Share Sounds

Last month, the owner of a chain of British hi-fi shops did something unusual. Julian Richer, the founder of Richer Sounds, gave away control of the company to the employees, and even gave them each a £1,000 cash bonus for every year they’ve worked there. It’s a rare move for company owners to give up their wealth. Is this just generosity, or could it actually be good for business? And could it also be good economics, and even good for the planet? The New Economics Foundation is back for a brand new series of the Weekly Economics Podcast. Ayesha Thomas-Smith is joined by Marjorie Kelly, Executive Vice President and Senior Fellow of The Democracy Collaborative in the US, and Mathew Lawrence, director of the think tank Common Wealth and co-author of a NEF report about inclusive ownership funds.

Justin Wright is the co-author of best-selling business book, ‘Stretchonomics’ and co-founder at consultancy Mangrove. A builder’s son, he started out as a money broker before deciding that City life was not for him – he describes his first day as one of the most daunting of his life. He later studied psychology before joining Proctor and Gamble. His agency looks after the likes of Diageo, Unilever, and BP. Justin admires great names from the world of sport, saying we should not underestimate the power of enjoying “something simple”.

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 episode, Ron Gross joins us to tackle many of your numbers-based investing questions around stock valuation, earnings reports, EBITDA and more.

Adam Cox talks to spiritual business coach, Ollie Trew, about why so many people fall into the trap of pursuing the path they think is meant for them, but end up feeling unhappy and frustrated. They discuss the symptoms to look out for, and why alignment doesn’t mean all or nothing.

It's that time of year again – Wimbledon, arguably the best tennis tournament in the world, starts next week. Assistant editor Lee Boyce and broadcaster Georgie Frost dust off their picnic blankets, pack the strawberries and cream and talk tennis with British pro – and plucky underdog – Marcus Willis, who has been ranked as high as 209th in the world. We look at the state of the game in Britain and why more youngsters are heading to the US, including 19 year-old Paul Jubb, a Wimbledon wildcard entry who may have to reject his £45,000 cheque. We discuss life after Andy and the true financial cost of training a child up to become a top tennis player – and the physical and mental cost to boot. Marcus also reveals all about his truly remarkable run in Wimbledon in 2016 in which he played Roger Federer on centre court – and managed to lob the best tennis player in history. He also reveals how much money that summer made him and how bonkers life became after he was thrust in the spotlight.

Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex Collect compares and contrasts the two contenders for the leadership of the Conservative Party, Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt. He also considers whether the protests in Hong Kong are emblematic of bigger stresses and strains involving the US, China and Europe. Lastly, he looks at the Sky/HBO TV series, Chernobyl, which he considers one of the best political TV dramas of all time.

Steve Caplin gets all steamed up, with stories about sex in space, on Instagram, on DVD and more. He also waxes lyrical about the new 360-degree webcam at Stonehenge but is less enthused about a voice-activated version of Monopoly. There's a family-friendly beehive seeking crowd-funding, Japanese DNA matchmaking and NatWest's new way of using selfies for indentification.

James Cameron-Wilson on the UK box office, where Aladdin's 4-week chart-topping run was ended by the success of Toy Story 4's opening (though both are Disney films). James reviews that and the new entry at #5, BrightBurn, as well as Child's Play at #9. For his home release of the week, he has chosen If Beale Street Could Talk, based on the James Baldwin novel, which picked up the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

Helal Miah of The Share Centre looks back at numbers from Wood Group, Petrofac, Tullow Oil, Stagecoach, First Group and Carpetright. He also looks ahead to what we might expect from Sainsbury's, Associated British Foods, Persimmon and St. Modwen.

Two-thirds of savers are being told to abandon final salary pensions - and this is despite the Financial Conduct Authority saying that advisers should start with the standpoint this is not a suitable option. That revelation arrived this week as the FCA said too much advice on valuable pensions is 'still not of an acceptable standard.' Are people getting the right advice about their gold-plated pensions, or are they right to jump ship? That's the question tackled by editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost this week. Meanwhile, a reader discovers an old Post Office Savings Bank book from the 1960s – but what is it worth now and can you even take the money out. Premium bonds – how do you really find out you've won the jackpot? Britain has a net zero emissions target for 2050, but what are the best electric cars to buy now? And forget fantasy football, we reveal the details of our fantasy share picking game where the winner will scoop a giant £20,000 grand prize.