Forty-nine-year-old Jane has always been careful to squirrel money away, and a recent inheritance has boosted her nest egg to £125,000. But there’s one problem: it’s all in cash. Now, with half an eye on retirement, Jane wants to start investing but is unsure about how to do this.

Presenter Claer Barrett hears from experts Emma Sterland, chief financial planning director at Evelyn Partners, and Investors’ Chronicle editor Rosie Carr. Together, they discuss how Jane might make the most of tax-efficient vehicles like the stocks and shares Isa, how a first-time investor could build a diversified portfolio, and why knowing your reasons for investing is so important.

Disclaimer: the Money Clinic podcast is intended as a general discussion about investing, and is not intended as financial advice or any kind of investment recommendation. Everybody’s financial situation is different. You should always do your own research before you make any investment decisions.

If you would like to be a guest on a future episode of Money Clinic, email us at money@ft.com or send Claer a DM on social media — she’s @ClaerB on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

Want more? Free links:

Read Claer’s recent column weighing up the likely effect of rumoured Isa reforms: https://on.ft.com/4hdLMX5

What’s going into your Isa this year? Read this guide about how to pick diversified investments by FT columnist Moira O’Neill: https://on.ft.com/4hcyKZP

Presented by Claer Barrett, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, with mix and sound design from Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco and Joe Salcedo. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

View our accessibility guide.