Want to be on the show? Send us a question, a voice note or a quick video to marketsandmindsets@ig.com

How much of your income should you invest when you are just getting started, without leaving yourself short when life gets expensive?

In our final episode of the Markets and Mindsets series, the team are joined by Finn, a newer investor with some experience in smaller cryptocurrencies who wants to understand how much to invest in relation to his income and wider finances.

The conversation explores why there is no universal percentage that works for everyone, and why time horizon, liquidity needs and life stage should shape the decision. The team discuss the importance of keeping a savings buffer, starting early, investing regularly and avoiding situations where you may be forced to sell during a market downturn.

They also examine the balance between enjoying money today and preparing for future costs, the value of tax-efficient accounts and employer pension contributions, and how diversification and regular investing can reduce the pressure of trying to time the market.

In this episode:

• Why time horizon, life stage and liquidity needs should determine how much you invest
• Why starting early can make small, regular contributions meaningful through compounding
• How automating investments can build discipline and reduce emotional decision-making
• Why maintaining a cash buffer helps prevent forced selling during a downturn
• How crypto volatility can distort expectations of risk in other markets
• Why housing costs and the cost of living make fixed investment percentages unrealistic
• How ISAs, LISAs and workplace pensions can improve long-term outcomes
• How to balance enjoying money today with future financial goals and expenses
• Why diversification matters when indexes are concentrated in a few companies or sectors
• Why waiting for the perfect entry point can cost returns, and regular contributions can make downturns easier

Chapters

00:00 – Introduction: Knowing Your Risk

01:17 – Meet Finn: How Much Should a Beginner Invest?

02:10 – Time Horizons, Liquidity and Life Stage

03:51 – Starting Early and the Power of Compounding

04:36 – Regular Investing and Automating the Habit

06:26 – Keeping a Buffer and Avoiding Forced Selling

09:10 – ISAs, LISAs, Pensions and Tax-Efficient Investing

12:06 – Balancing Money Today with Future Financial Goals

16:29 – Market Timing, Diversification and S&P 500 Concentration

19:37 – Final Takeaways

Enjoyed the episode?

Subscribe to Markets and Mindsets for more conversations exploring the psychology behind better investing. If you enjoyed this episode, leave a rating or share it with someone looking to become a more thoughtful investor.

Capital at risk. The value of investments can go down as well as up, and you may get back less than you originally invested. This podcast is for educational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice.

Want to be on the show? Send us a question, a voice note or a quick video to marketsandmindsets@ig.com

How much risk can you genuinely afford to take and how much loss can you emotionally tolerate?

In Episode 13 of Markets and Mindsets, the team is joined by Jimmy, an investor with around a decade of experience who is beginning to explore more active trading, technical analysis and a more structured approach to the markets.

Jimmy shares his enjoyment of gambling and risk-taking, and asks how to preserve the fun of trading without getting carried away. The conversation explores the difference between risk capacity and risk tolerance, why a widely quoted percentage is not automatically the right target, and how position sizing should reflect both your wider finances and your emotional response to loss.

The team also examines the difference between trading for recreation and trading for return, why being right can feel as rewarding as making money, and how community, transparency and a supportive process can turn short-term excitement into more sustainable motivation.

In this episode:

• Why understanding risk is essential to both trading success and enjoyment
• How life stage, liquidity needs and the cost of living can affect risk decisions
• The difference between risk capacity and risk tolerance
• Why a commonly quoted 2% risk limit is a ceiling rather than a target
• How to translate percentages into a real monetary loss you can understand
• Why trading for recreation requires a different mindset from trading for return
• How limiting account funding and position size can keep recreational trading controlled
• Why return-focused trading requires a repeatable process and careful review
• Why the consequences of a loss matter more than the number alone
• Why stepping away is the right choice when trading stops feeling sustainable

Chapters

00:00 – Introduction: Knowing Your Risk

01:20 – Meet Jimmy: Investing, Trading and Risk-Taking

02:11 – Gambling, Enjoyment and the Appeal of Risk

04:18 – Risk Capacity and Risk Tolerance

05:30 – Why 2% Is Not a Target

06:20 – What Are You Optimising For?

07:13 – Recreational Trading vs Return-Focused Trading

10:51 – Why Position Size Shapes the Emotional Response

12:31 – Thinking About the Consequences of a Loss

19:10 – When to Step Away

Enjoyed the episode?

Subscribe to Markets and Mindsets for more conversations exploring the psychology behind better investing. If you enjoyed this episode, leave a rating or share it with someone looking to become a more thoughtful investor.

Capital at risk. The value of investments can go down as well as up, and you may get back less than you originally invested. This podcast is for educational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice.

Want to be on the show? Send us a question, a voice note or a quick video to marketsandmindsets@ig.com

What is trading doing to your body, not just your portfolio?

In Episode 12 of Markets and Mindsets, the team are joined by Rich, a former international athlete and professional trader with two decades of experience across market-making, hedge funds and emerging markets.

Rich reflects on the physical and psychological toll of trading through major market events, including the financial crisis, the Swiss franc de-pegging and periods of extreme volatility. The conversation explores the difference between short, sharp bursts of adrenaline and the longer-lasting build-up of cortisol, and how both can influence decision-making, focus, sleep and behaviour.

The team also discusses when stress can improve performance, why routine and a documented process can reduce pressure, and the practical warning signs that trading may be taking over your life. From diet, exercise and sleep to position sizing, time away from the screen and stress-testing your portfolio, the episode examines how traders can protect their health while continuing to engage with the markets they love.

In this episode:

• The physical and psychological toll that trading can place on the body
• The difference between adrenaline and cortisol
• Why adrenaline narrows attention and encourages faster decisions
• Why prolonged stress can cause cortisol to build up over time
• How stress can sometimes support flow, focus and faster execution
• The four steps for turning stress into a performance aid
• How routines and documented processes can reduce uncertainty
• How cold water and stepping away from the screen can help create a reset
• The importance of diet, exercise and sleep for trading performance
• How position sizing should change with volatility and emotional state

Chapters

00:00 – Introduction: What Trading Does to Your Body

06:16 – Adrenaline vs Cortisol

08:11 – How Adrenaline Changes Vision and Decision-Making

11:24 – How Cortisol Builds Up Over Time

14:52 – Using Stress to Enhance Performance

20:23 – Documenting Your Trading Playbook

24:18 – Memory, Stress and the Value of a Trading Journal

26:00 – Diet, Exercise and Sleep

32:27 – Position Sizing for Volatility and Emotional State

35:41 – Warning Signs That Trading Is Taking Over

Enjoyed the episode?

Subscribe to Markets and Mindsets for more conversations exploring the psychology behind better investing. If you enjoyed this episode, leave a rating or share it with someone looking to become a more thoughtful investor.

Capital at risk. The value of investments can go down as well as up, and you may get back less than you originally invested. This podcast is for educational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice.