A Little Bit Richer

Scams aren’t something that just happen to older people, young people are also likely to get scammed. The scammers are getting smarter and have lots of clever ways to con you out of your cash - whether that’s pretending to be your bank, tricking you into becoming a money mule, buying stuff you don’t receive and much more. Head of Fraud Risk Management at Santander, Chris Ainsley, gives our host Kia Commodore insight on how the fraudsters work and plenty of tips on what to watch out for. After all, keeping ahead of scammers will help us stay a little bit richer. You can play the podcast and find other useful content on Legal & General’s website: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/podcasts/a-little-bit-richer Kia and her guests share their own thoughts and opinions in this podcast. These might be different from Legal & General’s take on things. They give information for a UK audience that’s relevant at the time of recording.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When being mindful with our spending, heading on holiday can feel like a splurge. From ‘Big World, Small Pockets’, Steph Parker shows us how to travel smarter so you can get away, without the price tag. Steph shares with our host Kia Commodore – the best time to book flights and hotels, how to manage spending while abroad and her favourite, more affordable destinations to discover. Money plays a big part in our holiday plans but by travelling a little bit smarter, you can still escape for an adventure! You can play the podcast and find other useful content on Legal & General’s website: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/podcasts/a-little-bit-richer You can follow Steph for more travel tips on social media and her website: https://www.bigworldsmallpockets.com Kia and her guests share their own personal thoughts and opinions in this podcast. These might be different from Legal & General’s take on things. They give information for a UK audience that’s relevant at the time of recording.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever wondered about switching current accounts but couldn’t face the admin? Friend of the Show, Cash Chats podcaster and award-winning Be Clever With Your Cash blogger Andy Webb talk us through just how easy (and profitable) moving to a new bank can be – and why you might want to stay put too. Andy and our host Kia Commodore cover moving bank accounts, having multiple accounts, compare traditional high street banks with online ones and ask if it’s really worth regularly switching accounts for the latest offers. Switching’s easier than you think. So don’t let the admin get in the way when it might just make you… A Little Bit Richer! You can play the podcast and find other useful content on Legal & General’s website: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/podcasts/a-little-bit-richer You can hear more from Andy on his podcast Cash Chats and online:: https://becleverwithyourcash.com/ Kia and her guests share their own personal thoughts and opinions in this podcast. These might be different from Legal & General’s take on things. They give financial guidance for a UK audience that’s relevant at the time of recording. It’s general best practice, not the kind of personalised advice you’d get from a financial adviser.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

April will ring in the beginning of a new tax year so you may have noticed that there’s a lot of talk about ISAs. But what are they and might they be useful for you? Here to help us understand a little bit more is Legal & General’s ISA Product Manager, Fahad Ahmed. Fahad and our host Kia Commodore chat through the different types of ISAs for saving and investing your money, how the Lifetime ISA can help you get on the property ladder, what to consider when choosing a provider and the changes in this new tax year. You can play the podcast and find other useful content on Legal & General’s website: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/podcasts/a-little-bit-richer You can find out a little bit more about ISAs on Legal & General’s website: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/investments/stocks-and-shares-isa/guides/investing-for-beginners/ Kia and her guests share their own personal thoughts and opinions in this podcast. These might be different from Legal & General’s take on things. They give financial guidance for a UK audience that’s relevant at the time of recording. It’s general best practice, not the kind of personalised advice you’d get from a financial adviser.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More and more people are earning extra cash through side hustles. With so many options, from selling a few old clothes to starting a whole new business, how do you decide what’s best for you and leap into your own side hustle? To help us answer that, financial coach Tolu Frimpong joins our host Kia Commodore. Tolu and Kia chat about different kinds of side hustles and how to pick the right one for you. You’ll hear how it can help you with more than just your finances and to consider the costs that can come with it too. You can play the podcast and find other useful content on Legal & General’s website: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/podcasts/a-little-bit-richer You can find out more about Tolu on her website: https://tolufrimpong.com/ Kia and her guests share their own personal thoughts and opinions in this podcast. These might be different from Legal & General’s take on things. They give financial guidance for a UK audience that’s relevant at the time of recording. It’s general best practice, not the kind of personalised advice you’d get from a financial adviser.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Money and love can be a strange mix. It can feel like lots of unspoken rules and pitfalls start popping up when your emotional and financial lives come together. That’s true even when things go smoothly. But what if they don’t? Amy James, a Legal & General Product Manager, joins Kia Commodore to share how she navigated this journey. When Amy and her partner Dan decided to settle down together, he revealed that he’d built up some pretty big debts. That was hard enough for him to admit. Sorting it all out and getting to a much better financial place was even more of a challenge. Amy tells their story, explains how everything changed again when they had a child and talks about how they manage their money today. She also shares some excellent tips for talking through difficult financial situations with your partner. You can play the podcast and find other useful content on Legal & General’s website: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/podcasts/a-little-bit-richer Kia and her guests share their own personal thoughts and opinions in this podcast. These might be different from Legal & General’s take on things. They give financial guidance for a UK audience that’s relevant at the time of recording. It’s general best practice, not the kind of personalised advice you’d get from a financial adviser.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Credit can seem like a dirty word. But avoiding it altogether could mean you’ll miss out on some benefits. There is a happy medium – and that’s what Kia Commodore explores on this week’s episode. Kia’s joined by Andy Webb, who runs the award-winning Be Clever With Your Cash blog and hosts the Cash Chats podcast. They cover what credit actually means, explore its positive side and chat through risks to watch out for. And they talk about ways to embrace healthy credit to boost your credit score. You can play the podcast and find other useful content on Legal & General’s website: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/podcasts/a-little-bit-richer You can hear more from Andy here: https://becleverwithyourcash.com/ Kia and her guests share their own personal thoughts and opinions in this podcast. These might be different from Legal & General’s take on things. They give financial guidance for a UK audience that’s relevant at the time of recording. It’s general best practice, not the kind of personalised advice you’d get from a financial adviser.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kia Commodore returns to one of A Little Bit Richer’s biggest topics – house buying. If you bought your first property a few years ago you might be thinking about moving up the proper ladder. Maybe you need a bigger home, somewhere that’s a better investment or perhaps even both. Kia chats through it all with independent mortgage adviser Liam Anstruther. He set up The Mortgage Advice Club to help people through the house buying process. They discuss when and how to start thinking about property next steps. They cover everything from dealing with higher interest rates to possibly holding onto your first home while buying a second one. You can play the podcast and find other useful content on Legal & General’s website: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/podcasts/a-little-bit-richer You can find out more about The Mortgage Advice Club here: https://themaclub.co.uk/ Kia and her guests share their own personal thoughts and opinions in this podcast. These might be different from Legal & General’s take on things. They give financial guidance for a UK audience that’s relevant at the time of recording. It’s general best practice, not the kind of personalised advice you’d get from a financial adviser.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s the first episode of the new year, so Kia Commodore shares some simple, practical moneymaking and saving habits you can adopt in 2024. She’s joined by Iain Russell, of Moneyhub - a financial tech company that’s created a money management app (and much else). Kia and Iain discuss what to focus on during a financial checkup and recommend good habits to keep. They also chat through how money apps can help you and why you need a safety net for financial emergencies. A Little Bit Richer releases every other week. You can play the podcast and find other useful content on Legal & General’s website: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/podcasts/a-little-bit-richer You can find out more about Moneyhub’s app here: https://www.moneyhub.com/app Kia and her guests share their own personal thoughts and opinions in this podcast. These might be different from Legal & General’s take on things. They give financial guidance for a UK audience that’s relevant at the time of recording. It’s general best practice, not the kind of personalised advice you’d get from a financial adviser.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the post-pandemic world of remote work, more and more people are becoming digital nomads and leaving the UK to work from sunnier climates. But is it really as simple as just hopping on a plane with your laptop? What are the financial implications of working abroad for a UK-based company? In this episode, Kia Commodore chats with Claire Rhodes. She’s a freelance writer whose been working with UK clients from abroad since 2021. Kia and Claire chat through how easy it is to make the change to digital nomadism and how it can affect your other financial goals. And Claire describes what her lifestyle’s like these days – the high points, as well as the things she wishes she’d known before leaving the UK. You can play the podcast and find other useful content on Legal & General’s website: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/podcasts/a-little-bit-richer Find out more about Claire’s content writing services here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-rhodes-b5b821141/ Kia and her guests share their own personal thoughts and opinions in this podcast. These might be different from Legal & General’s take on things. They give financial guidance for a UK audience that’s relevant at the time of recording. It’s general best practice, not the kind of personalised advice you’d get from a financial adviser.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When it comes to gender equality in finances, we’re still not where we need to be. Last year Legal & General found that a woman’s average pension pot at retirement was likely to be less than half that of a man’s at the same stage. And that’s just for starters. Women are also faced with the gender pay gap, childcare costs and much more. So we’re tackling all that head on! This week Kia Commodore’s joined by Emilie Bellet, host of the podcast The Wallet. She’s also the founder of Vestpod, a community with a mission to help people, and in particular women, achieve financial independence. They chat through the financial challenges women face, discuss the gender disparity found in investing, and share tips on getting ready for the cost of kids. You can play the podcast and find other useful content on Legal & General’s website: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/podcasts/a-little-bit-richer You can find out more about Emilie and Vestpod here: https://www.vestpod.com/ Kia and her guests share their own personal thoughts and opinions in this podcast. These might be different from Legal & General’s take on things. They give financial guidance for a UK audience that’s relevant at the time of recording. It’s general best practice, not the kind of personalised advice you’d get from a financial adviser.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Kia Commodore continues exploring one of A Little Bit Richer’s most important topics – buying your first home. It’s an extremely important milestone. But it’s also an extremely expensive one. So in this episode Kia is joined by Hazel Johnston from Legal & General. Hazel began as a mortgage adviser and now helps other advisers better support homebuyers. Kia and Hazel talk about how to save for a house deposit. They chat through how much you might need to save, how to save it, and the ins and outs of mortgages. They also uncover the hidden costs of house buying and help you budget for actually living in your new home. You can play the podcast and find other useful content on Legal & General’s website: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/podcasts/a-little-bit-richer Here’s more about life insurance for first time buyers: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/insurance/life-insurance/guides/life-insurance-for-first-time-buyers/ Kia and her guests share their own personal thoughts and opinions in this podcast. These might be different from Legal & General’s take on things. They give financial guidance for a UK audience that’s relevant at the time of recording. It’s general best practice, not the kind of personalised advice you’d get from a financial adviser.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Christmas season is coming – and it can be a pretty pricey time of the year. But does it really need to be? Does more money spent equal more fun had? Or can you be fabulously festive and fully frugal too? Kia Commodore’s joined by Megan Micklewright, creator of the financial social media platform ‘The Savvy Spender’, and winner of Online Financial Influencer of the Year 2023. Together, they’ll unwrap some cost-cutting Christmas secrets.  They chat about spotting the real bargains (and avoiding the false ones), having open conversations with friends and family about money, and how to give great gifts without breaking the bank. You can play the podcast and find other useful content on Legal & General’s website: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/podcasts/a-little-bit-richer Megan can be found at https://www.instagram.com/thesavvyspenderofficial Kia and her guests share their own personal thoughts and opinions in this podcast. These might be different from Legal & General’s take on things. They give financial guidance for a UK audience that’s relevant at the time of recording. It’s general best practice, not the kind of personalised advice you’d get from a financial adviser.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Once you’ve graduated and are out in the working world it’s easy to just ignore your student loan. But it’s always best to keep on top of all your finances. In this episode Kia Commodore talks with Abigail Foster, a Chartered Accountant and the founder of Elent, a financial education hub for student, employees and parents. The two run through the different loan plans and interest rates, and the impact these can have on your other finances. They also tackle a crucial question: should we prioritise paying off our student loan? And if you’re planning for your kids, they look at saving to help them through it too. You can play the podcast and find other useful content on Legal & General’s website: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/podcasts/a-little-bit-richer You can find more about Elent here: https://elent.com/ Kia and her guests share their own personal thoughts and opinions in this podcast. These might be different from Legal & General’s take on things. They give financial guidance for a UK audience that’s relevant at the time of recording. It’s general best practice, not the kind of personalised advice you’d get from a financial adviser.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You can do all the career and financial planning you want, but sometimes life just gets in the way. Health problems can be particularly difficult if you need to take a lot of time off work. Luckily many of us won’t have that challenge but you never know what’s around the corner. In this episode Kia Commodore chats to Koren Byrne, a PR Manager at Legal & General. Koren was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She’s spent the last year adjusting to some big changes in her personal life, career and finances. She and Kia discuss the impact Koren’s diagnosis had on her best life. She describes what took her by surprise and suggests how you can plan for illness, just in case. You can play the podcast and find other useful content on Legal & General’s website: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/podcasts/a-little-bit-richer You can find out more on Critical Illness cover, Income Protection cover and Life insurance here: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/insurance/life-insurance/ Kia and her guests share their own personal thoughts and opinions in this podcast. These might be different from Legal & General’s take on things. They give financial guidance for a UK audience that’s relevant at the time of recording. It’s general best practice, not the kind of personalised advice you’d get from a financial adviser.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Little Bit Richer is all about helping you find different ways to save and grow your money. But why bother? What can all that saved up and invested cash actually get you? What many people look for is the financial freedom and flexibility to live their dream lifestyle. You might want to go travelling, retire early, or have a portfolio career. Once you figure out what your priorities are, it’s time to understand how your finances can help you make those goals happen. That’s where Jenny Hazan, Director of Customer Value Management at Legal & General, comes in. In this episode, she and Kia Commodore chat about all the different lifestyle choices out there, and how your finances can free you up to make those choices. You can play the podcast and find other useful content on Legal & General’s website: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/podcasts/a-little-bit-richer You can read more about the FIRE movement here: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/retirement/rewirement/setting-financial-goals/the-fire-movement-what-is-it/ Kia and her guests share their own personal thoughts and opinions in this podcast. These might be different from Legal & General’s take on things. They give financial guidance for a UK audience that’s relevant at the time of recording. It’s general best practice, not the kind of personalised advice you’d get from a financial adviser.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The nine to five office grind isn’t the only way of working anymore. There are loads of other options if you want to rethink your working life. Self-employment’s one of them. It can give you a lot more flexibility and be financially rewarding too. But there’s a lot to think about when you’re working for yourself. As well as marketing yourself to clients, you have to take control of your tax and finances in a way that company employees just don’t need to To take you through all the pros and cons, Kia Commodore’s joined by Georgina Merckel. Georgina founded topa, a small business and non-profit consultancy. And in 2022 she won a Young Freelancer of the Year award. Here’s a link for IPSE, the organisation Georgina mentions: https://www.ipse.co.uk/ You can play the podcast and find other useful content on Legal & General’s website: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/podcasts/a-little-bit-richer If you’re thinking of setting up a personal pension there’s more information here: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/retirement/pensions/pensions-explained/self-employed-pension/ Kia and her guests share their own personal thoughts and opinions in this podcast. These might be different from Legal & General’s take on things. They give financial guidance for a UK audience that’s relevant at the time of recording. It’s general best practice, not the kind of personalised advice you’d get from a financial adviser.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Around 42% of Brits invest – in fact, if you’re saving into a pension you’re already an investor. But the wider world of investments can seem murky, confusing and risky. It doesn’t have to be that way. So we’ve put together an investment episode. Podcaster, author and founder of financial education company Mr MoneyJar, Timi Merriman-Johnson, joins our host Kia Commodore. They discuss what investing is and isn’t, share details of products that might interest new investors and tell you how to get started. You’ll find out about key newbie choices and pitfalls, and why starting sooner rather than later can make a big difference to how much you end up with. You can play the podcast and find other useful content on Legal & General’s website: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/podcasts/a-little-bit-richer Timi’s podcast is called The Mr MoneyJar Show: https://www.mrmoneyjar.com Kia and her guests share their own personal thoughts and opinions in this podcast. These might be different from Legal & General’s take on things. They give financial guidance for a UK audience that’s relevant at the time of recording. It’s general best practice, not the kind of personalised advice you’d get from a financial adviser.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recently we’ve seen some high-profile examples of financial abuse. Stories about Britney Spears’ conservatorship, Mel B’s controlling ex-husband and Kesha’s challenging relationship with her producer have all made the headlines. And it’s not just a celebrity problem. 6 million people in the UK will experience this at some point in their lives. But what is financial abuse and how can you help a friend or loved one deal with it?  This week, Kia Commodore speaks to award-winning journalist Katie Binns who has investigated this topic. They pin down what it is and share practical tips for ending it. They also cover how it’s related to domestic abuse, and coercive control, which can be challenging to hear about. For more information, and ways to get help and advice, please visit Surviving Economic Abuse, a charity set up with these issues in mind: https://survivingeconomicabuse.org/ You can play the podcast on Legal & General’s website: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/podcasts/a-little-bit-richer Kia and her guests share their own personal thoughts and opinions in this podcast. These might be different from Legal & General’s take on things. They give guidance for a UK audience that’s relevant at the time of recording. It’s general best practice, not the kind of personalised advice you’d get from a financial adviser.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From painting the walls your favourite colour to finally creating your perfect kitchen, owning your own home can be a dream come true. But with interest rates and house prices staying stubbornly high, many of us feel stuck at the still-just-a-dream stage. We’re going to show you how snapping up your next place may be more achievable than you think. This week, mortgage broker, property expert and investor Tayo Oguntonade joins our host Kia Commodore to unpick the big questions about buying property right now. They dig into homebuying facts and figures, saving for, buying, or even building your ideal place, snapping somewhere up with friends or family, and much more. You can play the podcast and find other useful content on Legal & General’s website: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/podcasts/a-little-bit-richer You can follow Tayo on TikTok: @BrickzwithTipz Kia and her guests share their own personal thoughts and opinions in this podcast. These might be different from Legal & General’s take on things. They give financial guidance for a UK audience that’s relevant at the time of recording. It’s general best practice, not the kind of personalised advice you’d get from a financial adviser. And, as with all things to do with interest rates and house buying, it’s always worth double checking if house prices, mortgage rates, your own buying power and anything else have changed before you make any big decisions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.