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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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