The holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year, but it's also the most expensive. Between gifts, food and travel, people can end up spending a lot of money this year. The Financial Time’s Marc Filippino talks with Claer about why people are feeling the pinch this season and what they can do about it.

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FT Financial Literacy and Inclusion Campaign

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Note: The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts

This episode of Money Clinic was produced by Marc Filippino, Mischa Frankl-Duval, and Victoria Craig. Our show was mixed by Kent Militzer. Additional help from Michael Lello. The FT’s acting co-head of audio is Topher Forhecz. The show’s theme music is by Metaphor Music.

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It’s been a rollercoaster week for both UK politics and our personal finances, with chancellor Rachel Reeves setting out tens of billions of pounds of tax rises in the Budget. But how will these new taxes be applied and what could they cost you? In a podcast recorded live at the FT, host and consumer editor Claer Barrett is joined by Dan Neidle, the founder of Tax Policy Associates; Stuart Kirk, the FT’s investment columnist; and Tej Parikh, the FT’s economics leader writer, to field questions from readers and listeners. They cover everything from what the Budget means for people investing in UK markets, the new rules on pensions and salary sacrifice, how to stay under the £100,000 threshold for childcare support and much more.

To find out how much the five-year freeze to tax thresholds could cost you, find a free link to the FT’s Budget stealth tax calculator here

Claer’s Budget column: A horrid Budget for ‘Henrys’

Salary sacrifice shake-up: what it means for staff and employers

Follow Claer on social media @Claerb

This episode was made available with thanks to FLIC, the FT’s Financial Literacy and Inclusion Campaign.

Read more about FLIC here or click here, and to donate, click here.

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Fifty-eight-year-old Margo has amassed a very healthy retirement fund, in part by buying shares in Berkshire Hathaway, the investment company run by Warren Buffett. When even the ‘Sage of Omaha’ is reducing his exposure to certain US stocks, Margo wonders if it’s time for her to follow his lead and look to invest in other parts of the world.

Presenter Claer Barrett, the FT’s consumer editor, is joined by not one but two FT columnists: Simon Edelsten, Partner at Goshawk Asset Management, and finance veteran and Skin in the Game columnist Stuart Kirk. Together, they chew over Buffett’s succession plans, the lure of Japanese stocks and why even Margo’s seven-figure portfolio could be particularly vulnerable to a market correction.

Disclaimer: the Money Clinic podcast is intended as a general discussion about investing, and is not intended as financial advice or any kind of investment recommendation. Everybody's financial situation is different. You should always do your own research before you make any investment decisions.

If you would like to be a guest on a future episode of Money Clinic, email us at money@ft.com or send Claer a DM on social media — she’s @ClaerB on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

Want more? Free links:

Read this FT story about how Warren Buffett has reassured investors over Berkshire Hathaway’s record cash pile: https://on.ft.com/3RtjE7D

Read all about Stuart Kirk’s views on the US stock market in his latest FT column: https://on.ft.com/43yzQvH

Presented by Claer Barrett, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, with mix and sound design from Breen Turner and Joe Salcedo. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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