AJ Bell Money Matters

Triple lock and TikTok finfluencers

On this episode Laura and Danni explain everything you need to know about the financial hot potato that is the state pension triple lock. They bust through all the jargon and discuss why the state pension increase is so controversial. And with more people than ever turning to social media for investment and finance tips, Laura chats to the founder of This Girl Talks Money, Ellie Austin-Williams, about how to separate the good from the bad in the world of finfluencers.

Why does economic abuse impact so many women?

On this episode Danni and Laura look into the realities of economic abuse. It’s a tough topic but an important one to tackle as it disproportionately affects women, with one in six women in the UK having experienced economic abuse by a current or former partner. Often it begins at points in life when women can feel isolated or vulnerable, like during maternity leave.

Danni talks to Lauren Garret from the charity Surviving Economic Abuse about how to recognise abuse and where to go for help. Plus, new consumer duty regulations brought in by the financial watchdog the FCA are likely help victims, so Laura chats to AJ Bell’s guru on the topic, Charlene Young, about what the changes mean for your finances.

Football’s gender pay gap plus The Female Money Doc

As the Women’s World Cup in Australia gets underway Danni and Laura lay bare the gender pay gap in the sport. While the gap has narrowed considerably since the last tournament, prize money for women is still a quarter of the men’s World Cup.

Our interview looks at how both physical and financial health are closely tied, according to Dr Nikki Ramskill aka The Female Money Doc. The GP and money coach talks about how the cost of living crisis and post pandemic waiting lists are having a real impact on women’s financial health. 

Hello baby: Tips to prepare your finances for motherhood

This week Danni and Laura discuss a huge financial event in many women’s lives – motherhood. It’s one of those moments that makes a huge difference to women’s finances – not just in the first months when you are kitting out the nursery and on maternity leave, but also childcare costs and the motherhood juggle.

The pair discuss their own family journeys and Danni chats to finance blogger and influencer Tolu Frimpong who took time out from her maternity leave with baby number four to talk about how to get a jump on all those important forms and avoiding unnecessary spend on social media trends.

How to spot (and fix) your childhood money hang-ups

On this episode we explore why lessons learnt as a child are still negatively impacting your financial decisions today. Laura chats to money and mindset expert Laura Ann Moore from the financial education platform Mind Money Soul, who explains why the way we spend and save now is influenced by our childhood, and gives us some fascinating tips on how we can shake off some of the bad habits we’ve picked up.

Amid the doom and gloom of the news at the moment, Danni and Laura unearth various bits of good news – including that more women than ever are investing.

Your low-down on the mortgage meltdown

On this episode Laura and Danni tackle the subject du-jour: what’s going on with the mortgage market? They cover what you need to know if you’re re-mortgaging or just looking for that first home loan, the trend towards ultra-long mortgages and why there’s so much mayhem in mortgage markets right now.

They’ve also enlisted Charlotte Tollitt, a mortgage broker at Meet Margo, to cut through the jargon and explain the different products, when you should start looking for your next mortgage and ways to beat those interest rates rises.

How to take a career break – and successfully return to work

On this episode we are talking career breaks. Lots of women take time out when they have kids, but there are plenty of other reasons you might take a break from work. 

Laura and Danni give you all the tips to plan ahead so your finances suffer the smallest shock possible – and Danni chats to author and coach Jessica Chivers, from the Comeback Community, who shares the steps you can take to boost your confidence when you make that transition back into a job.

How to beat lifestyle creep

On this episode Danni and Laura discuss “lifestyle creep”. From increasingly luxurious summer holidays to extra streaming subscriptions to keep the kids happy, it’s easy to get sucked into paying more and more every year. 

Laura chats to Stacey Lowman from Claro Wellbeing who has tips on how to beat the creep, how to avoid falling victim to social media envy and how to differentiate it from constantly rising inflation. Danni and Laura also discuss investing tactics and the differences between investing a lump sum and having a regular savings plan.

Too young for a pension – think again!

On this episode Danni and Laura discuss why pension planning in your 20s can help narrow that gender investment gap. For many retirement might seem a very long way off but making sure you have enough in your pot, so your living standards don’t fall in later life, takes time. To find out how much we really should be saving, and get tips and tricks to make the most out of the system Laura chats to Charlene Young, AJ Bell’s pension and savings expert.

Danni and Laura also discuss why food inflation is still so high and how you can make the most of loyalty cards and vouchers to cut the cost of your weekly shop.

The financial perils of cohabiting – with a Lord and TikTok’s Legal Queen

On this episode of the Money Matters podcast Laura and Danni explore the common myth that cohabiting couples have the same rights as married couples or those in a civil partnership under what many people refer to as “common law marriage”.  Spoiler alert: they don’t, even if they have children together. And if their relationship breaks down or one of the couple passes away, they could find themselves dealing with a whole lot of unexpected stress and financial pressures.

Cohabitation is the fastest growing family type in the UK, but many couples do not realise they just don’t have the same legal status as couples who are married or in a civil partnership. To get the low down on the law, Laura talks to Tracey Moloney aka social media’s Legal Queen to spell it out for us.  And Danni catches up with Lord Marks – the liberal democrat peer who is hoping the bill he brought forward to change the law around cohabiting might one day become law.