John Tusa, the former BBC World Service managing director and ex‑Barbican Arts Centre chief, has turned 90 and launched a new interview series called The Best Is Yet To Come. The podcast, featuring guests such as Lady Antonia Fraser and Michael Heseltine, is now streaming on all major platforms .

“The Best Is Yet To Come” pairs nonagenarians for fresh perspectives

According to the source, Tusa’s show focuses on conversations with people who have crossed the 90‑year threshold, aiming to capture the wisdom accrued over nine decades. episodes already include a former historian and a former deputy prime minister,illustrating the breadth of experience the series seeks.

£130,000 annual salary at the Barbican marks Tusa’s peak earnings

The report notes that while Tusa earned his highest pay as managing director of the BBC World Service, his later role as leader of the Barbican Arts Centre brought an annual salary of about £130,000 before he left in 2007. This fiugre underscores the financial upside of senior cultural leadership in the UK.

Early pocket‑money audits shaped a lifelong budgeting habit

Tusa attributes his meticulous tracking of weekly and monthly expenses to his father, who forced him to account for every shilling while at boarding school. He still follows the same practice, a habit the source says helped him navigate early married‑life hardships, including reliance on child‑benefit vouchers.

Tax‑advantaged savings outrank freelance fees in Tusa’s regret ledger

The source highlights two financial takeaways from Tusa’s interview: his biggest regret was not negotiating higher fees for speaking gigs, whereas his best decision was maximising pensions and ISAs.. He urges listeners to exploit these tax‑efficient vehicles, a stance he repeats throughout the conversation.

Who will inherit Tusa’s legacy of spending over saving?

While Tusa’s sons have told him to enjoy his wealth rather than hoard it for inheritance, the source leaves open whether future generations will follow the same philosophy. The interview does not reveal any concrete plans for bequests, leaving that aspect of his financial story unresolved.