Share Sounds from Women & Money presented by Sarah Pennells (1)

Caring for a family member can be a high toll on your life, both emotionally and financially and research recently conducted by the Carer's Trust show that over half of carers in the UK were missing out on the financial support they should be entitled to, negatively effecting their lives and the lives of those who they care for. To talk to Sarah about what you can do if your looking after someone, she is joined by Sarah Mitchell from the London-based Carers Network, Caroline Shola Arewa, a wellness coach and Steve Webb, from Royal London.

With Advent right around the corner, you may be thinking about getting yourself a calendar, but have you considered a less traditional version? Harriet Meyer, a freelance personal finance journalist and Holly Smith, from Holly's Frugal Blog join Sarah to discuss the range of calendars available from drinks to beauty products.

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.

Analysis published by Royal London has revealed that new mothers could be missing out on hundreds of millions of pounds in state pension rights. Sue Dougan sits in for Sarah and she and her guests look at what this means for young mums – how do you know if you’ve missed out and what can you do? She was joined by Steve Webb of Royal London, Anna Monteith from ICAEW and freelance finance journalist Donna Ferguson.

This week Sarah and her guests look at saving and investing for your children. The array of cash ISAs and funds can be baffling, so how do you work out which one is the best four child? Research shows that two thirds of parents take out cash ISAs, but is this always the best option? Sarah is joined by Michelle McGrade of TD Direct Investing, Richard Stone from the Share Centre and Claire Walsh of Unbiased.

As the deadline for secondary school applications approaches, Sarah looks at all the things parents need to consider when applying for a school – the cost of schooling, trips, fees, scholarships and bursaries, and how living in a good catchment area can boost the value of your home.

According to a study by the FCA, 1.6 million people only make the minimum repayment on their credit cards each month. Research released this week by savvywoman.co.uk this week bears this out; it found that 4 in 10 adults grossly underestimate how long it will take to pay off credit card debt if you only pay back the minimum every month. Sarah discusses the findings with her guests, Jane Clack from Pay Plan and the freelance finance expert Martyn James.

Sarah looks at the best options for travel currency, and where to look for the best holiday deals. Sh'es joined in this endeavour by Andy Webb of Be Clever With Your Cash, and Mirror Finance Journalist James Andrews.

What do you do if you have large debts or haven’t paid off your mortgage, but retirement is just round the corner? Sarah looks at your options are if you owe money and how mortgage lenders will look at you if you’re heading towards retirement.

Why are women’s products more expensive than men’s? Women pay more for a whole range of items, including razors, some models of pen, perfume compared to aftershave and even for things like dry cleaning. So, is this a premium that's unfairly imposed on female products or is it a justified cost that manufacturers and retailers pass on?