In this week's episode, Tom Sieber and Charlene Young digest the latest market developments from both sides of the Atlantic, with the company behind ChatGPT unveiling IPO plans, GSK unveiling its biggest deal in a decade and a UK market stalwart getting snapped up. Plus, as the World Cup gets underway, Tom discusses the winners off the pitch.

Charlene talks us through changes to inheritance rules which could affect cohabiting couples and the things people should think about when passing on wealth to family and dependents. Tom reveals what readers of the latest free monthly Shares magazine can expect including the next phase of the AI story and how Netflix is looking to grow after missing out on acquiring Warner Bros.

Finally, Charlene discusses plans to broaden access to mortgages in the UK and what they might mean for the property market and Tom and Charlene discuss some interesting new stats on pocket money.

00:00 Introduction

01:24 Markets: ChatGPT IPO, GSK's biggest deal in a decade & a UK takeover

16:19 Inheritance rules: cohabiting couples & passing on wealth

22:30 Shares magazine: AI's next phase & Netflix's growth plans

26:17 UK mortgage access & pocket money stats

In this week’s episode, Charlene Young is joined by new co-host Sarah Coles alongside Tom Sieber to unpack a busy week across markets, tech and personal finance. With geopolitical tensions continuing to weigh on sentiment, the team looks at whether investors are stuck in a holding pattern or if there are more subtle shifts happening beneath the surface.

There’s also a deep dive into the latest surge in AI excitement, from a major potential Anthropic IPO to huge fundraising moves by Google parent Alphabet, with takeover chatter in sectors like aviation and renewables.

The new Retirement Living Standards are out, showing how inflation is upping the cost of even a modest lifestyle in retirement. Sarah and Charlene also talk about fresh savings and lending data from the Bank of England, and what’s really happening in the UK housing market. The episode concludes with Dan Coatsworth sitting down with Richard Jeffery, executive chair of Reading based firm ActiveOps to find out how AI is central to what they do.

In this episode:

• Market update: geopolitics, oil and investor sentiment [01:46]
• AI boom: Anthropic IPO and Alphabet’s $80bn raise [04:06]
• Company news: EasyJet, Drax and defensive stocks that have disappointed [09:15]
• Retirement Living Standards: how much you really need [13:56]
• Savings & borrowing: latest Bank of England data [29:29]
• Housing market outlook and mortgage trends [31:46]
• Interview: Richard Jeffery, executive chair of ActiveOps [38:25]

00:00 Introduction: What makes investment trusts unique

04:30 What does a trust board actually do? (Tom Sieber & Mark Bridgeman)

19:00 Investment trusts vs funds: Who wins? (Nick Britton, AIC)

33:20 Private equity explained: Inside ICG Enterprise Trust (ICG Colm Walsh)

47:45 Space & defence boom: Seraphim Investment Trust (Mark Bogget)

01:06:45 Outro & key takeaways