The Money Marketing Podcast

The State Pension is often treated as a simple guaranteed income, but client questions frequently hide intricate technical planning issues. In this episode of Money Talks, host Kimberley Dondo is joined by Royal London’s Craig Muir and Justin Corliss to explore the reality behind five of the most common client queries.

They break down why annual forecast figures vary between government departments, the hidden impact of pre-20...

Retirement risks do not exist in isolation; market volatility, legislative changes, and behavioural blockers compound one another over a 30-year retirement, with longevity acting as the ultimate wildcard multiplier. In this final episode of the series, Kimberley Dondo talks to Andy Fear from M&G to discuss the dangerous cost of adviser inaction and out-of-date planning assumptions. Discover how to build an evolving, joined-up r...

After decades of focusing entirely on accumulation, moving into the decumulation phase triggers major psychological friction for retirees. Kimberley Dondo talks to Ed Green, Investment Specialist at M&G, to explore why clients default to extreme caution and rigid mental accounting. Learn how market volatility distorts rational spending plans and discover how the adviser’s role must evolve from running mathematical cash-fl...

This episode explains how recent legislative changes have brought pensions into the inheritance tax (IHT) spotlight and why estate planning must be treated as active financial decisions made during life rather than a morbid conversation about death.

Les Cameron and Kimberley Dondo cover immediate red flags for advisers, core IHT planning options (spend, insure, reliefs, gifting and trusts), practical steps for pension-driven liabil...

Relying on a single standalone multi-asset fund during decumulation exposes clients to a dangerous trio of headwinds: sequencing risk, longevity risk, and behavioural panic.

In this episode, Kimberley Dondo talks to Andy Fear, Investment Business Development Manager at M&G, to explain why structural portfolio design must evolve.

Learn how partitioning client wealth by purpose and combining drawdown, guaranteed income, and smoot...

In this series opener, Amy Kibblewhite of M&G and Kimberley Dondo discuss how markets have shifted from a low-rate, low-volatility era to one defined by sticky inflation, higher interest rates, geopolitical risks and AI-driven concentration in equities. They explain why traditional 60/40 portfolios are under stress as equities and bonds increasingly move together.

The conversation covers practical steps for advisors and investo...

Kimberley Dondo explores the core findings of CIExpert’s Critical Thinking 2026 report, sponsored by Royal London. Joined by Gregor Sked (Royal London) and Paul Roberts (CIExpert), this episode tackles the realities of the advice gap, whether traditional income protection fits non-linear modern careers, and how to successfully navigate cover for self-employed clients with variable incomes.

Access the full findings here: https...

In this episode, Kimberley Dondo is joined by Ilana Miller from Royal London about centralised retirement propositions (CRPs): what they are, why firms are adopting them, and how Royal London published a fully worked, editable example to help firms create consistent, client-centred retirement frameworks.

The conversation highlights behavioural research showing fear and false confidence shape retirement choices, explains why CRPs sh...

Cathi Harrison, CEO of Verve and the Verve Foundation, explains how the foundation evolved since 2021 to attract and train new talent for the finance sector. She discusses program redesigns, a new recruitment platform, and bootcamps to help advisers launch independent firms.

The episode covers key challenges like competent adviser status, industry bottlenecks, the role of independent academies, and the impact of AI on training and ...

In this episode, Andy Brown and Mark Baldwin explain how product design—especially smooth funds—acts as behavioral insurance to help investors avoid knee-jerk reactions to political and market volatility, bridge the gap between annuities and drawdown, and keep retirement plans on track.

They discuss diversification, creating constructive friction, the advisor’s role in changing the conversation with nervous client...

The advice gap remains a significant challenge for the UK financial sector, with 90% of people currently making major financial decisions unsupported. The advice gap remains a significant challenge for the UK financial sector, with 90% of people currently making major financial decisions unsupported.

In this episode of The Advice Shift, Mark Baldwin and Andy Brown from Phoenix Group discuss why the industry's obsession with complex...

In this episode, Mark Baldwin from Standard Life discusses NextWealth research showing that technical skill alone isn’t enough—advisers must understand clients’ emotions and behaviours to create financial plans people will actually follow.

Topics include the iceberg analogy, retirement choices since pension freedoms, and practical, small steps advisers can take to ask better questions, build emotional connection, ...

In this episode of Money Talks, Kimberly Dondo is joined by Fiona Hanrahan and Justin Corliss from Royal London to explain the impact of frozen tax bands through April 2031 and the rising problem of fiscal drag.

They walk through adjusted net income, the high‑income child benefit charge, practical pension strategies (including third‑party contributions and salary exchange), and a clear case study showing how pension payments can re...

Kimberley Dondo, Tom Browne and Dan Cooper discuss a busy start to 2026, focusing on the shortage of women in financial advice, where fewer than one in five advisers are female, the perception problem that deters candidates, and the need for better visibility, mentoring and events like the Women’s Symposium.

They cover recent major deals — NatWest’s purchase of Evelyn Partners and Schroders’ takeover —...

In this episode, Kimberley Dondo sits down with Fiona Hanrahan and Justin Corliss from Royal London to tackle one of the most frequent technical queries as the tax year-end approaches: carry forward.

With the annual allowance now at £60,000, Justin and Fiona explain why carry forward remains a vital tool for clients, despite the recent increase. They dive into the complexities of calculating unused allowances from the previous thre...

MMTalks launches 2026 with the Money Marketing team discussing the risks of advisors building in-house platforms, geopolitical shocks from Trump and their muted market impact, the rise (and possible burst) of the AI bubble, and whether virtual work experience helps or hinders new talent entering financial services.

They also cover sector trends to watch this year — pensions, regulation, tokenisation and semiconductors —...

Kimberley Dondo and Dan Cooper wrap up 2025 with a deep dive into the year’s knottiest topics. From the "fatigue" surrounding the advice/guidance boundary to the confusing world of crypto regulation, the team asks: is the industry ready for what comes next?

They also tackle the big macro questions: Is the Triple Lock unsustainable? Is Trump worse for markets than Truss? And will we really see a "crypto adviser" in 2026? Tune ...

How do you convince a client to consolidate their "shoebox" of old pensions when 59% are happy to just "leave it"? In this episode of The Money Marketing Podcast, in association with Royal London, we look at the actionable takeaways for advisers from the Workplace Pensions Report 2025.

Clare Moffat (Royal London) breaks down the barriers stopping clients from picking up the phone. We discuss the upcoming changes to salary sacrific...