Yes – the chocolate is finished and the egg hunt packed away for another year.
Yes – it’s the start of a new tax year.
And yes – Smug Money is back.
Our podcast exploring all things good money returns for Season 2, kicking off with an interview with lawyer-turned-sub-Saharan decarbonisation leader and CEO of Energise Africa, Ray Coyle.
Ray talks us through the real-world impact of expanding access to clean energy across Africa – from children able to do their homework after dark, to boda-boda riders increasing their incomes by up to 60 per cent by switching to electric bikes, to entire communities seeing improvements in health and quality of life as they move away from kerosene.
Energise Africa connects everyday UK investors with clean energy businesses across Sub-Saharan Africa. Through the platform, you can fund projects ranging from solar home systems and mini-grids to clean cooking and low-carbon transport.
Many projects offer fixed long-term returns of around six to eight per cent, with minimum investments from £50, and can be held within an Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA) – making them tax-efficient as well as impactful.
This episode brings to life the idea behind Smug Money: feeling good about your money – not just how much you have, but what it does in the world.
Because investments such as these are about more than a financial return. They create tangible, real-world change – and that can fundamentally shift your relationship with money.
In a world where many people feel disconnected from finance, that matters.
It also highlights something important: impact investing isn’t just about aligning with your values – it’s about understanding the real-world consequences of your financial choices.
Used thoughtfully, IFISAs like those available through Energise Africa can sit alongside more traditional options such as cash ISAs, stocks and shares ISAs, or pensions – adding something those investments often can’t offer: a direct line between your money and its impact.
Listen to the episode
If you’ve ever wondered whether your money could do more, or wanted to understand what impact investing looks like beyond the headlines, this episode is a great place to start.
Listen to Smug Money featuring Ray Coyle.
And if you’d like to go deeper, look out for our Good Guide to Investing with Impact through IFISAs, sponsored by Ethex and Triodos Crowdfunding.
Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high – risk investment and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more
