Val Cipriani and Holly McKechnie are back with a new episode of Women & Wealth, and unpack the UK’s student loan system and growing debt burden facing graduates.

The funds editor and personal finance editor for Investors’ Chronicle explore why women often end up paying more, how repayment rules really work, and what the system means for your finances.

Student loans have undergone several reinventions over recent years, but the current focus is largely on Plan 2 loans, taken out by undergraduates between 2012 and 2022. These have become particularly onerous following changes made by the Conservative government in 2022.

Val and Holly look at the three key repayment terms to be aware of, and the other factors that affect how much you pay back.

Maternity, salary gap and employment opportunities in fields studied more by women mean that the student loans issue disproportionately affects them. Val and Holly discuss this, as well as how to minimise your exposure and pay less over the long term.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

00:58 The state of student loans

01:50 Plan 1, Plan 2, Plan 5 student loans

04:40 Why Plan 2 is so bad

08:20 Loan or tax

10:15 Why it impacts women more

13:45 Is Plan 5 better?

15:11 What you can do about it

17:22 When you should overpay

Read more on the student loan issue on Investors' Chronicle:

How to survive the student loan system

Women and Wealth is the monthly podcast series from Investors’ Chronicle. You can listen to and watch the episodes, alongside our other podcasts, on Apple, Spotify and YouTube.

Investors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities.

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On this week’s show, we begin with industrials. It was only a month or so ago that the sector was being touted by many as a potential safe haven from AI disruption. Then the US/Israel war with Iran began, and the merits of energy-intensive physical assets were hastily reconsidered.

But of course not all industrials are alike. Today we take a look at top-performing Diploma (DPLM) – crucially more of a distributor than a manufacturer – whose shares rose by a fifth after its latest trading update. We’ll also examine Essentra, which has had a far worse time of it for many years but is now starting to see improvements. Valeria Martinez is here to ask whether both companies can maintain their operational progress in the face of a variety of external threats.

Our big read this week is all about the price investors pay for buying and selling shares. Most DIY investors will know whether or not they’re charged a trading fee when they buy or sell investments, but what actually happens behind the scenes when those trades are executed? Hugh Moorhead is here to explain more and ask whether the system could be improved.

Lastly, we look at another sector that’s likely to feel a significant second-order impact from the war: real estate. And yet, as we’ll discuss, the mood at a recent industry conference was relatively upbeat. Hugh will touch on everything from housebuilders to the London office market and more.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro

01:35 Diploma

06:02 Essentra

11:54 Mechanics of trading

22:39 Real estate

Investors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities.

Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times.

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Town Centre Securities (TOWN) is one of the UK market’s oldest names. Founded, managed and largely controlled by the Ziffs of Leeds since its listing in 1960, it is a typical John Lee stock: a cash-generative, dividend-paying, and storied family business with roots in the North.

Another factor explains John’s recent decision to start building a stake in the group. At £1.15p, Town Centre’s share price trades well below half of the company’s net asset value.

In this latest CEO interview, John and IC associate editor Alex Newman speak with Town Centre’s chief executive and chairman, Edward Ziff, about the business’s past and present, and the prospects for closing that enormous valuation gap.

Let us know your thoughts, or if you have any questions or any suggestions for future guests, by emailing alex.newman@ft.com.

Listen to more podcasts from Investors’ Chronicle by clicking here or heading to Apple, Spotify and YouTube.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction

00:30 - How developments in Iran are affecting Lord Lee's investing plans

03:25 - Dr. Edward Ziff explains Town Centre Securities business

07:13 - How Town Centre Securities real estate assets are spread

11:44 - Recent performance of Town Centre Securities

15:40 - Lord Lee's previous dealings with Town Centre Securities

19:07 - How important leverage and loan-to-value ratio is to the business

23:36 - Town Centre Securities' Debenture

28:49 - Moving out of REIT status

34:01 - Succession plans and family-run businesses

39:29 - Lord Lee discusses his portfolio

Investors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities.

Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a busy week where events in Iran continue to dominate the news cycle, companies editor Mark Robinson stands in for Dan Jones to discuss the impact of the conflict on maritime activities, focusing on supply chain disruption, rerouting and cost implications, along with the challenge faced by global shipping lines such as Maersk & MSC. He is joined by Michael Fahy and Julian Hofmann.

Mark is also joined by Valeria Martinez to focus on full-year figures from shipping broker Clarkson (CKN).

Read more on Investors' Chronicle around this week's podcast:

Clarkson order book builds despite ship slowdown

Shares keep falling on oil volatility

Energy shocks force investors to rethink rate cuts

Timestamps

00:00 How the Iran conflct has affected markets this week

03:41 A closer look at Clarkson results

10:57 Shipping companies & supply chain disruption

17:39 Energy prices

18:23 The danger from an equities perspective

19:43: What retail investors should do when a black swan event happens

Investors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities.

Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s another day chock-full of company results, albeit market attention is understandably still focused elsewhere given the events in the Middle East over the past week.

So today, we too will be discussing the implications of the US/Israel war with Iran. Mike Fahy is here to talk about energy, defence, and the implications for the UK and European economies.

After that, we turn to our big read of the week. The healthcare sector has typically been seen as a port in a storm during troubled times, and after a tough few years there had been signs of a revival even prior to the latest nerves. Julian Hofmann will dive into the detail and ask whether this momentum can continue.

Finally, next week marks the publication of our annual Isa special. With big reforms on the way for these popular savings accounts, personal finance editor Holly McKechnie joins us to discuss what’s happening, as well as outlining some practical steps listeners can take to meet their savings goals.

Timestamps:

00:00: Intro

01:06: War in Iran

13:32: Healthcare resurgence

26:05: Isa changes

Find out more:

‘Operation Epic Fury’ creates more noise for defence shares

Read all the latest stocks & shares news and analysis here

How to invest in the healthcare revival

Investors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities.

Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ranmore Global Equity (IE00B61ZVB30) is a value fund that has grown very quickly over the past 18 months. In June 2024, it had a $300mn portfolio, but by January 2026 this had hit $1.5bn.

The fund’s manager, Sean Peche, talks to Val Cipriani about how he finds underappreciated and undervalued stocks, why he doesn’t meet company CEOs, and why buying and holding ‘forever’, a strategy favoured by star managers Terry Smith and Nick Train, no longer works in today’s rapidly changing world.

Timestamps

00:00: Intro

03:17: Three ways to get returns in markets and from companies

07:05: Value investing

08:31: Why I don’t meet CEOs

10:57: ‘Buy and hold forever’ doesn’t work in a rapidy changing world

15:22: A ‘fresh sheet approach’ and Qualcomm

17:40: The Magnificent Seven

19:21: Investors are starting to turn away from the US

23:09: Alternatives to the US

24:35: Terry Smith and passives

26:15: Greggs

29:01: Diageo

31:31: EasyJet

Investors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities.

Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Company results season is under way. We have a mass of companies reporting over the next couple of weeks, and we will dig in to one of the highest profile businesses on the FTSE 100 later in the show.

To start, though, we are looking at a lesser-known stock, albeit one whose shares have been surging higher for several years now: Lion Finance (BGEO), itself not far from FTSE 100 promotion, and which reported another set of well-received figures of its own earlier this week. Alex Newman asks whether the run can last.

Then, our big read this week is all about the existential question of the day: is AI working? With investors hopes and indeed fears now seemingly pinned on the technology, Valeria Martinez is here to discuss how companies outside the tech sector are applying AI in practice, and how effectively or otherwise they are being.

In our third segment we’ll look at a noted AI loser of recent months, albeit one that nonetheless put out a fairly superlative set of results this morning: London Stock Exchange (LSEG). Hugh Moorhead will take us through the risks and opportunities facing the business, and consider whether the sell-off has been overdone.

Read more:

Can investors ignore the FTSE 100’s next big bank?

Lion Finance’s profits exceed expectations

Next-generation AI stocks worth buying now

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

01:12 Lion Finance

17:10 AI winners

33:56 London Stock Exchange Group

Investors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities.

Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start with copper miner Antofagasta (ANTO), whose shares have soared over the past year on the back of big gains for the red metal. It released full-year figures earlier this week, and Alex Hamer discusses its prospects, as well as Rio Tinto and Glencore now the mega-merger is off. Alex also explains some of the equity raises that have taken place lower down the cap scale in recent weeks.

Erin Withey then joins us to discuss caterer Compass (CPG), which has been struggling of late. That’s led to calls for a slight rethink of its strategic priorities.

Lastly, we look at one of the UK’s newest listings, albeit in the form of a business that sits outside the FTSE 350. The Magnum Ice Cream Company (MICC) spun off from Unilever in December and has just reported its 2025 results. Mark Robinson examines the outlook for frozen sweet treats.

Read more:

Antofagasta doubles dividend as profits hit new record

Cheaper Compass shares put buybacks on the menu

Magnum Ice Cream fails to impress in maiden results

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

01:24 Copper mining

15:09 Compass Group

23:25 Magnum ice cream

Investors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities.

Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.