How can I cut the cost of my insurance cover?

How does one double a sizeable portfolio in under a decade? The short answer is by taking more investment risk - and in today’s episode one of the FT’s most experienced investment columnists weighs up the potential risks. Stuart Kirk has set an ambitious financial goal to hit ahead of his 60th birthday — growing his portfolio from just over £500,000 today to £1mn by 2032. Will he be persuaded to take a punt on flashy US tech stocks, dabble in alternative investments such as private equity, go for gold, or even gamble with cryptocurrency?In the edited highlights from the FT Weekend Festival in London, host Claer Barrett invites Stuart to present his portfolio to the FT Money tent, before taking a grilling from inquisitive FT subscribers in the audience.For more tips on how to organise your money, sign up to Claer's email series 'Sort Your Financial Life Out With Claer Barrett' at FT.com/moneycourseMoney Clinic will be back in 2025 with new episodes. If you would like to be a guest on a future episode of Money Clinic, email us at [email protected] or send Claer a DM on social media — she’s @ClaerB on X, Instagram and TikTok. Want more?Read Stuart Kirk’s recent Skin in the game columns, When will emerging stocks finally emerge?, The best way to invest in gold, and moreListen to Claer and Stuart’s viral mini podcast episode, The Five Minute Investor from Money Clinic: What is a PE ratio?Check out Claer’s column, What’s the chancellor’s next move going to be with my pension? Listen to more episodes of Money Clinic, such as Investment Masterclass: The hunt for global growth stocks, Investment Masterclass: The case for investing in AI, and more.Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Tamara Kormornick. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s global head of audio.Disclaimer: The Money Clinic podcast is a general discussion about financial topics and does not constitute an investment recommendation or individual financial advice.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘If you can tell a good story,’ says Morgan Housel, ‘you’ll get people to line up and listen to you.’ In this episode of Money Clinic, Morgan shares some of those stories with host Claer Barrett and challenges us to think differently about our attitude to wealth and wealth creation. This episode is a repeat of a Money Clinic first published in January 2024.More information on Morgan Housel and his books: https://www.morganhousel.com/Follow Claer on social media @Claerb Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Philippa Goodrich. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s global head of audio.Read the transcript of this episode which was first aired in January 2024 on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With a £22bn ‘black hole’ in the public finances, the new chancellor Rachel Reeves has difficult decisions to make ahead of Labour’s autumn Budget next month. How might this hole be plugged, and where might tax rises land? In this episode, Dan Neidle, founder of think-tank Tax Policy Associates and former head of tax at Clifford Chance, considers which tax-raising levers the chancellor might pull on October 30, and puts forward a case for fairer, growth-focused tax policy.For more tips on how to organise your money, sign up to Claer's email series 'Sort Your Financial Life Out With Claer Barrett' at FT.com/moneycourseIf you would like to be a guest on a future episode of Money Clinic, email us at [email protected] or send Claer a DM on social media — she’s @ClaerB on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. Want more?Check out Claer’s column, What’s the chancellor’s next move going to be with my pension? Listen to more episodes of Money Clinic, such as What will the UK election mean for your money?, Isa season: how to build tax-free wealth, and more.Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Tamara Kormornick with help from Mischa Frankl-Duvall. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s global head of audio.Disclaimer: The Money Clinic podcast is a general discussion about financial topics and does not constitute an investment recommendation or individual financial advice.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In an increasingly cashless society, how can parents ensure children learn healthy financial habits? In this episode, host Claer Barrett speaks to Sheila Bair, author of the Money Tales children’s book series and former chair of the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, about instilling children with sensible attitudes to money - and reveals details of her next book, How Not to Lose a Million Dollars. For a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 Wireless Headphones, share your thoughts on the show with us via a short survey before August 29 2024 (terms and conditions can be found here).For more tips on how to organise your money, sign up to Claer's email series 'Sort Your Financial Life Out With Claer Barrett' at FT.com/moneycourseIf you would like to be a guest on a future episode of Money Clinic, email us at [email protected] or send Claer a DM on social media — she’s @ClaerB on Instagram and TikTok.Want more?Check out Claer’s column, Widowed pensioners ‘could be owed thousands’ in UK state pension.Listen to more episodes, such as How can I cut the cost of my insurance cover?, Can financial therapy change our relationship with money?, and more.Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Tamara Kormornick. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco, 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.

When FT columnist Miranda Green lost her father, she expected the grief to be long-lived. What she didn’t expect was that she would still be attempting to settle her father's financial affairs nearly a year later with multiple calls to banks, building societies, insurers and utility companies. In an episode which first aired last September, Miranda tells presenter Claer Barrett about her experiences dealing with inconsiderate call handlers and poor processes in the private sector. Claer puts Miranda’s concerns to Eric Leenders, the director of personal finance at UK Finance, the trade body that represents about 300 financial services organisations. What are they doing to address the problem? Want more? Listen to the second part of this series, Help! My parents are being targeted by scammersRead Miranda Green’s article for free: Sadmin - the side hustle nobody wantsServices mentioned in the podcast: https://www.gov.uk/after-a-death/organisations-you-need-to-contact-and-tell-us-oncehttps://www.mylostaccount.org.ukhttps://www.deathnotificationservice.co.ukFor more tips on how to organise your money, sign up to Claer's email series 'Sort Your Financial Life Out With Claer Barrett' at FT.com/moneycourseIf you would like to be a guest on a future episode of Money Clinic, email us at [email protected] or send Claer a DM on social media — she’s @ClaerB on Instagram and TikTok.Want more?Check out Claer’s column, Widowed pensioners ‘could be owed thousands’ in UK state pension.Listen to more episodes, such as How can I cut the cost of my insurance cover?, Can financial therapy change our relationship with money?, and more.Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Philippa Goodrich and Laurence Knight. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco, with original music from Metaphor Music.Read the transcript of this episode which was first aired last September on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Barbie is a big spender and high earner, fast approaching the age of retirement. But after a long and varied career that has seen her build a portfolio of multiple dreamhouses and a low-commitment, long-distance relationship with casual boyfriend Ken, what financial advice should she be looking for? In this Headlinemoney award-winning episode of Money Clinic, first aired in August 2023, presenter Claer Barrett is joined in the studio by wealth manager Christine Ross from Handelsbanken and FT personal finance columnist Moira O’Neill, who share their tips on everything from prenups to investing. Clips: Warner BrosFor more tips on how to organise your money, sign up to Claer's email series 'Sort Your Financial Life Out With Claer Barrett' at FT.com/moneycourseIf you would like to be a guest on a future episode of Money Clinic, email us at [email protected] or send Claer a DM on social media — she’s @ClaerB on Instagram and TikTok.Want more?Check out Claer’s column, How the ‘single tax’ can break financial resilience.Listen to more episodes, such as Should I get a prenup?, Investment Masterclass: The hunt for global growth stocks, and more. Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s global head of audio.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prenuptial agreements are no longer just for Hollywood power couples such as Jay Z and Beyoncé — they’re on the rise in the UK too. Host Claer Barrett sits down with family lawyer Richard Hogwood from Stewarts Law to discuss the legal status of prenups as well as the recent influx of requests at his firm, and quizzes James Brookner, founder of the online-platform Wenup, on an affordable route to drafting a prenup. Also in the Money Clinic studio are newly weds-to-be Steve and Georgina, who explain why they decided on a prenup and how they navigated the tricky conversation around it.For a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 Wireless Headphones, share your thoughts on the show with us via a short survey before August 29 2024 (terms and conditions can be found here).For more tips on how to organise your money, sign up to Claer's email series 'Sort Your Financial Life Out With Claer Barrett' at FT.com/moneycourseIf you would like to be a guest on a future episode of Money Clinic, email us at [email protected] or send Claer a DM on social media — she’s @ClaerB on Instagram and TikTok. Want more?Check out Claer’s column, How the ‘single tax’ can break financial resilienceListen to more episodes of Money Clinic on the topic, such as The finances of moving in together, How can we stop arguing about money?, and more.Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Tamara Kormornick. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Breen Turner, with help from Jake Fielding, and the original music is from Metaphor Music. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s global head of audio.Disclaimer: The Money Clinic podcast is a general discussion about financial topics and does not constitute an investment recommendation or individual financial advice.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Isabel Berwick, host and editor of the FT’s Working It podcast and newsletter, has spent the last year writing The Future-Proof Career, a book about how to thrive at work, now and in the future. In April, she held a launch event at Daunt Books, where she spoke to Money Clinic’s Claer Barrett, the FT’s consumer editor, about what she learned in the process. This is an edited version of a Working It episode that aired in May.For a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 Wireless Headphones, share your thoughts on the show with us via a short survey before August 29 2024 (terms and conditions can be found here).For more tips on how to organise your money, sign up to Claer's email series 'Sort Your Financial Life Out With Claer Barrett' at FT.com/moneycourseIf you would like to be a guest on a future episode of Money Clinic, email us at [email protected] or send Claer a DM on social media — she’s @ClaerB on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. Want more?Catch Isabel on the FT’s Working It podcast, read her latest newsletter, Keeping teams calm in turbulent times, and follow her on LinkedIn.Read more Work & Careers articles from the FT, such as Five secrets of workplace success, and Can AI make brainstorming less mind-numbing?Check out Claer’s column, How the ‘single tax’ can break financial resilienceListen to more episodes of Money Clinic, such as Money Clinic live: How to get a pay rise.Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Tamara Kormornick. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s global head of audio.Disclaimer: The Money Clinic podcast is a general discussion about financial topics and does not constitute an investment recommendation or individual financial advice.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The cost of insurance premiums is rising to record highs, but levels of customer service are falling for customers who end up having to make a claim, according to a new report. The consumer group, Which? has found that almost half of those claiming on home, car or travel insurance policies in the past few years have experienced at least one problem, as the volume of complaints linked to claims handling soars. Host Claer Barrett sits down with Sam Richardson, the deputy editor of Which? Money and Ian Smith, the FT’s insurance correspondent, to find out why insurance has become such a minefield for consumers, and how to reduce the cost of premiums without compromising the quality of cover.Links: Money Helper: https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/enBritish Insurance Brokers’ Association: https://www.biba.org.uk/For a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 Wireless Headphones, share your thoughts on the show with us via a short survey before August 29 2024 (terms and conditions can be found here).For more tips on how to organise your money, sign up to Claer's email series 'Sort Your Financial Life Out With Claer Barrett' at FT.com/moneycourseIf you would like to be a guest on a future episode of Money Clinic, email us at [email protected] or send Claer a DM on social media — she’s @ClaerB on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. Want more?Read Ian Smith’s FT Money cover story, What’s driving the car insurance crisis?Check out Claer’s column, How the ‘single tax’ can break financial resilienceListen to more episodes of Money Clinic on the topic, such as Am I paying too much for insurance?, Finance tips for freelancers, insurance pitfalls and how to write the perfect 'to do this', and more.Disclaimer: The Money Clinic podcast is a general discussion about financial topics and does not constitute an investment recommendation or individual financial advice.Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Tamara Kormornick. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s global head of audio.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When it comes to growth investing, big US tech stocks are the prime example. However, professional investors are looking to diversify into other areas of global stock markets, seeking out fast-growing companies of the future.This week, Claer sits down with fund manager James Thomson, who has managed the £4bn Rathbone global opportunities fund for 20 years. In this episode, he shares the ingredients for his “special sauce” to investing in growth stocks, his biggest mistakes and the core lessons he has learned from weathering several economic crises.Links: The Five Minute Investor from Money Clinic: Magnificent SevenMoney Clinic’s Investment Masterclass: The case for investing in AIFor a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 Wireless Headphones, share your thoughts on the show with us via a short survey before August 29 2024 (terms and conditions can be found here).For more tips on how to organise your money, sign up to Claer's email series 'Sort Your Financial Life Out With Claer Barrett' at FT.com/moneycourseIf you would like to be a guest on a future episode of Money Clinic, email us at [email protected] or send Claer a DM on social media — she’s @ClaerB on Instagram and TikTok. Want more?Check out Claer’s column, Could AI make you a better investor?Listen to more investment masterclasses from Money Clinic, such as WTF are ETFs, Do sneakers deserve a place in your investment portfolio?, and more.Disclaimer: The Money Clinic podcast is a general discussion about financial topics and does not constitute an investment recommendation or individual financial advice.Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Tamara Kormornick. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s global head of audio.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.