Podcasts

Technology editor Steve Caplin looks at some C19-inspired gadgets for keeping customers of Burger King and visitors to Florence's Duomo safe. There are also self-cleaning face masks, 5G underpants, virtual crowds for sporting events, a Wallace & Gromit AR app, crowdfunded game Star Citizen, shareable user interfaces and a very nippy e-bike.

James Cameron-Wilson looks ahead to those films supposedly being released in July and August. He also charts the top 12 comedies at the UK box office. He reviews eccentric star-studded dystopian sci-fi movie Snowpiercer, an earlier film from the maker of Parasite, Terry Gilliam's much-delayed The Man Who Killed Don Quixote and true-life crime drama Just Mercy.

Political commentator Mike Indian looks at the Dominic Cummings' affair, the Government's response to what's happened and what it could mean for the public attitude to lockdown. He discusses the re-rollout of the track and trace scheme, at possible changes to the lockdown rules and at the economic cost of Covid-19.

Tamara Gillan is joined by Zahra Pabani, Family Law partner at Irwin Mitchell, to talk about how to protect yourself and your family in life, love, and money. Zahra shares her top tips for getting your personal affairs in order, and where individuals and couples should be focusing their attention – especially in a time of crisis, when security and protection are at the forefront of our minds.

Adam Cox is joined by coach and founder of Atomic Growth, Chris Richards. Chris discusses some of the major issues facing business owners in a time of chaos and turmoil. He highlights that while business owners face unique challenges, there are always opportunities to be found in difficult times. Chris offers some tips and advice for business owners who may be dealing with fear, doubt, or worry.

Saving, spending, planning — you've got money questions and we've got answers. Every week host Alison Southwick and personal finance expert Robert Brokamp challenge the conventional wisdom on life's biggest financial issues to reveal what you really need to know to make smart money moves. In this week's show, Motley Fool Contributor Dan Caplinger joins us to answer your questions about the backdoor Roth IRA, navigating the new RMD rules, tax gain harvesting and more.

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: Facebook, MasterCard, and Spotify announce new work-from-home policies; Lowe’s, Home Depot, Target, and Walmart report big growth in same-store sales; The U.S. Senate passes a bill that would impose new listing requirements for Chinese companies; And Take-Two Interactive hits an all-time high. Motley Fool analysts Emily Flippen and Ron Gross discuss those stories and weigh in on the future of retail and the future of real estate. Our analysts share two stocks on their radar: TJX Companies and Pinduoduo. And Motley Fool analyst Tim Beyers and Motley Fool contributor Dan Kline talk with Tivo CEO Dave Shull about television, streaming video, and the future of Tivo.

The threat of negative interest rates is looming large for savers. This week, a government bond auction saw UK gilts sold at a negative rate for the first time, while Bank of England boss Andrew Bailey refused to rule out the base rate flipping below zero. But could you end up with a negative rate on your savings account? On this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost look at the weird world of negative rates – an upside down where investors effectively pay to lend the government money, banks are charged interest for depositing funds with the Bank of England, and you’d end up being stung rather than rewarded for saving. Not that there’s much reward for saving in many places right now: a This is Money investigation this week revealed that 235 savings accounts now pay 0.01 per cent interest. That is 10p per year on £1,000 saved and some may prefer not to be insulted in that way and have their bank or building society join the six accounts where absolutely zero is paid. The best accounts pay just over 1 per cent and while that’s not much, at least savers are getting a real return on their money, with inflation at 0.8 per cent. But another warning has been sounded and it’s that the end game of through-the-looking-glass monetary policy could be inflation soaring. The team look at what the argument is and whether it stacks up. The base rate is at 0.1 per cent (and could go negative) and bond yields are on the floor, because of the economic destruction of the coronavirus crisis. The furlough scheme is one of Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s flagship efforts to combat this, but another This is Money investigation this week revealed companies that have taken advantage of the taxpayer’s offer to pay 80 per cent of their staff’s wages are now threatening to make them redundant anyway. And finally, on a lighter note, if you’re feeling brave then you might decide now is the time to buy a home, while house prices and confidence have taken a knock, but is the estate agent allowed to tell you what others have offered?

As of 13th May 2020 in England, Government guidelines have enabled the housing market to re-open for business. In this episode of Inside Property, Richard Blanco is joined by broker Jay Rooney; Lawrence Bowles from Savills Research; and Arla Propertymark board member, Rachel Hanniquet-Brooking. They look at how agents and customers are coping with the new procedures and discuss the ongoing mortgage holiday, rent holiday challenge facing many landlords and tenants. How is the mortgage landscape evolving, and what are the prospects for house prices and sales and lettings activity moving forward?

Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University looks at the lessons we can draw from past pandemics, remarking how similar attitudes are in the modern world to those of our ancestors. He discusses how the NHS must turbo-charge innovation if it is cope with the legacy of Covid-19. And he looks at the a little-reported decision of German's constitutional court that may have massive ramifications for the Euro and the EU.