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The direct nature of Pope Leo XIV's AI encyclical took some of his colleagues by surprise: as an AI-expert Franciscan friar who has advised the Vatican says, ‘Papal documents usually speak in principles; this one names the structural problem — computational power is concentrated in the hands of a few private actors who answer to no democratic process’. The jury is still out on the impact of Artificial Intelligence on human employment, but a cartoon from Private Eye (see our commentary webpage) resonates closely with Standard Chartered's announcement that it will use AI to replace 'lower-value human capital', with about 7,800 back-office roles to be cut by 2030. Background music: 'The New Order' by Aaron Kenny.

— and how egalitarian capitalism can turn the tide. There has been a spate of reports on youth unemployment recently, and Alan Milburn warns of 'a generational, societal and economic catastrophe’ if we don't recognise that the welfare state was built for a different era, and must now change. The impact of such substantial debt, in both personal and public contexts, of Artificial Intelligence and the pervasive influence of social media present real challenges for young people. David Willetts set out the scale of the challenge at Share Alliance's Inter-generational Rebalancing Conference, and Professor Sir Julian Le Grand put his finger on the huge change in mindset that's required. It will require much more than tinkering with Labour Party leadership to sort this out. Background music: 'Metamorphosis' by Quincas Moreira

The young owners of over two-thirds of all Child Trust Funds reach adulthood at the end of March 2026, but very large numbers of HMRC-allocated accounts remain unknown and unclaimed, including almost three-quarters of the £1 billion belonging to low-income young adults: the position is particularly acute in the north of England and devolved nations. These are accounts for which HM Treasury/HMRC are the 'settlor', and therefore have a duty to deliver these young adults' birthrights. Background music: 'Waiting' by Andrew Langdon 

Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University believes that the recent interventions by Alan Milburn and Tony Blair are being ignored within the Labour Party, which is also oblivious to news that as many union members support Reform as they do Labour. It is clear that the new leader, if there is one, will be incapable of learning what needs to be done to win back the public, which would also pose problems for the Tories and Reform. Instead, Labour struggles to know what it is about, much like the Tories. Tim also believes that the UK police force is another failed brand, no longer an arms-length neutral institution but a part of the state and a political football. It is hard to see how the police force can extricate itself and rebuild its reputation.

Professor Tim Evans says that to understand Donald Trump, you need to know that, in the late 80s and early 90s, he was a close friend of Richard Nixon, who told him that he used the persona of an irrational madman to unsettle others. Indeed, Nixon and his wife urged Trump to enter politics. In terms of policy, Trump is also a devotee of Reagan and William McKinley, an advocate of tariffs in America's interests. The Archbishop of Canterbury is one of the most important constitutional positions in Britain. In an increasingly secular age, the new Archbishop will have a challenging task ahead, but Tim feels that she is the right person for the job. The issue of Net Zero has come to the fore in the midst of an energy crisis like the 1970s. Tim ponders the politics of it, wondering if it could become as divisive as Brexit.

Neil Shah of Edison Group returns to the topic of Games Workshop. The recent trading update of this small cap that has grown into a FTSE 100 share significantly beat expectations. It is growing so strongly that it has already beaten Edison's analysts' 2027 numbers. The company benefits from loyal consumer demand, is still expanding geographically and will benefit from the forthcoming linked Amazon drama. It is a business which is growing in a sensible way while paying decent dividends. Neil points out that it was only a fortnight earlier that he talked of the attractions of Easyjet, now the subject of a bid from US private equity. It may be opportunistic but there is strong underlying demand and valuation there. Stelios still owns 15% of the company and, given that the shares were £18, he may not be willing to sell. But it shows that there are some very attractive UK businesses out there.

It's the sort of theoretical question you might discuss at the pub with your mates. If you won the lottery and had the choice, would you pick a £1 million lump sum, or take £1,000 a week for life?  Pollster YouGov posed the question to 7,000 Britons recently, and it is fair to say opinions are divided. According to two money experts, there is a right answer — so which is the best strategy, and why is likely to make you much richer? Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Helen Crane discuss. Easy access savings rates have barely budged in recent weeks, but fixed-rate deals are becoming much more attractive. We look at some of the best — and Helen explains why a number of HSBC customers are feeling disgruntled after ISA transfers to the bank were hit with a raft of delays. The team also looks at Volvo's chaotic EV recall, and what drivers who have been told their car is a potential fire risk can do. It has been confirmed that the energy price cap will rise by 13% in July, with costs for the average household climbing by £221. So is it worth thinking about fixing your tariff? And in a heatwave, we discuss data which reveals exactly how expensive it is to keep cool. Are new-fangled air cooler devices worth it, and is air conditioning as pricey as many assume?

Steve Caplin tells Simon Rose that scientists have extracted yeast from the 5,300-year-old Ozti the Iceman to make sourdough bread. Next, they plan to produce beer. Boeing 747-400s apparently update their maps with a dozen floppy discs. If you're wealthy, it will soon be possible to visit your greenhouse with a VR headset. Nvidia's new AI chip apparently "could replace the mouse and keyboard". The Helios robot might be used for manual tasks in space, having no legs but 2 pairs of arms. There's a crowd-funded desk-mounted robot arm, but nobody knows what it can be used for. If you're too warm, there's a solar-powered cap. Scientists say they've found a way to put solar cells in windows. And cosmetic surgeons are finding clients are asking the impossible – to be made to look like an AI-generated version of themselves.

For those with long-term health conditions, any ongoing pain or emotional issues, Adam Cox puts forward some hypnotic recovery suggestions: they are not a substitute for seeing a doctor! Using multiple levels of disassociation and a metaphor based on Inception Island, a very unusual 'lake within a lake'  location in Canada, he builds a recursive perspective to assist the healing process, which can be helpful alongside medical treatment.

After watching #1 ‘Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu’, James Cameron-Wilson says he's exhausted by all these fantasy franchises. The effects are impressive but the plot seems redundant and he was extremely bored. Not so with #8 ‘Finding Emily’, the best romcom he has seen in quite some time. Produced by the team behind ‘Love Actually’ and ‘Bridget Jones’, it's about a student trying to find a girl he clicked with, only for the search to go badly awry. Humming with great Curtis-esque lines, it has an engaging freshness and feels very real. After a brief mention of ‘Hen’, in which a hen observes Greek life, James discusses ‘The Wizard of the Kremlin’, starring Paul Dano and Alicia Vikander, about a filmmaker who becomes an adviser to Putin. On various platforms, it has an air of the Europudding.

Money continues to pour into AI companies like Anthropic, who announced a $65 billion fundraising round this week. But companies are starting to scrutinize their AI investments, which may not be paying off as hoped. Plus, we consider some of our lessons of a lifetime investing and the stocks on our radar. Travis Hoium, Lou Whiteman, and Emily Flippen discuss Anthropic’s $65 billion raise, corporate America’s ROI on AI, and — what do consumers want? Plus, our favorite investing quotes and books, and stocks on our radar. Companies discussed: FedEx (FDX), FedEx Freight (FDXF), Astronics (ATRO), Transmedics (TMDX), Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN). Host — Travis Hoium; Guests — Lou Whiteman, Emily Flippen.

Micron has had a turnaround for the ages, going from a free cash flow negative company to a $1 trillion valuation in a little over a year. What does it tell us about the AI buildout? Plus, we get to Eli Lilly’s incredible trial results, acquisition spree, and growth plans before ending with Zscaler’s earnings and why the stock fell 30% in one day last week. Travis Hoium, Lou Whiteman, and Rachel Warren discuss Micron’s trip to $1 trillion, Eli Lilly’s Winning Streak, and Zscaler earnings. Companies discussed: Micron (MU), Eli Lilly (LLY), Zscaler (ZS). Host — Travis Hoium; Guests — Lou Whiteman, Rachel Warren.

New research has highlighted a growing loneliness crisis among UK parents, with one in two saying they feel isolated and many worried about the impact on both their wellbeing and their children. Cost of living pressures and lack of time are among the key drivers behind this trend. Joining Rory McGowan to discuss this is Jodie Reed, co-CEO of Home-Start UK.

Access to everyday services is something many people take for granted — but for deaf people across the UK, it can still present significant challenges. From booking appointments to communicating in critical moments, barriers to access remain widespread, with delays in securing British Sign Language support continuing to impact daily life. Joining Rory McGowan to discuss this is Steph Lotz, UK General Manager at Convo and an advocate for the deaf community.

Pensions and inheritance are at the forefront of many people's minds ahead of the Budget. In her last Budget, Rachel Reeves announced she will pull pension pots into the inheritance tax net from April 2027. Meanwhile, there are concerns that pension tax-free lump sums and inheritance tax allowances could fall victim to another raid as the Chancellor tries to balance the books again. In this special episode of the This is Money podcast, Simon Lambert is joined by Lisa Caplan, director of Charles Stanley Direct Advice and Guidance. Lisa spends her days helping customers understand how to protect their wealth, make their pension last in retirement and, importantly, enjoy their hard-earned money. She discusses with Simon the questions people are asking right now about pensions and inheritance tax and her answers.

The world is facing a myriad of Gordian Knots at present — problems so intricate and complex that they need new and very different approaches to solve them. In Greek mythology, it was Alexander the Great who chopped the knot rather than struggling to untie it. If you're facing a raft of complex problems, this episode could help you find novel and creative ways to solve them. So, think of the most challenging things in your life and listen in for inspiration. Maybe Donald Trump should seek Adam Cox's guidance for resolving conflicts across the world, or the UN for dealing with climate change — or Governments across western democracies seeking an answer for intractable debt problems? Image: Wikipedia

For the 500th show, Steve Caplin takes a look back at some of the highlights of ten years of Gadgets & Gizmos. He covers sprayable sleep, cows imitating zebras to ward off mosquitoes, crows collecting cigarette butts, NFTs, self-parking slippers, KFC chicken-tasting nail polish, the first human head transplant, the Skunklock noxious bike lock, Refrigerdating, the robot dog flamethrower, ant populated gin and how to make pain relief pills 10 times more effective.

Berkshire’s cash hoard is approaching “Dr. Evil” levels. Tim Beyers and Dylan Lewis discuss Warren Buffett’s message to investors and Berkshire Hathaway shareholders in his annual letter, Berkshire’s growing cash position and what it might say about his view of the investing opportunities out there, and Apple’s $500Bn commitment to its Advanced Manufacturing Fund, AI development, and R&D efforts. Then, 16 minutes in, American's pharmaceutical options for legally treating mental health issues could expand soon. MindMed is testing the effects of LSD on depression and Anxiety, the company’s CEO Rob Barrow talks Ricky Mulvey through his company's work and the future of psychedelics and mental health. Companies discussed: BRK.A, BRK.B, AAPL, MNMD. Host - Dylan Lewis; Guests - Tim Beyers, Rob Barrow, Ricky Mulvey

James Cameron-Wilson reports on box office -13% but still up on 2024, with ‘Wicked’ becoming last year's most successful film with £59.6m. The musical biopic of Bob Dylan, ‘A Complete Unknown’, with Timothy Chalomet and Edward Norton is the new #1. The tedious and unbelievable ‘Wolf Man’ limps in at #7. James found Netflix's spy thriller ‘Back in Action’, the return from retirement of Cameron Diaz, all very silly and over the top, despite some good stunts. The Oscar nominations were coming out during recording, so James gives his first thoughts on who's in and who's out.

Warren Buffett sends us into the season to be thankful with his philanthropic acts and his poignant words, and gives us all a place to start the conversation with family about money. Asit Sharma and Dylan Lewis discuss NBC’s negotiations to extend their rights to broadcast rights to the Macy’s Day Parade, and why holiday live events are turning into an arms race, the expectations for Black Friday through Cyber Monday, and two predictions on the direction of consumer spend and who will be driving it in future years, and Warren Buffett’s plans for passing his wealth on to his family and philanthropic efforts, and the words of wisdom we should all have in mind as we get together with loved ones this week. Companies discussed: CMCSA, M, NFLX, AMZN, BRK.A, BRK.B. Host - Dylan Lewis; Guests - Asit Sharma

The core of the problem with unclaimed, adult-owned Child Trust Funds (of which there are over £2 billion waiting to be claimed) is with accounts opened by HMRC. That's why The Share Foundation has proposed a 'default withdrawal at 21' process, based on the young person's National Insurance number. Danny Kruger MP took part in the CTF conference in Westminster on Tuesday 5th March, and two weeks later in a Westminster Hall CTF debate, and supported this initiative which could release £1/4 billion each year to help these young and predominantly low-income young adults. Background music: 'Waiting' by Andrew Langdon

The debate on 19th March 2024 was hosted by Sir Jeremy Quin MP to call for the need to simplify family access to Child Trust Funds for disabled young people, and a number of MPs contributed to the debate, including Danny Kruger and Ed Davy. The audio record is provided by Parliament Live, and is an unabridged recording of proceedings, without additional comment. Listeners may notice an adjournment for voting in the House of Commons.

Welcome to a special episode of The Financial Outlook: the investment section of the Managing My Money course. What's the difference between saving and investment? It's all in the risk. We talk about shares, bonds and funds, and which perform best over the long term. The Managing My Money course has 16 sections in total, and is presented by Glen Goodman and Annie Weston. You can enjoy the whole course, produced in association with the Open University via Share Radio's home page. Here's the link to the slides for this episode: https://www.shareradio.co.uk/help-guides/managing-my-money/supporting-slides/mmm-week-5-episode-10-supporting-slides/

“The [Child Trust Fund] scheme has been closed to new entrants for over 12 years. In this time HMRC has been focusing resources on evaluating and improving existing schemes. We will continue to keep the need to evaluate old schemes under review.” So said Andrew Griffith MP, Economic Secretary to HM Treasury in reply to a parliamentary question from John Ashworth MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. But this is not an 'old scheme' — there is currently over £1.7 billion sitting in mature accounts belonging to over 900,000 mainly low-income young adults throughout the UK who don't know anything about their good fortune! Their Child Trust Fund harvest is seeing too little action at present: but it's not too late to get it sorted, and the current focus from the National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee will certainly help.
Background music: 'Hopeful Freedom' by Asher Fulero

The huge take-up of ChatGPT over recent weeks has brought the challenge of Artificial Intelligence into sharp relief. As the Chief Executive of its creator, OpenAI, said in one of his blogs, 'Artificial Intelligence will bring unimaginable wealth but, unless something changes, most of us will get none of it. We need a radical solution'. Conventional wisdom sees Universal Basic Income as the way through this dilemma, but this will only bring us more state intermediation and human subservience. We can put forward a better solution, by enabling all to share in the wealth that technology brings and to play their part in its future governance.
Background music: 'Digital Solitude' by Silent Partner

Jonathan Davis, editor of the Investment Trusts Handbook, tells Simon Rose what makes investment trusts special and why investors should consider their merits. He explains the differences to other types of funds, including the premium and discount. He discusses the yields on alternative assets (including renewable energy and even music royalties) and how trusts can continue paying dividends even in bad years. The handbook, from Harriman House, is available in hardbook or free as an ebook (https://tinyurl.com/mt69fc24).

It’s the last episode of Answers (but don’t worry, we’re just moving to Motley Fool Money every Tuesday). We’ll reminisce on our biggest lessons learned over the last seven years and answer your questions, some financial, some festive.

The Talk by the WealthiHer Network, every month on Share Radio: this month we are here to talk about the secrets of some of UK leading female businesses leaders and their journeys within launching their businesses. Tamara Gillan is joined by Charlotte Bobroff, the executive director at J.P. Morgan who has been incremental with working with female founders from female high-powered businesses. She recently curated an event surrounding female high-powered businesses and she will be discussing her findings. Also, we have the pleasure of Daina Speddings, who is an investor at BGF and will share her perspective on the investment journey.

Scrooge has made the deal of his life with Chinese investors and must now quickly return to London on Christmas Eve to close the deal. On the flight back, during a fitful sleep, Scrooge confronts his past and present and learns the future consequences of his miserly life to find the true meaning of Christmas. Proscenium Online Theatre is super excited to be bringing you a whole new season of audio dramas in 2022. Starting off with 'The Girl in the Yellow Dress', a dark romance by South African playwright Craig Higginson, and 'Plunder', an original Hong Kong based thriller by American playwright Alan Olejniczak. In the meantime - sit back, close your eyes and enjoy the Proscenium Online Theatre’s production of 'A Christmas Carol'.

https://www.prosceniumonlinetheatre.com

Join the Sustain:Social panel session on December '21, considering the outlook for investors in the wake of the COP26 in Glasgow. The panel comprises of - Chair: Rodney Hobson Panel: Gervais Williams (Premier Miton Group); Jamie Broderick (Impact Investing Institute); Mohan Gundu (Sustainable Funds Group); Mike Appleby (Liontrust Sustainable Investment team); Gavin Oldham (The Share Foundation / Share Radio).

Food banks are providing a vital role to help people this winter, and the Trussell Trust supports more than 1,200 throughout the United Kingdom. In this special episode of The Bigger Picture, their Chief Executive Emma Revie briefs supporters about their progress, and their plans for the future. If you would like to support the extraordinary work undertaken by this charity, please visit https://trusselltrust.org

Imagine a world in which everyone has a stake in the great tech firms that serve them each day, and where dividends are gradually replacing wages to provide regular income for everyone, as work becomes scarcer as a result of automation? Imagine a world where every young person not only has a small inheritance with which to start their adult life, but also the opportunity to build its value by learning life skills? Simon Rose is taking a well-earned break this week, so we’re taking the opportunity to bring you a talk given Gavin Oldham in August to the leading City of London think-tank Z/Yen.

Click link for slides for presentation

Every child in the UK born between 1 Sept 2002 and 2 Jan 2011 has a Child Trust Fund (CTF). But one child in six has lost contact with the money. Gavin Oldham, Chairman of The Share Foundation – which runs the Junior ISA & Child Trust Fund schemes for children in care for the Department for Education - is trying to re-connect them. He talks through the CTF, how to track an account down, and what a child can and can’t do with the money.

In a new partnership with publishers Harriman House, Share Radio has produced its first audiobook 'Superinvestors', written by Matthew Partridge and read by some of Share Radio's best known presenters. 'Superinvestors' lays bare the investing secrets of legendary investors - from early 20th-century figures such as Benjamin Graham and John Maynard Keynes, through to more modern names such as Anthony Bolton and Warren Buffett.

How you can help young people in care prepare for adult life by supporting The Share Foundation’s ‘Stepladder of Achievement’ programme.

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