Beyond the Market

Investing can be simple, but that does not mean it is easy.

In this episode of Beyond the Market, I talk about why investing feels so difficult for normal people, not because buying an investment is necessarily complicated, but because the psychology behind it is hard.

Most people want certainty before they invest. They want to know they are making the right decision, that they will not lose money, and that their investments will be enough for the future. But investing does not offer certainty. It involves risk, patience, doubt, delayed gratification and the ability to keep going when progress feels painfully slow.

I also discuss why social comparison makes investing harder. When people around you are spending money on traditional shows of wealth such as houses, cars, clothes and holidays whilst, quietly investing for the long term can feel boring, invisible and unrewarding.

But that is often where real wealth is built.

If you are a high earner who is good with money but still feels unsure about investing or is investing and think that although you are keeping it simple it is hard, this episode will help you understand why .

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Not every investing journey starts with some dramatic transformational story.

In this episode of Beyond the Market, I talk about why the most relatable investing stories are often the least dramatic. I have been investing for over 15 years, worked in finance for over 10, and built a multiple six-figure investment portfolio, but I have never had a huge financial transformation moment.

No bankruptcy.
No spending addiction.
No dramatic debt payoff story.

But that does not mean there were no mistakes. There have been many such as thinking I needed to invest into individual stocks or over thinking investments.

But what I have noticed is that sometimes online it can feel that everyone has a transformational story and if you don't have this it can feel like you have nothing to say or do and stuck in this middle ground. To me makes content more relatable because most of us are in the same situation.

That can often be holding you back, not bad enough to do something about your situation.

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In this episode, I’m talking about why most people probably don’t have the time to properly invest in individual stocks.

Stock picking sounds exciting.

You imagine finding the next Nvidia, buying Bitcoin early, or becoming the next Warren Buffett. But doing it properly takes serious time, research and discipline. You need to understand the company, its accounts, competitors, valuation, risks and whether the price actually makes sense.

And the data shows how hard this really is. Most professional fund managers fail to outperform the market after fees. In 2024, 65% of active large-cap US equity funds underperformed the S&P 500, and over the 10 years to June 2025, only 8% of active US large-cap funds reportedly beat the average market.

So if professionals struggle to beat the market, is spending your limited free time researching individual stocks really the best use of your energy?

I also talk about why I personally hold a large part of my portfolio in ETFs, why simple diversified investing is often the better route, and why investing should help you build freedom, and not becoming another stressful job.

This episode is for anyone who wants to invest, build wealth, and make smarter long-term decisions without overcomplicating the process.

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You’ve probably seen the example: invest £500 per month into a diversified fund for 30 years at 7% and you could end up with over £600,000.

The maths is technically right. But the way most people interpret it is wrong.

In this episode, I break down the problem with online investment calculators, why inflation changes the way you should think about future portfolio values, and why £600,000 in 30 years is not the same as £600,000 today.

I cover the different types of returns between nominaland inflation adjusted , why simply knocking inflation off your expected return can create confusion, and why a flat monthly investment is very different from an inflation adjusted one.

But this is not an argument against investing. It is the opposite.

The goal is not to obsess over perfect forecasts. The goal is to understand the direction of travel, start compounding, and build towards meaningful milestones like your first £100k invested.

Because while the calculators are imperfect, the bigger mistake is using complexity as another excuse to do nothing.

For UK professionals who know they should be investing but keep waiting for the “right” moment, this episode will help you think more clearly about long-term wealth, inflation, and why starting still matters.

Make sure that you follow @anthonycotterfinance on Instagram and TikTok.

I recently became the victim of financial fraud.

I would say that I’m sensible with money. I know where my money is going, and how much I should have in my bank accounts. So when I spotted an unknown £900 transaction on my credit card, I was shocked and did all I could to get it back.

In this episode, I talk through exactly what happened, from the moment I realised the money was taken which lead to a failed card transaction at a train station. I also explain the frustrating process of reporting it to the bank and how I fought my case to get the money back.

Whilst this is a frustrating, stressful and annoying experience for me, it is a reminder that financial fraud can happen to anyone, in completely normal situations, when you least expect it.

The UK has a problem, millions of people are sitting on large amounts of cash, but still feel too nervous, confused or overwhelmed to invest.

In this episode of Beyond the Market, I break down the new Invest for the Future campaign (link: https://takethenextstepinvest.co.uk/), launched by the Investment Association and backed by the FCA, which aims to encourage UK savers to take the next step from cash savings into investing.

It highlights some striking figures: around 7 million UK adults hold over £10,000 in cash savings, while 10.1 million people with savings but no investments say they want to learn more about investing.

But is this campaign enough?

In this weeks episode I look at what the campaign gets right, why getting more people invested matters, and where I think it falls short. Awareness is useful, but most people do not avoid investing because they have never heard of it. They avoid it because they do not know where to start, what to invest in, how ISAs and SIPPs work, or how to deal with the fear of losing money.

If you don't already make sure that you are following me on @anthonycotterfinance on Instagram and TikTok.

A couple of years ago, I seriously considered becoming a financial advisor. I attended industry events, spoke to advisors, and explored some of the biggest firms in the UK. On the surface, it looked like a compelling career, a structured training programme, support through the process and beyond, plus the opportunity to build your own business.

But the deeper I looked, the more uncomfortable I became.

In this episode, I break down what I discovered about how the financial advice industry actually works, from fee structures to incentives, and why they matter more than most people realise. This isn’t about attacking individuals because the people that I met along the way were knowledgeable and well-intentioned. The issue is the system they operate within.

We explore how management fees, fund selection, and long-term compounding can quietly erode returns over decades. A 1%–2% difference in fees may sound small, but over 20 years it can materially reduce your final portfolio value.

More importantly, I explain why most people don’t need a financial advisor to get started. Investing doesn’t need to be complex or expensive. A simple, low-cost global index fund held over the long term can be enough.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you need an advisor this episode will give you a clearer framework to decide.

You don't have a money knowledge problem. You have an action problem.

In this episode, I break down the real reason so many intelligent, capable, high earners have money sitting in cash instead of invested in the stock market. This is not about a lack of information. It is about psychology.

I cover the key behavioural reasons people delay investing: status quo bias, decision fatigue, regret aversion, and the illusion that waiting is a neutral financial decision. I explain why cash can feel safe even when it carries its own risks, why overthinking often leads to inaction, and why smart professionals are often the ones most likely to get stuck.

The maths is simple. The delay is costly. And the perfect moment you're waiting for? It's never coming.

I also walk through the simple financial cost of waiting, including how delaying investing by years can quietly cost you tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds in lost compounding.

If you have ever told yourself you need to do more research, wait for the right time, or feel more certain before you start investing, this episode is for you.

Make sure that you are following @anthonycotterfinance on Instagram and TikTok for more.

In this weeks episode, I talk about the shame that stops so many UK professionals from taking their first real step into investing. If you earn good money, consider yourself intelligent, but feel lost when investing comes up in conversation, this episode is specifically for you.

We cover:

• Why 13 million UK adults are holding £430 billion in cash they should be investing
• How the British school system failed an entire generation on personal finance
• Why the financial services industry is designed to confuse, not help
• The real cost of waiting and why inaction is a decision
• How to reframe embarrassment into the starting point it should be

This isn't about stock tips or market predictions. It's about understanding why capable people don't act and feel embarrassed for something which they shouldn't.

Beyond the Market is the podcast for UK professionals who earn well, know they should be investing better, and want straight answers without the jargon.

New episodes every week. Follow so you never miss one.

Should finance creators share their portfolio publicly? In this episode of Beyond the Market, I explain why I don't share my portfolio online and why I think most people should be cautious about doing the same.

A lot of investing content on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube is built around portfolio reveals, income screenshots and public displays of wealth. It looks like transparency, but much of the time it is not education at all. It is entertainment, signalling, marketing and in many cases is there as a form of entertainment for curious followers.

I break down why people are so drawn to seeing what others own, why finance influencers share their holdings, and why public portfolios often create more comparison, copying and noise than genuine insight. I also explain why showing the internet how much money you have can invite scrutiny, pressure and bad investing behaviour.

This episode is not about secrecy. It is about the difference between teaching people how to think and encouraging them to copy someone else’s decisions without understanding the reasoning behind them.

If you want to become a better long-term investor, this episode will help you focus on what actually matters: portfolio thinking, behaviour, privacy, discipline, ETFs, individual stocks, emergency funds, and building wealth over time.

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.