The next IFW Roundtable is at 11am on Thursday 7th March. Hosted by Kate Shaw, financial author Emma Waller will introduce the discussion topic âAddress your clientsâ money fears.â
Members and non-members attending for the first time can book free of charge for the March IFW Roundtable.
Your key learning points:
- Understand different types and levels of money anxiety
- Questions to ask to get to the root of the issue
- Organisations that can help when you can’t
Emma is the founder of financial wellbeing organisation MoneyMinded, working across private, public and voluntary sectors to design and deliver financial wellbeing programmes.
Emma co-authored Martin Lewisâs âYour Money Mattersâ book. She provides content and training for a number of national organisations including the NHS and other government departments, high street retailers and national charities.
Emma regularly delivers financial wellbeing workshops in the workplace and in community settings. She also provides support to schools and colleges, helping them embed financial education across the curriculum. Emma also has over 20 yearsâ experience in education, firstly as a Teacher of Economics and Business, followed by roles in Senior Leadership as Director of Learning and Assistant Principal responsible for performance and standards.
Ahead of the Roundtable, I asked Emma a few nosy questions.
How would you summarise your passions, both in and out of work?
In work, Iâm passionate about supporting people living in vulnerable circumstances and providing them with meaningful guidance around their finances. Out of work Iâm a keen bootcamper and I love volunteering at a womenâs charity near where I live. They provide education, training and support to women at risk of (re) offending.
How would you explain the term Financial Wellbeing to someone whoâd never heard it before?
Financial Wellbeing is about feeling secure and in control of your money. Itâs having the skills, behaviours, knowledge and confidence to be able to make informed financial decisions and be able to cope when faced with economic shocks.
What prompted you to make financial wellbeing the core of your organisation MoneyMinded?
Prior to setting up MoneyMinded, I was a Teacher and Senior Leader in education. I established the company nearly 10 years ago now, initially providing financial education in schools and colleges. It became apparent quite quickly that many adults also found money management tricky so I started talking to teachers and public sector staff around how to improve their relationship and confidence with money. Since leaving education, Iâve never looked backâŚ.
How did you come to co-author Martin Lewisâ book âYour Money Mattersâ?
Iâm a Financial Education Consultant working with an organisation called Young Money, which is part of Young Enterprise, and itâs through them that I had that wonderful opportunity. From this experience Iâve been able to develop many financial programmes for corporate clients, community groups and charities.
What do you wish youâd been told about finance when you were 15?
Save as much as you can. Take action with money, learn about it and do not fear it. Be confident in the financial decisions that you make.
What are you doing to advance your own financial wellbeing?Â
I love the quote âmoney is 20% mechanics and 80% psychologyâ so for me itâs critical to understand my mindset, emotions and behaviours around money. This approach has helped me to understand my spending decisions and how to remain in control of my own money. As my career has always involved learning, educating myself around money topics and financial services is a really important part of my financial wellbeing. This has certainly helped me to develop my confidence in my own financial planning and decision making.
What do you hope people gain by attending the March IFW Roundtable discussion?Â
An understanding of the complexities around money anxiety and fears, what drives these fears and what the issues can be. Iâm looking forward to sharing my insights and effective practice around these themes and to offer practical guidance so that people know how and where to signpost.
