The Savings Guru Podcast

Show NotesIn the thirteenth episode of the Savings Guru Podcast, James talks to Clare Framrose, Head of Proposition Design and Savings at Atom Bank, about learning from customer feedback, bringing will.i.am on as a strategic advisor, and the impact of new entrants on the savings market.00:00 Clare’s background01:38 How to keep a customer focused ethos while growing?02:59 Choosing will.i.am as a strategic advisor.06:09 How has Atom gained trust from savers?08:17 How Atom responds to customer feedback.13:20 What has contributed to Atom’s growth?15:50 What are Atom’s plans for the next few years?18:36 How do new entrants impact on savings marketplaces?28:19 What changes will we see in the market in the coming years?30:24 What would Clare do if she were Chancellor of the Exchequer for a day?To find out more about Atom Bank, go to https://www.atombank.co.uk/Connect with The Savings Guru Website ---- http://thesavings.guru Email ---- hello@thesavings.guru Twitter ---- https://twitter.com/savingsguruuk Facebook ---- https://www.facebook.com/SavingsGuruUK/ LinkedIn ---- https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-savings-guru-ltd/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Show NotesIn the twelfth episode of the Savings Guru Podcast, James talks to Tom Higham, Head of Business Development at Hargreaves Lansdown, about HL’s history, their plans for the future, and why people should choose active savings platforms.00:00 Why Hargreaves Lansdown got into cash savings02:48 Tom’s background06:20 Why people should choose active savings08:57 How big is Hargreaves Lansdown?10:37 Why do savings platforms still account for such a small part of the market?15:30 Will others follow Octopus out of the market?18:17 What are HL’s plans for the next few years?20:42 How do new entrants impact on savings marketplaces?22:30 What changes will we see in the market in the coming years?26:30 What would Tom do if he were Chancellor of the Exchequer for a day?To find out more about Hargreaves Lansdown Active Savings, go to https://www.hl.co.uk/investment-services/active-savingsConnect with The Savings Guru Website ---- http://thesavings.guru Email ---- hello@thesavings.guru Twitter ---- https://twitter.com/savingsguruuk Facebook ---- https://www.facebook.com/SavingsGuruUK/ LinkedIn ---- https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-savings-guru-ltd/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Show NotesIn the eleventh episode of the Savings Guru Podcast, James talks to Julia McColl, Commercial Director of Chetwood Financial, about Chetwood’s history, their plans for the future, and how to increase the number of women leading savings businesses.00:00 Julia’s background02:27 Why Chetwood decided to become a bank04:37 What was the rationale for Chetwood’s dual branding?06:51 How have the first two years been for Chetwood?13:04 What impact have new entries into the market had on Chetwood?18:00 Chetwood’s plans for the future24:00 What changes will we see in the market in the coming years?28:00 Why are savings marketplaces slow to take off?34:49 How will COVID affect savers’ behaviour?40:00 What can be done to increase the number of women leading savings businesses?49:09 What would Julia do if she were Chancellor of the Exchequer for a day?To find out more about Chetwood Financial, go to https://chetwood.co/Connect with The Savings Guru Website ---- http://thesavings.guru Email ---- hello@thesavings.guru Twitter ---- https://twitter.com/savingsguruuk Facebook ---- https://www.facebook.com/SavingsGuruUK/ LinkedIn ---- https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-savings-guru-ltd/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the tenth episode of the Savings Guru Podcast, James talks to Tim Coates, Chief Customer Officer and Co-founder of Oxbury Bank, about Oxbury’s history, their plans for the future, and using savings to mitigate climate change.00:00 The origins of Oxbury Bank03:57 Tim’s background as a farmer and a regulator09:30 The early feedback from Oxbury’s customers12:25 Oxbury’s plans to expand their savings accounts14:02 Oxbury’s other plans for the future, including the Oxbury Forest Saver22:08 Is there room in the market for more new banks?22:59 Will the growth in new banks continue?26:04 What changes will we see in the market in the coming years?32:09 What would Tim do if he were Chancellor of the Exchequer for a day?To find out more about Oxbury Bank, go to https://www.oxbury.com/Connect with The Savings Guru Website ---- http://thesavings.guru Email ---- hello@thesavings.guru Twitter ---- https://twitter.com/savingsguruuk Facebook ---- https://www.facebook.com/SavingsGuruUK/ LinkedIn ---- https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-savings-guru-ltd/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Show NotesIn the ninth episode of the Savings Guru Podcast, James talks to George Nixon, financial journalist with This is Money, about the upcoming budget.00:00 George’s background01:35 Will the budget introduce COVID recovery bonds? 06:50 Will Premium Bonds feature in the budget?10:55 Will the early cashing penalty on Lifetime ISAs be extended?14:52 Will ISA allowances be raised?20:15 Is now the right time to try to ‘fix’ the ISA system?28:04 What other changes can we expect for savers?31:03 What would George do if he were Chancellor of the Exchequer for a day?To read some of George’s writing go to https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/debate/columnist-1262290/George-Nixon-This-Is-Money.htmlConnect with The Savings Guru Email ---- hello@thesavings.guru Website ---- http://thesavings.guru Twitter ---- https://twitter.com/savingsguruuk Facebook ---- https://www.facebook.com/SavingsGuruUK/ LinkedIn ---- https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-savings-guru-ltd/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Show NotesIn the eighth episode of the Savings Guru Podcast, James talks to Steven Marks, the Business Development Director at Newcastle Strategic Solutions, about NSS’s history, their plans for the future, and the impact of COVID on customer digitization.00:00 The origins of NSS04:52 The importance of white labelling the service07:36 Why would a bank choose to use NSS?10:55 NSS’s plans to move into the SME savings market13:59 NSS’s other plans for the future19:08 The impact of COVID on customer digitization22:59 Will the growth in new banks continue?27:35 What would Steven do if he were Chancellor of the Exchequer for a day?30:14 What changes will we see in the market in the coming years?To find out more about NSS, go to https://www.newcastlesolutions.co.uk/Connect with The Savings Guru Email ---- hello@thesavings.guru Website ---- http://thesavings.guru Twitter ---- https://twitter.com/savingsguruuk Facebook ---- https://www.facebook.com/SavingsGuruUK/ LinkedIn ---- https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-savings-guru-ltd/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Show NotesIn the seventh episode of the Savings Guru Podcast, James talks to Commercial Director at Aldermore, about Aldermore’s history, the effect of COVID on the savings market, and the imminent changes to NS&I’s rates.00:00 The origins of Aldermore04:28 How big can Aldermore grow?07:26 The importance of acting on customer feedback10:13 Why Aldermore outsourced the operational management of personal savings16:07 Aldermore’s plans for the future22:06 What challenges do new entrants into the savings market pose?25:50 What changes are likely in the market over the next few years?30:50 What impact will the cuts to the NS&I rate have?35:01 What would Ewan do if he were Chancellor of the Exchequer for a day? To find out more about Aldermore, go to https://www.aldermore.co.uk/Connect with The Savings Guru Email ---- hello@thesavings.guru Website ---- http://thesavings.guru Twitter ---- https://twitter.com/savingsguruuk Facebook ---- https://www.facebook.com/SavingsGuruUK/ LinkedIn ---- https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-savings-guru-ltd/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Show NotesIn the sixth episode of the Savings Guru Podcast, James talks to Keith Barber, Director of Business Development at the Family Building Society, about Family’s lead products, the challenges of working remotely and the strategies needed when you don’t have a branch network.00:00 The origins of the Family Building Society03:25 Some stats on the size of the Society.06:01 The thinking behind the Windfall Bond11:20 How the Market Tracker Saver works16:26 Is appearing in Best Buy tables a strategy for Family?18:30 What challenges do new entrants into the savings market pose?21:39 What new products or innovations are Family working on?23:19 The challenges of remote working.25:05 What would Keith do if he were Chancellor of the Exchequer for a day?30:04 What changes are likely in the market over the next few years?To find out more about the Family Building Society, go to https://familybuildingsociety.co.uk/Connect with The Savings Guru* Email ---- hello@thesavings.guru Website ---- http://thesavings.guru Twitter ---- https://twitter.com/savingsguruuk Facebook ---- https://www.facebook.com/SavingsGuruUK/ LinkedIn ---- https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-savings-guru-ltd/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Show NotesIn the fifth episode of the Savings Guru Podcast, James talks to Cem Eyi, Co-Founder of KidStart and the Beanstalk app, about the children’s savings market; cash funds versus savings accounts; and the younger generation’s approach to saving or investing.00:30 Cem’s background and the origins of Beanstalk01:12 Why focus on children’s savings and how Beanstalk works?03:04 Why is there no requirement for regular deposits?04:09 Cash funds versus a cash savings account05:55 How has COVID impacted Beanstalk’s launch?08:39 How do older relatives cope with the app?12:30 Will more child-focused savings apps enter the market?14:22 Will banks get involved in this area?15:22 What are the future plans for Beanstalk?16:18 The choice between investing and cash savings.18:43 What would Cem do if he were Chancellor of the Exchequer for a day?23:04 What changes are likely in the market over the next few years?To find out more about Beanstalk, go to http://www.beanstalkapp.co.ukConnect with The Savings Guru Email ---- hello@thesavings.guru Website ---- http://thesavings.guru Twitter ---- https://twitter.com/savingsguruuk Facebook ---- https://www.facebook.com/SavingsGuruUK/ LinkedIn ---- https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-savings-guru-ltd/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Show NotesIn the fourth episode of the Savings Guru Podcast, James talks to Colin Field, CEO of Saffron Building Society, about the impacts of Covid-19 on the mutual sector, the importance of children’s savings accounts, and why Saffron are launching an enviro-saver option.00:30 The history of the Saffron Building Society01:12 How important is the local relationship right now?02:10 The increasing need for digitsation during the Covid-19 crisis.06:10 Why Saffron has a full-time staff member looking after vulnerable customers.07:40 Why are savers still important to Saffron?10:55 The importance of children’s savings accounts.12:30 What prompted Saffron to launch an enviro-saver account?15:30 What other plans does Saffron have for savings?17:25 How has Covid-19 affected operations within Saffron branches?22:45 What would Colin do if he were Chancellor of the Exchequer for a day?26:20 What changes are likely in the market over the next few years?To find out more about Saffron Building Society, go to https://www.saffronbs.co.uk/Connect with The Savings Guru Email ---- hello@thesavings.guru Website ---- http://thesavings.guru Twitter ---- https://twitter.com/savingsguruuk Facebook ---- https://www.facebook.com/SavingsGuruUK/ LinkedIn ---- https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-savings-guru-ltd/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Show NotesIn the third episode of the Savings Guru Podcast, James talks to Marklew Rice, Head of Product Management at Al Rayan Bank about Sharia banking, interest rates vs expected profit rates, and attracting non-Muslim customers.00:40 How Al Rayan Bank got started in the UK.02:00 The difference between interest and expected profit rates.05:30 Why Al Rayan launched an easy access product.07:25 Why Al Rayan chose to have branches as well as online banks.09:40 Is attracting non-Muslim customers a challenge?13:25 What would Mark do if he were Chancellor of the Exchequer for a day?18:20 What changes are likely in the market?To find out more about Al Rayan Bank, go to https://www.alrayanbank.co.uk/Connect with The Savings Guru* Email ---- hello@thesavings.guruWebsite ---- http://thesavings.guruTwitter ---- https://twitter.com/savingsguruukFacebook ---- https://www.facebook.com/SavingsGuruUK/LinkedIn ---- https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-savings-guru-ltd/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Show NotesIn the second episode of the Savings Guru Podcast, James talks to Avinash Rajan, founder and CEO of Offspring about why Offspring is needed, how it works, and the challenges of setting it up.00:15 An introduction to Offspring01:42 Why has nobody done this before?05:35 How has the banking community reacted to Offspring?08:00 A few stats about Offspring savers.10:00 What kinds of accounts does Offspring work with?12:35 What was the biggest challenge in setting up Offspring?15:05 What would Avinash do if he were Chancellor of the Exchequer for a day?18:10 What changes does Avinash predict for the savings market?To find out more about Offspring, go to http://www.offspringsavings.comConnect with The Savings Guru* Email ---- hello@thesavings.guru* Website ---- http://thesavings.guru* Twitter ---- https://twitter.com/savingsguruuk* Facebook ---- https://www.facebook.com/SavingsGuruUK/* LinkedIn ---- https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-savings-guru-ltd/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Show NotesIn the first episode of the brand new Savings Guru Podcast, James talks to Kevin Mountford, co-founder and CEO of Raisin UK about how the company got started, how they balance working with banks and consumers, and what changes Kevin predicts for the market.00:14 The origins of Raisin UK02:09 Why Raisin came to the UK06:06 How do Raisin manage working with both banks and consumers?08:20 Why aren’t more platforms offering this service?14:28 Kevin’s opinion on the FCA’s single easy access rate.18:17 What would Kevin do if he were Chancellor of the Exchequer for a day?21:09 What other services are Raisin UK planning on introducing?23:35 What changes are likely in the market?To find out more about Raisin UK, go to https://www.raisin.co.uk/Connect with The Savings Guru* Email ---- hello@thesavings.guru* Website ---- http://thesavings.guru* Twitter ---- https://twitter.com/savingsguruuk* Facebook ---- https://www.facebook.com/SavingsGuruUK/* LinkedIn ---- https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-savings-guru-ltd/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

James introduces himself and the podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.