Are You Saving Way More Than You Need?

How much can you actually spend in retirement without running out of money? The 4% rule is one of the most popular ways to think about that problem. Abraham Okusanya has spent over a decade researching this very question. He's written a book called Beyond the 4% Rule and founded Timeline, software used by financial planners to help tens of thousands of people plan their retirement. 🎉 Sponsors: Uswitch - See if you can save by switching to solar: ⁠https://makingmoney.email/uswitch Vanta - Get your company secure and compliant: ⁠https://vanta.com/makingmoney – If you purchase a product or service using one of the links above, we may receive a commission. There will be no additional charge for you. Remember investments can fall and rise - and past performance is no guarantee of future results. Other fees may apply. Your money is at risk. This is not financial advice. The reason it’s not financial advice is because it’s not tailored to you. We explain the principles of building wealth but if you want personalised advice, it’s worth speaking to a financial advisor. As with everything financial, please do your own research. We really encourage that because no one cares more about your money than you and if you learn the basics then it will change your life. —------------- Listen to our episode with Ben felix here: https://pod.link/1674547187/episode/ZDgxZTUzOTQtZWVlNS0xMWYwLWI0YjYtNmYxM2E2OGYxMzFi 

It's been a few days since the Budget, so there’s been time to get past the headlines and work out what it actually means for you. Timeyin couldn't join me today, so it’s just me and Helen Miller, who's the Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). They're widely seen as the independent referee when it comes to government tax and spending. 🎉 Sponsors: Uswitch - See if you can save by switching to solar: ⁠https://makingmoney.email/uswitch Vanta - Get your company secure and compliant: ⁠https://vanta.com/makingmoney – If you purchase a product or service using one of the links above, we may receive a commission. There will be no additional charge for you. Remember investments can fall and rise - and past performance is no guarantee of future results. Other fees may apply. Your money is at risk. This is not financial advice. The reason it’s not financial advice is because it’s not tailored to you. We explain the principles of building wealth but if you want personalised advice, it’s worth speaking to a financial advisor. As with everything financial, please do your own research. We really encourage that because no one cares more about your money than you and if you learn the basics then it will change your life. Listen to the IFS's podcast: https://ifs.org.uk/podcasts-explainers-and-calculators/podcasts

We're talking to the Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Helen Miller, this morning so stay tuned for that conversation later today!

Two of the biggest economic shocks we've seen in recent years have come from wars: Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East. But what does that actually mean for you? How can conflicts happening thousands of miles away affect the cost of your mortgage, the value of your investments, or even how much you pay in tax? Duncan Weldon is an economist and historian who's spent years studying the relationship between war and the economy. 🎉 Sponsors: Uswitch - See if you can save by switching to solar: ⁠https://makingmoney.email/uswitch Vanta - Get your company secure and compliant: ⁠https://vanta.com/makingmoney – If you purchase a product or service using one of the links above, we may receive a commission. There will be no additional charge for you. Remember investments can fall and rise - and past performance is no guarantee of future results. Other fees may apply. Your money is at risk. This is not financial advice. The reason it’s not financial advice is because it’s not tailored to you. We explain the principles of building wealth but if you want personalised advice, it’s worth speaking to a financial advisor. As with everything financial, please do your own research. We really encourage that because no one cares more about your money than you and if you learn the basics then it will change your life. —------------- Duncan’s book: https://amzn.eu/d/02gABSTn  Our episode with Ofgem the UK’s energy regulator: https://pod.link/1674547187/episode/NThhMWUzY2UtNGFjZi0xMWYxLWE2YTEtYWZkNTgwMzJmYTZj?view=apps&sort=popularity

As more of us invest in index funds, is that a good thing? Tim Edwards from S&P Dow Jones Indices, the company behind the S&P 500, joins us to explore whether trying to beat the market pays off, and reveals fascinating data on the cost of waiting for the next stock market crash. 🎉 Sponsors: Uswitch - See if you can save by switching to solar: ⁠https://makingmoney.email/uswitch Vanta - Get your company secure and compliant: ⁠https://vanta.com/makingmoney – If you purchase a product or service using one of the links above, we may receive a commission. There will be no additional charge for you. Remember investments can fall and rise - and past performance is no guarantee of future results. Other fees may apply. Your money is at risk. This is not financial advice. The reason it’s not financial advice is because it’s not tailored to you. We explain the principles of building wealth but if you want personalised advice, it’s worth speaking to a financial advisor. As with everything financial, please do your own research. We really encourage that because no one cares more about your money than you and if you learn the basics then it will change your life. Here are some of the reports we discuss with Tim: Spiva report: https://www.spglobal.com/spdji/en/research-insights/spiva/  ‘Waiting For a Bear’ paper: https://www.indexologyblog.com/2025/03/19/waiting-for-a-bear/ Listen to our episode with Elroy Dimson here: https://pod.link/1674547187/episode/YTk5ZGNjYzQtOGZlNi0xMWYwLTkzZTktOWZiY2NmYTE0OGQ4?view=apps&sort=popularity 

The NHS now costs around £240 billion a year across the UK. We're spending more than ever before. It employs more people than ever before. So why doesn’t it feel like it’s getting Max Warner is an economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies who specialises in health and social care. 🎉 Sponsors: Uswitch - See if you can save by switching to solar: https://makingmoney.email/uswitch Vanta - Get your company secure and compliant: https://vanta.com/makingmoney – If you purchase a product or service using one of the links above, we may receive a commission. There will be no additional charge for you. Remember investments can fall and rise - and past performance is no guarantee of future results. Other fees may apply. Your money is at risk. This is not financial advice. The reason it’s not financial advice is because it’s not tailored to you. We explain the principles of building wealth but if you want personalised advice, it’s worth speaking to a financial advisor. As with everything financial, please do your own research. We really encourage that because no one cares more about your money than you and if you learn the basics then it will change your life.

Marcia is a 45 year old counsellor from Birmingham. Has investing changed your life? ⁠https://makingmoney.email/listener-story-form 🎉 Sponsors: Uswitch - See if you can save by switching to solar: ⁠https://makingmoney.email/uswitch⁠ Vanta - Get your company secure and compliant: ⁠https://vanta.com/makingmoney – If you purchase a product or service using one of the links above, we may receive a commission. There will be no additional charge for you. Remember investments can fall and rise - and past performance is no guarantee of future results. Other fees may apply. Your money is at risk. This is not financial advice. The reason it’s not financial advice is because it’s not tailored to you. We explain the principles of building wealth but if you want personalised advice, it’s worth speaking to a financial advisor. As with everything financial, please do your own research. We really encourage that because no one cares more about your money than you and if you learn the basics then it will change your life.

The Bank of England has a key target: to keep inflation at 2%. Its main tool is interest rates. Dr Swati Dhingra is an external member of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee, which she joined in August 2022, making her one of just nine people who decide what that interest rate should be. 🎉 Sponsors: Uswitch - See if you can save by switching to solar: ⁠https://makingmoney.email/uswitch⁠ Vanta - Get your company secure and compliant: ⁠https://vanta.com/makingmoney – If you purchase a product or service using one of the links above, we may receive a commission. There will be no additional charge for you. Remember investments can fall and rise - and past performance is no guarantee of future results. Other fees may apply. Your money is at risk. This is not financial advice. The reason it’s not financial advice is because it’s not tailored to you. We explain the principles of building wealth but if you want personalised advice, it’s worth speaking to a financial advisor. As with everything financial, please do your own research. We really encourage that because no one cares more about your money than you and if you learn the basics then it will change your life. ------- Use the ONS calculator to find out your personal inflation rate: https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/articles/howisinflationaffectingyourhouseholdcosts/2022-03-23

Former trader Tom Hayes was sentenced to 14 years in prison for manipulating LIBOR, which used to be one of the world's most important interest rates. Prosecutors said Tom was the ringleader of a conspiracy to influence the rate. Tom says he was made a scapegoat for the financial crisis and that what he did was commonplace. He ended up spending five and a half years in prison before being released in 2021. Then in 2025 the Supreme Court overturned his conviction. *LIBOR has now been replaced by other benchmarks. 🎉 Sponsors: Uswitch - See if you can save by switching to solar: ⁠https://makingmoney.email/uswitch⁠ Vanta - Get your company secure and compliant: ⁠https://vanta.com/makingmoney – If you purchase a product or service using one of the links above, we may receive a commission. There will be no additional charge for you. Remember investments can fall and rise - and past performance is no guarantee of future results. Other fees may apply. Your money is at risk. This is not financial advice. The reason it’s not financial advice is because it’s not tailored to you. We explain the principles of building wealth but if you want personalised advice, it’s worth speaking to a financial advisor. As with everything financial, please do your own research. We really encourage that because no one cares more about your money than you and if you learn the basics then it will change your life. —- You can listen to the BBC Lowball Tapes, which we discuss in the episode, here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0014wtn 

Many of us dream of retiring early, or at least having the option to. Gareth, one of our viewers, retired at just 48. But what happens when the plan you've spent years building is finally put to the test? Check out our AI financial planning tool: https://makingmoney.email/AI  🎉 Sponsors: Uswitch - See if you can save by switching to solar: ⁠https://makingmoney.email/uswitch⁠ Vanta - Get your company secure and compliant: ⁠https://vanta.com/makingmoney – If you purchase a product or service using one of the links above, we may receive a commission. There will be no additional charge for you. Remember investments can fall and rise - and past performance is no guarantee of future results. Other fees may apply. Your money is at risk. This is not financial advice. The reason it’s not financial advice is because it’s not tailored to you. We explain the principles of building wealth but if you want personalised advice, it’s worth speaking to a financial advisor. As with everything financial, please do your own research. We really encourage that because no one cares more about your money than you and if you learn the basics then it will change your life.