Real Money Stories Podcast
103 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsJoin FT columnist and global personal finance expert Jason Butler as he interviews real people about their money journey and challenges and how they overcame them.
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Episodes
Nick and Eric build a strong partnership
September 22, 2021 05:00 - 42 minutes - 39 MBThis week I speak to Nick Earls and Eric DiNicola, co-founders and principals of Winterspring Capital, a company looking to simplify the process of passive real estate investing. Nick and Eric share the highs and lows of their empire-building journey and some of the most important things they learnt along the way.
Jamie makes more than millions
September 15, 2021 05:00 - 53 minutes - 48.6 MBThis week I speak to Jamie York, a rapidly rising star in the world of property investment and Managing Director at Aspire Property Group. Jamie bought his first investment property whilst at university. Through his property consultancy, Aspire, Jamie works closely with investors to build a profitable and growing portfolio of rental properties across the UK. More recently, Jamie has started to train and mentor small groups of novice investors with the aim to transform their basic propert...
Ellie puts on the CEO hat
September 01, 2021 18:48 - 47 minutes - 43.5 MBThis week I speak to Ellie Swift, entrepreneur and marketing and mindset coach. Ellie left her corporate job to pursue her dream of running her own business. Investing her time and energy into her company, Swift Ventures, she built a multi-six figure business in under two years through the power of online marketing strategy, social media and mindset. https://ellieswift.com/
Shahar goes all in on crypto
August 25, 2021 05:00 - 52 minutes - 48 MBThis week I speak to Shahar Abrams, experienced crypto investor and professional in the blockchain industry, on a mission to improve personal finance education nationally. Travelling down the data science route, Shahar worked at IBM for a number of years. When he came across Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad, it put him in a frame of mind to focus more on active investing for himself. Specifically, he wanted to dive deeper into crypto assets, and has been developing his investment strategy thr...
Kizzy move from scarcity to abundance mindset
August 18, 2021 05:00 - 50 minutes - 46.4 MBThis week I speak to Kizzy Parks, president of KPC, a Florida-based consultancy team. Since 2008, Kizzy’s consultancy firm has been at the forefront of customised services that meet the needs of Federal agencies in the US. But when Kizzy first embarked on her entrepreneurial journey, she had $600,000 of debt and a company just about hitting breakeven. A superb interview from which a lot of inspiration can be drawn. You can connect with Kizzy here.
Max forms an inclusive finance community
August 11, 2021 05:00 - 47 minutes - 43.1 MBThis week I speak to Max Rofagha, a man on a mission to build the world's largest and most engaged finance community at finimize.com. Wanting to financially educate himself, Max was perplexed at the complexity and reliability of financial resources available. This gave him his next business idea: to explain to every day people in under 3 minutes, what is happening in the world of finance and why you should care. You can check out more about Finimize and the resources they offer here.
Cathi and Jo shake up the world of money
August 04, 2021 05:00 - 49 minutes - 45.6 MBThis week I speak to Cathi Harrison and Jo Campbell from Verve Group Financial Services. We discuss entrepreneurialism, female roles in the finance sector, what it really takes to have your own business and how to keep your children grounded. I also discuss the importance of having a spending system (you can download my version for free here) and why I have finally decided to switch my car to an electric vehicle. Links mentioned: The simple money mistakes you make every day (blog)
Jazz scores with his money
July 28, 2021 05:00 - 43 minutes - 40.2 MBThis week I speak to Jazz Rose, entrepreneur, property investor, mentor and speaker. Shaped by his won challenges and experiences, Jazz is on a mission to transform people’s relationship with money. You can check out more about Jazz’s work, as well as access his popular Money Tracker, here.
Peter & Hillary help create the next chapter
July 21, 2021 08:24 - 39 minutes - 35.9 MBThis week I speak to husband and wife team Peter Hyson and Hillary Rowland. Through their Next Chapter Retreats business, Peter and Hillary help successful people to live their best life and redefine success and true wealth. We talk about the role of purpose, lasting legacies, meaning and the role of money and material success. And Peter and Hillary share some of their own life stories and lessons, including how they used money to quite literally save Hillary's life.
Mark builds good money foundations
June 28, 2021 12:53 - 40 minutes - 37 MBThis week I speak to Mark Brinkley, author of The Housebuilder's Bible and freelance writer. Mark offers some invaluable insights as to why we are obsessed with property as a way of building wealth. And, although it might not be an obvious route, building your own house can be an option for building financial security and wealth. I also discuss apprentices as well as how much do you spend compared to the average? Links mentioned: Get The Housebuilder's Bible at 25% off with this li...
Laura maps money to vision
June 23, 2021 05:00 - 42 minutes - 38.8 MBThis week I speak to Laura Janes, the founder and director of Uniquity, the marketing firm on a mission to build better financial services brands that reach the customers that matter. Having trained as an actuary in pursuit of the career she thought she ought to have, Laura soon realised that she did not want to work solely with logic and statistics but needed to incorporate her flair for creativity. Do check out Uniquity here.
Oliver uncovers the 6 money types
June 16, 2021 05:00 - 43 minutes - 39.4 MBThis week I speak to Dr. Oliver Robinson, Associate Professor of Psychology in the School of Human Sciences at the University of Greenwich. Oliver led the First Direct money personalities research, helping to discern particular types of people in terms of how they handle their money, and how they construe happiness and wellbeing in relation to their money. I also discuss just how much do you need to fund a comfortable retirement and whether crypto investing is bad for your health.
Laura spreads money knowhow
June 09, 2021 05:00 - 44 minutes - 40.5 MBThis week I speak to Laura Adams, personal finance and small business expert, author and host of Money Girl podcast. Laura discusses the mistake of confusing ‘a fear of numbers’ with being bad with personal finance. She also shares what she learnt from losing 5-figures in a dodgy investment. I also discuss Premium Bonds and Income Protection Insurance. You can get a quote for income protection insurance via Cura Money here: https://www.curainsurance.co.uk/quote/?referral_id=NDcz
Yatin steers the big money ship
June 02, 2021 12:43 - 50 minutes - 47.2 MBIn this week's episode, I speak to Yatin Shah, co-founder and CEO of IILW, the largest independent wealth manager in India, which oversees more than $24Billion of family wealth. Yatin tells how losing over 70% of his father's investments through speculative investment trading was a valuable life lesson on the importance of preserving and growing wealth. He explains why founding his wealth management business during the global credit crunch laid good foundations for future growth. And Y...
Maria conquers her debt demons
May 26, 2021 05:00 - 40 minutes - 36.8 MBThis week I speak to Maria Nedeva, business school professor and founder of The Money Principle. Maria shares her extraordinary money story of how she was in £100,000 of debt and managed to pay it all off in only a few years. Now she has dedicated herself to teaching people in financial trouble how to build sustainable wealth. Links mentioned in the show: AARP Investment Fraud Vulnerability Study Which? Scam Alert Service Documentary: Money, Explained
Pete finds money funny
May 19, 2021 05:00 - 34 minutes - 31.9 MBThis week I speak to Pete Cann, a man on a mission to bring laughter to a million people in 2021. Pete previously had a very poor relationship with money and battled with a gambling addiction for many years. With the support of this wife and Gamblers Anonymous, Pete managed to conquer this addiction and create a much healthier financial relationship. When Pete discovered the health, happiness and wealth benefits that laughter can bring he made it his life mission to bring laughter to mor...
Laura gives a guiding money hand
May 12, 2021 05:00 - 41 minutes - 37.7 MBThis week I speak to Laura Whateley, consumer affairs journalist and best-selling personal finance author. Laura explains that she fell into writing about personal finance after starting her journalist career. She went from money not being ‘her thing’ to writing a best-selling book on personal finance. Insights you’ll learn: No one has this all figured out The old ‘rules’ of money have changed Talking about money is a powerful way to build confidence The language we use around money ...
Roland flies high with money
May 05, 2021 12:59 - 48 minutes - 44.2 MBThis week I speak to Roland Rawicz-Szczerbo, serial entrepreneur, qualified financial advisor, director and owner of Time4Advice and Angels High. As a child, Rowland admired the drive of his father who, as a Polish immigrant, came from nothing but worked his way up and had a successful career as managing director of a major company. It took a dabble in an electrical engineering degree, and then a medical photography one, for Roland to realise what he wanted was to unleash his entrepreneu...
Caroline makes a plan for money
April 28, 2021 05:00 - 45 minutes - 41.7 MBThis week I speak to Caroline Hughes, tech lawyer and co-founder and CEO of award-winning fintech start-up Lifetise. Caroline began her career as a solicitor and was well along the path towards becoming a partner in a big law firm. But she decided to change career and co-found Lifetise, to help consumers under 40 to plan how to afford their most important life goals. You can check out more of Caroline’s work at Lifetise here.
Greg takes a bird's eye view of money
April 21, 2021 05:00 - 51 minutes - 47.5 MBThis week I speak to Greg Davies, a specialist in applied behavioural finance, decision science, impact investing, and financial wellbeing. He started the banking world’s first behavioural finance team at Barclays in 2006, which he led for a decade. Greg explains how he used himself as a guinea pig to put his research into action during the global credit crunch. He explains the four things you need to do to have a successful investment experience. And he explains why doing what feels c...
Nikki takes the money medicine
April 14, 2021 05:00 - 41 minutes - 38.2 MBThis week, I talk to NHS doctor Nikki Ramskill who, having seen firsthand how money stress affects the health and wellbeing of her patients and colleagues, is also a money coach. Nikki candidly shares her early relationship with her finances which, largely influenced by her money personality, was full of impulse spending, accumulating debt and never saying ‘no’. Now Nikki is helping women build abundance into their lives by providing financial literacy and gradually breaking down the tab...
Paul puts money in its box
April 08, 2021 09:46 - 47 minutes - 43.1 MBThis week, I have the pleasure of speaking to Paul Lewis, financial journalist, speaker and presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Money Box. Paul talks very candidly about his early experiences with money, including how important he believes it is for parents to discuss money with their children. Paul also shares his stories about managing money during his university days and dabbling with bank loans. Paul has won more than a dozen awards, including Headline Money Journalist of the Year in 2010 a...
Megan manages millions sustainably
March 24, 2021 06:00 - 49 minutes - 45.1 MBThis week, I speak to Megan Brennan, portfolio manager at Sarasin and Partners LLP. Megan explains the timeless money lessons her father taught her, which are the foundations of her relationship with money, and how she ended up as a fund manager, despite not knowing what she wanted to do after university. She also discusses why aligning your investing style with personal values is becoming more popular and essential to long-term returns. We also explore how to reconcile differences in mo...
Tim makes the world add up
March 17, 2021 06:00 - 55 minutes - 50.9 MBThis week, I speak to Tim Harford, “the Undercover Economist”, Financial Times columnist, BBC broadcaster, the author of nine books and the presenter of BBC Radio’s “More or Less” and “How To Vaccinate The World”. Growing up in what Tim describes as 'a very British way’, the topic of money was one rarely discussed in the Harford household. The cost of living was a lesson learned during Tim’s teenage years and early adulthood that was not void of a few trip-ups along the way. Tim’s person...
Holly makes a financial impact
March 10, 2021 06:00 - 42 minutes - 38.8 MBThis week I speak to Holly Morphew, award-winning financial coach and founder of Financial Impact, the company helping people create wealth and feel confident when it comes to money. Holly and I discuss the fear around money and how to change this, building wealth by plugging spending leaks and maximising your income, and how behaviour around money is far more significant than strategy. She also offers some great advice to younger generations about not being afraid to live frugally while y...
Daniel goes with the flow
March 03, 2021 06:00 - 57 minutes - 52.8 MBThis week, I speak to Daniel Mangena, author, entrepreneur and motivational speaker. Daniel describes his early relationship with money as a mixed one. His parents were Zimbabwe immigrants and they initially lived a comfortable lifestyle. However, through various business foibles, Daniel saw his family’s financial situation shifted from abundance to scarcity over the course of his upbringing. Undergoing many highs and lows in his own business ventures, Daniel found himself exploring the ...
Kalpana freelances to financial independence
February 24, 2021 06:00 - 47 minutes - 43.3 MBThis week I speak to Kalpana Fitzpatrick, finance editor for Hearst magazines, which includes Good Housekeeping, Red, Prima, Cosmopolitan. Kalpana’s parents taught her the importance of education and a good career to achieving financial independence. After university Kalpana pursues a career in journalism; which evolved into writing about personal finance. Determined and ambitious, Kalpana now holds the position of finance editor for Hearst magazines and is the resident money expert for ...
David invests his way to wealth
February 17, 2021 06:00 - 1 hour - 59 MBThis week I speak to David Blatt, founder and CEO of CapStack Partners, real estate expert and international speaker. David had a very modest upbringing and always had an innate desire to work hard and apply himself. As a young man trying to break into real estate David ‘interviewed’ people in the industry to find out the essential principles of what it took to make it in the industry. David was prepared to take a pay cut to become a receptionist at a real estate firm, in return for inst...
Lucy gets on a stairway to housing heaven
February 10, 2021 06:00 - 36 minutes - 33.5 MBThis week, I speak to Lucy Mullins, Co-Founder and COO of StepLadder, a fast-growing and award-winning FinTech company pioneering collaborative finance and revolutionising the home buying process. Through their collaborative lending circles StepLadder are supporting people to buy their first home faster, reach their financial goals, and championing financial wellbeing. Lucy won the Female Founder award at the Unbound Innovation awards in 2019 and delivered the winning pitch for StepLadder ...
Asesh plays the long money game
February 03, 2021 06:00 - 51 minutes - 47.2 MBThis week, I speak to Asesh Sarkar, Global CEO and co-founder of Salary Finance, a fast-growing FinTech platform working to improve the financial health of employees in the UK and US. Asesh was born in the UK to immigrant parents, who had no support and little money. Just as he had seen his parents toil to provide for the family growing up, Asesh also had to overcome his lack of academic ability by working extra hard. Pursuing the career that suited him, as opposed to what his parents or...
Tamsin figures out the true purpose of money
January 27, 2021 06:00 - 46 minutes - 42.2 MBThis week I speak to Tamsin Caine, Chartered Financial Planner at Smart Financial and Director of Financial Planning at Smart Divorce, the specialist financial advice group for people facing divorce. Tamsin began Smart Divorce following her own experience with a marriage breakdown. She now advises people in the same situation as she once was, enabling them to take back control of their life and finances. Tamsin sees her work as all about helping their clients live their best possible life....
Ryan makes money simple
January 20, 2021 06:00 - 48 minutes - 44 MBIn this episode, I speak to Ryan King, assurance associate at EY and social media finance enthusiast. Ryan discusses the beginning of his interest in and around the subject of money and investing, as a teenager in school to a young adult making his way through university. This desire to educate himself through reading and media spurred Ryan on to create his own online platform, Making Money Simple. Through this, he aims to help those in their 20s and 30s educate themselves about all thin...
Davinia discovers the secret money sauce
January 13, 2021 06:00 - 47 minutes - 43.6 MBThis week I speak to Davinia Tomlinson, founder of rainchq, which helps women take control of their money. Born and raised in Birmingham, during her formative years Davinia benefited from a strong female financial role model, in the form of her Windrush generation Caribbean grandmother. Davinia’s early career in the investment management sector involved a close shave with debt, with overdrafts and credit cards enabling her to keep up with high spending colleagues. However, she quickly re...
Brad pulls money out of the stone age
January 06, 2021 06:00 - 43 minutes - 39.9 MBThis week I have the pleasure of speaking to one of the leading expert in financial psychology, Dr Brad Klontz. I uncover answers to questions that even Brad himself has never discussed before: what was his understanding of ‘wealth’ in childhood? How did this evolve and change in adolescence? We also discuss the role of money scripts (a concept first coined by Brad himself), the role of mindset in helping or hindering your path to financial success and avoiding money conflicts in relatio...
Stacey goes on a money journey
December 23, 2020 06:00 - 49 minutes - 45.2 MBThis week I speak to former investment banker, Stacey Lowman, about why and how she swapped her high earning city job for a much simpler life travelling around Europe in a camper van. Key insights include: Why careers which use money as a measure of success can make you unhappy. Why you need to be wary of the amount of time you spending earning and working. The tenuous link between a high income and being good with money. How redefining success so that it is aligned with your values he...
Emmanuel sees the light
December 16, 2020 06:00 - 50 minutes - 46 MBThis week I speak to Emmanuel Asuquo, qualified financial advisor and founder of the financial empowerment company, The Eman Effect UK. Riding high as the youngest ever financial adviser at Barclays, a flash company car and extravagant spending. Emmanuel had it all. Then new financial rules led to redundancy, a bad credit rating and a massive rethink of the role of money. This is a great conversation with a very engaging and humble man who knows the effect of childhood poverty scars, the...
Robyn keeps money simple
December 10, 2020 06:00 - 43 minutes - 39.9 MBThis week, I speak to Robyn Laidlaw, Head of Distribution, Europe for Vanguard Asset Management. Born and raised in New Zealand with a nine-year residency in Australia, Robyn now lives in the UK, heading Vanguard’s sales and servicing activities within the UK market and across Europe. Robyn shares her mindset that you have to take personal responsibility for three areas: your life, your financial situation and how you develop your career. She also talks about how her family have found...
Daniel makes his money behave
December 02, 2020 09:57 - 51 minutes - 87.4 MBThis week, my guest is Dr. Daniel Crosby, psychologist, behavioural finance expert and Chief Behavioural Officer at Brinker Capital. Daniel talks about financial sacrifice and the relationship between happiness and money (it might not be what you expect!). He also shares his ‘three Es’ when it comes to financial wellbeing: education, environment and encouragement. An episode absolutely jam-packed with great insights and priceless gems from a world expert on behavioural finance.
Tara breaks the money taboo
November 25, 2020 06:00 - 51 minutes - 85.4 MBThis week, I speak to Tara Gillespie, investment consultant at Redington Ltd and co-founder of the financial community, Best Intentions. Tara describes her early memories of “wealth”, growing in in an ex-pat community in Dubai, and her “never again” moment when she got into money trouble at university. There are lots of great money insights in this episode including Tara’s "‘Just get started’ approach to investing, why you should be wary of willpower, and the importance of financial boun...
Sam picks up the financial ball
November 18, 2020 06:00 - 1 hour - 106 MBThis week I speak to Sam Sloma, Chartered Financial Planner and Managing Director at Engage Financial Services. After a career as a professional footballer, Sam retired at 26 and set his sights on the next chapter of his life. Six years into his career change, Sam became a Chartered Financial Planner and went on to set up Engage Financial Services in 2017. Sam is a wonderfully warm and "down to earth" guy. His openness makes this money story a great listen.
Timi makes the penny drop
November 11, 2020 06:00 - 41 minutes - 70.5 MBThis 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 c...
Prerna makes her money add up
November 04, 2020 06:00 - 42 minutes - 71 MBThis 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 fo...
Phil works hard and stays humble
October 28, 2020 06:00 - 51 minutes - 85.9 MBThis 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,...
Caroline goes from money zero to money hero
October 21, 2020 05:00 - 57 minutes - 99.4 MBThis 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...
Ken lives life on purpose
October 14, 2020 05:00 - 51 minutes - 88.3 MBThis 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. ...
Lisa goes on a big lifestyle adventure
October 07, 2020 05:00 - 49 minutes - 84 MBThis 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 w...
Rob buys happiness
October 01, 2020 05:00 - 53 minutes - 91 MBIn 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...
Gull makes her money mind up
September 24, 2020 23:30 - 49 minutes - 84.9 MBThis 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 scho...
Mick levels the money playing field
September 21, 2020 22:00 - 52 minutes - 85 MBIn 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 mi...
Catherine uncovers the emotions behind the money
September 17, 2020 21:09 - 56 minutes - 97.3 MBIn 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 ...