1 10
1 10
From the folks at NPR, Planet Money offers a millennial’s perspective on finance and all things economics. This is a podcast that young people will appreciate, because it covers topics in an entertaining and challenging way. If you’re commuting with your kids in the morning, fire up Planet Money and you’ll have plenty of good conversation at dinner. The podcasts are great for inspiring new perspectives on how people interact with money in the world we actually live in. There is a lot here about best practices in leadership, hiring and firing, investing and social media—topics that can readily transfer to improving practice management. All of the over 600 Planet Money podcasts are available on a robust website that includes full transcripts.
Average length: 20 minutes.
Rating
Content: 10
Audio Quality: 10
Production Value: 10
Frequency: 10
Podcast Savvy: 9.5
Average: 9.9
The Freakonomics franchise is extended by this consistently excellent podcast hosted by journalist Stephen Dubner, one half of the writing team that brought you best-selling books which use economics to “explore the hidden side of everything.” University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt (the other half) occasionally makes an appearance, but the podcast is clearly Dubner’s baby. While the stories covered rarely focus on stocks, investing or even money, the takeaways are often breathtaking and deliver a sound balance of education and entertainment that will be of inestimable value to advisors looking to spot trends. Freakonomics has important things to say about incentives and metrics and offers a set of tools for looking at new problems.
Average length: 55 minutes.
Rating
Content: 10
Audio Quality: 10
Production Value: 10
Frequency: 10
Podcast Savvy: 9
Average: 9.8
If you are interested in all things economics and have an hour-long drive ahead of you, there’s no better companion than EconTalk. Hosted by Russ Roberts of Stanford University, this wide-ranging show touches on markets familiar and unfamiliar. Recent podcasts surveyed interest rates, kidney transplants, Uber growth and the business of Broadway. The website includes full texts of the podcasts as well as summaries, links and related resources.
Average length: 61 minutes.
Rating
Content: 9.5
Audio Quality: 9.5
Production Value: 10
Frequency: 10
Podcast Savvy: 10
Average: 9.8
Ric Edelman, the chairman and CEO of Edelman Financial Services, has a savvy way of explaining financial concepts. The weekly hour-long podcasts use topical issues to launch into easy-to-follow historical analyses that inform such personal finance topics as bond investing, retirement, mortgages, insurance, student loans and IRAs. This is a great example of a podcast that promotes, educates and entertains—in just the right balance. Edelman has his biases, but to his credit, he announces them. The podcasts feature high production values and content that is obviously scripted—as opposed to the stream of consciousness that flows from other hosts. The result is a tight, high-value source of information on meeting personal financial goals.
Average length: 70 minutes.
Rating
Content: 9.5
Audio Quality: 10
Production Value: 10
Frequency: 10
Podcast Savvy: 9
Average: 9.7
A podcast that your teenager may like. With production values designed to appeal to millennials (“Live from my parent’s basement ...”), this podcast, focusing on “the lighter side of personal finance,” actually delivers value for seasoned advisors. The podcast sheds a humorous light on topics, such as mortgages, retirement, savings, student loans, renter’s insurance and social media etiquette—all from the perspective of younger investors. Some appealing hosts mix up commentary and interviews with music and clips from movies. Who says personal finance has to be dull? Great production values make this podcast very appealing.
Average length: 44 minutes.
Rating
Content: 9.5
Audio Quality: 9.5
Production Value: 9
Frequency: 10
Podcast Savvy: 10
Average: 9.6
Hosted by Jason Hartman, this long-running podcast (over 560 episodes) is of interest to both retail customers and professionals interested in creating wealth. Recent podcasts focused on real estate investing, tax reform, motivation, self-driving cars and home improvement. Hartman is an engaging host who keeps his guests (including Robert Kiyosaki, Meredith Whitney, Peter Schiff and Harry Dent) focused on the narrow theme of each podcast. The website includes a time-stamped index for most of the podcasts, an invaluable service for busy listeners.
Average length: 47 minutes.
Rating
Content: 9
Audio Quality: 9
Production Value: 9
Frequency: 10
Podcast Savvy: 10
Average: 9.4
James Altucher, the former president of Stockpickr and author of over 10 books, is an engaging host with a wide range of interests. Recent guests include Mark Cuban, Peter Thiel and the late Wayne Dyer. The podcast, a product of Stansberry Radio, is a straightforward look at topics, such as networking, whether there’s such a thing as true love, investing mistakes and a profile of John McAfee (“The most interesting man in the world”). Check out episode 360, in which guest Jason Zook attempts to sell Altucher a portion of his future earnings, a new form of investing in human capital.
Average length: 52 minutes.
Rating
Content: 10
Audio Quality: 9
Production Value: 8
Frequency: 10
Podcast Savvy: 8
Average: 9
Host Steve Sanduski is founder of Belay Advisor, an executive coach, speaker and author. The podcasts feature in-depth interviews with top advisors who share strategies, tips and tools you need to succeed at the intersection of business, investing and life. In each podcast, Sanduski’s guests open up about the lessons they learned on the road to the summit. If you can get past the mountaineering metaphors, there’s a lot of good content as guests talk about everything from investing, branding and referrals to writing books, blogging and worklife balance.
Average length: 38 minutes.
Rating
Content: 9
Audio Quality: 9
Production Value: 9.5
Frequency: 9
Podcast Savvy: 8
Average: 8.9
For a quick four-minute fix on trending market topics, subscribe to this podcast produced by Leawood, Kan.-based Tortoise Capital Advisors. Frequently updated, the podcasts—each delivered by a different Tortoise portfolio manager—offer timely updates on trending topics, such as speculation on the Fed’s interest rate moves, the price of oil and general market performance. For Tortoise, the podcasts offer a way to deliver real value and highlight the expertise of its portfolio managers.
Average length: 4 minutes.
Rating
Content: 9
Audio Quality: 8
Production Value: 8
Frequency: 10
Podcast Savvy: 8
Average: 8.6
With a new episode published only six times a year, these brief podcasts by NAIFA, the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, cover a broad range of topics of direct interest to financial advisors. Interviews with successful advisors highlight general practice management and business promotion, as well as specific topics, such as “Winning in the Medicare Market.” If you swim in the insurance marketplace, look for podcasts that focus on disability income policy sales and long-term-care insurance updates.
Average length: 10 minutes.
Rating
Content: 9
Audio Quality: 9
Production Value: 8
Frequency: 8
Podcast Savvy: 7
Average: 8.2
