The six finance and business podcasts you need to hear

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When we get into podcasts, we really get into podcasts.

Podcast fans listen to an average of six a week, at an average total of 9.5 hours, according to specialist advertising agency PodcastOne. So, if you want to dip your toe into the podcast waters, which six should you listen to? Here are some of the best finance and business podcasts for accountants.

The Economist: Money Talks

One of many podcasts produced by the weekly business and current affairs magazine, Money Talks is a discussion show in which the publication’s business and money reporters ponder the week’s biggest finance stories and trends. It’s an excellent tool for keeping up to date with major changes in finance, and it also delves into the principles of accounting via real examples from the world of business.

Recommended listening: ‘Accounting for profit’, 27 October 2015

The Smart Passive Income Podcast

This American podcast, produced by serial entrepreneur Pat Flynn, offers lessons on how to develop your soft skills in the modern business world, from team building to email marketing. Flynn invites other business owners to share their stories and advice on how to progress your career and be more successful. It’s a great podcast for accountants running their own practice, but it also offers insight into the mindset of start-ups, which is handy for those with this kind of client.

Recommended listening: ‘Michael Hyatt on the secrets of team building and leadership’, 27 May 2015

Grow My Accounting Practice

This very new podcast offers advice on how to modernise your accounting practice. It’s stereotypically American – think guitar solos, loud voices and use of the word ‘dude’. But it does offer the most up-to-date thinking about the sort of services accountants should offer, how they should win new business, and how accountancy marketing models are changing.

Recommended listening: ‘Joe Woodard explains how accountants can build and develop their brands’, 10 September 2015

Planet Money

The most entertaining money show on the web at the moment, this podcast takes a look at economics and finance on all levels, from national reserves to smallbusiness stories. Subjects range from historical changes in finance to modern trends, and the podcast always finds the human angle, no matter how complex the issue. This makes difficult concepts very accessible. There are so many episodes that it’s easy for listeners to pick and choose the ones that are relevant to them.

Recommended listening: ‘Spreadsheets! A brief history of the computerised spreadsheet, and how it transformed accounting’, 26 February 2015

TEDTalks Business

The one video podcast on this list, TEDTalks Business offers seminars on all aspects of careers. Topics range from getting on the career ladder, and standing out in your workplace, to techniques to help you be happier and less stressed. All the seminars are delivered by compelling speakers from a variety of backgrounds: business leaders, creative thinkers and sporting heroes, among others, deliver lessons that anyone can apply to their career.

Recommended viewing: ‘Emilie Wapnick: why some of us don’t have one true calling’, 2 October 2015

Monster.co.uk Career Advice

This one-off series of podcasts was produced by online recruitment site Monster in 2009. When it comes to basic careers advice, there aren’t many podcasts on offer, but this series tackles CV writing, cover letters, job interviews and career progression in two-minute bursts, keeping its advice simple and clear.

Recommended listening: ‘CVs for a career change’, 25 September 2009

Mark Rowland is a journalist and former editor of Accounting Technician and 20 magazine.

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