What actually is money? This new podcast from the Financial Times takes a historical view of this question which is crucial to understanding human civilisation and the world we live in today.

Robin Wigglesworth, who co-hosts the show with fellow FT journalist Gillian Tett, picks some of his favourite episodes so far and tells us why some of the greatest humans ever - Churchill? Newton? - were not always brilliant with money.

The Story of Money:

• Pick of the Pods: https://pickofthepods.substack.com/publish/post/201028489
• Homepage: https://www.ft.com/tsom?shareType=nongift&syn-25a6b1a6=1
• Get it on any podcast app: https://pod.link/1376303362
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FTTheStoryOfMoney

Episodes of The Story of Money featured on this episode of POP-The Podcast:

• The Bretton Woods agreement: a tale of boozing, womanising, espionage and a heart attack https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-deal-that-put-the-dollar-at-the-centre-of-the-world/id1376303362?i=1000768677777
• The financial scams that brought Albania to the brink of war https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-financial-scams-that-brought-albania-to-the-brink-of-war/id1376303362?i=1000773061994
• They are history’s geniuses. But were they any good at investing? https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/they-are-historys-geniuses-but-were-they-any-good-at/id1376303362?i=1000763000958

Robin's Pod Picks:

• The Rest Is History https://pod.link/1537788786
• Greeking Out https://pod.link/1483233279

Robin's dream interview:

• Jay Cooke (1821–1905) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Cooke

Robin’s forthcoming book:

• A Fabulous Debt: The Epic Story of How Bonds Built the Modern World https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/461949/a-fabulous-debt-by-wigglesworth-robin/9780241705674

Subscribe to Pick of the Pods - the newsletter - on Substack: https://substack.com/@robinpomeroy

Discover one new podcast every week with the Pick of the Pods Substack: https://pickofthepods.substack.com/

Watch POP-The Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQu6D1uClH0i-nR9YppCSgzhElMbfPcv7

Or follow on any podcast app - new episodes drop monthly: https://pod.link/1891273310

Music by fAR

Pick of the Pods: copyright Spinney Hill Media 2026.