Finance podcasts to improve your financial literacy

Improving any area of knowledge is all about diversifying your learning materials. We learn comprehensively by passive and active methods; only through applying both can we learn to play guitar, speak French, or master the black belt in Karate.Financial literacy works the same way. In our series, we’ve supplied resources and tips for you to become more financially literate via passive methods like reading, and more active methods like using apps. Podcasting has over the years become a unique learning tool which employs both methods: it can be both a background activity and one which you focus heavily on and complete additional materials for. Podcasting also takes the forms of both entertainment and educational materials, and often blends the two.Lastly, podcasting is a growing medium. It has left the independent space and become big business—finance podcasts are no exception.This can make it difficult to find and listen to the ones that will serve you best, because financial literacy isn’t just a general topic that we improve equally overall. We pick the topics within it which we need to learn about and find resources that meet those needs.Read on for a selection of a few of the best finance podcasts for improving your financial literacy in specific areas.

Podcasting is a medium known for its intimacy. Finance is often communicated in facts and figures, lacking a personal element and thus seeming cold and impersonal. A good podcast on personal finance should demonstrate that finances are more personal than we might think. We all go through them and we all have stories to share and tips to offer. Any advice that comes without knowledge of your personal situation should be taken cautiously, but the personal experiences in a podcast can always make you feel less alone.

Gaby Dunn is all about bringing together the personal and the financial. Their podcast is a mix of hot takes, personal stories of money woes, and engaging with opinionated listeners. Dunn’s listeners love the podcast for its educational aspect and millennial/Gen Z slant: what does it mean to be dealing with money today? How have things changed and how should we deal with it? As a nonprofessional, Dunn steers close to the finfluencer category, but they’re not out to give questionable advice and tell listeners to make risky bets. Dunn is a commentator—she’s not selling snake oil. 

Good investing advice is best taken from professionals, but not everyone can afford a consultation. Finance podcasts offer an opportunity to hear what the professionals are saying about the stock market and investing opportunities, without any pressure to participate. Rather than using a podcast to help you make decisions, use one to get informed and broaden your understanding of the market and its history.

One for lovers of interviews, Stig Broderson and Trey Lockerbie in their weekly podcast interview famous billionaires or study their writings to learn their secrets and understand how their minds work. Investing, real estate, entrepreneurship—all aspects of finance are covered here, you won’t find an episode that doesn’t fit your concerns or your situation. Broderson and Lockerbie have spoken to finance giants like Warren Buffet and Bill Gates, and they read and dissect the books of controversial success figures like Elon Musk to learn what makes a super-earner tick. Honourable Mentions: Journey to Launch

Fintech is a rich and complex part of finance. The intersection of digital technology and finance means that there are new, complex developments every day on the topic. Things that only the right podcast can simplify.

A panel of fintech experts dissects the latest and hottest in fintech news. News roundup episodes dish out on who’s making unicorn status, which company just added a payment service, while more general, thought-provoking ‘Insights’ episodes assess the potential for fintech to serve the wider economy and assess who’s leading in fintech today: Europe or the US?

Entrepreneurship is a journey, and at times it can be a lonely one. You won’t have colleagues to share your frustrations with and, especially at the beginning, the motivation and innovation has to come from you.An accompanying podcast on the subject can remind you that you’re not alone on the journey, that millions just like you are trying to carve a life outside the 9 – 5. In addition to this comfort, you’ll also pick up tips and hear success and failure stories, helping you build your own story.  

Looking to become a sidepreneur? Already got your side hustle going and want some insight into turning it into a full time entrepreneurship? Nick Loper of the tremendously successful website ‘Side Hustle Nation’ is by your side for the journey. Loper demystifies some of entrepreneurship’s most baffling challenges like making time for your business while studying full-time, which are the creative side hustles making the most money, and learning your way around Excel’s eternally confounding spreadsheets.  

The history, current state, and future of finance is a lot to take on. A topic for those interested in the subject more broadly, rather than those just aiming to fill in a few gaps, finance podcasts are known for their variety of form. Long podcasts have just as many followers as ones with bite-sized episodes and both types are great for a history lesson. 

NPR is known for high quality finance podcasts, and Planet Money is no exception. Taking on the gargantuan task of explaining the US economy in the state that it’s in, NPR is definitely a US-focused podcast. But that doesn’t mean its potential for increasing your financial literacy is limited. Planet Money tells stories from history with an economic theme, like the occurrence of inflation during WWII; it engages with pop cultural money topics like the frequent rebooting of the Spiderman movie franchise; and it delves into oddball topics the way only an NPR podcast could: have you ever wondered how milk chocolate M&Ms could weigh less than peanut M&Ms, and yet both packets cost the same?  Honourable Mentions: Slate Money with Felix Salmon

See below our answers to some of the most important questions that come up when finding the right finance podcast. Let us help you become a more discerning listener.

A finance podcast is anything finance adjacent in the podcasting sphere. It can be educational, informational, casual, or advice-based. The point of finance podcasts is ultimately to open up discussion about money.An often uncomfortable topic of conversation, if there are shows in which hosts share stories of their financial woes, offer tips based on experience, parse through finance stories and simplify jargon, the topic of money becomes less intimidating and more mundane. And this helps everyone.

The subgenres of finance podcasts are as versatile as any topic in the podcast sphere. Learning about the available types will help you to decide on the approach to finance that works for you. Finance podcast types include but aren’t limited to:

Within these subgenres is an infinite array of finance topics: budgeting, investing, spending, mistakes made, lessons learned, mentors gained, properties bought, businesses rising and falling—the list is endless.

While we can attach labels like production value, professionalism, credibility, or versatility of guests—all of which are important for any podcast—what really makes a good finance podcast is suitability. If you know what you’re looking for and you find conscientious hosts tackling a topic in a way that works for you, then you’ve found a good podcast. It’s important however to also note what might make a bad podcast. Be wary of nonprofessionals telling their listeners to make investments, selling dubious-sounding seminars, or approaching the topic of finance with a heavy political bias. While the podcast space is generally a friendly one, it’s rife with snake oil salesmen and people who don’t know what they’re talking about. Use your critical thinking skills and pay attention to anyone with an agenda. 

If you feel that, after listening to a finance podcast on a specific topic or keeping up with one regularly, you’re more confident around the topic of money, then you’ve found a helpful finance podcast. Seek one which answers questions you have and fulfils needs you’re not getting elsewhere. A finance podcast is helpful when it offers free advice and help that you might otherwise have to pay for. 

The finance podcasts in this list bring more than information: they demonstrate the human side of finance, the stories, the pitfalls, and the lessons’ learned. They offer to their listeners a cast of passionate people engaged with all areas of finance and many opportunities for inspiration. Keep improving your financial literacy with our content on finance books, finance apps, finance news resources, and finfluencers. 

_{Disclaimer: This selection of podcasts was made at the personal judgement of the Qonto Editorial Team. None of these podcasts are connected to Qonto and there is no paid advertising cooperation with the persons and companies behind the podcasts mentioned.}