The Open University Podcasts

Taking control of your money featuring Alvin Hall

Alvin Hall is an internationally renowned financial educator, television and radio broadcaster, bestselling author, and regular contributor to magazines, newspapers and websites. 
In this interview George and Martin discuss with Alvin how his modest upbringing shaped his attitude to money. Alvin shares his passion for financial education, emphasising the importance of exercising self-discipline and self-control around money. He urges us to prioritise savings and to educate ourselves around investing. One incisive moment is when Alvin invites us to ‘go shopping in our own wardrobes’ before we head to the high street. 

Understanding how emotions influence our money choices

Simonne is a financial educator, author and pioneer of financial coaching in the UK. 
In this interview Simonne discusses the importance of money emotions and talks with George and Martin about how emotions shape money behaviour. Simonne also uses her experience of money growing up as a way into highlighting practical tips on budgeting, saving and investing. We are invited to consider ‘what thoughts are we feeding ourselves around money?’ and ‘what might serve us better?’. 

The Escape Artist

In this pod, one of the UK’s leading financial bloggers shares his insights around money, inviting us to make more purposeful financial decisions.
Barney is the inspiration behind a highly successful blog called The escape artist. In this pod he offers guidance and advice around all aspects of money. This includes practicalities around money management, such as saving and investing. George and Martin also invite Barney to explain more about what he sees as the key to changing our money futures – behaviour. Barney encourages us to be more aware of our agency and autonomy around money – and around life. 

Beware of financial scams!

Jonquil is an economist, financial educator and is a prolific author, having written more than 30 books on money.
In this pod she discusses the importance of changes in the economic and social context we are currently experiencing and how this means each of us must take more responsibility for our own finances. She also talks with George and Martin about her own money story and her own money challenges. These include efforts to overcome innate risk averseness around investment. Jonquil also signals a warning about financial scams and invites us to take advantage of online financial services but be alert to fraud. 

Financial freedom

Emmanuel is a financial adviser, planner, media figure, professional speaker, and author of Get Your Money Right. He encourages us to ask ourselves what we really want from life and to use the answers to shape our money behaviour. 
In this fascinating pod he invites us to dig deep and to make peace with money. Emmanuel shares his enthusiasm for financial education and asks us all to talk about money at home with family and friends. Practical tips include the paradoxical guidance that ‘budgets make you free’, to pay yourself first and to automate your saving and investments. 

Pocket money in adult life

Pushpa is a university teacher, researcher, and practitioner around money education. She leads personal finance policy discussions both domestically in New Zealand and with an international audience. 
In this interview, we hear about how early life experiences shaped her money story, including the importance of budgeting, why cash has an important role to play in money management and the significance of humour in teaching people about money. Dr Pushpa Wood shares insights and personal stories, highlighting what we can do to change our money habits and acknowledging her biggest regret around money. 

Nudging yourself to better money decisions

Peter is Professor of Public Policy at Kings College London and is best known for his work on behavioural interventions to shape decisions, commonly known as nudges. 
In this interview, George and Martin discuss with Peter how time constraints can lead humans to make quick decisions around money and how engrained habits influence spending. He explains how nudges invite us to move away from habits which might not be serving us and towards more purposeful spending. He uses his own experiences around money to acknowledge that change is difficult – but possible. 

Beware of BOGOF: why buy one get one free might not be cheap

Claudia Hammond is an award-winning broadcaster, author and psychologist.  Her work focuses on the ways that psychology research can help people in their everyday lives. 
In addition to presenting All in the Mind on BBC Radio 4 she has written Mind over Money, a book around the psychology of money and how to use it better.
In this interview, she discusses the commercial pressures we are under to spend – and keep spending. She explores some common cognitive characteristics many of us have around money, including loss aversion and negativity bias. Claudia uses her own life experience to demonstrate how we can arm ourselves against special ‘offers’ and begin to take more control over our money. 

If you had 24 hours to live, what would you regret around money?

George is a US-based financial expert who has radically changed the approach to financial advice, bringing a holistic approach to what he describes as financial life planning. 
In this interview, George and Martin discuss his money story, explore what money means to him and how underlying values can shape our money choices. In working with clients and training financial life planners George invites reflection on life values first and money second. This can transform how we think and act around money. 

What have we learned about improving our financial nutrition?

George Callaghan and Martin Higginson from The Open University share their thoughts on the first season, picking out highlights and discussing which choices are likely to improve financial nutrition. 
Practical takeaways include the importance of budgeting, the significance of building a contingency fund and the role of investing over a longer time frame. 
They also highlight how money emotions and money psychology play important roles in shaping our money behaviour. The interplay between life values and money decisions is explored and we are reminded that we all have the power to be more purposeful around money.