March 25, 2025
The Leith Wheeler Podcast Playlist
Mark Twain nailed it when he wrote, “The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them.” Don’t we all aspire to reading texts that enrich our understanding of the world, our fellow humans, their motivations, and our own? To highlight what our partners at Leith Wheeler are reading, we published this collection of book recommendations last summer that focused on investing, but also biographies, technology, geopolitics, the ocean, true crime & history, and gender equity.
While Twain’s point was valid and well made, in singling out books he could not have anticipated the incredible rise of podcasts. And rise they have, with global listenership approaching 550 million in 2024.
One of the challenges of all that growth is that success attracts supply, so it can be challenging to parse the wheat from the chaff among the 6 million podcast options currently available on Spotify alone. In response, I reached out to my partners again to ask what they’re listening to, and was thrilled to curate the amazing list below. For it, we’ve shown our “Top 10” investment podcasts + “Top 5” for investment-adjacent and non-investment podcasts, along with additional “Honourable Mentions” at the bottom. They’re all worth a listen!
Before We Start – Tips for the Uninitiated
If you’re not already listening to podcasts, here are a few pointers for getting started:
- Podcasts generally don’t live “on the internet.” You need to download an app from the app store on your phone and then search for the names of the podcasts that interest you. You then hit "Follow" or “Subscribe” and the app will download a few episodes for you. You can then download additional episodes from the back catalog, as desired. Going forward the app will also generally download new episodes as they’re released.
- As a rule, podcasts are free! Some offer options for you to pay a small fee to get early access to episodes or additional commentary, but that’s entirely optional.
- If you have an iPhone, it comes pre-loaded with Apple’s “Podcasts” app, which looks like this:
- There are lots of options to access podcasts, but the big guys dominate: in a recent study, 64% of listeners identified YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts as the platforms they used most.
What Podcasts We’re Listening To
Note the descriptions are those of the podcast providers. If you’re on your phone, click the platform links to open any podcast on either Apple or Spotify (download if you don’t have the app).
Top 10 Podcasts: Investing
Acquired*
Learn the playbooks that built the world’s greatest companies — and how you can apply them as a founder, operator, or investor.
*Leith Wheeler hosts an internal “book club” meeting every month in which we talk about episodes of this excellent podcast.
Animal Spirits
Animal Spirits is a show about markets, life, and investing. Join Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson as they talk about what they're reading, writing, listening to and watching. Look for new episodes every Wednesday morning.
Enterprising Investor*
Formerly Guiding Assets, Enterprising Investor is the flagship podcast of CFA Institute and the definitive program for the investment management industry. As stewards of the investment industry, Enterprising Investor will feature intimate conversations with some of the most influential people from the world of finance about the topics that matter most to investment professionals. The podcast is ranked in the top 10% of business podcasts globally.
*A biased recommendation as I host this podcast for CFA Institute!
Founders with David Senra
Learn from history's greatest entrepreneurs. Every week I read a biography of an entrepreneur and find ideas you can use in your work. This quote explains why: "There are thousands of years of history in which lots and lots of very smart people worked very hard and ran all types of experiments on how to create new businesses, invent new technology, new ways to manage etc. They ran these experiments throughout their entire lives. At some point, somebody put these lessons down in a book. For very little money and a few hours of time, you can learn from someone’s accumulated experience. There is so much more to learn from the past than we often realize. You could productively spend your time reading experiences of great people who have come before and you learn every time." —Marc Andreessen
HerMoney with Jean Chatzky
Anyone who tells you women don’t need financial advice specifically for them is wrong. Women, whether they’re the caretakers, the breadwinners, or both, face a unique set of financial challenges. That’s where HerMoney comes in. In her frank, often funny, but always compassionate way, Jean Chatzky takes her audience of women through the steps they need to take today to live comfortably (and worry-free) tomorrow, offering the latest research, expert tips and personal advice. Want more money news when you need it? Get the latest and greatest updates on all things investing, budgeting, and making money.
Masters in Business
Bloomberg Radio host Barry Ritholtz has in-depth discussions with the people and ideas that shape markets, investing and business.
Standard Deviations with Dr. Daniel Crosby
The Standard Deviations podcast is a weekly production that looks at money, mind and meaning, all through a psychological lens. Each week, psychologist and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Daniel Crosby interviews a fascinating new guest, experts in everything from finance to literature to wellness. Each guest provides listeners with three concrete ways to apply what was learned that week, ensuring that weekly listening becomes part of a path to a richer life. Episodes are brief, research-based, and designed to fit perfectly within your commute time. So, tune in for practical news that will help you make more, think more and be more.
The Compound & Friends
Join Downtown Josh Brown, Michael Batnick, and a rotation of their friends every Friday for expert insight and hot takes on the latest in business and investing.
The Long Term Investor
We all need to make smart decisions with our money. The Long Term Investor shows you how to do it.
Hosted by the Chief Investment Officer at Plancorp and author of “Making Money Simple,” Peter Lazaroff distills complex financial matters into easily digestible lessons. If you’re ready to get a clear plan for your investments and personal finances, you’re in the right place.
The Memo by Howard Marks
On October 12, 1990, Oaktree Co-Chairman Howard Marks published his first memo to clients. In the decades since, he has periodically released memos reflecting his viewpoint on the investment landscape, as well as more general business insights. On this podcast we'll hear the latest memos by Howard, released in tandem with or shortly after their publication.
Top 5 Podcasts: Investment-Adjacent
A Seat at the Table – Trials and Triumphs of Family Business
Hosted by Natalie Mariani Kling, a 4th generation family business owner. In a time where we want to KNOW the people behind a brand, and where authenticity and trust play a big part in our purchases as consumers, having a family that runs and operates a business over generations can create a very special culture where its success is built on relationships from vendors to employees to customers. On this podcast, expect real conversations with real family business members about what it’s like to be in a family business, run a family business, and the trials and triumphs of taking it into the next generation.
The Intelligence from the Economist
Get a daily burst of illumination from The Economist’s worldwide network of correspondents. Our reporters dig past the headlines to get to the stories beneath—and to stories that aren’t making headlines, but should be. A unique perspective on the issues and events shaping your world.
The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish (Farnham Street)
Master the best of what other people have already figured out. Skip decades of trial and error. Each episode reveals proven insights from world-class performers. No fluff. No small talk. Just actionable wisdom for your business and life.
The Peter Zeihan Podcast Series
Geopolitical Strategist Peter Zeihan is a global energy, demographic and security expert. If you want to stay informed on the realities of geography and populations, you've come to the right place. Zeihan's worldview offers insights into how global politics impact markets and economic trends, helping industry leaders navigate today’s complex mix of geopolitical risks and opportunities. Expect a forward-looking approach to what will drive tomorrow’s headlines, delivered in digestible, accessible and relevant takeaways for audiences of all types.
The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway
Bestselling author, professor and entrepreneur Scott Galloway combines business insight and analysis with provocative life and career advice. On Mondays, Prof G Markets breaks down what’s moving the capital markets, teaching the basics of financial literacy so you can build economic security. Wednesdays, during Office Hours, Scott answers your questions about business, career, and life. Thursdays, Scott has a conversation with a blue-flame thinker in the innovation economy. And Scott closes the week on Saturdays with his Webby Award–winning newsletter, No Mercy / No Malice, as read by actor and raconteur George Hahn.
Top 5 Podcasts: Non-Investment
Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History
In "Hardcore History" the very unconventional Dan Carlin takes his "Martian," outside-the-box way of thinking and applies it to the past. Was Alexander the Great as bad a person as Adolf Hitler? What would Apaches with modern weapons be like? Will our modern civilization ever fall like civilizations from past eras? This is a difficult-to-classify show that has a rather sharp edge.
Hidden Brain with Shankar Vedantam
Why do I feel stuck? How can I become more creative? What can I do to improve my relationships? If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions, you’re not alone. On Hidden Brain, we help you understand your own mind — and the minds of the people around you. (We're routinely rated the #1 science podcast in the United States.) Hosted by veteran science journalist Shankar Vedantam.
Huberman Lab
The Huberman Lab podcast is hosted by Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., a neuroscientist and tenured professor at Stanford School of Medicine. The podcast discusses neuroscience and science-based tools, including how our brain and its connections with the organs of our body control our perceptions, our behaviors, and our health, as well as existing and emerging tools for measuring and changing how our nervous system works. The Huberman Lab podcast is frequently ranked in the top 10 of all podcasts globally and is often ranked #1 in the categories of Science, Education, and Health & Fitness.
RadioLab
Radiolab is on a curiosity bender. We ask deep questions and use investigative journalism to get the answers. A given episode might whirl you through science, legal history, and into the home of someone halfway across the world. The show is known for innovative sound design, smashing information into music. It is hosted by Lulu Miller and Latif Nasser.
Revisionist History
Revisionist History is Malcolm Gladwell's journey through the overlooked and the misunderstood. Every episode re-examines something from the past—an event, a person, an idea, even a song—and asks whether we got it right the first time. Because sometimes the past deserves a second chance.
Honourable Mentions: Investing
Eye on the Market by JP Morgan
Join Michael Cembalest as he explores a wide variety of investment topics, including the economy, policy and markets.
Odd Lots
Bloomberg's Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway explore the most interesting topics in finance, markets and economics. Join the conversation every Monday and Thursday.
Planet Money
Wanna see a trick? Give us any topic and we can tie it back to the economy. At Planet Money, we explore the forces that shape our lives and bring you along for the ride. Don't just understand the economy – understand the world.
The Canadian Investor
The podcast features in depth discussion around individual stocks and various investing strategies while incorporating the nuances of Canadian investment vehicles. Show hosts Braden Dennis and Simon Belanger bring both experience, fresh takes, well-researched information and entertainment to an investing podcast for Canadians.
The Loonie Hour
The Loonie Hour is a Canadian-based macro-economic podcast covering newsworthy events across the globe and how they will impact Canadians.
Thoughts on the Market by Morgan Stanley
Short, thoughtful and regular takes on recent events in the markets from a variety of perspectives and voices within Morgan Stanley.
Honourable Mentions: Investment-Adjacent
Let’s Talk Family Enterprise Podcast by Family Enterprise Canada
Hosted by Aileen Miziolek and Steve Legler, Let’s Talk Family Enterprise explores global ideas, concepts and models related to family enterprise advising. Created for FEA designates and members of Family Enterprise Canada.
Money Stuff
The audio companion to Bloomberg Opinion’s beloved Money Stuff column hosted by its author Matt Levine, “whose deadpan style mixes technical elucidation and wit” (NY Times). Once a week, Matt and his friend, Bloomberg News reporter and TV host Katie Greifeld, talk about Wall Street, finance and…other stuff. New episodes every Friday.
The Briefing by Monocle Radio
A pacy round-up of the day’s main news stories, anchored from London by a Monocle editor. The show features informed reporting, prescient business analysis and invaluable industry reports covering everything from technology to aviation and retail to media.
The Missing Crypto Queen by BBC Sounds
Dr Ruja Ignatova persuaded millions to join her financial revolution. Then she disappeared. Why? Jamie Bartlett presents a story of greed, deceit and herd madness.
Honourable Mentions: Non-Investment
Epsilon Theory Podcast with Ben Hunt
Epsilon Theory is an exploration of the most powerful force in our social world - narrative. See more at www.epsilontheory.com.
The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge
The Bridge reflects on the issues of the day, covering topics such as politics, public health, technology, and more.
This American Life
Each week we choose a theme. Then anything can happen. This American Life is true stories that unfold like little movies for radio. Personal stories with funny moments, big feelings, and surprising plot twists. Newsy stories that try to capture what it’s like to be alive right now. It’s the most popular weekly podcast in the world, and winner of the first ever Pulitzer Prize for a radio show or podcast. Hosted by Ira Glass and produced in collaboration with WBEZ Chicago.
Under the Influence with Terry O’Reilly
Under the Influence gives listeners a rare backstage pass into the hallways, boardrooms and recording studios of the ad industry. Join host and adman Terry O’Reilly for fascinating (and humorous) stories that connect the dots between pop culture, marketing and human nature.
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