The Money Marketing Podcast

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 liabilities, and the risks of delaying planning—emphasising early action, control, and tailored solutions.

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 smoothed structures like PruFund can mitigate real-world risks and manage client anxiety during market dips.
M&G PruFund now live on Scottish Widows Platform

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 investors: looking beyond public markets to private equity, infrastructure, real estate and private credit, understanding the true drivers of returns, avoiding hidden concentration risks, and building portfolios designed to navigate multiple future scenarios.

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://ciexpert.uk/ct26-registration-royal-london
Money Talks Podcast

Kimberly Dondo speaks with Emma Boardwell, founder of Emotional Finance, and Tom Brown about Emma’s move from psychotherapy into financial advice and her mission to bring emotional literacy into the industry.
They discuss the emotional labour advisers carry, the need for clearer boundaries, how vulnerability should be handled, and why relational skills should be embedded in advisor training as technology automates technical tasks.

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 should treat retirement as a journey (not a single decision), and offers practical steps firms can take to align principles, client needs, income strategies and ongoing support.

Hayley Rabbets joins MM Talks to introduce Evergreen, a Calton-backed initiative designed to support the full lifecycle of financial planners, from training and early careers through business growth and succession planning.
She discusses practical steps to close the advice gap, the role of coaching and education alongside technology, and the need for diverse, structured career pathways and community support across the profession.

In this episode, Shelley Read of Royal London explores the rising problem of economic and financial abuse — how partners or carers use money, benefits, property and debt to control victims.
She outlines differences between financial and economic abuse, highlights high-risk groups and common red flags, and offers practical advice for advisors, friends and family on spotting signs, supporting victims and signposting help.

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 job roles. Cathi also shares her personal journey as an entrepreneur and how she balances leadership with family life.

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 clients, and how smoothing strategies can reduce anxiety while preserving growth potential.