The Story of Money

Hosted by Financial Times

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336

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Aug 2026

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About the show

FT columnist Gillian Tett and FT Alphaville editor Robin Wigglesworth dig into the ideas, personalities and institutions that have shaped the history of finance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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60 recent

August 12, 202650 min

How a stock market crash gave birth to modern antisemitism

The 1873 Gründerkrach, the spectacular stock market crash that followed Germany’s unification, is one of history’s great financial maelstroms. But its most enduring legacy isn’t about money. Host Robin Wigglesworth speaks to Pulitzer Prize-winning author Liaquat Ahamed about how the resulting economic malaise fuelled social division and transformed old prejudices into antisemitic conspiracy. It gave birth to ideas that would resurface with catastrophic consequences decades later in the 20th century. Further reading: 1873: The Rothschilds, the First Great Depression, and the Making of the Modern World (2026), by Liaquat Ahamed Gold and Iron: Bismarck, Bleichröder, and the Building of the German Empire (1977), by Fritz Stern Credits: Getty Images, Alamy Love listening to The Story of Money? Join Robin and Gillian on Saturday September 5 at Kenwood House Gardens in London, or online as the FT Weekend paper comes to life. Register now at ft.com/festival and enjoy 10% off with code FTPodcast . To enjoy future episodes, be sure to subscribe to The Story of Money wherever you get your podcasts, also on the show's dedicated YouTube channel here : https://www.youtube.com/@FTTheStoryOfMoney Hosts: Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth Senior producers: Michela Tindera and Laurence Knight Executive producer: Manuela Saragosa Original music and sound design: Breen Turner Broadcast engineers: Bianca Wakeman and Petros Gioumpasis Podcast development: Laura Clarke FT global head of audio: Flo Phillips Video editors: Josh Divney and Kristen Kenyon at Podcast Discovery Learn more at www.ft.com/tsom or get in touch at thestoryofmoney@ft.com Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

August 5, 202654 min

The hidden financial world of ancient Rome

Ancient Rome is often depicted as a glamorous empire of power, sophistication and wealth. Yet for most people, the reality of daily life was precarious. Host Robin Wigglesworth talks to Kim Bowes, author of Surviving Rome: The Economic Lives of the Ninety Percent , about how ordinary Romans combined real grit with surprising financial sophistication in order to weather a system that was stacked against them. They uncover a hidden financial world in which women often ran the household finances, families delivered their own children into debt bondage and shepherds might sell wool futures on rented sheep. A far cry from the Rome of popular imagination, this is the ancient Roman empire as most Romans experienced it. Further reading: Surviving Rome: The Economic Lives of the Ninety Percent by Kim Bowes Credits: Getty Images Love listening to The Story of Money? Join Robin and Gillian on Saturday 5 September at Kenwood House Gardens in London, or online as the FT Weekend paper comes to life. Register now at ft.com/festival and enjoy 10% off with code FTPodcast . To enjoy future episodes, be sure to subscribe to The Story of Money wherever you get your podcasts, also on the show's dedicated YouTube channel here : https://www.youtube.com/@FTTheStoryOfMoney Learn more at www.ft.com/tsom or get in touch at thestoryofmoney@ft.com. Hosts: Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth Producer: Lulu Smyth Senior Producer: Michela Tindera Executive Producer: Manuela Saragosa Original music and sound design: Breen Turner Broadcast engineers: Bianca Wakeman and Petros Giuompasis Podcast Development: Laura Clarke FT Global Head of Audio: Flo Phillips Video editor: Josh Divney and Kristen Kenyon at Podcast Discovery Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

July 29, 202640 min

The canal that shaped American finance

The construction of the Erie Canal is one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in American history. But its most influential legacy is not the waterway itself, it is how it was paid for. Hosts Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth speak with financial historian Richard Sylla about how a gutsy New York City mayor won over politicians, citizens and investors to build something that not only transformed trade in a young nation, but also made New York City a financial centre and laid the blueprint for America’s municipal bond market. Further reading: Wedding of the Waters: The Erie Canal and the Making of a Great Nation (2006), by Peter L. Bernstein Credits: Getty Images. A performance of ‘Meeting of the Waters of the Hudson and Erie’ published by cplotter on YouTube To enjoy future episodes, be sure to subscribe to The Story of Money wherever you get your podcasts, also on the show's dedicated YouTube channel here : https://www.youtube.com/@FTTheStoryOfMoney Hosts: Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth Producer: Lulu Smyth Senior Producer: Michela Tindera Executive Producer: Manuela Saragosa Original music and sound design: Breen Turner Broadcast engineers: Bianca Wakeman and Petros Gioumpasis Podcast Development: Laura Clarke FT Global Head of Audio: Flo Phillips Video editors: Josh Divney and Kristen Kenyon at Podcast Discovery Learn more at www.ft.com/tsom or get in touch at thestoryofmoney@ft.com. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

July 22, 202654 min

The trader who made $100mn from the 1929 crash — only to lose it all

Jesse Livermore was a legendary trader who made and lost several fortunes in the early 20th century, most famously by shorting the Wall Street crash of 1929. His early life was immortalised in the roman à clef Reminiscences of a Stock Operator by Edwin Lefèvre, and his trading insights and stunning successes continue to inspire professional traders and would-be traders to this day. But his life also contains cautionary tales about the ease with which success can morph into failure, and what happens when the buzz of the markets is no longer enough. Host Robin Wigglesworth and the FT's US financial commentator Robert Armstrong explore the extraordinary life of the greatest day trader in history. Content note: This episode includes discussion of suicide and mental health. Further reading: Reminiscences of a Stock Operator (1923), Edwin Lefèvre 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History and How It Shattered a Nation (2025), Andrew Ross Sorkin Credits: Getty Images, The New York Times To enjoy future episodes, be sure to subscribe to The Story of Money wherever you get your podcasts, also on the show's dedicated YouTube channel here : https://www.youtube.com/@FTTheStoryOfMoney Learn more at www.ft.com/tsom or get in touch at thestoryofmoney@ft.com. Hosts: Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth Producer: Lulu Smyth Senior Producer: Michela Tindera Executive Producer: Manuela Saragosa Original music and sound design: Breen Turner Broadcast engineers: Bianca Wakeman and Petros Giuompasis Podcast Development: Laura Clarke FT Global Head of Audio: Flo Phillips Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

July 15, 202638 min

The financial crash that created Britain’s first prime minister

When the South Sea Bubble burst in 1720, it wiped out fortunes and plunged Britain into its first great stock market crisis. The collapse of the South Sea Company, a government-backed scheme that promised to turn national debt into riches, left the country's finances in disarray and threatened the credibility of the British state itself. Into the chaos stepped Robert Walpole. Charged with restoring confidence, he restructured the government's debts and laid the foundations for Britain's emergence as a financial superpower. In doing so, he became the country's first de facto prime minister, a title he rejected initially because it was widely used as an insult. In this episode, Robin Wigglesworth and Gillian Tett explore Walpole’s rise to power with Thomas Levenson, professor of science writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Further reading: Money for Nothing: The South Sea Bubble and the Invention of Modern Capitalism by Thomas Levenson To enjoy future episodes, be sure to subscribe to The Story of Money wherever you get your podcasts, also on the show's dedicated YouTube channel here : https://www.youtube.com/@FTTheStoryOfMoney Hosts: Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth Producer: Lulu Smyth Senior Producers: Michela Tindera and Laurence Knight Executive Producer: Manuela Saragosa Original music and sound design: Breen Turner FT Head of Audio: Flo Phillips Learn more at www.ft.com/tsom or get in touch at thestoryofmoney@ft.com Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

July 8, 202652 min

South Sea Bubble: the shoemaker’s son who sparked Britain’s first financial crisis

In 1720, the South Sea Company was one of the most valuable businesses in Britain until a spectacular collapse in its publicly traded shares triggered the country’s first major stock market crisis. At the centre of the story was John Blunt, a shoemaker’s son who rose through the ranks of the financial world to become one of the company’s key architects. In this episode, hosts Robin Wigglesworth and Gillian Tett speak to Professor Thomas Levenson about the speculation and financial engineering that inflated the South Sea Bubble, the strange copycat schemes it inspired and how its dramatic fallout helped reshape modern finance, while leaving Blunt disgraced and forever associated with one of history’s most notorious financial crashes. Further reading: Money for Nothing: South Sea Bubble and the Invention of Modern Capitalism (2020), by Thomas Levenson. Levenson’s latest book is A Pox on Fools: The Grifters and Sinners Who Want Us to Reject Vaccines (2026). Credits: Getty Images To enjoy future episodes, be sure to subscribe to The Story of Money wherever you get your podcasts, also on the show's dedicated YouTube channel here : https://www.youtube.com/@FTTheStoryOfMoney Hosts: Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth Producer: Lulu Smyth Senior Producers: Michela Tindera and Laurence Knight Executive Producer: Manuela Saragosa Original music and sound design: Breen Turner Broadcast engineers: Bianca Wakeman and Petros Giuompasis Podcast Development: Laura Clarke FT Global Head of Audio: Flo Phillips Video editor: Josh Divney and Kristen Kenyon at Podcast Discovery Learn more at www.ft.com/tsom or get in touch at thestoryofmoney@ft.com. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

July 1, 202655 min

The 1980s Garfield buyout that changed corporate finance

William E Simon was a bond trader-turned US cabinet secretary under President Richard Nixon. He was also abrasive, polarising and the “father of private equity”, according to Hettie O’Brien, author of The Asset Class: How Private Equity Turned Capitalism Against Itself . She tells hosts Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth how Simon orchestrated a deal that was so revolutionary, and so lucrative, that it kickstarted the leveraged buyout trend of the 1980s, which later gave way to the modern private equity industry. But how did we get from that one deal to a sector that’s now one of the largest alternative asset classes in the world? And if he was alive today, what would Simon think of the industry he helped create? Further reading: The Asset Class: How Private Equity Turned Capitalism Against Itself, by Hettie O’Brien (2026) Private capital has raised more money than it has returned Credits: Getty Images To enjoy future episodes, be sure to subscribe to The Story of Money wherever you get your podcasts, also on the show's dedicated YouTube channel here : https://www.youtube.com/@FTTheStoryOfMoney Hosts: Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth Producer: Lulu Smyth Senior Producers: Michela Tindera and Laurence Knight Executive Producer: Manuela Saragosa Original music and sound design: Breen Turner Broadcast engineers: Bianca Wakeman and Petros Giuompasis Podcast Development: Laura Clarke FT Global Head of Audio: Flo Phillips Video editor: Josh Divney and Kristen Kenyon at Podcast Discovery Learn more at www.ft.com/tsom or get in touch at thestoryofmoney@ft.com. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

June 24, 202647 min

The US dollar’s ‘immigrant’ origins

Today, when you think of a dollar, the US dollar probably comes to mind first. But that hasn’t always been the case. In this episode of The Story of Money, Brendan Greeley, the author of The Almighty Dollar: 500 Years of the World's Most Powerful Money, explains the origins of the world’s first dollar, the Joachimstaler, and the hapless Bohemian count who played a role in its creation. Greeley, and hosts Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth discuss the dollar’s evolution, and whether it may even outlive the current US dollar system. Further reading: The Almighty Dollar: 500 Years of the World's Most Powerful Money , by Brendan Greeley (2026) Credits: Getty Images, Brendan Greeley To enjoy future episodes, be sure to subscribe to The Story of Money wherever you get your podcasts, also on the show's dedicated YouTube channel here : https://www.youtube.com/@FTTheStoryOfMoney Hosts: Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth Producer: Lulu Smyth Senior Producers: Michela Tindera and Laurence Knight Executive Producer: Manuela Saragosa Original music and sound design: Breen Turner Broadcast engineers: Bianca Wakeman and Petros Giuompasis Podcast Development: Laura Clarke FT Global Head of Audio: Flo Phillips Video editor: Josh Divney and Kristen Kenyon at Podcast Discovery Learn more at www.ft.com/tsom or get in touch at thestoryofmoney@ft.com. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

June 17, 202650 min

The financial scams that brought Albania to the brink of war

In the mid-1990s, Albania appeared to be a nation on the rise. Emerging from decades of isolation and communist rule, people poured their savings into investment schemes that promised extraordinary returns. But many of those schemes were little more than giant Ponzi scams. When they collapsed in early 1997, millions of people lost everything. The financial meltdown triggered mass protests and armed uprisings. The government lost control of large parts of the country and Albania teetered on the edge of civil war. In this episode, we revisit one of the most dramatic financial disasters of the post-cold war era. Host Robin Wigglesworth speaks to Ortenca Aliaj, the FT’s banking editor who was a child in Albania during the crisis, about what it was like to live through the chaos, how the schemes captured an entire nation and what the collapse reveals about the dangerous mix of financial speculation, weak institutions and public trust. Further reading: The Shock Doctrine, Naomi Klein Credits: Getty Images To enjoy future episodes, be sure to subscribe to The Story of Money wherever you get your podcasts, also on the show's dedicated YouTube channel here : https://www.youtube.com/@FTTheStoryOfMoney Host: Robin Wigglesworth Producer: Laurence Knight Executive Producer: Manuela Saragosa Original music: Breen Turner Broadcast engineers: Bianca Wakeman and Petros Gioumpasis Podcast Development: Laura Clarke Video editor: Kristen Kenyon and Josh Divney at Podcast Discovery Learn more at www.ft.com/tsom or get in touch at thestoryofmoney@ft.com . Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

June 10, 202640 min

When Nixon put America first and took the dollar off gold

Today, when people hear the name Richard Nixon, they probably think of Watergate. Few remember another one of his most controversial acts – his suspension of the dollar’s convertibility into gold. The “Nixon Shock” as it became known was a quintessentially America First policy, which shattered the postwar global monetary order. But the US president was far more concerned about juicing the US economy and winning re-election than he was about upsetting America’s closest allies. In this second episode about Nixon’s pivotal decision, Professor Jeffrey Garten tells the story of its aftermath, while hosts Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth explore the parallels with the present-day America First presidency. Further reading: Three Days at Camp David: How a Secret Meeting in 1971 Transformed the Global Economy , by Jeffrey E Garten (2021) Gold and the dollar crisis , by Robert Triffin (1960) Our Dollar, Your Problem , by Kenneth Rogoff (2025) Credits: Getty Images, Associated Press, the Richard Nixon Presidential Library To enjoy future episodes, be sure to subscribe to The Story of Money wherever you get your podcasts, also on the show's dedicated YouTube channel here : https://www.youtube.com/@FTTheStoryOfMoney Hosts: Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth Producer: Laurence Knight Executive Producer: Manuela Saragosa Original music: Breen Turner Broadcast engineers: Bianca Wakeman and Petros Gioumpasis Podcast Development: Laura Clarke Video editor: Kristen Kenyon and Josh Divney at Podcast Discovery Learn more at www.ft.com/tsom or get in touch at thestoryofmoney@ft.com . Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.