The Risk-Takers with Simon Reeve and Christina Lamb

Not many of us can claim to have hunted with the Bushmen of the Kalahari, been detained for spying by the KGB, or smuggled ourselves over a border into an active war zone under the floorboards of an ambulance. Yet for our latest guests on the Futureverse, this is all in a day’s work.

The Sunday Times’ Chief Foreign Correspondent Christina Lamb, who has been covering conflict around the globe for over three decades, does not, however, regard herself as a risk-taker.. It was not an attraction to danger that led her into war reporting, but a surprise wedding invitation that landed on her desk in 1987. Similarly, as a teenager, the adventurer and broadcaster Simon Reeve, enjoyed the thrill of cycling down Acton High Street on his BMX, but did not imagine that he would spend his early professional life on the tail of neo-Nazi terrorists in Boston Spa.

In this special episode of the Futureverse, Christina and Simon join Kamal Ahmed to discuss their attitudes to risk: what motivates them to take the risks that they do and how do they calculate risk on the ground? Their conversation is a fascinating insight into what it means to put your life on the line in order to shed light on the darkest corners of the world. It also is a prescient reminder of Y TREE’s core principles: mitigate unnecessary risk – even Simon Reeve will not get in a car without a seat belt – and always set a personal risk level that feels right for you.

Reimagining Worth with Jon Sopel, Lucy Kellaway, Adrienne Buller and Simon Brewer

How do we define value? How has this changed over time? And who decides what is deemed valuable? For centuries, society has seen value mainly through an economic lens: one takes a job because of its monetary benefits; marriage is a financially beneficial relationship that enables stability; and the true test of a business is its profit at the end of the year. But is this changing? In recent years, factors such as climate change, social justice and the pandemic have forced us to reconsider how we define value. We are in the era of the Value Revolution.

In this video, recorded on July 5 at Y TREE's second live event in the Futureverse series, three experts discuss and debate some of the most pressing issues that have arisen as a result of this critical turning point: Will private equity transform the financial industry? Can capitalism really adapt so that things other than monetary value are considered important in business, including fairness and environmental impact? And are we finally seeing a growing awareness that value is not always quantified by a price tag? Some things, such as time, health, job satisfaction and the survival of our planet are surely worth more than a number in a bank account.

Simon Brewer, host of the award-winning Money Maze Podcast, gives us his thoughts on the dramatic shifts in the economy over the last few decades. Political economist and author Adrienne Buller argues that businesses that engage in sustainability initiatives and ‘green capitalism’ are harming rather than helping the planet. And Lucy Kellaway, former FT columnist, now charity founder, author and maths and economics teacher, offers a fresh way to decide what to prioritise in our personal and professional lives. Expertly hosted by broadcaster Jon Sopel, this is a conversation that is guaranteed to change the way you think about value and worth.

Redefining Legacy: The Inheritance Debate with Peter Singer, Julia Davies & Adrian Wooldridge

Some of the richest people in the world have decided against bequeathing their fortunes to their children; from Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, to Daniel Craig and Michael Sheen. The proponents of this view offer many arguments, including the idea that inheriting huge wealth can detrimentally impact children, distorting anything they might do with their life. They also argue that the wealthy are morally obliged to give most, or all, of their wealth away to effective causes – children, or no children.

Nonetheless, historically, the vast majority of parents have decided to hand down their wealth to their children, believing it will help rather than harm them.

In this episode, three leading thinkers come together to debate the motion ‘The kindest thing a parent can do for their child is to leave them nothing.’ Utilitarian philosopher Professor Peter Singer champions the moral imperative for the wealthy to give to the global poor; Julia Davies, a member of Patriotic Millionaires UK, advocates for a wealth tax, arguing that it should not be down to the rich to decide whether – and how – to give their wealth away; and author and academic Adrian Wooldridge argues that wealthy individuals are a net positive for society. Expertly moderated by journalist and broadcaster Kamal Ahmed, this conversation is a thought-provoking insight into one of the biggest decisions any parent has to make.

At Leisure: How Our Hobbies Set Us Free

The literal translation of amateur is ‘lover of’ so why is it a word so often steeped in derogatory overtones? Why, when we’re asked for our hobbies, are we inclined to diminish their status in our lives? Our hobbies make us human. From pottery, to geo-guessing; orienteering to stamp collecting; it is in these small, often quiet, building blocks of life that we so often find true meaning and connection.

In this episode, Kamal Ahmed is joined by the editor of Prospect Magazine, and amateur pianist Alan Rusbridger; Senior Partner at Slaughter and May and composer Steve Cooke; comedian, writer and Adult Fan of LEGO Emma Kennedy; and, ex-property developer turned golfer extraordinaire Mark Gershinson to discuss the joy of part-time pursuits and being an amateur.

Join us for a conversation that seeks to reinvigorate the concept of the hobby and renew it with it’s true meaning: hobbies, from the run of the mill to the absurd, are about our passions; they are about self-discovery; and about building a life that fulfils us and provides contentment. Whether you’re a relentless hobbyist or have been prevaricating about booking that first violin lesson, this episode is for you: remember, it’s never too late to start.

Redefining Legacy: How to Give - Kamal Ahmed, Anna Josse & David Duke

So, you’ve decided you want to begin donating to charity. But how?

In this episode, Kamal Ahmed speaks to Anna Josse, the CEO and Founder of Prism the Gift Fund, a registered charity which administers the giving of significant gifts to charities all over the world, and David Duke MBE, the Founder and CEO of Street Soccer Scotland and Street Soccer London, non-profit social enterprises that use football to help create positive change in the lives of socially disadvantaged adults and young people.

In conversation with Kamal, Anna and David discuss the nuts and bolts of charitable giving from their own unique perspectives. Through her work at Prism, Anna has facilitated the making of millions of pounds of charitable donations around the world, and across sectors, while David founded his own charity on the basis of his own personal experience of homelessness. From how to take advantage of Gift Aid to how to choose between different charities, this is an enlightening conversation guaranteed to demystify this complex space and provide practical advice for anyone seeking to build a philanthropic legacy.

Redefining Legacy: How to Give - Kamal Ahmed, Anna Josse & David Duke

So, you’ve decided you want to begin donating to charity. But how?

In this episode, Kamal Ahmed speaks to Anna Josse, the CEO and Founder of Prism the Gift Fund, a registered charity which administers the giving of significant gifts to charities all over the world, and David Duke MBE, the Founder and CEO of Street Soccer Scotland and Street Soccer London, non-profit social enterprises that use football to help create positive change in the lives of socially disadvantaged adults and young people.

In conversation with Kamal, Anna and David discuss the nuts and bolts of charitable giving from their own unique perspectives. Through her work at Prism, Anna has facilitated the making of millions of pounds of charitable donations around the world, and across sectors, while David founded his own charity on the basis of his own personal experience of homelessness. From how to take advantage of Gift Aid to how to choose between different charities, this is an enlightening conversation guaranteed to demystify this complex space and provide practical advice for anyone seeking to build a philanthropic legacy.

Event: The World be a Better Place in 5, 50 and 500 Years

Most of us have a five-year plan. Serious legacy investors will have a 50-year plan. But very few people think about what the world will be like in 500 years. How does one begin to imagine a short-term, medium-term, or long-term future? What tools do we have at our disposal to predict the future? And if we can predict with some level of accuracy, will that enable us to create a better world?

For our very first event we were joined by sculptor Sir Antony Gormley, futurist and entrepreneur Mo Gawdat and climate activist Clover Hogan to debate the motion: the world will be a better place in 5, 50, 500 years. We explored the future of art and its role in the public space, how tech and artificial intelligence will evolve, and the way these topics affect happiness and creativity. Can we make the world a better place? And how are we going to tackle the biggest issue of our time: climate change?

Chairing the discussion was Jon Sopel, award-winning journalist, broadcaster and author.

The Future of Food with Thomasina Miers

The need to feed ourselves has been a constant throughout human history. But, in an era of climate collapse, global conflict and the resulting mass movement of people, the way we feed the world now – and will do so in the future – is fiercely contested. In our first video, restaurateur Thomasina Miers shares a vision of the future of food policy that supports our health and the environment, pays food producers and farmers equitably, and gives people – no matter their income – the tools to feed themselves with delicious, nutritious food.

The Future of the Internet with Martha Lane Fox

Businesswoman, dot-com entrepreneur and campaigner Baroness Lane Fox had to battle in the late 1990s to convince people that the internet was going to exist at all. Today, we can hardly imagine our lives without it – or without the anxieties that accompany its use. We have an internet that enables interference in democratic processes; we have an internet that allows a young person to be radicalised from their bedroom; we have an internet that facilitates identity theft overnight. Indeed, we now have not one internet, but many: a splintering kaleidoscope of different national internets in competition with those of other states, often hostile. In our second video for The Futureverse, Baroness Lane Fox imagines a future in which these concerns have been stripped away; one in which we exist more seamlessly with internet technologies and, in turn, we have harnessed their power to solve the world’s biggest problems and propel us far beyond our known universe.

The Future of Cities with Meneesha Kellay

The construction industry contributes over 40 per cent to global carbon emissions, and yet, our built environment is still up for grabs: cityscapes are seen as an investment opportunity. The climate crisis will necessitate a shift in mindset, but how will we be designing our cities in the future? In our final video for The Futureverse, Meneesha Kellay, a curator of the British Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2023, imagines how we will be building in 500 years.

The Y TREE Value Revolution

As part of the Value Revolution theme in our #Futureverse series, we invited clients, shareholders and friends to join us for an exclusive pre-opening of London’s first immersive, multi-dimensional art experience, Frameless, earlier this month.

Two of Y TREE’s three co-founders, Stuart Cash and Arik Peretz, took the floor alongside Head of Brand and Marketing, Harriet Johnston, to explain how we’re using Financial Life Intelligence to help our clients gain greater transparency, efficiency and meaning over their financial lives.