The Pension Confident Podcast

Market volatility is back in the headlines, and if you've noticed your pension balance moving up and down, you're not alone. From tariffs to geopolitical tensions, there's no shortage of reasons to feel uneasy. But before you rush to make any changes, it's worth understanding how volatility actually works and why, more often than not, staying put is the smartest move.
Join our host, Philippa Lamb, and VP Personal Finance at PensionBee, Maike Currie as they discuss:
what market volatility is and what drives it;
why pension pots are more resilient than you might think, and how quickly markets have historically recovered;
why keeping up contributions during a downturn can actually work in your favour; and
how to check whether you're in the right plan for your life stage.
 
Episode breakdown
00:49 What's market volatility?
03:21 How far can a pension balance fall?
05:25 The investor upside of a market downturn
08:32 How quickly can markets recover?
09:55 Pension plans for different life stages
 
Further reading and listening
To learn more about investing and stock markets, check out these articles and podcasts from PensionBee:
Bonus episode: How much can you contribute into your pension each year? (Podcast)
E39: Trump, tariffs and what it all means for your pension (Podcast)
Markets and tariffs: what's going on and what it means (Blog)
Switching plans in volatile markets: what to know (Blog)
The power of regular contributions in volatile markets (Blog)
Understanding market volatility and pensions (Blog)
What is the stock market? (Article)
 
Other useful resources
Bull and bear markets explained (Investopedia)
Fed History Overview (Federal Reserve History)
Our pension plans (PensionBee)
 
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: podcast@pensionbee.com.

Are you earning more than you were five years ago but still don't feel better off? You might be experiencing 'lifestyle creep'. The subtle way spending expands to quietly swallow every pay rise, bonus, and promotion. From Ocado upgrades and subscription sprawl to beauty routines that keep growing, lifestyle creep is surprisingly easy to fall into and remarkably hard to spot.
Join our host, Philippa Lamb, and our expert panel as they discuss how to identify, resist, and even reverse lifestyle creep:
Content Creator, Clare Seal;
Co-Founder and CEO of Emma, Edoardo Moreni; and
Head of Customer Success Team at PensionBee, Alex Langley.
 
Episode breakdown
01:38 What is lifestyle creep?
05:23 Trigger points and the psychology of spending more
09:41 Supermarket upgrades and the subscription trap
13:17 Being intentional and auditing your spending
16:05 The real pension cost of lifestyle creep
19:20 How to cut back without making life miserable
21:31 Building resilience and talking about money
26:12 Budgeting frameworks and tools that work
 
Further reading, listening and watching
To learn more about lifestyle creep and how to manage your money, check out these articles, podcasts and videos from PensionBee:
E37: The easiest way to retire with more money (Podcast)
50-30-20: How the budgeting 'rule of thumb' is changing in the face of the cost of living crisis (Blog)
How much should I pay into my pension? (Article)
Six ways to put together your emergency fund (Blog)
The power of 1%: how small pension increases can make a big difference (Blog)
What is compound interest? (Video)
Increasing your pension contributions (Video)
 
Other useful resources
Compound Interest Calculator (The Calculator Site)
Pension Calculator (PensionBee)
Subscription service statistics (Finder)
The Retirement Living Standards (Pensions UK)
The Cost of Disengagement (PensionBee)
UK financial outlook 2026 (YouGov)
 
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 Clare Seal (@clare.seal) on TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.
Follow Emma App (@emma_finance) on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and X.
 
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: podcast@pensionbee.com.

In this bonus episode, we hear from PensionBee customer Nigel. Now 76 and retired, he spent decades commuting into Central London, raising two children, and telling himself he'd sort his pension "someday". A bad experience with an active fund manager and an IFA changed all that - and a tip from his son led him to PensionBee.
We unpack Nigel's pension journey with pensions expert Dani Skerrett from PensionBee, covering the tax benefits of saving into a pension, when a financial adviser is (and isn't) worth it, how to think about how much you actually need in retirement, and what life in drawdown really looks like day-to-day.
 
Episode breakdown
00:48 Meet Nigel
03:19 The tax benefits of saving into a pension
06:47 Should you use a financial adviser?
12:11 How much do you actually need for retirement?
16:12 Nigel's life in retirement
 
Further reading and listening 
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)
E37: The easiest way to retire with more money (Podcast)
4 smart ways to use your ISAs in retirement (Blog)
Independent Financial Adviser fees on pensions (Article)
What is a crystallised pension? (Article)
What is flexi-access drawdown? (Article)
What is the 4% rule for withdrawals in retirement? (Article)
 
Other useful resources
Pension Calculator (PensionBee)
Retirement Living Standards (Pensions UK)
Taking money from your pension just got simpler with Automatic withdrawals (PensionBee)
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: podcast@pensionbee.com.

Premium Bonds and Cash ISAs are two of the most popular savings options in the UK, but which one is right for you? With interest rates fluctuating and the cost of living still a real concern, it's more important than ever to make your savings work as hard as possible.
Join our host, Philippa Lamb, and VP Personal Finance at PensionBee, Maike Currie as they discuss:
how Premium Bonds work, including the odds, limits, and why there's no guaranteed return;
how Cash ISAs compare on interest rates, access, and tax efficiency; and
who should consider which option, and whether holding both makes sense.
 
Episode breakdown
00:45 How Premium Bonds work
02:41 The catch with Premium Bonds
05:05 How Cash ISAs work
07:00 Tax considerations
07:35 Which is right for you?
 
Further reading and listening:
To learn more about Premium Bonds and Cash ISAs, check out these articles and podcasts from PensionBee:
How does inflation affect pensions? (Blog)
Inflation Calculator (Calculator)
What are Premium Bonds? (Article)
What is a Cash ISA? (Article)
What to do when interest rates rise (Blog)
E29: Pensions vs. cash - which is best? (Podcast)
 
Other useful resources
Premium Bonds prize rate and odds (NS&I)
Tax-free interest on savings (GOV.UK)
Barclays Equity Gilt Study 2025 (Barclays)
 
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: podcast@pensionbee.com.

An estimated 7 million people aged over 50 in the UK have no private pension savings at all. Here's the reality: if you're one of them, it can feel too late to start. It isn't. Whether it's career breaks, the cost of living, a divorce, or simply never getting round to it - millions of people reach 50 with little or nothing put away. So how do you go from £0 to a pot that actually makes a difference?
Join our host, Philippa Lamb, and our expert panel as they discuss starting a pension from scratch at aged 50:
Founder of Rich Retiree, Hannah Martin;
Founder of Wise Monkey Financial Coaching, Simonne Gnessen; and
VP Customer Success at PensionBee; Sarah Durber.
 
Episode breakdown
01:41 When did our panellists start saving?
03:31 Why so many people reach 50 with no pension
06:56 The real cost of opting out
11:16 Pension Sharing Orders and divorce
13:11 How to start from £0 at 50 years old
17:27 Making the most of your workplace pension
19:26 How contributing just a little more adds up
26:26 Property, side hustles, and creative retirement strategies
 
Further reading, listening and watching:
To learn more about building your pension later in life, check out these articles and podcasts from PensionBee:
E37: The easiest way to retire with more money (Podcast)
How much should I pay into my pension? (Article)
Pension Sharing Order (Article)
What is compound interest? (Blog)
Six ways to put together your emergency fund (Blog)
I'm 40, is it too late to start a pension? (Blog)
How to grow your pension in your 40s and 50s (Blog)
The power of 1%: how small pension increases can make a big difference (Blog)
What is compound interest? (Video)
What happens to my pension during a divorce? (Video)
Increasing your pension contributions (Video)
 
Other useful resources
The Cost of Disengagement (PensionBee)
The Carer's Pension Gap (PensionBee
Pension Calculator (PensionBee)
Almost 7 million over-50s have no private pension (Pensions Age)
The Retirement Living Standards (Pensions UK)
Pension sharing orders slump despite growing number of divorces (Pensions Age)
Four out of five Brits plan to downsize to fund retirement (MoneyWeek)
Rent a room in your home: the Rent a Room Scheme (GOV.UK)
Proposed benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027 (GOV.UK)
Compound Interest Calculator (The Calculator Site)
 
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 Rich Retiree (@rich.retiree) on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and Pinterest.
Follow Wise Monkey Financial Coaching (@simonnegnessen) on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and X.
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: podcast@pensionbee.com.