Podcasts

Would you swap your car for an electric one? If the government gets it way, soon many more of us will have to. The proposed ban on selling new petrol and diesel cars was dragged forward by five years to 2035 this week – and hybrid cars were bundled into the showroom clear-out too. If that sticks, this means that by 2030 – just a decade from now – it’s highly likely the vast majority of cars being sold new will be pure electric. On this week’s podcast, we deliver an electric car special. Simon Lambert, Georgie Frost and Lee Boyce look at the logic behind banning the sale of petrol and diesel cars, whether the move can be pulled off and why hybrids are now also on the naughty list. Charging infrastructure, range anxiety and questions over their lifecycle environmental costs are issues flagged by electric car sceptics, are they right? Meanwhile, the thing holding many people back from buying them, argues Simon, is cost. Second hand supply of electric cars is thin and choice is limited; and while the pipeline of new models is picking up dramatically, they remain pricey compared to a standard petrol car. But there could be a game-changer in the form of a salary sacrifice perk combined with a change to benefit-in-kind rules, so should you be badgering your boss to sign the company up so that you can buy a new electric car at 32% or 42% off? Fittingly, this week the great Tesla adventure tale delivered another riveting chapter. In the first two days of the week, shares rocketed more than 35 per cent and have doubled since the start of 2020. Can Elon Musk’s stock heading for the moon be justified in any way?Also, on this week’s show we talk about the 5 per cent interest offered by Zeuk – and our exclusive on the Financial Conduct Authority hitting back at adverts. And finally, why did Lee Boyce take his wife and daughter out to lunch with a set of scales to eat a watermelon steak?

Political commentator Mike Indian looks across the pond, discussing Trump's State of the Union address, his impeachment acquittal and the Iowa caucuses. Back home, with Brexit now achieved, what can we expect from an EU trade deal and how are decisions such as that regarding Huawei likely to be received? With the SNP under pressure with another sex scandal, he looks at the Labour leadership election and asks if Emily Thornberry has run out of road?

Vicky Sayers is joined by film critic and broadcaster, James Cameron-Wilson, to talk all things quirky. They discuss what makes a “quirky” film, and Vicky reveals a particular favourite of hers. In this episode: O Lucky Man! (1973), How to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989), The Truman Show (1998), Being John Malkovich (1999), Raising Arizona (1987), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), Amélie (2001), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Stranger Than Fiction (2006), The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014).

Adam Cox is joined by branding expert Desislava Dobreva, also known as “The Branding Queen”. Des discusses exactly what branding is – and what it isn’t. They talk about why brands are so important, and how smaller companies and sole traders can use the principles of branding to build and establish a brand that is effective. Des offers some tips, and advises of the key pitfalls to avoid.

Tech guru Steve Capin discusses YouTube's ad revenues, reproducing the voice of a mummified Egyptian priest, the end to Blackberries, voice-based 3D-printed wheel nuts, an air-conditioned baseball cap, the BBC game Nightfall, a tech teacup for drawstring tea bags and the Dutch scientists who have developed a cyber heart with massive implications for the future.

James Cameron-Wilson looks at the UK box office, where 1917 reigns supreme for a 4th week. Queen & Slim enters at #7 with Tom Hanks in A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood at #8. The Lighthouse arrives at #10 and The Rhythm Section (establishing a US box office record) only manages #18. James recommends Judy for home release and discusses this and the other films receiving BAFTA awards.

Ian Forrest of The Share Centre looks at the implications for the markets of the Coronavirus and recent events in US politics. He also looks at recent news from Imperial Brands, BP, NMC Health and Royal Mail. Looking ahead, he tells us what we might expect from RBS, TUI and Centrica.

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: Bro will walk the team through the heaps of research to see how you compare to the average American in all things financial: debt, savings, income, and more. Also, which way will your credit score when the new FICO scoring system is in place? Probably up because you're smart and listen to this podcast.

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: Amazon’s huge 4th-quarter gets the company back above the trillion-dollar market cap; Apple and Microsoft continue their hot streaks, while Facebook sells off due to margin concerns. Jason Moser, Andy Cross, and Ron Gross analyze the latest earnings results from Tesla, Visa, Colgate-Palmolive, McCormick, Starbucks, McDonald’s, and PayPal. Plus, we discuss IBM’s new CEO, Atari’s new line of hotels, and why the guys have Mastercard, Walker & Dunlop, and Pinterest are on their radar.

It’s Brexit Day – and whether you voted leave or remain, are celebrating, or commiserating, we wish you a happy one. After 11pm on Friday 31 January 2019, Britain is officially no longer a member of the European Union. The big question is, what happens next? On this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost discuss both what Brexit means immediately for consumers and travellers, and how things may pan out for the economy and our finances over the year ahead. Where do we stand on Ehic medical cover in Europe, driving on the continent, mobile phone roaming, flight compensation and expat pensions? And what will the trade discussions on our future relationship with Europe and the rest of the world mean for the nation’s finances, businesses, inflation, the pound and interest rates? Also on this week’s podcast, the team dive much deeper into house prices than the usual survey, with a look at 174 years of property affordability and whether we can learn anything from a 70 year period when they got cheaper. They discuss Neil Woodford’s investors getting some money back and finding out how much they have lost so far and the curious case of the Lloyds customer of years who won a surprise bumper PPI payout that proved to be the ultimate loyalty penalty for being ripped off.