In this episode of Beyond the Market, I break down the key measures from the UK Budget, without the noise or speculation.

After weeks of leaks, confusion and U-turns, we finally have the facts. The Chancellor has announced a Budget designed to raise £26 billion over this Parliament, and today I’m analysing the decisions that will shape your income, your savings, and the wider economy.

I cover:

• The Income Tax & National Insurance freeze to 2031.
• What “stealth tax” really means and why it leaves people feeling poorer.
• The new £2,000 cap on salary-sacrifice pensions, who it affects, why it discourages long-term saving.
• Cutting the Cash ISA allowance from £20k to £12k and why forcing people into the stock market won’t work without proper financial education.
• Minimum wage rises, why research shows they don’t reduce jobs, and how low-income households boost the whole economy.

I also share my honest reaction and why I think this Budget was overhyped, overly political, and relied heavily on quiet tax rises rather than clear long-term strategy.

If you found this interesting, please follow and review Beyond the Market wherever you listen, it really helps the show reach more people. For more investing insights, mindset tips and behind-the-scenes clips, follow me on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠@anthonycotterfinance⁠⁠⁠⁠. And if you’re already following, share this episode with a friend who needs to hear it

In this episode of Beyond the Market, I explore how small everyday choices, like where you buy a £3 coffee, quietly shape the UK economy, our tax system, and the future of our high streets.

To understand this I dig into the real impact of shopping locally. Small businesses make up 99% of all UK companies, generate over half of business turnover, employ more than 60% of private-sector workers, and how every £1 spent locally can create up to £3 of local value through the multiplier effect.

I compare this with chains like Starbucks who paid zero corporation tax last year, whilst your local bakery and cafe is paying more tax and actually helping the community.

We look at the situation, and why governments, MPs and councillors won't do anything. And why we as individuals need to do it ourselves.

This episode isn’t about guilt, it’s about awareness of how and where we shop. Small choices compound. And where we spend can genuinely improve our communities.

If you found this interesting, please follow and review Beyond the Market wherever you listen, it really helps the show reach more people. For more investing insights, mindset tips and behind-the-scenes clips, follow me on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠@anthonycotterfinance⁠⁠⁠. And if you’re already following, share this episode with a friend who needs to hear it

From 2028, the UK curriculum will officially include financial education, and honestly, it’s long overdue. In this week’s episode, I break down what this change means, why it matters, and what should be taught if we want young people to grow up confident with money in a country that is financially illiterate.

As someone who spends their free time running a finance podcast and Instagram page, this topic couldn’t be closer to my heart. Financial literacy isn’t just about money, it affects confidence, wellbeing, opportunity, and long-term security.

We look at why the UK performs so poorly in financial literacy, the shocking statistics around savings and debt, and why teachers need support to deliver this content effectively.

I also share the four fundamentals I believe every student should leave school understanding:

• How to save and budget

• How interest (and compound interest!) actually works

• What a mortgage really is

• The basics of investing — shares, bonds, real estate and expected returns

Plus, we talk about the wider benefits: improving numeracy, creating healthier money habits, and helping kids who might not connect with traditional lessons switch on when they see how it applies to real life.

If you found this interesting, please follow and review Beyond the Market wherever you listen, it really helps the show reach more people. For more investing insights, mindset tips and behind-the-scenes clips, follow me on Instagram ⁠⁠@anthonycotterfinance⁠⁠. And if you’re already following, share this episode with a friend who needs to hear it.

Most people think “risk” means how much something moves up and down but that’s not true risk.

In this episode of Beyond the Market, I unpack what risk really is, use examples from some of the best thinkers of risk including Nassim Taleb and why the taxi driver might actually live a safer life than the corporate employee.

We’ll explore why the stock market isn’t as risky as you think, why stability and a monthly income can lead to longer term ruin. What I hope that you will take from this episode is how to redefine risk as the chance of losing everything.

If you found it helpful, please follow and rate Beyond the Market wherever you listen, it really helps the show reach more people.For more investing insights, mindset tips and behind-the-scenes clips, follow me on Instagram ⁠@anthonycotterfinance⁠.And if you’re already following — share this episode with a friend who needs to hear it.

We’ve always been told the same story, work hard, pay into your pension, and one day you’ll retire comfortably... if you do pay into a pension at all. But what if that safety net doesn’t exist anymore?

In this episode of Beyond the Market, I break down a harsh truth, no one is coming to save you. The state pension, once designed to protect retirees, is becoming harder to qualify for, later to pay, and worth less each year. With older generation out of work and life expectancy rising, it is 82 now, heading towards 100, we are facing a problem with the retirement age barely moving. The math doesn’t work.

I will discuss how we’ve gone from final-salary pensions that guaranteed income for life, to a system that leaves individuals to fend for themselves. As the population gets old the government will have to do something and they have many leavers to pull, change age limits, qualification years, payment amounts. And when budgets tighten, they’ll prioritise those with the least, not those who simply failed to save.

So what happens if you reach retirmenet age with nothing set aside? You keep working.

This isn’t fear-mongering, it’s a wake-up call. The sooner you start investing for yourself, the less you’ll rely on promises that won’t be kept.

If you found it helpful, please follow and rate Beyond the Market wherever you listen, it really helps the show reach more people.For more investing insights, mindset tips and behind-the-scenes clips, follow me on Instagram ⁠@anthonycotterfinance⁠. And if you’re already following share this episode with a friend who needs to hear it.

In this week’s episode of Beyond the Market, I look at the upcoming Autumn Budget, where Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to announce major ISA reforms, including a possible cut to the Cash ISA allowance from £20,000 to £10,000.

I’ll break down what the Autumn Budget actually is, why the government says it wants to get Britain investing again, and if pushing people out of cash will really push people into investing into the stock market.

We’ll explore how people actually use cash ISAs, why financial education matters more than policy tweaks, and are the government missing the wood through the trees on this one and there is a much bigger issue at play.

If you want to understand how tax-free investing, government policy and market psychology collide this episode’s for you.

If you found it helpful, please follow and rate Beyond the Market wherever you listen, it really helps the show reach more people.
For more investing insights, mindset tips and behind-the-scenes clips, follow me on Instagram @anthonycotterfinance.
And if you’re already following — share this episode with a friend who needs to hear it.

AI is the hottest topic in the world right now and many people are fearing that the hype has gone too far and we are in an AI bubble. In this episode of Beyond the Market, I break down one of the biggest questions investors are asking right now: Is there an AI bubble, and what should you do with your money?

I look at the whole industry to understand exactly where we are. On one side, we have the infrastructure boom where we are seing the huge investment into the chips, datacentres and power needed to build the future. This is where companies like Nvidia and AMD are making record profits. On the other, there’s the financial hype, with press releases leading to sky-high valuations, venture capital funding and billion-dollar promises from AI start-ups burning through cash.

I explore whether AI is following the path to become a bubble and I give my opinion on if I think we are in a financial bubble.

I finish with what I am doing with my money should there be a bubble and then a crash. So if you’ve wondered whether to stay invested, take profits, or move to cash, this is worth a listen.

Give it a 5-star rating whereever you listen to podcasts. And don't foget to follow me @anthonycotterfinance on Instagram.

What if your next pay rise actually made you poorer?

In this episode of Beyond the Market, I explore lifestyle creep, the silent trap where more money leads to more spending, not building that freedom.

From bigger homes and luxury cars to endless upgrades that drain your pay rise before it lands, lifestyle creep quietly kills your income and that financial independence.

Drawing on Stoic wisdom from Epictetus, we discuss real-world stories from wealth planners and high earners who look successful on the outside but are living paycheck to paycheck on six-figure salaries.

You’ll see why linking your identity to spending is one of the biggest financial mistakes you can make and how to reframe your money habits to buy back time, choice, and freedom.

Because success isn’t about how much you earn — it’s about how much freedom you keep.

Please give the episode a 5 star rating whereever you listen to your podcasts. And don't forget to follow @anthonycotterfinance on Instagram for more finance content

Ever feel like you're being taxed through the eyeballs while global giants like Apple and Amazon pay next to nothing? You're not imagining it, and you're not powerless either.

In this episode of Beyond the Market, I explain:

• Why income tax hits workers the hardest

• How companies legally avoid massive tax bills (and countries encourage it)

• What the UK government actually wants you to do to reduce your tax

• The difference between tax avoidance and evasion (yes, big difference!)

• How to legally pay less tax using ISAs, SIPPs, and even your own business

Don’t just accept the default. Start making tax work for you.

Follow @anthonycotterfinance on Instagram for more

School taught us Shakespeare and long division but did it ever teach you how a mortgage works, why your credit score matters, or how compound interest can build (or destroy) your wealth?

In this episode of Beyond the Market, we explore the critical gaps in our education that leave millions of adults unprepared for real life. From money basics and mortgages to saving, debt, and the power of compounding, we look at why financial literacy is just as essential as reading or writing, yet rarely taught in classrooms.

I share my own story of discovering investing after school, and the costly consequences of leaving financial knowledge until adulthood.

Just remember , chool didn’t fail you on purpose, but it left gaps you’ll need to fill yourself.

Please leave a review wherever you listen to your podcasts, and follow @anthonycotterfinance on Instagram