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While many wouldn’t go on vacation without a plan, that’s exactly how most people begin their investing journey. Amanda Kish, Financial Planner Specialist, joins Motley Fool co-founder Tom Gardner to discuss how to build a financial plan. In this episode, they cover: - How to understand yourself as an investor. - The key financial planning steps that new parents should take - How often you need to revisit a financial plan - The times you may want professional financial planning advice, and the parts you can do yourself. If you're looking to start a financial plan, we can help. Visit www.fool.com/StarterKit for a free copy of our investing "Starter Kit" and we’ll email it to you.

Turning 40 is a milestone birthday – and perhaps the one that gets people thinking most about where they are at in life. It’s an age that involves a lot of looking back and looking forwards and a fair amount of comparing yourself to where others are at. But what do you need to think about in terms of your finances, from pensions, to property, investing and saving? On this podcast – as a certain Georgie Frost turns 40 – Simon Lambert and her take the opportunity to have a look at the financial side of hitting the big 4-0. It’s not just for those who are 40, it looks at people’s financial life in the decade around this age – and includes plenty of tips relevant to those who are much younger or older. Plus, Simon takes us back in time to what Britain’s economy and finances were like 40 years ago in 1982. How much did a house cost? What did people earn? How high were interest rates? And was it better, worse or incomparable?

Adam Cox is joined by Paul Matthew, conservation biologist, bar owner and founder of Everleaf, to discuss why so many Brits are choosing to take part in Dry January this year. Paul talks about his own journey and how Everleaf came about, in addition to how they aim to help people cut down on their alcohol intake. https://www.everleafdrinks.com/

Adam Cox is joined by Head of Cauldron, Tom Lindley, to talk about the carbon neutrality announcement from Cauldron Food, and how this was achieved. They looked at why it is important for the food and drink industry to work towards environmental goals like these and what the new carbon-neutral certification will mean for consumers. https://www.cauldronfoods.co.uk/

Stuck in a rut? Is some pre-conceived notion you have about yourself stopping you from achieving something you'd really like to do? Could the obstacle be a lack of will power, self-discipline or something you believe about the way you are? In this episode Adam Cox works through how you might be able to tackle such an obstacle.

Victoria Scholar, head of investment at Interactive Investor, talks to Simon Rose about the likely effects of US inflation hitting 7%, a forty-year high. With the labour market there tight, as in the UK, she considers what the Federal Reserve's response is likely to be, given that the problems are caused more by the supply side of the economy, rather than the demand side. And what will this mean for markets and the sort of tech stocks that have been riding so high?

Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University asks if Boris ("lucky general") Johnson's luck has finally run out and wonders where the truly big beasts of British politics are these days. He ponders the military dangers of Putin's ineffective and declining economic model. And he cocks a snook at many supposed "experts" whose predications about the effect of Brexit now seem very wide of the mark.

James Cameron-Wilson on the UK box office, where the new Spiderman film has become the 9th biggest UK grosser. James discusses Liquorice Pizza at #3 ("left me cold"), spy thriller The 355 at #7 ("complete mess") and Palme D'Or winner Titane ("extraordinary") at #14. He also recommends Amazon's The Tender Bar, directed by George Clooney and looks at the results of The Golden Globes.

Steve Caplin and Simon Rose savour the latest great - and not so great - ideas on display at the annual Consumer Electronics Show, including colour-changing cars, a lightbulb that monitors health, a self-driving tractor, invisible headphones, an autonomous trolley, a camera for identification that attaches to glasses for those with poor eyesight and a self-cleaning cat litter tray that also assesses your moggie's health.

Adam Cox is joined by Dr Shelly Gilbert MBE, founder of Grief Encounter and leading child and young person bereavement counsellor, for Children’s Grief Awareness Week to discuss what the week aims to achieve and the reason behind this year's theme: #saythewords. They look at how the pandemic has affected children’s ability to grieve and why Shelly created her child's grief activity book. https://www.griefencounter.org.uk