Real Money Stories Podcast

This week I speak to Timi Merriman-Johnson, finance manager and founder of Mr MoneyJar.

Face-to-face with an eviction notice and overwhelmed by expensive living costs, four years ago Timi decided enough was enough. It was time to improve his life by getting better control of his money.

Through a process of self-directed learning, gradual changes and a consistent approach, Timi now has money confidence.

Through his popular ‘Mr MoneyJar’ alter ego, he helps others do the same.

A very candid episode with a focus on how to take that next step to better educate yourself about money.

You can check out Timi and his fantastic money conversations on the Mr MoneyJar show, every Monday at 18:30 GMT, over on Instagram @mrmoneyjar. (And see if you can spot a familiar face in the archives!)

This week I speak to Prerna Khemlani, chartered accountant and advocate for women building wealth through investing.

Growing up in India and Spain, Prerna saw the her mother juggle the family finances living off a single income after her father’s untimely death.

Driven by her desire to feel financially secure, Prerna taught herself to feel more confident with money in general and investing in particular. Now she is helping others to do the same.

An episode with plenty of inspiration for the younger generation looking to better their money attitude, skills and habits. You can check out Prerna and her work at https://www.thisgirlinvests.co.uk/ and on Instagram @thisgirlinvests.

This week I speak to financial services veteran, Phil Smith.  

Phil tells how he went from saving his schoolboy pennies in a TSB piggy bank to looking after billions of pounds of other peoples' money as chief executive of financial services support services provider Embark Group.

Seizing the opportunity to work in an embryonic business based in Asia turned out to be the springboard to Phil's future career, wealth and family success. 

Phil is a wonderfully warm and candid individual, who retains incredible humility despite now leading a business which generates in excess of £100M per annum. And he has an optimistic message and encouraging words of wisdom for young people who are apprehensive about their career prospects in the current environment. 

This week, I speak to Caroline Strawson, award-winning trauma therapist and coach.

Having escaped an abusive marriage and crippled by over £70,000 of debt, Caroline once knew what it was like to be at rock bottom in every sense.

Despite being a financially-vulnerable single mum, Caroline was determined to avoid having a ‘victim’ mentality, and worked tirelessly to turn her life around for herself and her two children.

Caroline not only survived, but thrived, after extreme emotional and financial trauma. Her story provides a great sense of hope for anyone going through tough circumstances.

Now a multi-award winning, international therapist and coach, Caroline now helps people recover from the trauma of narcissistic abuse, and live life on their own terms.

To find out more about Caroline’s work visit her website at: https://www.carolinestrawson.com/

This week on the Real Money Stories podcast, I speak to Ken Okoroafor, founder of The Humble Penny.

Ken grew up in Lagos, Nigeria until his family moved to the UK when he was aged 14. As well as the culture shock of adapting to life in the UK, Ken was acutely aware of financial differences between his secondary school classmates.

‘Ashamed’, ‘lonely’ and ‘unseen’ are all words he uses to describe how he felt due to his family’s lack of money and different ethnicity to others around him.

Finishing university with a first-class degree, Ken decided accountancy would be a good path to pursue. Undeterred by the lack of black representation in the industry, he was successful in getting a position in one of the UK’s top 10 firms.

Having temporarily succumbed to the effects of ‘lifestyle creep’ early on in his career, Ken got himself back on track, reminding himself what really matters in life.

Having achieved financial independence aged 34, he and his wife, Mary, decided to share their money story in order to empower others via The Humble Penny.

You can check Ken out at: https://thehumblepenny.com/ and https://youtube.com/thehumblepenny

This week I speak to rising social media star and financial adviser Lisa Conway, aka Miss Lolly.

Lisa recounts her early dream of wanting to live in one of the beautiful big houses she passed on her way to work, but having no idea how she'd make that a reality. 
 
Juggling several low paid jobs, keeping a lid on her social spending and eventually carving out an accidental career in financial services, were the foundations of her later economic success.

Being resilient and adaptable was essential when Lisa's husband's work dried up a few years ago, while Lisa was juggling being a young mum and building her business. By examining her limiting beliefs with a performance coach, she grew her income by 50% in one year.  Lisa now has a waiting list to take on new clients and a rapidly growing social media business.

Lisa talks honestly and candidly about the importance of knowing what you want and value, and the importance of doing the hard work to get and keep the life you want. 

Check out Lisa’s website here: https://misslolly.com/

In this Real Money Stories episode, I speak to Rob Moore about how he went from broke artist to multi-millionaire serial entrepreneur in five years. Rob is an entrepreneur, investor, author, founder of the Rob Moore Foundation and co-founder of Progressive Property and Progressive Success.

Rob explains how he has handled setbacks and mistakes, the role of luck versus effort and why human relationships are so vital to his success. We also discuss what it means to be happy and prosperous and what money can and can't do for you.

Despite being wealthy, Rob emphasises why he thinks it's so important to have a clear idea of his lifestyle costs, to avoid losing control of his money. And he outlines the importance of being clear on his personal values to help guide his money-related decisions and actions.

This is a super episode filled to the brim with great wisdom. Make sure that you listen to it more than once.

This Real Money Stories episode features Gull Khan, former Banking and Finance Lawyer, who left behind her corporate job to become a Money Mindset Expert.

Gull spent her early childhood in Pakistan with great affluence. But an alteration to her family situation meant her and her mother had to move to the UK and replace opulence with scarcity.

Determined to reverse her situation through hard work and commitment, as a student Gull strove for good grades and successfully went on to law school. However, she decided that money and helping people with their financial prosperity was a more personally-rewarding career route her.

Gull’s story, spanning Asia to Europe, scarcity to wealth, and dependence to independence, outlines a tumultuous, yet successful money journey which everyone can listen and learn from in some way.

In this episode, I speak to Mick McAteer, founder and co-Director of The Financial Inclusion Centre, a UK not-for-profit policy and research group dedicated to promoting financial markets that work for society.

Growing up in the tough climate of Northern Ireland’s Civil Rights Movement, Mick had a strong sense for equality instilled in him from a young age. Working alongside his father selling produce door-to-door was not only hard work, but dangerous work too.

Moving to London in the mid-80s, Mick worked to make ends meet working in a junior position in risk analysis. Spurred on by a growing family, he strove to achieve a comfortable but modest lifestyle.

A social pioneer and champion of justice, Mick’s story makes a great listen. Check out www.inclusioncentre.org.uk.

In this episode, I speak to money coach for women, Catherine Morgan. 

Catherine tells how early childhood traumas led her to have self-doubts which manifested as overspending and a slightly cavalier approach to money. She explains how she has completely reinvented her relationship with money over the past twenty years to build a healthy income and create a solid financial foundation, by helping others to help themselves be better with money.

This episode has some wonderful insights on how working on your inner self can help you build positive money habits, behaviours and routines, so that money  is your servant, not your master.

Check out Catherine’s podcast In Her Financial Shoes and her website for financial coaching for women, The Money Panel.

In this episode of Real Money Stories, I speak to Peter Deane, director at Lower My Charges.

Growing up in a modest family home, Peter learnt the importance of being careful with money. Stacking shelves in supermarkets to factory work, as a teenager he learnt money’s value.

What these early experiences also taught Peter was that he would rather run a business than just work in it. Beginning his career, he moved through the finance industry from big jobs to even bigger ones in order to satisfy his desire for more responsibility.

A great episode which highlights the importance of pursuing what you are passionate about, with the money usually following right behind.

This week I speak to Emma Maslin, money coach aka The Money Whisperer.

Emma had a good relationship with money from a young age and observed an entrepreneurial streak in both her father and grandfather.

As a graduate from university, Emma qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2006 in a “Big Four” accountancy firm where she worked in corporate finance, valuing businesses for takeovers.

Deciding to put her natural understanding of finances to another use, she started a blog to help people with basis financial situations. Quickly she realised that she could have a great impact on the financial education of others if she could teach the right money mindset with the aid of practical guidance and tools. Training as a money coach, she now does just that.

A great episode delving into the truth of your financial mindset and how you can reshape it with the right guidance and tools.

This week I speak to Darren Laverty, a financial well-being strategist at Secondsight.

Growing up, Darren learnt from his dad’s example that to have money, you had to work hard for it.

Dabbling in all sorts of jobs, from car sales to nightclubs, Darren found none of these career paths were for him. Finally, a passing idea to pursue a path in life insurance took his fancy. It turned out to be a good fit.

A self-confessed “over optimistic attitude” saw Darren plunge into a high-spending lifestyle. Materialism took over his life. Having hitting rock bottom with insurmountable overdrafts and debts, he realised it was time for a change.

Together with his wife, Darren was gradually able to achieve his desire to become debt-free and take back control of his money.

Now, in his role as a financial well-being strategist at Secondsight, he teaches people how to start the seemingly enormous task of becoming financially free. The relationship between financial well-being and emotional well-being is one which Darren wants to everyone to fully realise.

This week I speak to Sarah Lord, Chief Client Officer for Succession Wealth.

A comfortable upbringing allowed Sarah freedom to explore opportunities, from completing a medial biochemistry degree to working a ski season.

By a stroke of chance, Sarah found herself eager to pursue a career in the financial services. Now she boosts position number two at one of the leading firms in the advice sector.

Sarah explains to me how money is about the freedom of choice and the ability to have experiences. This attitude to money was influenced by her childhood and, in turn, one which she hopes to pass on to her own children.

An episode filled with humble perspective and contemplation on the full wealth of opportunities out there for the taking.

This week I speak to Neil Moles, CEO of Progeny group.

Growing up in a modest household on the Yorkshire Dales, Neil learnt that there always had to be an element of planning concerning money.

A job at a building society at the age of 16 saw Neil pursue his love of maths and his passion for interacting with people. This combination led him into the world of financial advice.

Neil shares some great client stories and experiences. And he speaks frankly about the importance of personal responsibility, the challenges of growing a business, and the growing culture of entitlement towards money.

With many young people having to rethink their career options, Neil also makes the case for considering a role in financial services as rewarding professionally, financially and emotionally.

This week I speak to Dr Lien Luu, Chartered Financial Planner and Associate Professor in Finance at Coventry Business School.

Growing up in Vietnam, Lien’s first impression of managing money from her parents was a simple and frugal approach without luxuries.

As a 13 year old, Lien and her family fled as refugees from the conflict and humanitarian problems in their home country. Arriving in the UK as a refugee, via a precarious sea journey as one of the ‘boat people’ exodus, she experienced a cultural shock. By western standards she was confronted with a sense of embarrassment at her family’s financial situation.

Yet taking control, she decided hard work was the route to a better life.

A humbling perspective on the value of money, the power of determination and the satisfaction of frugality.

This week I speak to Don Fraser, chartered financial planner and director at Capital asset management.

The power of peer-pressure spending and the contagious notion that affluence ought to be rewarded by material consumption are emotive behaviours that Don experienced first-hand.

Boasting a 41 year career in finance and fortified by his own lessons, Don shares his formula for mastering money emotions. YOU too can make decisions for your hard-earned cash with clarity and confidence.

This week I speak to entrepreneur Ian Beestin.

Ian's early money experiences of helping his dad count out the church collection money and collecting weekly customer payments on his milk round, stood him in good stead.

Ian explains how he turned £9,000 of regular savings into £50,000 by the time he was 24, and the capital for his first business investment. Having a hobby - drumming - that cost nothing and generated cash, is one of Ian's secret to being able to save so much at a young age.

A total loss on his first investment didn't deter Ian, and he and a friend started a business that revolutionised the selling of ISAs and investment bonds. Within the first two years they had generated over 100,000 enquiries with minimal marketing spend, and more business than they could handle.

Selling his business at the age of 31 created the solid financial foundations for Ian and his family, which gave him options to explore different roles, hobbies, and interests.

Now running his third business - financial education and engagement platform Moneyalive - Ian is continuing to make waves and deliver value. 

Ian is an incredibly humble and down to earth person, who underplays his achievements. But we can all learn from his passion and enthusiasm for business, being true to his principles and favouring saving over spending. 

This week I speak to financial services entrepreneur Holly MacKay.

As founder and head honcho of communications agency Boring Money, Holly is on a mission to cut through the BS, jargon and complexity of money and personal finance.

Although I have known Holly for over 15 years, I didn't know her back story. 

From university at Cambridge to chalet maid in the alps, Holly mixed working, having fun and learning useful life skills. A trip to Australia taken on a whim ended up with a job in financial services. Homesickness brought Holly back to the UK, where she quickly landed a corporate executive role with a big financial services company.

Tiring of corporate politics and keen to go beyond her comfort zone led Holly to set up her first business, 'I had no idea I needed a separate business bank account!' Overseeing a conference just days after the birth of her child was all in a day's work for Holly, 'Although I wouldn't recommend it.'

An unsolicited telephone call while walking along the Thames one day led to the sale of her business for a life-changing sum, 'There was certainly a degree of validation about it.' observes Holly,

But Holly doesn't sugarcoat her life. The breakdown of her marriage and the challenges of balancing family, business and personal priorities, mean she has developed resilience, humility and empathy. 

A great episode which I hope you enjoy listening to as much as I enjoyed recording.