We’ll leave you better off – here’s how

Telegraph Money’s comprehensive advice and expert opinion can save you a great deal of cash, says Ben Wilkinson ‘I hid in the loo and cried – and then got a pay rise. Here’s how’

Being paid what we’re worth is critical – whether it’s to pay the bills, save and invest, build a pension or position ourselves for the next promotion.

Yet women find it especially tricky to negotiate a pay rise. New research from AJ Bell suggests that just 40pc of British women have ever asked for a raise, compared with almost 60pc of men.

And, even if we do pluck up the courage to ask, our success rate is pitiful – just a third of women get a rise after asking for one, compared with almost half of men.

You may hold out hope that your company will reward people based on contribution, rather than who shouts the loudest, but in my experience that’s often wishful thinking. We really need to get better at asking.

So, what’s the best way to steel yourself to ask for a pay rise – and actually receive one? Let’s acknowledge it can feel excruciating. The first time I raised

We all want the best for ourselves and our families, and the key to so much of that is making your money go further.

Smart money management can be the difference between a retirement spent reliant on the state pension and a retirement spent travelling the world.

It can mean getting on the property ladder sooner, giving your children a better education and leaving an inheritance that won’t be diminished by the taxman.

This all means that the decisions you make with your money today will not only have a tremendous impact on your quality of life, but also the lives of your the issue pay was early in my career. I’d been given a tiny salary increase after a year when I’d taken on more responsibility, performed strongly and made a far greater contribution to the business. And, while I appreciate many people receive no bonus at all, mine was miniscule, barely up on 12 months before, even though I had been away on maternity leave the previous year.

When my boss told me the numbers he clearly expected me to be pleased. I mumbled “thank you”, but kept the meeting brief. Afterwards, I hid in the loo and cried; money was tight at that point and I felt justified in expecting a much bigger rise. After calming down, I realised I needed to set out my case – immediately. It was a Friday afternoon, and the impact would be diminished after the weekend.

I wrote down the reasons why I deserved a greater increase, sticking to the facts: the outperformance of the funds I managed, and changes in my children and grandchildren. Reliable advice has never been more valuable.

It is against this backdrop that we are proud to present the new Telegraph Money. Our new-look pages and website have been designed and curated to provide you with all the answers and guidance you need to make your money work harder – so that you and your family can live a better life.

It is our belief that our comprehensive advice and expert opinion has the power to save you a great deal of money – more than enough to cover the cost of a Telegraph subscription many times over. We have produced hundreds of guides in order to tell you all you need to know about money – at any stage of role and contribution. I needed those facts right in front of me to stop my emotions taking over. I asked my boss if we could meet urgently to discuss my pay. I took a deep breath and looked at him squarely, explaining why I was disappointed and the reasons why I had expected more.

He listened and, to my amazement, said, ‘“So what had you in mind?”. I doubled both the raise and the bonus. “OK,” he said. “Sorry, you’re right, we looked at last year as the starting point and didn’t think properly about how much your role had changed.”

I thanked him again, this time sincerely – although still professionally, not gushing with gratitude. My only regret was not asking for an even bigger sum. But that protest stood me in good stead for subsequent years, and I never had to fight my corner with that boss again. Whatever the circumstances, you can take a similar approach. Save your request for when you have a strong case, your life. From picking the best savings account for your new- born child, to building a £1m pension pot, and leaving a bullet-proof will.

We’ve built innovative tools and calculators that have been designed to cut through complexities to give you clear answers that will help you make decisions with your taxes, mortgage, savings and so on.

We’ve enlisted the help of some of the nation’s finest financial minds. Television property expert Phil Spencer will be helping you get the most out of your home and buy-to-let investing.

Baroness Morrissey, a City financier with decades of experience, will write about wealth, women and family.

Helena Morrissey says pay requests should be saved for when you have a strong case

and when you know the raise is affordable. Do ask for a rise, though, if something has changed that means you really need more money.

Women sometimes tell me they can’t afford to go back to work after having a baby; I suggest they first outline the financial reality to their manager. Many companies would much rather increase someone’s pay than lose them – and some bosses are unaware of the cost of childcare. Once they see the maths, they are much more likely to help.

Whatever your reasons, document them as a prompt. Keep it matter- offact, not emotional. Speak confidently, sounding as though you believe in your own worth – rehearse if necessary.