Pensions & Prosecco: Making Money Conversations Easier

Sometimes the easiest way to talk about money is with a glass of something good in hand.

That was the thinking behind Pensions & Prosecco — an intimate evening we hosted at Rostrum in London, designed to make pensions feel a bit more approachable, and a lot less overwhelming.

We kept it small. Just 20 guests.

I was joined by finance journalist Katie Binns and Kellands Chartered Financial Planners, and together we created something that felt relaxed, open, and genuinely useful.

No jargon. No pressure. Just clear, practical conversation.

What we actually covered

Between glasses of crisp Prosecco, we talked through the things most people avoid:

• how much you might actually need for retirement

• how to sense-check if your pension is on track

• the small decisions that make a big difference over time

• whether to manage things yourself or bring in expert advice

Nothing complicated — just making it easier to understand what to do next.

Each guest also left with a one-hour financial advice session with Kellands, so the conversation didn’t stop when the evening ended.

Why it worked

Money can feel intimidating.

Wine removes a bit of that pressure.

It gives people something to hold, something to do, and makes the room feel more relaxed from the start.

What I saw was people opening up quickly — asking questions they’d probably been putting off for years.

That’s the point of these events.

A word from Katie Binns

As Katie put it:

“We wanted people to leave knowing their next step — not just feeling like they’d listened to a talk. Pairing wine and pensions made that possible.”

The bigger picture

Talking about pensions doesn’t need to feel heavy or confusing.

With the right people in the room, and the right structure around it, it becomes something much more straightforward — and actually quite empowering.

That’s what Pensions & Prosecco is designed to do.

What’s next

We’ll be hosting more of these evenings, building on what worked — keeping them small, useful, and easy to engage with.

Because when people understand their finances, they make better decisions.

And that’s where the real value is. Elizabeth Hawthorthwaite