WEBVTT - What If Illness Disrupts Your Career? 0:00:00.600 --> 0:00:03.090 Hey, guys. It's Kia. We've been talking about how to hyper- 0:00:03.090 --> 0:00:05.189 focus your finances in order to get a little bit 0:00:05.190 --> 0:00:07.860 richer, but sometimes life just gets in the way. So 0:00:07.860 --> 0:00:10.920 this episode I'm talking about the impact physical and mental 0:00:10.920 --> 0:00:13.439 illnesses can have on our money. Joining me is Corrine 0:00:13.440 --> 0:00:18.329 Vern, a PR manager at Legal & General. Corrine joined Legal & 0:00:18.329 --> 0:00:20.549 General this year, but before this, she worked at our 0:00:20.550 --> 0:00:23.160 company who reviewed and rated financial products where her work 0:00:23.160 --> 0:00:27.119 involved promoting insurance protection. Corrine is 33 and one awful 0:00:27.120 --> 0:00:29.159 day last year, she suddenly went numb from the waist 0:00:29.160 --> 0:00:33.059 down. Following this, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and 0:00:33.059 --> 0:00:35.219 has spent the last year adjusting to some big changes 0:00:35.219 --> 0:00:37.800 in terms of her personal life, work life, and finances. 0:00:38.640 --> 0:00:41.100 Corinne's done an excellent job adapting to all of this, 0:00:41.250 --> 0:00:43.290 and she's joining me today to talk through her story, 0:00:43.500 --> 0:00:45.300 how this has impacted her life, and what she'd do 0:00:45.300 --> 0:00:47.969 differently if she could go back. So Corinne, to kick 0:00:47.969 --> 0:00:50.159 things off, please could you talk me through the story 0:00:50.159 --> 0:00:51.180 of your diagnosis? 0:00:51.420 --> 0:00:55.800 Yeah, I can. One day I was having brunch with 0:00:55.800 --> 0:00:59.550 the girls, time of my life, and the next day, 0:00:59.610 --> 0:01:02.340 literally overnight, I woke up and I was completely numb 0:01:02.340 --> 0:01:03.450 from the waist down- 0:01:03.450 --> 0:01:03.901 Oh, wow. 0:01:03.901 --> 0:01:07.950 ... both legs. It's like straightaway was like, " That's not 0:01:08.039 --> 0:01:12.150 quite normal," and it was like pins and needles. My 0:01:12.150 --> 0:01:16.950 feet felt dead. So as soon as I could, I 0:01:16.980 --> 0:01:19.740 got hold of my GP and I was really, really 0:01:19.740 --> 0:01:24.600 lucky that I had access to private healthcare through work. 0:01:24.870 --> 0:01:27.929 I was really lucky I got diagnosed very, very quickly. 0:01:28.170 --> 0:01:31.709 It was a long, hard process. You find out what's 0:01:31.709 --> 0:01:34.890 wrong and it feels like a bit of a journey 0:01:34.920 --> 0:01:37.560 and you don't really know what's going on. And then 0:01:38.220 --> 0:01:40.920 you get your diagnosis and you sit in the office 0:01:40.920 --> 0:01:43.950 and they go, " It's multiple sclerosis." He looked at me 0:01:43.950 --> 0:01:47.069 really odd because I was like, " Okay, fine," because I was expecting it. 0:01:47.340 --> 0:01:47.730 Okay. 0:01:47.820 --> 0:01:49.770 And then I got in the car and my mum 0:01:49.770 --> 0:01:54.779 was there luckily and she was like, "Are you okay?" I was like, "No." 0:01:54.990 --> 0:01:55.050 No, no. I mean... 0:01:55.200 --> 0:02:00.750 No, I'm not. Because that's where the journey really starts 0:02:00.750 --> 0:02:04.170 and that's when the reality of the situation because you're 0:02:04.170 --> 0:02:06.900 still kind of hoping that maybe I'm being dramatic. So 0:02:06.960 --> 0:02:10.230 that was kind of the start of all the changes 0:02:10.230 --> 0:02:13.620 was when I got that diagnosis and I realized quite 0:02:13.620 --> 0:02:16.559 quickly how much of an effect, not just feeling physically 0:02:16.559 --> 0:02:21.600 unwell, but the mental strain of having a diagnosis of 0:02:21.990 --> 0:02:26.400 an incurable disease. Like I've been sick, but I've never 0:02:26.400 --> 0:02:29.310 been sick to be told that you're not going to 0:02:29.310 --> 0:02:32.730 get better from, like this is with you for life. 0:02:32.730 --> 0:02:35.160 So it was dealing with the implications of that is 0:02:35.160 --> 0:02:39.119 kind of what came next and was the fun part, 0:02:39.120 --> 0:02:41.761 so to speak. The challenging part, challenging. 0:02:41.761 --> 0:02:44.190 The challenging part. So I can imagine that was a 0:02:44.190 --> 0:02:48.360 massive worry that you had to undertake. But how did 0:02:48.360 --> 0:02:50.490 this impact you financially? Were there changes that you had 0:02:50.490 --> 0:02:52.559 to make to your finances? 0:02:52.740 --> 0:02:56.279 Yeah. So it's one of those ones like you deal 0:02:56.280 --> 0:02:58.919 with the health. At this point, I'm still very much 0:02:58.919 --> 0:03:01.290 going through the motions of being numb from the waist 0:03:01.290 --> 0:03:04.290 down. It lasted about sort of I think in total 0:03:04.710 --> 0:03:07.200 I had the numbness and the pain like for six 0:03:07.200 --> 0:03:11.849 months, but it was that impact then that it had 0:03:11.849 --> 0:03:16.108 on work. So I'd worked really hard throughout my 20s 0:03:16.109 --> 0:03:17.849 to get to the point that I was in my career. 0:03:18.450 --> 0:03:21.870 I'd gone from like an internship earning like no money, 0:03:22.110 --> 0:03:24.660 all the way through to earning, like I was comfortable. 0:03:24.690 --> 0:03:26.730 I had a comfortable salary. I was starting to look 0:03:26.730 --> 0:03:29.280 at whether or not I wanted to buy a property, 0:03:29.280 --> 0:03:32.758 like start putting savings away and all of that. I 0:03:32.758 --> 0:03:35.250 just felt like I'd hit a brick wall and that 0:03:35.250 --> 0:03:38.160 whole perspective of just like I always felt like I 0:03:38.160 --> 0:03:41.460 was soaring and then, all of a sudden, I was like- 0:03:42.480 --> 0:03:42.811 Oh, no, I can imagine. 0:03:42.811 --> 0:03:45.389 ... coming back down to earth with like a big 0:03:45.389 --> 0:03:52.139 bang, right? And financially, I had some savings, but I 0:03:52.139 --> 0:03:54.750 was like living my best life so I was enjoying 0:03:54.900 --> 0:03:57.630 the disposable income that I had. So I had some 0:03:57.630 --> 0:04:00.990 money saved. I had like the bog standard three months 0:04:00.990 --> 0:04:04.920 of salary, like monthly salary saved up. But I very 0:04:04.920 --> 0:04:08.699 quickly realized I'm not well. I don't know how long 0:04:08.700 --> 0:04:10.589 I'm going to be unwell for. I don't know what 0:04:10.590 --> 0:04:14.280 recovery looks like. I'm very fortunate that I did get 0:04:14.280 --> 0:04:17.370 the function back in my lower body and I went 0:04:17.370 --> 0:04:19.950 into remission quite well, but I could have had really 0:04:19.950 --> 0:04:22.650 lasting effects and disability and at some points I was 0:04:22.650 --> 0:04:24.599 walking with a stick. That could have been something that 0:04:24.599 --> 0:04:28.109 I carried on and continued to do. So when it 0:04:28.109 --> 0:04:31.140 came to work, I just didn't know what that looked 0:04:31.140 --> 0:04:35.039 like, whether I needed to take time off. I also 0:04:35.040 --> 0:04:38.250 had to have a real sit- down with myself and 0:04:38.250 --> 0:04:40.560 can I continue to do the job that I'm doing? 0:04:40.889 --> 0:04:42.900 Because one of the things that you get with multiple 0:04:42.900 --> 0:04:47.549 sclerosis is fatigue, which comes with it brain fog, and 0:04:47.609 --> 0:04:50.670 it just meant that I was really suffering at work. 0:04:50.670 --> 0:04:53.850 I couldn't find words in meetings and things like that. 0:04:53.850 --> 0:04:56.160 So where I'd gone from, well, I mean I thought 0:04:56.160 --> 0:04:58.349 I was all right in my job before and, all of 0:04:58.349 --> 0:05:00.178 a sudden, I wasn't able to do the things that 0:05:00.178 --> 0:05:02.700 I could do before. The disease was new to me 0:05:02.700 --> 0:05:05.280 so I didn't know whether this was a permanent feature 0:05:05.879 --> 0:05:07.980 or whether that was just how I was going to 0:05:07.980 --> 0:05:11.760 be functioning moving forward. Luckily, it sort of eased and 0:05:11.760 --> 0:05:14.130 the brain fog and I still get fatigue, but it 0:05:14.130 --> 0:05:18.240 comes in waves. So I was worried that I wouldn't 0:05:18.240 --> 0:05:22.709 have an income from work, and I was worried that 0:05:22.709 --> 0:05:25.020 if I went on sick, if it was long- term, 0:05:25.230 --> 0:05:27.930 whether I could live off statutory sick pay or how 0:05:27.930 --> 0:05:30.870 far my sick pay would stretch from work. But I 0:05:30.870 --> 0:05:32.520 was really lucky at the time that I worked for 0:05:32.520 --> 0:05:35.849 a really, really good company that made some adjustments for 0:05:35.849 --> 0:05:41.488 me that helped me work and keep the salary. And 0:05:42.539 --> 0:05:45.839 I was also extremely lucky with work that as part 0:05:45.839 --> 0:05:49.470 of the workplace benefits, I had a critical illness cover, 0:05:49.500 --> 0:05:53.009 which is a type of insurance against things like cancer 0:05:53.040 --> 0:05:56.488 and multiple sclerosis is one of the critical illnesses that 0:05:56.490 --> 0:06:00.690 is covered. So I got a lump payment from them. 0:06:01.020 --> 0:06:02.580 That's really good. Really useful, I'm sure. 0:06:02.640 --> 0:06:05.520 Yeah, and I think what that did was that kind 0:06:05.520 --> 0:06:08.549 of financial worry and that fear of the unknown of 0:06:08.550 --> 0:06:12.419 what that future looked like, it gave me a really 0:06:12.420 --> 0:06:19.560 good buffer so that I could continue to work and 0:06:19.560 --> 0:06:22.260 continue to forge that career path once I felt better. 0:06:22.650 --> 0:06:26.430 But in an ideal situation because I had to work 0:06:27.360 --> 0:06:30.959 because I didn't have anything else other than that workplace 0:06:30.960 --> 0:06:34.379 benefit, I didn't have income protection so that I could 0:06:34.379 --> 0:06:37.140 have something where I could take six months off work 0:06:37.230 --> 0:06:40.738 and realistically that's what I should have done, because I 0:06:40.740 --> 0:06:43.830 had the physical side of things and then the mental 0:06:43.830 --> 0:06:46.889 health side of things that came with the diagnosis, not 0:06:46.889 --> 0:06:50.130 just the fatigue, but also I was not in a 0:06:50.130 --> 0:06:53.219 great place mentally because my whole world had just been 0:06:53.219 --> 0:06:56.460 turned upside down. So I had some things in place. 0:06:56.460 --> 0:06:58.980 I had an extremely good employer that sort of really 0:06:58.980 --> 0:07:03.000 helped, and the critical illness really helped. But realistically, I 0:07:03.000 --> 0:07:04.980 wish I'd had a bit more there to sort of 0:07:04.980 --> 0:07:07.380 help and support me, take the time that I needed 0:07:07.380 --> 0:07:11.759 to sort of recover and work out what my next 0:07:11.760 --> 0:07:12.900 steps were going to be as well. 0:07:13.140 --> 0:07:15.930 So Corinne, I just want to ask you, what were 0:07:15.930 --> 0:07:19.260 you doing for work before you had your diagnosis, and how 0:07:19.260 --> 0:07:22.050 was that impacted after you received your diagnosis? 0:07:22.559 --> 0:07:26.460 So I just started working in financial services and I'd been 0:07:26.460 --> 0:07:31.140 with the company for four years- ish. And I was 0:07:31.140 --> 0:07:33.720 like getting to that point where I was starting to 0:07:33.720 --> 0:07:36.000 look at what the next opportunities were going to be. 0:07:36.420 --> 0:07:39.179 I was really, really career- minded and focused on sort 0:07:39.179 --> 0:07:42.420 of climbing that career ladder as well. And then you 0:07:42.420 --> 0:07:45.870 get hit with that diagnosis and, all of a sudden, 0:07:45.900 --> 0:07:48.690 that five- year plan is like ripped up. At some 0:07:48.690 --> 0:07:51.360 points I thought that I'd have to leave my job 0:07:51.360 --> 0:07:55.860 completely, change career, do something part- time, do something easier 0:07:56.970 --> 0:07:59.940 just so that I could focus on my health, physical 0:08:00.000 --> 0:08:05.940 and mental health. And when I went to work and 0:08:05.940 --> 0:08:09.180 they were really supportive and I was able to access 0:08:09.180 --> 0:08:11.970 the critical illness cover and sort of have that money 0:08:11.970 --> 0:08:15.690 and that backing, it actually gave me the confidence to 0:08:15.690 --> 0:08:18.210 keep going full steam ahead. So let's stick to the five- 0:08:18.210 --> 0:08:20.700 year plan that I had for my career. I felt 0:08:20.700 --> 0:08:23.309 more financially secure because I thought if it all goes 0:08:23.309 --> 0:08:25.860 wrong when I do need to quit or I do 0:08:25.860 --> 0:08:28.020 need to go or I need to take a job 0:08:28.020 --> 0:08:30.450 that's less money, I kind of knew that I had 0:08:30.450 --> 0:08:32.939 a bit of like a financial buffer there that I 0:08:32.940 --> 0:08:35.550 wouldn't have had without the critical illness. And I started 0:08:35.550 --> 0:08:37.828 looking for jobs and I think this is where my 0:08:37.830 --> 0:08:40.559 outlook changed a little bit. I'd sort of chased a 0:08:40.559 --> 0:08:43.410 salary and sort of gravitas and things like that with 0:08:43.410 --> 0:08:45.960 the jobs that I'd gone for before, quite normal things. 0:08:46.440 --> 0:08:48.449 But I wanted something that served with a bit more 0:08:48.450 --> 0:08:51.240 purpose and that resonated with me. That's where I saw 0:08:51.240 --> 0:08:54.420 the job with Legal & General PR manager. I was like, 0:08:54.420 --> 0:08:57.690 tick, that's what I do. It's in financial services, tick. 0:08:58.020 --> 0:09:00.630 And then the part that I really liked was it 0:09:00.630 --> 0:09:04.770 was specifically working with protection insurance. And I felt so 0:09:04.770 --> 0:09:11.040 passionately through my experience and being able to access the 0:09:11.040 --> 0:09:13.139 cover that I had and also passionate about the fact 0:09:13.139 --> 0:09:14.939 that I could have had way more cover in place. 0:09:14.969 --> 0:09:17.999 I could have provided myself so much more support had 0:09:18.000 --> 0:09:21.450 I understood that those products were for me at that 0:09:21.450 --> 0:09:24.240 age in my 20s. It wasn't just life insurance and 0:09:24.240 --> 0:09:26.760 it's not just about like the worst, worst thing happening, 0:09:26.760 --> 0:09:29.759 but also supporting your lifestyle as you go along. The 0:09:29.759 --> 0:09:31.830 role really resonated with me and I was like, I 0:09:31.830 --> 0:09:33.839 absolutely want to do something because I feel like I've 0:09:33.839 --> 0:09:35.520 got a bit of a purpose. I'm on a bit 0:09:35.520 --> 0:09:36.780 of a soapbox with this. 0:09:36.809 --> 0:09:38.730 Well, I think that's amazing. I think, like you said, it's 0:09:38.730 --> 0:09:41.520 something that young people should know about. It isn't covered 0:09:41.520 --> 0:09:44.280 very often. So off the back of that then, what 0:09:44.970 --> 0:09:47.488 took you by surprise? What's the thing that you don't 0:09:47.490 --> 0:09:49.380 realize until you're in this type of situation? 0:09:49.770 --> 0:09:52.889 I never thought that it would happen to me. And it 0:09:52.889 --> 0:09:54.900 sounds silly because my mom's got MS, but it's not 0:09:54.900 --> 0:09:56.998 hereditary. So really, I didn't think it was going to happen to 0:09:56.999 --> 0:09:58.348 me, like- 0:09:58.650 --> 0:09:58.709 Yeah, of course. 0:09:58.710 --> 0:10:02.578 ... and you think that sickness and these kinds of 0:10:02.580 --> 0:10:04.650 things are for people that are like older than you, 0:10:04.889 --> 0:10:08.189 right? I was building my life. I wasn't expecting it 0:10:08.190 --> 0:10:11.159 to be shattered overnight. I'd gone through my 20s thinking 0:10:11.160 --> 0:10:13.650 I was invincible, having a great time with all my 0:10:13.650 --> 0:10:17.160 friends, socializing, climbing the career ladder, doing everything that you're 0:10:17.160 --> 0:10:20.429 meant to do during those years. And I didn't think 0:10:20.429 --> 0:10:23.820 that I would get to like 30, 31 and that would 0:10:23.820 --> 0:10:26.550 be, potentially could be the end of that kind of 0:10:26.700 --> 0:10:30.449 climb. And I hadn't and I don't know many people 0:10:30.450 --> 0:10:33.059 that do, especially when I talk to my friends. They 0:10:33.059 --> 0:10:37.710 don't think about what they would do if they got 0:10:37.710 --> 0:10:41.219 unwell or they weren't well enough to work. And it's 0:10:41.219 --> 0:10:45.449 not a comfortable thing to think about, the unexpected and 0:10:45.450 --> 0:10:48.630 planning for the worst. But me, personally, I wish I 0:10:48.630 --> 0:10:52.920 had given that more thought. I was lucky, but if 0:10:52.920 --> 0:10:54.840 it had happened at any other point, or I was working 0:10:54.840 --> 0:10:58.020 for a different employer, the outcome could have been really, 0:10:58.020 --> 0:10:59.939 really different for me and I could have been really, 0:10:59.940 --> 0:11:04.078 really stuck. And having three months' salary saved up is 0:11:04.080 --> 0:11:06.960 great, but it doesn't stretch very far when you've got 0:11:06.960 --> 0:11:11.160 bills and rent and also just like life to pay 0:11:11.160 --> 0:11:11.939 for as well. 0:11:12.090 --> 0:11:14.309 That's the thing. I think there's so many things to 0:11:14.309 --> 0:11:18.360 consider, like you've mentioned, that it's almost hard, as you 0:11:18.360 --> 0:11:20.489 said, to see yourself in that situation. 0:11:20.490 --> 0:11:22.949 Yeah, you can't. Until you're in it, you can't. But 0:11:23.340 --> 0:11:25.500 I think that's the challenge you have to do with 0:11:25.500 --> 0:11:28.380 yourself, right? I think you do have to take that 0:11:28.380 --> 0:11:33.000 time to take stock and just say, " Okay, carpet gets 0:11:33.000 --> 0:11:36.059 pulled out from underneath me. What is my plan? What 0:11:36.059 --> 0:11:39.150 do I have in place to protect the lifestyle that 0:11:39.150 --> 0:11:42.149 I have today?" And that accommodates and accounts for everything, 0:11:42.150 --> 0:11:45.450 not just financially, but like your mental health, your physical 0:11:45.450 --> 0:11:47.850 health. Like what do you have in place and what 0:11:47.850 --> 0:11:51.780 support systems do you have in place today that can support 0:11:51.780 --> 0:11:54.689 you if the worst happens? So start building some good 0:11:54.690 --> 0:11:58.439 habits with like putting some money away and take stock 0:11:58.440 --> 0:12:00.479 of that. Don't just save the three months' salary and 0:12:00.480 --> 0:12:00.960 leave it- 0:12:01.049 --> 0:12:01.050 Yes. 0:12:01.050 --> 0:12:04.439 ... because, as well, I'd based it on three months' 0:12:04.440 --> 0:12:06.809 salary before I'd had like pay rises and things like 0:12:06.809 --> 0:12:09.809 that. So my lifestyle had moved on, but my savings 0:12:09.809 --> 0:12:12.119 were sort of stuck. So I was like, " That's done. I've got 0:12:12.120 --> 0:12:14.669 this little pocket. I can carry on." And I never 0:12:14.670 --> 0:12:17.069 took stock, and I never did things to continue to 0:12:17.070 --> 0:12:20.130 protect the life and the lifestyle that I was building. And 0:12:20.130 --> 0:12:22.050 you do it in the hope that you'll never have 0:12:22.050 --> 0:12:25.110 to use it. But I think if you can get 0:12:25.110 --> 0:12:27.780 these really good habits to think in those terms and 0:12:27.780 --> 0:12:32.280 while things are up, don't wait until like I did 0:12:32.820 --> 0:12:35.969 where you are in that crisis point, and then start 0:12:35.969 --> 0:12:39.000 thinking about these things because it is a little bit too late. 0:12:39.480 --> 0:12:41.338 So do it while things are good, and just like 0:12:41.340 --> 0:12:44.939 explore what products could help you protect your income and 0:12:44.940 --> 0:12:46.470 protect your lifestyle as well. 0:12:46.950 --> 0:12:50.040 So for you, you're in your early 30s and when 0:12:50.040 --> 0:12:52.020 you're young, it's really hard, like you said, to see 0:12:52.020 --> 0:12:55.290 yourself in any situation and to think that that could 0:12:55.290 --> 0:12:57.510 happen to you. So how would you like to see 0:12:57.510 --> 0:13:00.390 people's mindsets change here? Because I know your current line 0:13:00.390 --> 0:13:01.680 of work lines up with this. 0:13:01.830 --> 0:13:06.479 Most people are really, really comfortable with insuring your things. 0:13:06.809 --> 0:13:10.529 Like you get a phone, you have insurance. Obviously legal 0:13:10.529 --> 0:13:15.059 requirement to have insurance. We are so comfortable with insuring 0:13:15.059 --> 0:13:18.300 things, it's second nature. But for some reason when it 0:13:18.300 --> 0:13:23.159 comes to ourselves, our body, our health, it's boring and 0:13:23.160 --> 0:13:25.259 we don't want to talk about it. I don't know 0:13:25.259 --> 0:13:26.969 whether or not, especially when you talk about like life 0:13:26.969 --> 0:13:29.969 insurance, obviously that's like the very worst and you don't 0:13:29.969 --> 0:13:32.550 want to talk about that because it feels morbid. But 0:13:32.640 --> 0:13:35.190 it's like what we were saying earlier about protecting the 0:13:35.190 --> 0:13:37.350 lifestyle that you're building and the life that you're building 0:13:37.350 --> 0:13:39.478 out for yourself. So I'd like to see that change. 0:13:39.510 --> 0:13:42.660 I'd like to see more conversation about how we protect 0:13:42.660 --> 0:13:46.949 ourselves and our lives against the unexpected happening. And a 0:13:46.949 --> 0:13:50.130 lot of these products when you're younger are a bit 0:13:50.220 --> 0:13:53.040 cheaper as well because sort of the risks are lower. 0:13:53.160 --> 0:13:55.170 I mean, there'll always be like one person like me 0:13:55.170 --> 0:13:58.650 that's like, " It happened to me, pick me." But no, 0:13:59.580 --> 0:14:03.389 I just really want that mindset to change, that it's 0:14:03.389 --> 0:14:05.939 not too expensive, it's not too difficult to have these 0:14:05.940 --> 0:14:09.809 conversations, and we are worth protecting and our lives are 0:14:09.809 --> 0:14:10.770 worth protecting. 0:14:11.250 --> 0:14:13.708 Like you said, that is very key. We insure our 0:14:13.710 --> 0:14:16.980 products, but ourselves, it's very important so I think that's 0:14:16.980 --> 0:14:19.559 a great point. But I want to run off this 0:14:19.559 --> 0:14:21.330 episode, though, the way that I always do. So I'm 0:14:21.330 --> 0:14:24.179 going to ask you, what are three tips that you'd give 0:14:24.180 --> 0:14:26.220 to our listeners to help them get a little bit richer? 0:14:27.090 --> 0:14:32.730 I think start habits, good financial habits early, even when 0:14:32.730 --> 0:14:35.910 you're not earning a huge amount, start making savings, putting 0:14:35.910 --> 0:14:39.539 things away, and planning for the unexpected. Not just like 0:14:39.540 --> 0:14:42.810 rainy day funds, but actually worst case scenario planning as 0:14:42.810 --> 0:14:48.720 well. And also look into insuring yourself in keeping your 0:14:48.720 --> 0:14:52.290 lifestyle going and look into things like income protection and 0:14:52.290 --> 0:14:55.440 critical illness cover. And I was really lucky that I 0:14:55.440 --> 0:14:59.609 had some workplace benefits, but check, really do look. It's 0:14:59.609 --> 0:15:02.370 great to have pizzas every Friday, it's great to finish 0:15:02.370 --> 0:15:06.030 at four o'clock every Friday, but actually look at the 0:15:06.030 --> 0:15:08.940 more boring benefits. Have a look at your pension, have 0:15:08.940 --> 0:15:11.340 a look at sort of what life insurance is involved 0:15:11.700 --> 0:15:13.679 and also if there are any other benefits that come 0:15:13.679 --> 0:15:15.540 with that. Because a lot of the time you'll have 0:15:15.540 --> 0:15:20.520 access to things like counseling, again, like private diagnostics and 0:15:20.520 --> 0:15:23.580 private GPs and things. Have a look at like that 0:15:23.580 --> 0:15:25.680 boring paperwork pack that you get when you start a 0:15:25.680 --> 0:15:28.799 new job and you're really excited and just take stock of 0:15:28.800 --> 0:15:31.559 what you've got in place and what might be missing 0:15:31.559 --> 0:15:33.509 from that as well. So you're not just relying on 0:15:33.509 --> 0:15:35.759 the workplace benefits, but what can you do and what 0:15:35.760 --> 0:15:37.920 products can you access on a personal level as well. 0:15:37.920 --> 0:15:41.820 So just be mindful of all of your financial products, 0:15:41.820 --> 0:15:45.719 I think, is key from early on, so you build 0:15:45.719 --> 0:15:46.349 those habits. 0:15:46.349 --> 0:15:49.049 Early on, that habit. That's a key point. Corinne, thank you so much for sharing 0:15:49.049 --> 0:15:51.450 your story. It's been very Insightful when you've shared some amazing 0:15:51.450 --> 0:15:54.600 tips so thank you so much. Whether you are in 0:15:54.600 --> 0:15:56.910 a similar position to Corinne or not, I hope that 0:15:56.910 --> 0:16:00.300 this episode resonated with you. If it did, then please 0:16:00.300 --> 0:16:03.000 be sure to follow the podcast, leave us a review 0:16:03.090 --> 0:16:06.149 and tell others who you think would be interested. Next 0:16:06.150 --> 0:16:09.240 week, I'll be looking at student loans, the different types, 0:16:09.660 --> 0:16:12.449 how they can affect your finances and if you should 0:16:12.450 --> 0:16:14.070 repay them. See you then.