Money Clinic with Claer Barrett

FT News Briefing: How to spend wisely this holiday season with Claer Barrett

19 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year, but it's also the most expensive. Between gifts, food and travel, people can end up spendin...

The 2025 Budget: what does it mean for your money?

29 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been a rollercoaster week for both UK politics and our personal finances, with chancellor Rachel Reeves setting out tens of billions of pounds ...

Investment Clinic: Should I keep betting on Warren Buffett?

01 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Fifty-eight-year-old Margo has amassed a very healthy retirement fund, in part by buying shares in Berkshire Hathaway, the investment company run by W...

Investment Clinic: I’m 29 – should I still be taking stock tips from my dad?

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Matt started investing at just 22 with the help of his financial adviser father. Now, at 29, and with a wedding on the cards, he’s got an extra reas...

Investment Clinic: I’m almost 50 – is it too late to start investing?

18 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Forty-nine-year-old Jane has always been careful to squirrel money away, and a recent inheritance has boosted her nest egg to £125,000. But there’s...

Investment Clinic: I'm 67 - will US stocks crash my retirement?

11 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sixty-seven-year-old Paul invests using index funds. Over the years, his exposure to US tech stocks has helped him build up a sizeable retirement pot ...

Investment Clinic: I’m an ethical investor – but I can’t kick crypto

04 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Software engineer Stephan has a problem. As an early backer of bitcoin, he has made a lot of paper profit from cryptocurrencies, which now make up abo...

Investment Clinic: the high earner taking stock tips from ChatGPT

04 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Twenty-nine-year-old Faye has made some sensible investing decisions and … some more outlandish ones. Should this high-earning City worker, who’s ...

Can Stuart Kirk double his money in eight years?

17 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 F...

Best of Money Clinic: Investment masterclass: The psychology of money

10 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

‘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, Morga...

How “painful” will the Budget be for your finances?

03 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With a £22bn ‘black hole’ in the public finances, the new chancellor Rachel Reeves has difficult decisions to make ahead of Labour’s autumn Bud...

“How not to lose a million dollars”

27 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In an increasingly cashless society, how can parents ensure children learn healthy financial habits? In this episode, host Claer Barrett speaks to She...

Best of Money Clinic: ‘Sadmin’ – the side-hustle nobody wants

20 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 attempt...

Best of Money Clinic: The financial advice we’d give to Barbie

13 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 portfoli...

Should I get a prenup?

06 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 Ba...

Money Clinic presents: How to future-proof your career

30 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 can I cut the cost of my insurance cover?

23 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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, ...

Investment Masterclass: The hunt for global growth stocks

16 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to growth investing, big US tech stocks are the prime example. However, professional investors are looking to diversify into other areas...

Do sneakers deserve a place in your investment portfolio?

09 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past decade, collectible sneakers have crept to multi-billion dollar market status, but can they really be considered investments? In this ep...

Financial regrets? Comedian Lucy Porter’s had a few

02 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s easy to harbour regrets about poor financial decisions, but this week’s guest has decided to do what many wouldn’t dare: air her mistakes i...

What will the UK election mean for your money?

25 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Regardless of which political party wins the UK general election on July 4, voters fear they will have to pay more taxes. Taxes are the crucial b...

Can financial therapy change our relationship with money?

18 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Prepare to take a seat on the therapist’s couch and discover what your money habits say about you. In this episode, host Claer Barrett sits down wit...

The Five Minute Investor from Money Clinic: What is a PE ratio?

11 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When we talk about the relative value of our investments, PE ratios are never far away from the conversation - but what does this mean, and what exact...

The Five-Minute Investor from Money Clinic: What’s an IPO?

04 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With a string of companies preparing to launch stock market listings on both sides of the Atlantic, investors may be tempted to invest in an IPO. But ...

The Five-Minute Investor from Money Clinic: What is a yield?

28 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Like an interest rate on a savings account, investment yields show us how much income different investments are able to generate. But how are yields c...

The Five-Minute Investor from Money Clinic: What’s a bull market?

21 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Global stock markets are charging along breaking record after record — but what’s driving this ‘bull market’ and how much longer can it last? ...

The Five-Minute Investor from Money Clinic: The power of compounding

14 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

‘The two most powerful warriors are patience and time,’ Leo Tolstoy once wrote. But how can this make you a richer investor? The answer is compoun...

The Five Minute Investor from Money Clinic: Are share buybacks good news for investors?

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Share buybacks have been in the news as Apple announced what would be the largest buyback in US history. But why is the US tech giant purchasing $110b...

The Five Minute Investor from Money Clinic: Why liquidity matters for investors

30 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the age of the smartphone, it’s never been easier to buy an investment — but how quickly can you sell one, and how might this affect the price?...

The Five Minute Investor from Money Clinic: Magnificent Seven

23 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Magnificent Seven could make up a much bigger slice of your own portfolio than you realise, but what are these seven stocks, and why are they so d...

Investment Masterclass: confessions of a top ex-Citibank trader

16 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

‘If I try to put myself back into the shoes of me as a 21-year-old, all I can tell you is this: I was hungry,’ writes Gary Stevenson in his recent...

Coming soon: The Five Minute Investor from Money Clinic

12 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Introducing Money Clinic’s Five Minute Investor, a miniseries hosted by Claer Barrett, the FT’s consumer editor. In each episode, Claer challenges...

Money Clinic presents Unhedged: The great British bargain show

09 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The main stock index in the UK, the FTSE 100, includes some of the biggest and most profitable multinational companies in the world. But in recent yea...

Best of Money Clinic: Investment masterclass with Deborah Meaden

02 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Deborah Meaden, star of the hit BBC show “Dragons’ Den” is one of the highest-profile investors in the UK, famed for grilling entrepreneurs who ...

Isa season: how to build tax-free wealth

26 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With just days to go until the end of the tax year, it’s peak season for British savers and investors to make the most of their £20,000 annual Isa ...

Fixing women’s financial future

19 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Hot on the heels of a UK Budget announcement that promised to boost the childcare offer for working families, host Claer Barrett marks International W...

UK Budget: what it means for your money

12 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has delivered a £10bn tax-cutting Budget, promising to create a “new generation of investors” — but what does he actuall...

Investment Masterclass: The case for investing in AI

05 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Investors are expecting artificial intelligence to power the next tech revolution - but are they right? Positive numbers from AI chipmaker Nvidia have...

Best of Money Clinic: How can I improve my credit score?

27 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Most people know that you need a good credit score to be able to borrow money, but how to start building one is a mystery. First aired in June 2022, i...

The bonus secrets of Financial Times readers

20 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This bonus season, will the UK’s top earners invest their payouts tax-efficiently into pensions and Isas, or use them to pay down debts? In this epi...

I’m in over my head with debt: what now?

13 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The viral ‘finfluencer’ Clare Seal, better known by her handle, My Frugal Year, to her almost 120,000 Instagram followers, is known for her compas...

Tax cuts: will they or won’t they?

06 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Will taxes rise or fall in next month’s Spring Budget? Host Claer Barrett visits the recently appointed financial secretary to the Treasury, Nigel H...

Investment Masterclass: An insider's view of the City of London

30 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The broadcaster and investment commentator, Justin Urquhart-Stewart, is well-known to millions for wearing bright red braces during his many TV appear...

I want to save for my long-term future, what should I do?

23 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Niamh is 24 but she wants to make sure she’s in a financially stable position when she is older. How should she go about saving and investing for he...

Introducing Untold: The Retreat

18 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Introducing Untold, a new podcast from the special investigations team at the Financial Times. In its first series, The Retreat, host Madison Marriage...

Mortgage clinic: your questions answered

16 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mortgage lenders are cutting their rates. That’s good news for anyone thinking of buying or remortgaging a property. Presenter Claer Barrett and a p...

Best of Money Clinic - How to keep your food bill down: supermarket hacks

10 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

First aired in September 2022, Claer Barrett takes to the supermarket aisles to find the best tips for keeping the cost of the weekly food shop to a m...

Investment masterclass: The psychology of money

09 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

‘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, Morga...

Credit Card Clinic: How to get on top of your debts in 2024

02 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With the bills rolling in after Christmas, this week’s episode is devoted to helping listeners tackle their credit card debts on a practical and emo...

How to sort out your financial life in 2024

26 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re looking for inspiration for managing your money more effectively in 2024, this episode is for you! Claer Barrett is joined in the FT studi...

Best of Money Clinic: Four ways to beat the market

19 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Algy Hall has four strategies for seeking out stocks that will outperform the index, highlighted in his new book Four Ways to Beat the Market. They ar...

Best of Money Clinic: How an ISA millionaire chooses stocks

12 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Lord John Lee of Trafford was the first person in the UK to reach £1mn invested in his stocks and shares ISA. He has a clear strategy based around ch...

Investment Masterclass: What’s in your global tracker fund?

05 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Global equity funds are a mainstay in most investors’ portfolios, but few peer under the bonnet to examine the gigantic, global companies included i...

When is a tax cut not a tax cut? The Autumn Statement digested

28 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tax cuts were the centrepiece of the Autumn Statement last week – with national insurance bills set to drop in January for 27mn UK workers – ...

Understanding economics: why it matters for your money

21 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Inflation, interest rates, growth and taxes - they’re terms we hear on the news every day, but what impact do they have on our everyday financial li...

Best of Money Clinic: WTF are ETFs?

14 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Exchange traded funds, or ETFs, have been growing in popularity recently, but as Money Clinic listener Saranya has found, there’s a bewildering arra...

Investment Masterclass: Nick Train on the case for investing in UK shares

07 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are UK shares a bargain or a basket case? Nick Train has been an investment manager for more than 40 years and is renowned for sticking with his choic...

Credit scores: when a small debt becomes a big problem

31 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Back in 2010, Money Clinic listener Kalyan bought an iPad with a monthly 3G subscription. Thirteen years later, that long-forgotten purchase might sto...

Investment masterclass: Deborah Meaden on her life in business

24 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Deborah Meaden, star of the hit BBC show Dragons' Den, is one of the highest-profile investors in the UK, famed for grilling entrepreneurs who want to...

Investment Masterclass: Isa investing is changing

17 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Isas, or individual savings accounts, in the UK are tax-free vehicles that have made millions of investors richer since their launch in 1999. The gove...

Investment masterclass: what’s one of the world’s leading investors buying?

10 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The renowned economist and investor Mohamed El-Erian is chief economic adviser at Allianz, the parent company of Pimco, one o...

Help! My parents are being targeted by scammers

03 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's hard enough sorting out the personal finances of a loved one who’s died. It’s even more painful when you suspect they’ve been targeted for ...

Dad died nearly a year ago: I'm still grappling with his personal finances

26 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 at...

FT Weekend Festival live: What next for UK property prices?

19 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a year since Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-Budget sent the property market into a tailspin. No sooner had house prices begun to recover...

Money Clinic live: How to get a pay rise

12 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We all want to feel properly rewarded for the work we do, but getting a pay rise is a tough nut to crack. How do you even start the conversation? At t...

The dark side of the US sports-betting boom

05 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sports betting is a relatively young industry in the US, in effect launching after a 2018 US Supreme Court ruling struck down a federal ban. Before th...

Investment masterclass: Are bonds back?

29 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Last year was one of the worst ever for the bond market. Fast forward to today and many people in finance say that despite the volatility, it is time ...

Money Clinic introduces Unhedged: Hot new bad idea

22 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Zero day options are now almost 50 percent of the options market. But what are they? And why would anyone take these bets? Today on the show, host Eth...

Money Clinic introduces Unhedged: China slows down

15 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

China’s economy has been growing faster than almost any other for a generation, so a slowdown is unfamiliar territory. Today on the show we look at ...

The high cost of being a wedding guest

08 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rob has been invited to nine weddings this year and it’s playing havoc with his finances! How can wedding guests approach the subject of money when ...

The financial advice we'd give to Barbie

01 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 portfoli...

Investment masterclass: WTF are ETFs?

25 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Exchange traded funds or ETFs have been growing in popularity recently but as Money Clinic listener Saranya has found, there’s a bewildering array o...

Am I paying too much for insurance?

18 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are you an insurance addict? Listener Joss thinks he might be and wants to know what type of insurance he really needs and whether he's getting the be...

Investment masterclass: Four ways to beat the market

11 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Algy Hall has four strategies for seeking out stocks that will outperform the index, highlighted in his new book Four Ways to Beat the Market. They ar...

Should you top up your National Insurance?

04 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The government has just extended the deadline to April 2025 for people to top up their National Insurance contributions. For many people approaching r...

Mortgage help: your questions answered

27 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The 13th interest rate rise in a row has piled on the pain for many homeowners. Money Clinic host Claer Barrett has assembled a team of experts to tal...

When trading crypto becomes an addiction

20 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a live debate in the UK over whether regulation of crypto trading should come under the scope of financial services or be treated like gambl...

Introducing Unhedged

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Introducing Unhedged, a new podcast from the FT. Ethan Wu, Katie Martin and other markets nerds at the Financial Times explain the big ideas behind wh...

How an ISA millionaire chooses stocks

13 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Lord John Lee of Trafford was the first person in the UK to reach £1mn invested in his stocks and shares ISA. He has a clear strategy based around ch...

Best of Money Clinic: Investment Masterclass: Stuart Kirk has ‘skin in the game’

06 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Former asset manager Stuart Kirk writes about investing for FT Weekend in a column where he shares both his investment successes and failures with rea...

Investment masterclass: Should women plan differently for their retirement?

30 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 la...

What should I do with my cash savings?

23 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With inflation running higher than the interest rates provided by most banks, cash accounts can rapidly lose value. What does that mean for emergency ...

Best of Money Clinic: Help! What should I do with my mortgage?

16 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 202...

Hacking your bills

09 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 C...

What they don’t teach you about money

02 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Does sorting out your personal finances fill you with anxiety and trepidation? What can you learn from your money mistakes? Money Clinic host Claer Ba...

When to get a financial adviser, and how to choose the right one

25 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Money and relationships: a crash course

18 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Aligning our love lives and our financial lives is not always easy. Presenter Claer Barrett sources advice from Dr Nicola Sharp-Jeffs, founder of Surv...

Investment masterclass: how to keep it simple

11 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 i...

Investment masterclass: ‘Money is basically a fiction’

04 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 b...

Help! What should I do with my mortgage?

28 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 so...

Interest rates, bank crises and your money

21 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 Credi...

What they don’t teach you about money

14 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 si...

How to financially survive a divorce

07 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

‘Cash stuffing’: is cash making a comeback?

28 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s called the ‘cash stuffing’ or ‘cash envelope’ method: separating your money into different envelopes of cash to control your spending. ...

Investment Masterclass: Stuart Kirk has ‘skin in the game’

21 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Former asset manager Stuart Kirk writes about investing for FT Weekend in a column where he shares both his investment successes and failures with rea...

Money Clinic meets: A bank CEO’s view of the cost of living crisis

14 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 hel...

What higher interest rates mean for your money

07 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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...

‘I was a victim of financial abuse’

31 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

One in six women in the UK has experienced financial abuse in a relationship. That’s according to charity Surviving Economic Abuse. Anyone can becom...

Best of Money Clinic: Investment masterclass — the cheapest way to invest

24 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Best of Money Clinic: Against the backdrop of market turbulence, investors Jonathan Hollow and Robin Powell explain why they believe investing in broa...

How do I choose a stocks and shares ISA?

17 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Thirty-year-old Henrietta wants to start investing but has found herself lost in the small print of stocks and shares ISAs. How to choose the right on...