Share Sounds from Women & Money presented by Sarah Pennells (1) related to Investing in Funds

These days investing is about far more than stocks and shares. You can invest in bamboo forests, car parking spaces, wine, or you can invest directly in small and growing companies. But should you? Sarah goes through the pros and cons of alternative investments with David Thorpe of What Investment, financial journalist Martyn James and Bruce Davis of Abundance Investment.

An increasing number of people are signing up for subscription boxes - paying a monthly fee for a whole range of things to be delivered to their door. But, are they good value or just a waste of money? Sarah Pennells is joined by Sue Hayward, a consumer expert, who explains the idea behind subscription boxes. Emma Saitch, from Birchbox, and Ian White, from Love Lula, tell Sarah how one can tailor what's in their subscription box, while Alice Hughes, blogger and journalist, looks at beauty boxes and the products that go unused. Alun Johns, from Pomora, explains what people get by subscribing and what they wouldn't get in the shops.

Gender pay gap is still alive and kicking, with women earning 12% less than men. So how do you go about getting a pay rise or a promotion? Sarah Pennells is joined by Fiona Davis, Director for Women in Retail; Penny Parker, from Laurence Simons; and Vanessa Vallely, founder of WeAreTheCity and WeAreTheCity. Together, the guests discuss why women are less likely to ask for a pay rise, and why they are reluctant to come forward.

Many of us probably like to think we have a novel in us, but for most, it remains just a dream. But how easy is it to get your novel - or a work of non-fiction - published and can you make money from it? Sarah Pennells is joined in the studio by Nick Barreto, co-founder of digital publisher Canelo, author Dawn Reeves, and Mindy Gibbins-Klein, founder of The Book Midwife and Panoma Press Publishing, about how to make money from a novel or non-fiction book.

What is peer-to-peer lending? Sarah Pennells looks at the method behind it and how it can help set up a business and how crowdfunding can become a platform to a successful company. Sarah speaks to Karen Kerrigan, Director of UKCFA and Chief Legal Officer of Seedrs; Lucy Bott, Head of Customer Operations at RateSetter, a market place where rates are set by investors and borrowers; and Tom Britton, CTO and founder of Syndicate Room. While Tom and Lucy discuss the differences between peer-to-peer lending and crowdfunding, Karen looks at women and their attitude towards the latter. Neil Faulkner, founder of 4thWay, also gives advice on peer-to peer lending and any risks that you should be aware of. Sarah also speaks with Gem Misa, founder of Righteous and CauliRice, about her experiences in setting up her businesses using crowdfunding.

After new changes were announced in the new financial year, Sarah Pennells and her guests will be looking at the new lifetime ISAs and how savings are being taxed. Anna Bowes, from Savings Champion, Trystan Lewis, from Griffin Wealth, and Anna Sofat, from Addidi Wealth shed light onto this issue that will affect thousands of women living in the UK.

Sarah Pennells is joined by Claire Finn, Head of Pensions at BlackRock, and Louise Oliver of Piercefield Oliver, to talk about women investing for their future pensions. In this week's programme, dedicated to finance from a female perspective, Sarah and her guests look at how to prepare for your pension and what to look out for when investing.

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 Anna Sofat, founder of Addidi and on the phone by Carolyn Gowan, award winning financial planner with Bloomsbury Wealth, to talk about investing if you are a high net-worth woman.

Sarah Pennells is joined in the studio by Sarah Melvin, Chief Operating Officer at BlackRock and Paula Steele, Managing partner at John Lamb to discuss investing for income.