IT’S International Women’s Day tomorrow, held to shine a light on all their political, economic, cultural and social achievements.
To celebrate, we have put together a line-up of leading female money experts to give you some financial advice . . .
Rhiannon Philps, personal finance expert at comparison and financial services website NerdWallet: “The gender pay gap has resulted in a gender savings gap, as women save 35 per cent less than men in the UK.
“If you can build a good habit now, you may not have to dip into an overdraft or use a credit card to manage unexpected costs.
“Draw up a budget so you know how much of your money is needed to cover your bills during each pay period, and try to put away a little each month.”
Victoria Leyton, consumer expert at discount site Hotukdeals: “Women are often paid less than men for an equivalent role and research shows we are less likely to ask for a pay rise.
“Prep for appraisals by speaking to recruiters, researching job adverts and looking on sites such as Glassdoor to see what you should be asking for.
“I have steeled myself for these difficult conversations many times, always with a positive outcome.”
Laura Suter, head of personal finance at investment company AJ Bell: “Government support for parents is often poorly advertised and chronically under claimed.
“Tax-free childcare is the big one, which can give you up to £2,000 a year per child.
“You should also look at child benefit, free childcare hours or whether you can claim back up to 85 per cent of your childcare costs if you are on Universal Credit.”
Sarah Coles, head of personal finance at financial services firm Hargreaves Lansdown: “Try to keep up pension payments when you go on maternity leave.
“Generally, you make the same percentage contributions, but as a percentage of your maternity pay instead of your full salary.
“Your employer has to make contributions based on full pay, so they keep it up.”
THESE boots were made for looking pretty – and are £19 in the sale at River Island, down from £60.
SAVE: £41
STYLE out the latest cold snap with this Marni Popcorn knitted beanie hat for £7.90, at Uniqlo.
THIS £9 red slogan T-shirt from Asda is part of the Change A Girl’s Life collection, raising funds for The Prince’s Trust to support young women changing their lives for the better.
In stores and online now.
FOR a delicious sugar fix, tuck into Candy Kittens sour watermelon sweets, costing £2.50 at Tesco.
Or save with Aldi’s Dominion tangy watermelon gums for £1.09.
SAVE: £1.41
KEEP whites shining for longer with this laundry whitener, which goes straight into the washing machine.
It’s £1 at Wilko.
TIME to glow with this eye-catching Habitat mustard wall clock.
Now £12, reduced from £18.
SAVE: £6
STOCK up on squash drinks with three bottles for £3.25 at Morrisons, saving 62p.
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