The Pension Confident Podcast

Enjoying the podcast? Tell us what you think below and give us a review or rating. As always we'd love to hear your suggestions and feedback. Send us an email: [email protected].
 
One in every three households in the UK is now single occupancy. Here's the issue: being single could be costing you more. The so-called 'Singles Tax' is real. Cohabiting couples pay less per person on everything from energy bills to hotel rooms. So if you're single, or living alone, how much extra are you paying and what can you do about it?
Join our host, Philippa Lamb, and our expert panel as they discuss the 'Singles Tax':
Maths Teacher turned Broadcaster, Bobby Seagull;
Content Creator, Emma Barnes;
Senior eCRM Manager at PensionBee; Valentina Adaldo.
 
Episode breakdown
05:18 Flatmates vs. living alone trade-offs
08:02 'Houses before spouses' movement
10:48 Redundancy when single hits harder
14:40 Building your own financial safety net
15:09 Savings hacks for couples vs. singles
18:17 Wedding season costs and pooling gifts
23:42 Saving for retirement while single
25:59 Money tips for savvy singletons
 
Further reading and listening
To learn more about the 'Singles Tax', check out these articles and podcasts from PensionBee:
E14: What's the impact of your relationship status on your finances? (Podcast)
E27: What's the cost of friendship? (Podcast)
E37: The easiest way to retire with more money (Podcast)
How much should I pay into my pension? (Article)
How to tackle your personal finances when you're single (Blog)
How to talk to your partner about money (Blog)
Six ways to put together your emergency fund (Blog)
What is compound interest? (Blog)
What's the financial impact of multi-generational living? (Blog)

 
Other useful resources
Emergency savings – how much is enough? (MoneyHelper)
"Singles tax" leaves half struggling with retirement savings: research (Corporate Adviser)
The price of love: how much does dating cost – and who pays the bill? (The Guardian)
The Retirement Living Standards (Pensions UK)
The single surcharge: single Brits pay extra £3,844 a year for household bills (Uswitch)
The 'single tax' revealed: What's the true cost of being single? (Finder)
The solo penalty, from rent to holidays: 'Being single is costing me £12,000 extra a year' (The Guardian)
 
Catch up on the latest news, read our transcripts or watch on YouTube:
The Pension Confident Podcast
The Pension Confident Podcast on YouTube
 
Follow PensionBee (@PensionBee) on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Threads.
Follow Bobby Seagull (@bobby_seagull) on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Threads.
Follow Emma Barnes (@emmaebarnes) on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.

Enjoying the podcast? Tell us what you think below and give us a review or rating. As always we'd love to hear your suggestions and feedback. Send us an email: [email protected].
 
In this bonus episode we hear from PensionBee customer, Tony, as he tells us his pension story. Now in his early sixties, Tony's working part-time as a handyman to top up the income he's receiving from his pension savings.
With the help of pension pro, and VP Brand and Communications at PensionBee, Rachael Oku, we'll unpack the tips you might want to take from Tony's story. This episode offers especially useful lessons for older savers approaching retirement, helping you make sense of what a 'phased retirement' could mean for your finances.
 
Episode breakdown
01:07 The popularity of phased retirement
03:57 Balancing mortgage payments and pension contributions
08:12 Navigating different allowances for different accounts
11:28 Waiting on the State Pension to fully retire
 
Further reading, listening and watching
To learn more about the topics discussed in this bonus episode, check out these articles and podcasts from PensionBee:
E45: The rise of micro-retirements (Podcast)
Bonus episode: Personal finance tips for the self-employed (Podcast)
E4: Should you pay more into your mortgage or pension? (Podcast)
How do I top up my pension? (Article)
Inheritance Tax guide (Article)
Should I take a lump sum from my pension? (Article)
What is flexi-access drawdown? (Article)
Can I take my pension at 55 and still work? (Article)
 
Other useful resources
Check your State Pension age (GOV.UK)
Pension Calculator (PensionBee)
Retirement Living Standards (Pensions UK)
The money purchase annual allowance (MPAA) for pension savings (MoneyHelper)
The new State Pension (GOV.UK)
 
Catch up on the latest news, read our transcripts or watch on YouTube:
The Pension Confident Podcast
The Pension Confident Podcast on YouTube

Follow PensionBee (@PensionBee) on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Threads.

Enjoying the podcast? Tell us what you think below and give us a review or rating. As always we'd love to hear your suggestions and feedback. Send us an email: [email protected].
 
Where do you see yourself in five years? In a rapidly changing world of work, that's becoming harder to answer. The World Economic Forum predicts that by 2030, nearly 92 million jobs will disappear. The upside? 170 million new jobs will emerge.
With UK businesses feeling the squeeze, more workers will be forced to reconsider their career in the coming years. The combination of higher secondary Class 1 National Insurance contributions, increased National Minimum Wage, and the new Employment Rights Act is leading experts to forecast a rise in redundancies.
Join our host, Philippa Lamb, and our expert panel as they discuss the how to bounce back from redundancy:
Former Downing Street Adviser and Chief Podcaster at Jimmy's Jobs of the Future, Jimmy McLoughlin OBE;
Former Editorial Director of The Sunday Times and Founder of Noon, Eleanor Mills; and
Training and Culture Manager at PensionBee; Emma Ferenc-Bachelor.
 
Episode breakdown
02:12 How it feels being made redundant
05:46 The triple whammy hitting employers
08:20 Where new jobs will come from
10:59 Reskilling in midlife
13:20 How to sell a squiggly career
15:22 Your redundancy rights
17:25 Cutting spending and saving tips
19:06 Everyday networking
21:19 Reframing the shame around redundancy
 
Further reading and listening
To learn more about switching careers and employment rights, check out these articles and podcasts from PensionBee:
Episode transcript (Blog)
E25: How to earn more money (Podcast)
E24: How to start a business (Podcast)
Creating a portfolio income in your retirement years (Blog)
What is a workplace pension? (Pensions Explained)
5 tips for starting a new job (Blog)
8 easy steps to build an effective budget (Blog)
 
Other useful resources
Careers information, advice and guidance (National Careers Service)
Distance learning courses (The Open University)
Find your new career tool (PensionBee)
Rebrand Yourself Course (Noon)
Redundancy Support for Over 50s (Centre for Ageing Better)
 
Catch up on the latest news, read our transcripts or watch on YouTube:
The Pension Confident Podcast
The Pension Confident Podcast on YouTube
 
Follow PensionBee (@PensionBee) on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Threads.
Follow Jimmy McLoughlin OBE (@jimmym) on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, X and Threads.
Follow Noon (@uponnoon) on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and X.

BONUS EPISODE: "I stopped paying into my pension for 20 years"
 
Enjoying the podcast? Tell us what you think below and give us a review or rating. As always we'd love to hear your suggestions and feedback. Send us an email: [email protected].
 
On this special bonus episode, we're doing something new! We're going to hear from PensionBee customer, Tara-Jane, as she tells us her pension story in her own words. From starting early at 17 years old, to the impact of ignoring her pension for 20 years - it's been a rollercoaster of retirement decisions.
With the help of pension pro, and VP Brand and Communications at PensionBee, Rachael Oku, we'll unpack the tips you might want to take from Tara-Jane's story. There are useful lessons for every saver in this episode, whichever stage of retirement planning you're at.
 
Episode breakdown
01:22 Starting a pension at 17 years old
05:37 Spending on the present, without saving for the future
09:49 Frustrations with rising State Pension age
13:56 When was the last time you did a pension review?
 
Further reading, listening and watching
To learn more about the topics discussed in this bonus episode, check out these articles and podcasts from PensionBee:
E43: Who wants to be a pension millionaire? (Podcast)
E35: The cost of divorce (Podcast)
E34: Unpacking 10 years of pension changes (Podcast)
How do I top up my pension? (Article)
Should I take a lump sum from my pension? (Article)
Starting a pension at 50 (Blog)
What is Auto-Enrolment? (Article)
What is compound interest? (Blog)
Pension Sharing Order (Article)
Should I consolidate my pensions? (Article)
What are pension charges? (Article)
Are high charges eroding the value of your pension? (Blog)
 
Other useful resources
Check your State Pension age (GOV.UK)
Over £50 billion in pension savings at risk of being lost in the UK (PensionBee)
Pension Calculator (PensionBee)
Retirement Living Standards (Pensions UK)
The new State Pension (GOV.UK)
 
Catch up on the latest news, read our transcripts or watch on YouTube:
The Pension Confident Podcast
The Pension Confident Podcast on YouTube
Follow PensionBee (@PensionBee) on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Threads.

Enjoying the podcast? Tell us what you think below and give us a review or rating. As always we'd love to hear your suggestions and feedback. Send us an email: [email protected].
 
Happy New Year from all of us at The Pension Confident Podcast. Every month, with expert guests, we dig into those money and pension questions that can feel so complicated. We just lay out the answers in simple, jargon-free language.
There'll also be bonus content throughout the year to keep you up to speed on everything from stock market trends to Downing Street decisions. Plus, we'll be hearing from savers just like you.
The first episode of 2026 will be live at the end of this month, and with change in the air, it's all about bouncing back from redundancy. As our experts will give tips for how to turn a set back into a step up on the career ladder.
 
Catch up on the latest news, read our transcripts or watch on YouTube:
The Pension Confident Podcast
The Pension Confident Podcast on YouTube
 
Follow PensionBee (@PensionBee) on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Threads.