Beyond the Market

“Should I invest in gold?”
It’s a question that always comes back when uncertainty rises, inflation goes us, market crashes, geopolitical risk, and central bank intervention.

In this episode of Beyond the Market, I take a at gold as an asset, what it is, what it isn’t, and where (if anywhere) it fits in a long-term investment portfolio.

Why gold has been used as money and a store of value for centuries

How much gold demand actually comes from jewellery, investment, and manufacturing

Why gold is often seen as an alternative to cash

The idea of currency as a government liability, where the government is in control of the currency and why gold doesn't answer to anyone

Gold vs stocks on an inflation-adjusted basis

Why gold preserved purchasing power, but stocks grow it

How gold behaved during major crises like 2008 and the 2020 COVID crash

When gold can make sense in a portfolio

What I do personally to invest and my choices between gold and companies

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.

Preparing your investing for 2026 isn’t about predicting markets, picking stocks, or finding the next big opportunity. It’s about positioning yourself so that whatever happens next doesn’t force you into bad decisions.

In this episode of Beyond the Market, I build on last week’s discussion about financial foundations and focus on the foundations of successful investing.

This episode breaks down why most investors struggle not because of a lack of knowledge, but because emotion, noise, and false confidence get in the way.

We cover:

Why predictions are useless and why confidence is often mistaken for accuracy,

How financial news and market noise push investors into unnecessary action'

What you can and can’t control as an investor (and why this matters more than returns),

How to build a portfolio so a market crash can’t wipe you out

The role of diversification, index funds, and position sizing

Why having a simple plan (and importantly sticking to it) beats constantly changing strategy

This episode avoids jargon, technical analysis, and stock tips. Instead, it focuses on mindset, discipline, and resilience, which are the things that actually determine whether investing works over decades, not months.

If you want 2026 to be a successful year for your investments without trying to outsmart the market, this episode is your playbook.

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

As we enter 2026, this episode is a pause, not to predict markets, but to prepare properly.

Before you think about investing, returns, or strategy, you need strong financial foundations. Just like a crack in a bedroom wall isn’t a roof problem, most financial issue don't come from investing, they come from problems with teh foundations.

In this weeks episode of Beyond the Market, I focus on the essential building blocks that set you up for long-term financial success. Using the idea of preparation over action we walk through the basics that we sometimes skip forgetting that these will make the investments that we are building stronger.

This episode isn’t about optimisation or market timing. It’s about resilience, stability, and avoiding the downward spirals that stop people from ever benefiting from investing in the first place.

Next week we will build on these foundations by focusing specifically on investing.

If you want 2026 to be financially calmer, more intentional, and better set up for long-term growth, this is where it starts.

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

Going into the New Year, the same ritual repeats.

Banks publish outlooks for the year ahead. Economists pick where the market is going to go. Social media fills with confident predictions about what will happen next year.

In this episode of Beyond the Market, we explore why predictions are completely useless and it doesn't matter who says them or how smart they are, because the future is far less predictable than we like to believe.

Drawing on the work of Philip Tetlock and Nassim Nicholas Taleb, I unpack decades of research on expert forecasting, uncertainty, and why confident predictions are often more dangerous than helpful.

We also explore the behavioural traps behind prediction and how humans are wired to crave certainty. We will also talk of the dangers of how confident forecasts create urgency and unnecessary action, and why being occasionally right doesn’t mean someone is a good predictor, it doesn't matter how much of expert or how much money they have. A broken clock is right twice a day, but that doesn’t make it useful.

This episode isn’t about making better predictions. It is understanding that predictions are noise that can be ignored.

What really works when if comes to investing are systems.

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

If investing feels exciting, that’s usually a warning sign.

In this episode of Beyond the Market, we explore why the behaviours that actually build long-term wealth feel dull and unsatisfying, while the behaviours that feel exciting often lead to poor results.

Humans are wired for novelty, action, and stories. Markets, on the other hand, reward patience, repetition, and long periods of doing nothing. That mismatch explains why stock picking feels smarter than index investing, why forecasting feels productive, and why constant activity feels like progress, even when it isn’t.

We break down why our brains crave dopamine hits and why this often leads to self-sabotage. We also look at why the most effective investing strategies such as indexing, diversification, rebalancing, and staying invested during volatility are rarely celebrated and are the most underated.

This episode isn’t about what to buy. It’s about understanding why doing the right thing feels so wrong and boring, that ability to tolerate boredom may be one of the most valuable investing skills of all.

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

In this episode of Beyond the Market, we explore one of the most misunderstood ideas in finance and investing: the hidden trade-off between time and money.

Many people go out of their way to avoid small fees or save a few pounds by driving further for cheaper petrol, spending hours researching purchases, or avoiding convenience costs, without ever accounting for the time they’re giving up in the process.

I breakdown:

• Why people consistently undervalue their own time

• The behavioural biases that lead us to “save money” inefficiently

• Real-world examples where time is traded poorly for small financial gains

• How this mindset shows up in investing through over-trading, over-optimising, and constant portfolio monitoring

• A simple framework to evaluate decisions by asking what you’re really paying

This episode is not about budgeting hacks or shortcuts. It’s about thinking better by understanding opportunity cost, behavioural finance, and why the best investors protect their time as fiercely as their capital.

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

Dividends feel good. They feel safe.

They feel like passive income arriving in your account for simply holding a stock.

But is building your entire investment strategy around dividends actually a good idea?

In this episode of Beyond the Market, I break down why investing purely for dividends may be one of the worst ways to invest. From focussing on deteriating companies and unsustainable payouts, to missing out on the world’s greatest compounders, we explore the hidden risks that most dividend maximalists (and anyone on Finance YouTube) ignore.

We'll cover:

• Why dividends aren't a "reward"
• Why chasing income restricits your investing universe
• Why replacing a salary with dividends takes far more capital than people realise
• What a smarter, long-term alternative looks like

If you want to understand dividends properly, and stop letting monthly payouts distract you from real wealth creation, this episode is for you.

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 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.