Podcasts

The reports of buy-to-let’s death have been greatly exaggerated. That is the view of one of the few professional residential property fund managers in the UK. Alan Collett, who runs the Hearthstone fund, believes for the astute investor there is still money to be made from Britain’s homes. You could answer, ‘well, he would say that’, but for those interested in the property market, his reasons are worth listening to. In this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Sarah Davidson and Georgie Frost dig into the current state of buy-to-let and whether those without an entire property fund at their disposal can still turn a healthy profit if they think long-term. Also on this week’s show, they discuss where the most homes have been built over the past decade, why Goldman Sachs’ new bank Marcus has got everyone talking thanks to an eye-catching savings rate and whether insurers really do spy on you – including if you’re burgled while Instagramming your holiday. And finally, the new 68 registration plate was launched this month and that should have meant a surge in car sales, except as was suggested by one dealer we may already have reached peak new car and that has combined with diesel worries to sink sales. The good news is that means bargains for car buyers, with as much as £10,000 off some models. We reveal which ones.

App development company The Distance almost didn’t go the distance, coming close to failing two years ago. Now it is thriving, with a near seven-figure turnover. In conversation with Simon Rose, MD Anthony Main offers advice to other businesses on how to survive tough times, get through a lean patch and emerge the other side healthier than ever.

Adam talks to coach and mentor to millennials Ich Loch about the challenges facing young people in career and business. They discuss the challenges facing those under the age of 30 and the huge opportunities available. They explore whether the attitude of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) is leading to a lack of focus and commitment which could impede millennials from being successful in business.

The idea of the “Entrepreneurial State” or the “state as investor” has taken off in recent years – following the release of an influential book by economist Mariana Mazzucato. This view that state investment weighs very heavily in economic growth, now forms the basis of contemporary public policy. Our government’s Industrial Strategy effectively proposes that the state should play a key role in “rebalancing the economy”. Joining us today, the IEA’s Head of Research Dr Jamie Whyte and James Price, Campaign Manager at the Taxpayers’ Alliance put this totemic idea under the spotlight. They weigh up how much growth can actually be attributed to state-led investment as is often claimed. Interviewed by Editorial Manager Madeline Grant, they question a number of common assumptions about state-led investment and provision of services – and ask whether contemporary attempts to ‘rebalance the economy’ differ from the old-school industrial strategy of the 1970s – or are merely re-packaging the same bad ideas?

Ian Forrest of The Share Centre explains how Unilever is trying to disenfranchise most private investors in its important domicile vote. He also looks at the takeover of Sky and the Randgold merger as well as analysing news from Next and Boohoo.

Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex Business School looks at the battle of ideas in UK politics in the wake of the Labour party conference. Where are the stresses within Labour and how will it deal with Brexit? Can the Liberal Democrats fill a vaccum in the centre ground? What is the Conservative party now FOR?

James Cameron-Wilson looks at the UK box office, with two new films at the top of the chart. He reviews - favourably - The House with a Clock in its Walls and A Simple Favour. Tipping Crazy Rich Asians again, he also recommends Fellini's 1965 film Juliet of the Spirits, which has just been released for the first time on Blu-ray.

Steve Caplin goes automotive, looking at the closest driving experience to Formula 1, digital side mirrors, Volvo's self-driving truck and BMW's autonomous motorbike. He also marvels at nifty lights for handlebars, at the comms kit for the security services that fits in the mouth, at an LED solution to hair loss and a ludicrous high-tech ceramic cheeseboard.

Want to keep up with the latest earnings updates from the States? Well join Chris Hill and the Motley Fool Radio Show team here on Share Radio, direct from Washington DC, for news, views and analysis of the US stocks that matter. In this week's show: A Canadian cannabis company produces big returns for shareholders; Amazon unveils new products; Medtronic makes a big buy; Olive Garden delivers for Darden Restaurants; And Disney gets a boost from ESPN+.

Tayo Dada was introduced to computing when he was child, on an old Commodore 64. In his teens, he was a hacker, who started out hacking his friends’ Sony Walkmans, before successfully hacking into Citibank and Lloyds of London. He was offered a role with KPMG to set up the UK’s first ‘ethical hacking’ team. He is now a leading cybersecurity expert, working with FSTE listed companies and latterly, specialising in private equity.