Podcasts and resources for everyday financial life
Good financial information doesn't have to be complicated, but it should be reliable. Here I present formats and sources that I use myself — with reasoning and limitations.
Not a best-of list, but a collection with reasoning
I only list here what I actually listen to or look up. For each format, it is stated what it is useful for and where it ends. A podcast is good for context, a portal is good for numbers — the two do not replace each other.
Experience shows that those just starting out need few sources: a portal for product data, a format for context, and the topic pages of this blog for basic terms. Anything beyond that is more of a distraction than a help.
Three sources are enough to start with.
Zehn Minuten Wirtschaft
The format comes from NDR Info and summarizes the most important economic topics every working day in about ten minutes. It is researched by specialist journalists from the NDR business editorial team.
The focus is more on economic journalism than on personal finance. For investors, that is exactly an advantage: You learn why something is moving, not just that it has moved. I listen to the podcast on working days and use it as a starting point for my own notes.
It is not intended for specific questions about ETFs or taxes. If you need a number, you have to look it up elsewhere.
Geld genug
Geld genug is produced in collaboration between Handelsblatt and DIE ZEIT. According to the announcement, the podcast started on September 15, 2026, and is released every two weeks on Tuesdays. It is hosted by Laura de la Motte and Jan Guldner.
The approach fits well with this blog: It is about financial questions from real life rather than pure stock market logic. Topics like saving, protection, and the question of when enough has been achieved affect most readers more directly than daily market commentaries.
Financial questions from real life: saving, protection, the question of enough. Less market commentary, more everyday life.
A ranking list does not replace a decision. But it provides the facts you need for a decision.
JustETF as a research source
JustETF is a German-language portal with an ETF focus and serves many investors as a research and comparison source. It covers ETF selection, savings plans, and basics, and is highly specialized in passive investing.
I use it to check product data, such as index composition or fund type — and not to adopt recommendations.
I look up which assets are in the index and how they are weighted. I decide for myself what follows from that.
Whether accumulating or distributing, whether fund or ETF — such information belongs in my notes, not in a purchase decision.
Whether a savings plan is possible for a fund is in the product data. How it develops is not there.
How I check sources
Before I use a number or a rule in an article, I check it against the original source. For tax topics, this means: information from the tax authorities, not summaries in forums. For market data, it means: the index providers themselves.
This check takes time, and sometimes I find out that a common statement is not true. When that happens, I write it down, even if it is uncomfortable. A blog that silently overwrites errors is worthless as a source.
The same applies to my own numbers: I recalculate instead of adopting them. Anyone setting up a savings plan should check the savings rate against the household budget themselves before relying on a recommendation.
What podcasts are good for and what they are not
Separating getting started from looking things up prevents errors. I stick to this for every topic I address here.
Strong at
- Connections between politics, interest rates, and markets
- Background information that you don't see in a single number
- Context that can be grasped in ten minutes
Weak at
- Concrete tax-free allowances and amounts for reference
- Deadlines that must be documented in writing
- Product data such as fund type or index weighting
For such points, you need a written source.
For every source, ask who funds it and what interest lies behind it.
A podcast produced by a financial distributor has a different perspective than an editorial team that does not sell products. That does not automatically make one source wrong and the other right. However, it makes a difference in how you interpret what is said — and I ask this question for every format I recommend here.
Resources for beginners
For the beginning, a few sources are enough. Once you have dealt with savings plans, taxes, and retirement provision, you usually only need an annual check to stay on course.
How a savings plan is structured, what costs are incurred, and how to recognize if a fund suits you.
The tax-free allowance and the rules regarding it are among the points that a podcast does not cover clearly. Therefore, it is a separate article.
What distinguishes a retirement account from a normal brokerage account and what questions should be clarified beforehand.
What I observe in the markets and how I interpret it without making a forecast out of it.
This list grows as a format proves itself. I do not include sources that primarily advertise products or promise returns — they rarely help in building a long-term portfolio.
Frequently asked questions about this selection
Short answers to what I am written most often. If your question is missing, write to me via the contact page.
Why is there no rating or grade here?
Because a grade says little about a podcast. What is decisive is what a format is intended for: background, context, reference. Instead, I describe what I use a format for and where I do not use it.
Does a podcast replace your own research?
No. A podcast provides context and background, but no reliable details. You look up tax-free allowances, deadlines, and product data in written sources — for tax topics at the tax authorities, for market data at the index providers.
Why do some formats not appear here?
What is missing here are sources that primarily advertise products or promise returns. There are many such formats, and they rarely help in building a long-term portfolio. I only include what I use regularly myself.
How often do I even check?
Once you have set up a savings plan, taxes, and retirement provision, you usually only need an annual check. Daily tracking of prices does not change a long-term plan — it only costs time.
This page grows with the sources that prove themselves
I add to the list as soon as I find a format that holds up over a longer period. Do you know a source that has helped you? Write to me via the contact page — I will check it and include it if it fits. Answers are usually provided within two working days, Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 18:00.
Checking once a year is usually enough.