They are history’s geniuses. But were they any good at investing? episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 22, 2026 · 38 MIN

They are history’s geniuses. But were they any good at investing?

from Behind the Money

Does scientific, artistic or political brilliance translate into investing success? It’s a topical question with hedge funds today accused of sucking talent away from the rest of the economy. So, the FT’s Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth sat down with reporter Toby Nangle, who has dug into the archives to assess the investment portfolios of Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Winston Churchill, John Maynard Keynes and other widely regarded geniuses of the past. What Toby found may surprise you, as will the historical wildcard he’s unearthed.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.Learn more at ft.com/tsomWant more?Read Toby’s full FT article here.Toby’s sources: On Churchill: https://www.amazon.co.uk/No-More-Champagne-Churchill-Money/dp/1784081817On J.M.W. Turner:https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5718586On John Maynard Keynes:https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2023011https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2287262On Einstein:https://einstein-website.de/en/what-happened-to-the-nobel-prize-money/#:~:text=By%20May%201924%2C%20Mileva%20had,visible%20result%20of%20my%20musings%E2%80%9D.On Jane Austen:https://jasna.org/publications-2/persuasions-online/vol36no1/toran/Hosts: Gillian Tett and Robin WigglesworthGuest: Toby NangleProducer: Lulu SmythSenior Producers: Michela Tindera and Laurence Knight Executive Producers: Flo Phillips and Manuela SaragosaOriginal music: Breen TurnerBroadcast engineers: Bianca Wakeman and Petros GiuompasisPodcast Development: Laura ClarkeFT Global Head of Audio: Cheryl BrumleyVideo editor: Josh Divney at Podcast DiscoveryRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does scientific, artistic or political brilliance translate into investing success? It’s a topical question with hedge funds today accused of sucking talent away from the rest of the economy. So, the FT’s Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth sat down with reporter Toby Nangle, who has dug into the archives to assess the investment portfolios of Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Winston Churchill, John Maynard Keynes and other widely regarded geniuses of the past. What Toby found may surprise you, as will the historical wildcard he’s unearthed.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.Learn more at ft.com/tsomWant more?Read Toby’s full FT article here.Toby’s sources: On Churchill: https://www.amazon.co.uk/No-More-Champagne-Churchill-Money/dp/1784081817On J.M.W. Turner:https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5718586On John Maynard Keynes:https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2023011https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2287262On Einstein:https://einstein-website.de/en/what-happened-to-the-nobel-prize-money/#:~:text=By%20May%201924%2C%20Mileva%20had,visible%20result%20of%20my%20musings%E2%80%9D.On Jane Austen:https://jasna.org/publications-2/persuasions-online/vol36no1/toran/Hosts: Gillian Tett and Robin WigglesworthGuest: Toby NangleProducer: Lulu SmythSenior Producers: Michela Tindera and Laurence Knight Executive Producers: Flo Phillips and Manuela SaragosaOriginal music: Breen TurnerBroadcast engineers: Bianca Wakeman and Petros GiuompasisPodcast Development: Laura ClarkeFT Global Head of Audio: Cheryl BrumleyVideo editor: Josh Divney at Podcast DiscoveryRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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They are history’s geniuses. But were they any good at investing?

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Does scientific, artistic or political brilliance translate into investing success? It’s a topical question with hedge funds today accused of sucking talent away from the rest of the economy. So, the FT’s Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth sat down...

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