Our Fire Flames Podcast Playlist 🎧
As a bustling young woman I’m constantly juggling my career, investing practice, workouts, Instagramming 8 hours a week, dating (sometimes), and napping (most of the time). It’ll be 10 AM and I’ll exclaim “I’ve literallyyyy been running around all day” to no one who cares. That’s all to say that I gotta maximize my information gathering while on the go - I don’t have hours to spend perusing “the papers. ” Sidenote: I truly believe anyone under 50 who reads physical newspapers just does it to look like someone who “still reads the newspaper.”
That’s why I choose to stay informed via podcasts. In fact, I’m addicted to podcasts. I listen to about 4 to 10 episodes a day depending on the length of the pod. Podcasts are the first thing I put on in the morning, and I listen while getting ready for work, on my commute, on the job, cleaning my apartment, doing laundry, cooking, etc. My addiction to the pod can be attributed to being a news junkie - particularly political news, but I’ve forced myself to listen to financial and investing news as a part of my investing journey, and I’ve come to really enjoy those as well. Being a control freak and a chronic anxiety sufferer, I become v paranoid if I’m not plugged into the world (also probs why I spend so much time on IG, I just NEED to know what the trending memes are)!
I also grew up with a news radio obsessed mom - she’s always been one of those unlikely people who just “isn’t that into music.” Instead, my sister and I were subjected to a wave (ha, radio pun) of NPR, Dr. Laura, and Imus in the Morning (pre Rutgers women’s basketball controversy *shudders*) throughout our childhood. Even on long roadtrips, we’d be forced to listen to frickin’ AM radio the ENTIRE time (see below Tweet).
But I’ve grown to love and adopt her obsession for my own and when I go home, some of my favorite conversation with my mom revolve around the current political climate or what other crazy things are going on in the world.
Aside from keeping me politically savvy, podcasts have been INSTRUMENTAL in propelling much of my investing journey. They place market mentors and industry experts right in my ear in both entertaining and extremely informative ways. And while some of it sounded like gibberish initially, the longer I stayed with these shows, the more market terminology and concepts became demystified. So with that, I introduce to you my HEAVY ROTATION. Ten shows that keep me entertained, in-the-know, financially astute, and my anxiety at bay.
💰The best for my Investing Practice
MarketFoolery and Motley Fool Money
These pods from The Motley Fool give you the quick headlines of what’s going on with individual companies from reporting on earnings and share price fluctuation to industry trends and leadership changes. Fool analysts discuss the stories and weigh in on relevant metrics while also giving insight into what stocks are on their radar. It’s a great way to get inspiration for investment opportunities, and I’ve spent a lot of time doing research into recommended companies from these guys.
.InvestED: The Rule #1 Investing Podcast
If you’re interested in learning how to personally invest your own money without the help of a financial advisor, this pod is the one for you. Father and daughter Phil and Danielle Town break down the basics of how to identify and value wonderful companies that fit with your personal values and generate high returns long-term. the InvestED pod has legitimately given me the confidence to invest on my own as they explain investing in a way that the everyday person can understand. It has served as a critical educational device for my personal investing strategy and has encouraged me to seek additional reading material and even in-person investing workshops for further knowledge building.
WSJ Your Money Briefing
I never know what to expect from this pod as Wall Street Journal reporters cover a broad range of financial related topics. One episode you could be deeply entrenched in the happenings of a single company, and the next episode will brief you on an entire industry or a greater pertinent macro-econominc issue. This pod is def more informative than entertaining, but will get its point across in 10 mins or less, so not a bad one to pop on before a longer form pod.
The Readback by Barron’s
The Readback is a quick, 15 minute show that dives into a Barron’s story “exposing the forces shaping investing today - and how it impacts your portfolio.” While I usually have the attention span of a goldfish, this audio-rich, narrative-driven pod commands my full focus as it digs into a feature story from Barron’s, a weekly magazine by Dow Jones & Company that covers US financial information, market developments, and relevant stats. “Through conversations with Barron’s reporters and editors, the podcast brings the world of finance to life with audio-rich storytelling.”
We Study Billionaires - The Investor’s Podcast
Touted as the “largest stocks investing podcast show in the world,” The Investor’s Podcast (TIP) episodes study self-made financial billionaires like Warren Buffet and Ray Dalio, as well as feature interviews with well-known market masterminds. TIP teaches listeners how to perform intrinsic value assessments on companies, and how to apply their investig process in the stock market. I obtain so much value listening to the various investing perspectives and methods practiced by the guests on this pod. The hosts and guests present how to surface key metrics from financial statements when evaluating a company, and what to look out for in terms of risk factors. While it’s shows are on the longer side (~50 min), I truly love this pod. My one criticism is that in addition to the hosts, the guests are almost ALWAYS men. I know that the financial industry skews heavily male, but that doesn’t mean there aren't female investors out there, value or otherwise, and I would like to see more of our gender represented on the show.
📚The best for really f*cking good journalism
In order to intelligently invest, it’s crucial to have a pulse on what’s happening in the world beyond just business as political and global events often affect the state of the economy, industries and individual companies. It’s also like just good to know what the f*ck is going on — I know it can be depressing ingesting the news everyday, but these things are important people!! Your future and your family’s future depend on decisions being made EVERY SINGLE DAY. **Steps down from soap box**
The Daily
The Daily is a daily (lol) podcast produced by the New York Times, hosted by political journalist, Michael Barbaro. Each episode is based on one NYT story of the day, and boy does it give a deep exploration of that story. I find the original reporting HIGHLY credible, riveting, and addicting af. Barbaro interviews the journalists who describe and comment on their stories, which is often breaking news. This is my number one MVP pod rec - I’ve learned SO much from it, and I wouldn’t be the well-rounded, interesting and cultured (kinda) person I am today without it ♥ And if you’re one of the deplorables who consider the Times “fake news media,” please delete me from your life.
The best for political news catch-ups
Up First
This pod, produced by NPR provides a brief news rundown of the day each morning. Super digestible and only 10 minutes long, “NPR's Up First is the news you need to start your day… [bringing you] the biggest stories and ideas — from politics to pop culture.” This pod is my go-to when I only have 10 minutes between meetings and can’t actually get anything productive done.
The Betches Sup Podcast
If you’re a millennial, you probably know of the Betches brand. The Sup is a Betches vertical that keeps us up with “WTF is going on with the world” through a hilarious, daily politically-oriented newsletter and a twice-a-week podcast. This very liberal leaning pod (my cup of tea) explains that “Uninformed is no longer cute, and sometimes you just need for your funny informed friend to explain what’s going on to you (that’s us, duh).” When I’m in the mood to hear smart, young (and mostly women) rant about the orange blob that runs our country (which is like, always), this is the perfect pick-me-up. Informative + funny = my ideal entertainment.
The best for shitting your pants
Because we can’t be info sponges all day, here’s one of my fave entertainment podcasts to breakup the influx of facts.
U Up?
Another podcast produced by Betches, U Up? is a hilarious dating podcast. Hosted by Betches co-founder, Jordana Abraham and one of my favorite comedians, Jared Freid (I’m obsessed), U UP? espouses dating advice about modern issues our parents’ generation never had to deal with like dating app etiquette and Instagram behavior. The best segments are when they perform dating app makeovers, read listener letters about awkward sex moments, and play “Red Flag or Deal Breaker?” I cry laughing EVERY TIME I listen to an ep, and I legit look forward to it every week. I can’t think of anything more relatable and more aligned with my brand of humor than this pod, and I certainly can’t wait to attend a live show in December.
So what are you waiting for?? Get downloading!
Rate, review, and subscribe,
Leanne