Pensions have a reputation for being complicated. They're full of jargon, they feel decades away and, for many people, they're something to deal with later.

But retirement is one of the biggest financial goals most of us will ever have. And despite years of progress, women in the UK are still reaching later life with significantly less financial security than men.

In this week's episode of The Wallet, Emilie Bellet spoke to Susan Hope, Business Development Director at Scottish Widows and one of the leading voices behind the Women and Retirement Report, one of the UK's longest-running pieces of research into women's financial resilience.

The conversation wasn't simply about pensions. It was about why the gender pension gap still exists, what has improved over the past two decades, where the system still falls short, and what women can do to feel more in control of their retirement.

Why do some people confidently invest while others avoid money conversations altogether?

In this episode of The Wallet, Emilie Bellet speaks with behavioural finance expert, psychotherapist and King's College London senior lecturer Ylva Baeckström about the hidden forces that shape our financial decisions. From childhood experiences and financial attachment styles to gender stereotypes, confidence and investing behaviour, the conversation explores why money is rarely just about numbers.

Ylva explains why women are often better investors than they think, how financial identity develops from an early age, and why the biggest investment risk for many people is not investing at all. The episode also examines the role of financial education, female financial advisers, AI, and the changes needed to help more people build long-term wealth with confidence.

Most people think investing is about picking the right stocks. It is not. This week on The Wallet, Emilie Bellet (Vestpod) is joined by Jessie Kwok, Chief Investment Officer at Wealthify, to unpack what drives investment outcomes over time.

They cover: Why asset allocation matters more than stock picking, How to think about risk in a practical way, What shapes long-term portfolio performance, Why staying invested is often the hardest part, How to build a portfolio you can stick to.

The information shared is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice.

Welcome to ‘What on Earth are We Doing With Our Money’, a series where our community shares their financial journeys, hopes, and aspirations.

Welcome to ‘What on Earth are We Doing With Our Money’, a series where our community shares their financial journeys, hopes, and aspirations.

In this interview series we chat about all things money (sans-shame) with an array of inspiring women from all walks of life. Our goal is to break the money taboo, share mutual experiences and learn from our amazing community.

Hi! I am Gaelle, from Belgian, and living in London for 2.5 years now. Absolutely in love with this city, I am passionate about travel and enjoy meeting new people and discovering new places.

I worked for 4 years in the automotive sector before creating my own company, Girls on Travel, empowering and connecting solo women travellers.

Hello Tiffany! Welcome to Vestpod. We are so excited to feature you. It has been a pleasure meeting you at the Table event. Such a brilliant idea - I love the motto! 

What does financial independence mean to you?

It’s hugely important. I’m very happily married, and so it could be easy for me to over-rely on my husband, but I’ve hate the idea of going cap-in-hand to him for money. Also, you never know what life will throw at you. We may split up, or he may die… it’s important not to be squeamish about these possibilities. If I’ve learnt anything usual from ocean rowing and adventuring it’s to be pragmatic.

Bonnie is the cool inspiring CEO/Founder of Seen On Screen, and her mission is to empower women through dance. And you know what’s amazing? Seen on Screen has just closed the world’s first ALL-FEMALE equity investment round. All the best, Bonnie. See it, dance it, own it!