Share Sounds

What's the difference between loyalty and inertia? Do we get too little reward for the former and show too much of the latter when it comes to shopping and banking? That's the question Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost tackle in the podcast this week. It comes as Tesco – one of the original loyalty scheme pioneers – revealed its new paid-for Clubcard Plus, costing £7.99 per month. Meanwhile, Nationwide Building Society has also announced it is scrapping its hugely popular loyalty savings accounts held by 1.6million people. Which are the firms and organisations the team feel some loyalty too - and what are the ones they stick with out of sheer laziness? And with another small energy firm going bust, should we in fact be staying 'loyal' to some of the established giants for peace of mind? Elsewhere, we look at a study comparing the costs of buying and renting a home claiming the former could leave you £350,000 better off: do we finally have conclusive evidence?

Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University discusses the IMF's dire warnings on the state of the world economy, the eight mistakes made by Britain's Brexit negotiators and the way in which the UK's political turmoil is leading to an upsurge in applications to study politics at university.

Helal Miah of The Share Centre looks at recent company news involving Just Eat, Reckitt Benckiser, AstraZeneca and Royal Bank of Scotland. And he looks ahead to what we might expect from HSBC, Lloyds Bank, Standard Chartered, BP, Next and Glaxo.

James Cameron-Wilson on the UK box office, where Joker reigns supreme for a third week. Maleficent 2 clocks in at #2, Shaun the Sheep:Farmageddon at #3, Zombieland: Double Tap at #4 and Official Secrets at #7. At #20, highly recommended by James, is The Peanut Butter Falcon, only in only 65 cinemas. For home release, James's pick is Support The Girls.

Steve Caplin explains why Giphy is now the world's #2 search engine. He looks at a revolutionary new process for creating smartphone lenses, being identified by our ears, Piaggio's courier robot (with problems the Daleks are all too familiar with), the UK's first moon rover, luggage that you can ride, plants taking selfies and why farmers wanting to protect their cattle might soon be painting them with black stripes.

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: Netflix reports strong international growth but shares slip on slowing domestic growth; UnitedHealth rises on healthy earnings; And Coca-Cola serves up big revenues thanks to zero-sugar sodas and Coca-Cola Plus Coffee. Motley Fool analysts Andy Cross, Emily Flippen, and Jason Moser discuss those stories and the latest from American Express, Ameris Bancorp, Atlassian, Intuitive Surgical, and Yum! Brands. Plus, we take stock in the retail industry (with the holidays looming) and the state of online advertising.

Neil Woodford's Equity Income Fund, which has locked in investors' money since June, will never reopen – the star fund manager has seen his empire toppled. Editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost, ask: what is next for investors and what lessons will be learnt? We also talk about where it went wrong and what it could mean for the investment industry. Elsewhere, we reveal what makes a 'comfortable' retirement – and what changes you can make to ensure that you are doing enough to secure one. We reveal whether you can find rare quarters from the US in your change while visiting. Meanwhile, a reader asks whether they need to come clean to their car insurer as they're about to tick over the mileage they quoted when they started their annual policy.

Adam Cox talks to transformational life coach, Ian Blunt, about how the way in which we define success to ourselves can either make us feel miserable, or empowered. He talks about how very few of us actually know what we want, which in turn can lead to frustration or procrastination. Ian offers a few tips to help you clarify what success really means to you, and how you can achieve those goals.

Dave Coplin recently left Microsoft after ten years as CEO (Chief Envisioning Officer!) and now runs The Envisioners, his own company dedicated to helping companies manage future technology. He’s an in-demand speaker and writer. His first proper job was in an Apple store, and he urges us to be less cautious and fearful about technology, especially where our children are concerned. He says he still takes inspiration from a former boss and mentor, whose management style was to ‘sit quietly at the back and let things unfold with his encouragement.’ Listen as he urges us to get out of the 9-5 commuter, “bums in seats” mentality many corporations still have, and instead to use technology – such as laptops – as they were supposed to be used: to encourage a new way of working, rather than sticking to an outdated model of what work should be.

Most of us associate short term lets with AirBnB; but holiday lets, villas and all kinds of serviced accommodation make this a much more diverse arena. Far from competing with hotels, there is increasing convergence with other hospitality sectors. How can landlords finance or switch to these kinds of investments, and what are the management challenges? What is the broader impact of this rapidly growing area on our communities, and is existing regulation transparent, fair and adequate? Richard Blanco is joined by Fiona Veitch: Marketing Director from Portico (AirBnB partner and letting agent), Merilee Karr: MD of Under The Doormat and member of the Short Term Accommodation Association, and Chris Poulter from the Serviced Accommodation Podcast.