The menopause is damaging women's finances, a leading finance expert has claimed.

Rachael Bell, of Practice Principal at Rachael Bell Wealth Management, Carlisle, exposed in a podcast how the menopause can potentially damage women's work life leading to declined income, savings, and pensions.

Rachael emphasises that corporations of all scales must acknowledge the effects of menopause and provide help to any affected employees.

Rachael said: "We know that one in ten women have left their job because they are coping with the menopause while 14 per cent have reduced their hours to part time.

"It's also the reason a further eight per cent haven’t applied for a promotion at work.

"This is impacting businesses who are losing key members of their team and the valuable contributions these individuals can make.

"There’s also the impact on the wider economy overall.

"But of course, women themselves suffer the biggest consequence because the result of these changes is on their personal finances at what is the peak of their career and earning capacity."

The Financial Freedom podcast, run by the Rachael Bell Wealth Management team, is now in its second series and is available on all streaming platforms.

The release of an episode dedicated to the menopause coincided with World Menopause Awareness Day on October 18.

Joined by the firm's Client Experience Director, Pam Brown, Rachael explores the financial implications those going through menopause may face and the steps women can take to prevent financial setbacks.

Rachael said: "Finances can be affected by a whole host of things in our lives.

"Our podcast series is about holding open conversations on topics that are often skirted around or ignored completely because there’s a view, they can be difficult areas to discuss.

"The menopause is absolutely one of these, so we were determined to have a real and honest talk about it.

"There are certainly things we can do to help women going through the menopause to take care of their finances.

"We put in place a menopause policy and, ultimately, we would like to see more businesses taking the same kind of proactive approach and understanding the huge benefits that this can bring."