Share Sounds from Women & Money related to Banking

Last month the Co-operative Bank put itself up for sale because it hasn't managed to improve its finances in the way it needs to. There's no immediate threat to the Co-op Bank, and the The Co-operative Bank has been at pains to say that it is not abandoning its principles. It was and is the first - and only - high street bank to have an ethical policy. But what is the future for the bank and what are the alternatives if you want to bank somewhere that does have some principles. Sarah Pennells was joined in the studio by founder of Fairer Finance James Daley, Anthony Elliot from the Fair Banking Foundation and Huw Davies, Head of Retail Banking at Triodos Bank.

In need of a little extra cash for your Christmas present fund this year? Sarah Pennells is joined by Jasmine Birtles, Founder of money saving website Money Magpie, Naomi Willis from the money blog Skint Dad, and Abigail Dickinson, Communications Executive at cashback site Quidco, to look at ways to make and save those essential pennies for the Christmas shop.

Sarah investigates why the financial sector has few women in top positions and looks into the companies that have signed up for the women in Financial Services Charter. To go through this issue, Sarah is joined by Jane Platt from NS&I, Melanie Seymour from Women in Banking and Finance and employment lawyer, Gillian Howard.

In 1966, Barclays sent out over a million credit cards to customers. And so began a revolution in the way we shop and pay for goods. None of the customers had asked for these cards - and it was an entirely new product in the UK. Many of those who received these credit cards were women, and it meant that women could get credit without having to get a man to sign for it or act as a guarantor. Sarah Pennells and her guests discuss how credit cards have changed over the past 50 years and look at current rates and deals available.

An increasing number of people are choosing to live together, rather than get married or form a civil partnership. But, while it’s becoming more commonplace, the legal status of cohabiting couples remains something of a mystery to most of us. Sarah Pennells is joined in the studio by Mary Marvel of Advicenow and Law for Life, Paula Myers, a lawyer with Irwin Mitchell, and over the phone by Christine Webber, a writer, broadcaster and psychotherapist, to discuss the various different issues moving in with a partner can have, and how best to deal with them.

Sarah Pennells looks at how to save money on your food bill. Dawn Quest, joint founder of mealsourkidslove.com, joins Sarah with fellow guests Helen White, from Love Food Hate Waste and Annie O’Leary from Netmums. Together they discuss how supermarket offers can make customers spend up to 20% more than they plan to, despite food costs going down. The guests share tips on how to reduce food waste and how to cook food in a creative and healthy way, they also say that encouraging children to take part in buying and preparing food will help promote healthy eating.

Women and Money with Sarah Pennells, talking to Simon Ranson, Head of Banking at Sainsbury's Bank and Claire Walsh, Chartered Financial Planner at Aspect8, about the recent Sainsbury's Bank report highlighting people's money confidence and financial worries.

Sarah Pennells is joined in the studio by David Thorpe, editor of What Investment, and on the phone by Anna Sofat of Addidi and Darren Cornish of The Share Centre to talk about investing for children using junior ISAs, tracker funds and trust funds.

Sarah Pennells is joined in the studio by Griselda Williams of TRUST|Pensions and on the phone with Debbie Houghton from the Rowan Organisation and Sarah-Jane Butler from Parental Choice to discuss how to set up a pension if you employee someone for help around the house or with your children such as a nanny, childminder, gardener or cleaner.

Sarah Pennells is joined in the studio by Laura Whitcombe, deputy editor at Moneywise and Paula Steele of John Lamb, and also on the phone with Cleona Lira of 2plan Wealth Management to discuss how and where to go to get financial advice and their top tips on money management, only on Share Radio.