Financial Fitness for 2025

The new year is here and while we often focus on resolutions like fitness or dry January, what about setting yourself up for a brighter financial future? In this episode, our host Kia Commodore welcomes Sean Philip from Legal & General, who shares some great tips to improve your personal finances for the longer term. From rethinking financial sacrifices as ‘badges of honour’, the ‘Couch to £5k’ savings challenge, building an emergency fund and when to increase your pension contributions. This episode is packed with insights to help you save smarter and plan better. Whether you're navigating the challenge of balancing short-term needs with long-term goals or looking for motivation to get started, Sean’s thoughts will inspire you to take steps to help make you a little bit richer!  Make 2025 the year future you will thank you for! 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.

Step into the new year armed with pearls of financial wisdom from A Little Bit Richer!  In this special episode, our host Kia Commodore goes through the archives to share her top ten favourite money tips from the series so far. From building financial discipline to smart investing, tackling debt and planning for your dream retirement, this episode is packed with actionable advice from some of the most insightful guests we've had on the show, including Orann Coyle, Timi Merriman-Johnson, Kim Brown, Emilie Bellet and many more. Start 2025 strong and take control of your financial future. Whether you're navigating the property market, or exploring pensions and ISAs, there are plenty of ways to help make you a little bit richer! You can play the podcast and find other useful content on Legal & General’s website: 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 reports and scores play a vital role in your access to future credit. In this episode, our host Kia Commodore is joined by Experian’s John Webb to bring some clarity to this important topic. They cover where to check the information on your report, how credit scores are calculated, what impacts them, and how to improve yours. They also tackle common myths, explore how ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ affects your rating, and discuss the steps errors in your credit report. Whether you're planning a big purchase or just want to stay financially healthy, taking control of your credit score with help 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 check your credit score for free with Experian: https://www.experian.co.uk/consumer/experian-credit-score.html 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.

Everyone’s career journey is different and there are lots of ways you can get more experience and training to help with this. Our host, Kia Commodore, chats with Legal & General’s Sarah Evans about lifelong learning, qualifications vs experience and how you can upskill with a busy schedule.  Some small simple strategies can propel you career forward, give you great experience and help get you a little but 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 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.

Our feelings around money can have a big impact on how we manage it. Whether we stick our heads in the sand, overspend when feeling overwhelmed or are afraid of spending, it’s helpful to understand our behaviours around money and what drives them. Financial coach and the author of Real-Life Money and Five Steps to Financial Wellbeing, Clare Seal joins our host Kia Commodore. They discuss the connection between money and wellbeing, how experiences as a child will influence your financial relationship and not letting self-worth get tangled up with your bank balance. Clare also shares some great tips to help you stay in control of your finances. You can play the podcast and find other useful content on Legal & General’s website: www.legalandgeneral.com/podcasts/a-little-bit-richer   You can follow Clare for more tips on Instagram @clare.seal 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.

Nowadays, weddings can come with a pretty hefty price tag and with higher living costs, it can be hard to make the day of your dreams a reality. But with proper planning and realistic research, you can build a budget to reduce financial stress and focus on the fun of your wedding day. Here to help navigate the cost of weddings is author and founder of ‘This Girl Talks Money’, Ellie Austin-Williams. Ellie shares insights and a safe space for her 42,000 followers to help them gain confidence and ownership of their finances. Ellie joins our host Kia Commodore to share tips on how to budget for your big day, ways you can reduce costs along the way to reduce the financial stress for couples. You can play the podcast and find other useful content on Legal & General’s website: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/podcasts/a-little-bit-richer Legal & General asked 2,000 married or engaged couples about their weddings and you can see the results here: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/insurance/life-insurance/cost-of-i-do/ You can follow Ellie for more tips on Instagram @thisgirltalksmoney 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.

In this episode we’re focusing on pension savings again, to help you make the most of this important investment. This time we’re covering where your money can be invested. Here to help explore this is Jesal Mistry. He works in asset management at Legal & General and is part of the team who decide the best places to invest people’s pension savings. Jesal chats with our host Kia Commodore about what types of organisations pensions are invested in and the choices you have if you want to get more involved and how you can align your pension investments with your values. Paying your pension some attention now can help to make future 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 find out a little bit more about saving into a pension on Legal & General’s website: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/retirement/pensions/ 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.

Is there ever a right time to have a baby? With living costs high, many people postpone parenthood until they’re in a more secure position. But there are plenty of ways to prepare your finances and plan for your future family. Financial educator and mom of two, Charlotte Jessop from Looking After Your Pennies, is back to give money tips for new parents and anyone thinking of starting a family. Charlotte joins our host Kia Commodore to cover spending priorities, building a support network, career, childcare and lots 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 find out a little bit more about the costs around having a baby on Legal & General's website:   www.legalandgeneral.com/insurance/life-insurance/lifestyle/things-to-consider-before-having-a-baby/ You can follow Charlotte for more money tips on social media: Instagram @lookingafteryourpennies TikTok @lookingafteryourpennies 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.

In previous episodes, we’ve taken you through why pension savings matter so much and helped you get to grips with your investment. And now we’re taking you one step further, for a masterclass.  Taking us on this deeper dive into pension savings and what to consider if you want to take a more active role is Legal & General’s Michael Porter. Michael talks with our host Kia Commodore about how workplace pension savings are invested, the difference between actively and passively managed funds, investment diversification and much more. They cover what investment risk really means and what to bear in mind if you’re thinking of changing the funds your pension savings are invested in.  You can play the podcast and find other useful content on Legal & General’s website:www.legalandgeneral.com/podcasts/a-little-bit-richer You can find out a little bit more about saving into a pension on Legal & General’s website:www.legalandgeneral.com/retirement/pensions 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.

With higher living costs, it can be hard to feel in control of your budget. But there are clever ways to rethink your spending and save cash. Here to the rescue is financial educator Charlotte Jessop from Looking After your Pennies. Charlotte joins our host Kia Commodore to talk through easy ways to trim your day-to-day spending, good budgeting habits and what to do if you overspend. Cutbacks big and small all make a difference and will help get you get 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 follow Charlotte for more budgeting tips on social media: Instagram @lookingafteryourpennies TikTok @lookingafteryourpennies A Little Bit Richer is taking a short summer break and will return with more great content on September 12th. 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.