AJ Bell Money Matters

On this episode Danni and Laura dig into the findings of a survey that reveals that more than 7 million households are still struggling to make ends meet despite falling inflation. And as Barbie celebrates her 65thbirthday we’ll be chatting to one woman who made her living playing the role. Charlotte Clemie was employed by Mattel to be their official Barbie in the UK before she became a mum of thr...

On this episode of the AJ Bell Money Matters podcast Danni and Laura chat to AJ Bell’s Head of Public Policy and pension guru, Rachel Vahey. They discuss the increasingly important issue of lost pension pots and how to find them. Rachel also talks through how consolidating your pensions into one pot could make life simpler and help you plan for retirement. She explains the pots you should leave al...

On this episode of the Money Matters podcast, we put all your burning money questions to Financial Adviser Jane Gow, who is founder of Clear Cut Chartered Financial Planners. You asked about a wide range of issues from when you should lock in interest rates on cash savings, to how to start a pension and whether to prioritise saving for a house or retirement in your 30s. Danni and Laura also take y...

In this special bonus episode of the podcast for International Women’s Day, Danni and Laura discuss this year’s theme, Inspire Inclusion, and how in particular women in mid-life have been pushing boundaries over the past few years to become more visible and included. They’re joined by former editor of The Sunday Times magazine Eleanor Mills, who started the “Noon” community to help these women (wh...

On this episode of the AJ Bell Money Matters podcast Laura and Danni ask what the UK officially being in recession means for your finances – and run through some practical measures you can put in place. They also hear from Lorraine Candy – former editor-in-chief of Elle and Cosmopolitan magazines, author of a book on raising teenage daughters and co-host of the excellent podcast “Postcards from Mi...

On this episode of the AJ Bell Money Matters podcast Danni and Laura pore over the latest pension headlines that suggest we’ll all have to save more and might have to work for longer. The pair consider that all this bad news might be just the thing many women need to get them motivated to think about the kind of retirement they want and start planning how they can afford it. (Spoiler alert: just e...

On this episode of the AJ Bell Money Matters podcast Laura and Danni revel in the new social media trend that is “loud budgeting”. The phrase has become popular on TikTok and the pair celebrate that talking about money is becoming less taboo. Also on the show, they sum up where we are in the “cost of living crisis”, including the crucial question of when interest rates are likely to fall. And they...

On this episode we are going back to basics on investing. Lots of women say they don’t how to invest, there’s too much jargon or they are embarrassed to ask questions – but we’re aiming to solve that. In this episode Laura and Danni talk through some of the types of investments you can put in your portfolio: from stocks and shares to funds and bonds or cash. You may find you already have more in y...

On the first episode of 2024 Danni and Laura hear confessions from the rest of the Money Matters team about financial mistakes they made in 2023 and the goals they’re setting themselves this year. Their errors vary from overindulging in online shopping to not following through on carefully laid investing plans, while their good intentions include upping pensions contributions and creating a saving...

On this episode Danni and Laura are getting into the Christmas spirit, but after a year of soaring food prices we’re thinking hard about budgeting for the big day. The Christmas food shop is a big one – and it’s likely to be a whopper this year. Danni catches up with Mimi Harrison, blogger, author and the Instagram legend known as “Beat the Budget”, who has tips to make your food shop stretch real...

On this episode of the Money Matters podcast Laura and Danni discuss the art of the side hustle. Taking extra work on the side is something people have always done, but social media promoting it and the cost of living crisis eating into our cash means so many more people now have side hustles. But how do you navigate the side hustle world – and also make sure you don’t fall foul of the taxman? Lau...

It’s the 50th episode of the Money Matters podcast and Laura and Danni step back in time to celebrate some of the brilliant guests and topics they’ve discussed over the past couple of years. From the Scummy Mummies on why money is still a taboo, to TikTok’s “Legal Queen” busting the myth of common law marriage, and Stacey Lowman from Claro Wellbeing on the financial perils of “lifestyle creep”. An...

On this episode Danni and Laura are feeling optimistic. More financial education aimed at women and shifts in mindset are helping younger generations feel more empowered about their choices and open to having those tricky conversations. Our research shows that younger generations are more likely to split money equally, have frank conversations about money and have planned their financial futures. ...

On this episode Danni and Laura examine the “Single Tax”, which not only impacts your day-to-day money but also has huge implications for your long-term financial plans. They chat to a couple of ladies about how being single has impacted their lives and their ability to save, as well as revealing the latest research that shows how being single affects your money. Plus, Danni finally shares her fin...

It’s a very special episode as we celebrate the launch of our new research report. Our founding Ambassador Baroness Helena Morrissey talks through the findings that chart the financial wobbly bits of women’s lives: from our discomfort with asking for a pay rise, to shouldering the bulk of caring responsibilities and then menopause. There are plenty of potholes for women to navigate if we’re ever g...

On this special episode we chat to model and TV presenter Lisa Snowdon. Now in her 50s, Lisa pulls no punches about the impact the menopause had on her confidence and career. Having recently become a best-selling author, she’s adamant she’s just getting started, but says for all women to embrace the gift of getting older they need to have their financial ducks in a row. Danni and Laura also give l...

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, a...

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 f...

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 coac...

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 influe...

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 pi...

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 jarg...

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 y...

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 consta...

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 C...