Please help us by filling in our listener survey at ft.com/moneyclinicsurvey. It will take you about 10 minutes to complete and you will be in with a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort Earbuds!If you would like to talk to Claer about a future episode, please email the Money Clinic team at money@ft.com with a short description of your problem, and how you would like us to help.  You can follow Claer on Twitter and Instagram @Claerb Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Clips: BBC, CNN, CNBC, Bloomberg TV, ABC News Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What should you be thinking about for your finances when you are just about to enter the adult world? In today’s episode Claer Barrett meets four sixth-form students Demi, Patrick, Lucinda and Loisse-Lhana, who are trying to figure out how to manage their money as they get ready to leave school. Claer answers their questions about investing, saving and how to budget so that your earnings last the month.Want more?What They Don't Teach You About Money: Habits to Get You Unstuck and on the Road to Financial Freedom by Claer Barrett is in bookshops from March 16.Got questions for Claer? Join the FT Live webinar on April 21 where she’ll be discussing her book. Read Claer’s latest column The first lesson for female financial education? Money is powerThanks to Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School, Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School and Nationwide Building Society.If you would like to talk to Claer on a future episode, please email the Money Clinic team at money@ft.com with a short description of your problem, and how you would like us to help.  Say hello on social media: You can follow Claer on Twitter and Instagram @Claerb Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner and Jake Fielding, with original music from Metaphor Music. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Divorce inquiries tend to peak in the first few months of a new year, so in this episode presenter Claer Barrett, the FT’s consumer editor, sources expert advice on how to manage your costs and finances through a legal separation. Listeners Jane and Tina recount their stories - and what they wished they had known at the start of the process - and Claer speaks to Brett Frankle from the law firm Withers as well as financial planner Tamsin Caine of Smart Divorce about how to ensure your finances survive a divorce.Links to organisations mentioned in the episode:https://resolution.org.uk/https://www.judiciary.uk/family-justice-council/If you would like to talk to Claer about a future episode, please email the Money Clinic team at money@ft.com with a short description of your problem, and how you would like us to help.  You can follow Claer on Twitter and Instagram @Claerb Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s called the ‘cash stuffing’ or ‘cash envelope’ method: separating your money into different envelopes of cash to control your spending. Host Claer Barrett speaks to ‘cash stuffer’ Euphemia Senna, better known on TikTok as She’s On a Budget, about the pros and cons of budgeting this way (and the digital equivalent). She also goes inside the Bank of England, the UK’s central bank, to speak to its chief cashier Sarah John about why there are record levels of banknotes in circulation. Is there any evidence that people are turning their back on digital payments and that cash stuffing is on the rise amid the cost of living crisis?If you would like to talk to Claer about a future episode, please email the Money Clinic team at money@ft.com with a short description of your problem, and how you would like us to help.  You can follow Claer on Twitter and Instagram @Claerb Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former asset manager Stuart Kirk writes about investing for FT Weekend in a column where he shares both his investment successes and failures with readers. He tells host Claer Barrett what he’s investing in now, how he chooses stocks, why he isn’t keen on funds that follow a particular theme and what he thinks needs to change in the world of ESG or sustainable investing.Want more?Being honest about my portfolio’s performance https://www.ft.com/content/91e59c79-1275-49c3-986c-f1c6778ecfa5Sectors make sense for investors, not themes https://www.ft.com/content/19a0a68f-c3fd-4267-96a7-f2698b38b19eIf you would like to talk to Claer on a future episode, please email the Money Clinic team at money@ft.com with a short description of your problem, and how you would like us to help.  Say hello on social media: You can follow Claer on Twitter and Instagram @Claerb Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chris Pitt, chief executive of First Direct, the UK’s first ever telephone bank, tells presenter Claer Barrett why banks should be doing more to help customers through the cost of living crisis, and shares his own tips on saving and investing.We'd love to hear from you. Please help us by filling in our listener survey at ft.com/moneyclinicsurvey. It will take you around 10 minutes to complete and you will be in with a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort earbuds! If you would like to talk to Claer about a future episode, please email the Money Clinic team at money@ft.com with a short description of your problem, and how you would like us to help.  You can follow Claer on Twitter and Instagram @Claerb Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Bank of England has raised its key interest rate to 4 per cent, the highest level the UK has seen since the 2008 financial crisis. Presenter Claer Barrett is joined by Helen Saxon, deputy editor of Money Saving Expert, James Pickford, deputy editor of FT Money, and Katie Martin, the FT’s markets editor, to discuss how you can best navigate those higher rates with your savings, mortgages and investments.We'd love to hear from you. Please help us by filling in our listener survey at ft.com/moneyclinicsurvey. It will take you around 10 minutes to complete and you will be in with a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort Earbuds!If you would like to talk to Claer about a future episode, please email the Money Clinic team at money@ft.com with a short description of your problem, and how you would like us to help.  You can follow Claer on Twitter and Instagram @Claerb Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One in six women in the UK has experienced financial abuse in a relationship. That’s according to charity Surviving Economic Abuse. Anyone can become a victim, as Sarah Coles, senior personal finance analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, found out. She tells presenter Claer Barrett about her experience of surviving an economically abusive relationship. Claer also hears from another victim, Francesca, and sources advice on recognising and escaping financial abuse from Dr Nicola Sharp-Jeffs OBE, founder and CEO of Surviving Economic AbuseUseful links:The Surviving Economic Abuse website is packed with useful resources, helplines you can call and information on what to do if you or someone you know is in a financially abusive relationship.For domestic abuse, you can call the freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge on 0808 2000 247. If you are in immediate danger, please call the police on 999. For mental health support, you can speak to the Samaritans on 116 123.We'd love to hear from you. Please help us by filling in our listener survey at ft.com/moneyclinicsurvey. It will take you around 10 minutes to complete and you will be in with a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort Earbuds! If you would like to talk to Claer on a future episode, please email the Money Clinic team at money@ft.com with a short description of your problem, and how you would like us to help.  Say hello on social media: You can follow Claer on Twitter and Instagram @Claerb Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Best of Money Clinic: Against the backdrop of market turbulence, investors Jonathan Hollow and Robin Powell explain why they believe investing in broad-based index funds is the cheapest way to increase long-term wealth. This investment masterclass breaks investing down into six simple steps, with tips for those just getting started and those further along their investment journey.If you would like to be a future guest on Money Clinic, email the team via money@ft.com or send Claer a DM on social media - she’s @Claerb on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. How to Fund the Life You Want: What everyone needs to know about savings, pensions and investments by Robin Powell and Jonathan Hollow is out now.Want more?Why do we still bother with active funds? https://www.ft.com/content/c2e9abd0-0edd-4805-b1ab-d55b661c24dePassive investing has increased US stock volatility, study finds https://www.ft.com/content/818f9e83-52a8-4170-a148-80f9d9139809We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Please help us by filling in our listener survey at ft.com/moneyclinicsurvey  It will take you around 10 minutes to complete and you will be in with a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort Earbuds!*Your personal information will be processed in accordance with the FT's privacy policy. If you have any queries about the survey please let us know at customer.research@ft.com.Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love and Philippa Goodrich. Executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor MusicRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.