Why you need to act to avoid lifestyle creep

This week on the AJ Bell Money Matters podcast, Danni and Laura are joined by financial psychotherapist and author Vicky Reynal. With couples mainly arguing about overspending and not saving for the future*, and younger couples having more disagreements about finances than those in retirement, we wanted to get to the bottom of the trend. Understanding why emotions are heavily linked to money, and importantly how to break cycles makes this a must-listen episode, for those coupled up or not. *Survey conducted for AJ Bell by Opinium of 2,000 nationally representative Brits of which 1,291 were in couples. Survey completed between 6-10 February 2026.

In this episode of the AJ Bell Money Matters podcast, Danni and Laura are joined by financial planner Kat Lowers, to discuss the sneaky effects of lifestyle creep. It may not be obvious at first, but when given a pay rise, many find the extra cash each month is disappearing as lifestyle creep takes hold. So how can you be aware of it and also enjoy good spending and saving habits?

On this episode of the AJ Bell Money Matters podcast, Danni and Laura are joined by AJ Bell expert Hannah Williford as they share simple habits that make a big difference to your wallet. Whether you fall foul of auto-renewals for things like insurance, forget how many subscriptions you've signed up to, or keep forgetting to pay future-you at the start of the month, no matter your level of financial knowledge, we have top tips to help build your confidence.

On this week's AJ Bell Money Matters podcast, we are celebrating our 100th episode! Laura and Danni are reflecting on their financial journeys and setting new year's resolutions. We hear from some of our most popular podcast guests and hear how their finances have changed since their interviews including Laura Ann Moore, Kalpana Fitzpatrick and Rachel Peru. The team also reveal that there are some changes coming to the podcast in 2026.

On the AJ Bell Money Matters podcast this week, Danni and Laura reveal that more than half of Brits in relationships are keeping some spending secret from their partner - find out what they’re buying. We also hear from Abbie Glew, accountant at The Orenda Collective - as 2025 comes to an end, the deadline for self-assessment tax returns draws closer. But how do you know if you need to file one? We break down all the key dates and share Abbie's top tools to set yourself up for a great 2026.

This week on the AJ Bell Money Matters podcast, Danni and Laura explain how finances have changed in the past 50 years for women in the UK. We also speak to Elena Assimakolpoulos, a social media influencer with thousands of followers, who shares her top tips on making money from side hustles. From starting with selling books and then clothes in 2021, she's been able to make it her full time job and start investing for her future.

In this week's episode of the AJ Bell Money Matters podcast, Danni and Laura discuss how taxes could change in this month's Budget, and break down what they actually mean for your finances. Ahead of International Men's Day, we also hear from Lee Chambers from Male Allies UK, who helps challenge systems and barriers that historically elevate men and leave women behind. He shines a light on how men need to be involved in creating equitable workplaces, and what steps men can take to support our cause.

This week on the AJ Bell Money Matters podcast, Danni and Charlene discuss rumours about the upcoming budget and how they could affect your finances. We also hear from Alex Farrell from the AJ Bell Investments team as we answer one of our listeners' questions. We're all about removing jargon, so what does active investing and passive investing mean? We're breaking down firstly what ETFs and funds are, and how they can be used to build a portfolio based on your long-term financial goals.

This week on the AJ Bell Money Matters podcast, Danni and Laura share tips on how to keep your finances safe from cyber attacks. With M&S and Jaguar Land Rover facing cyberattacks, what steps can you take to look after your money? We also hear from ex-wealth manager Zoe Burt as she helps de-jargon economics. The UK economy is frequently in the news and impacts our household finances, but with terms like 'GDP' and 'fiscal drag' hitting the headlines, it can be tricky to stay in the loop. Zoe and Danni walk through these financial terms to boost your knowledge and help you feel better about your finances.

This week Danni and Laura simplify the complicated rules and thresholds around inheritance tax. We also speak to Lisa Webster, AJ Bell's senior technical consultant, about how to prepare for retirement considering women tend to have longer lives than men. The gender pension gap affects single women the most, so what steps can you take now to look after future-you? Life has a particular way of throwing us curve balls, so hear our experts share their actionable tips, no matter your circumstances.