“There was something inherently empowering in coming together that autumn morning to discuss why, and how, money matters to women - arguably now more than ever.” - Marisa Bate
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On October 9th, we hosted the first ever Vestpod #MoneyMatters festival at The Ned and it felt very powerful to be in a room full of women, right next to the Bank of England.We had so many empowering and inspiring conversations. While we undoubtedly are living in a difficult and complex financial, economic and political environment, I believe that raising awareness, opening up, educating ourselves and supporting one another is exactly what we need right now.
Money: What Does it Mean to You?
Our relationship with money is emotional. It can trigger a range of emotions, from fear, excitement to guilt or shame. In this talk, we will explore how we can see money as a tool, build a purpose and make our way towards financial independence.
Speakers: Nina Mohanty (Bloom Money), Laura Whateley (journalist, author of Money), Davinia Tomlinson (Rainchq), and Amy Spiller (Barclays)
“It’s really important to bear in mind when we think about money, and how we manage it, that we’re human. If you feel like you’re messing up, remember we’re all messing up” - Laura Whateley
Vicky Spratt: The dream of homeownership is broken
Vicky is a journalist and author of Tenants interviewed by Carmel Dickinson. Her 2016 campaign ‘Make Renting Fair’ led to letting fees in England and Wales being banned. In today’s talk, Vicky explains why the British dream of homeownership has faded and the social consequences. But she’s also fighting for radical steps to give everyone the chance of ownership.
“We’re living through a game-changing moment but I remain incredibly hopeful. As a journalist, I meet people who are taking the situation into their own hands. There’s always something you can do in your community, or someone you can help” - Vicky Spratt
Aja Barber: Challenging our consumerist culture to better our planet
Aja is a writer and fashion consultant, holding those in power to account by campaigning for a sustainable, inclusive fashion industry that doesn’t exploit workers and our planet. Aja works tirelessly to find ways that we can all be more conscious about consumerism, while learning about all the ways systems of power affect our buying habits. She is interviewed by Meera Kumar.
“The system makes me angry”, “We need regulation for sustainable fashion but it’s not going to happen unless we change our culture, and that means changing ourselves and our habits. Money talks for a lot of big brands” - Aja Barber
Where Do We Stand Today: Women and The Economy?
There are many challenges when it comes to managing finances as women. We’ll try to understand what the current economy is like, and what can be changed. From pension to wealth gaps, to the structural issues and what women are tirelessly doing to try to and change the game.
Speakers: Isabel Berwick (Financial Times), Romi Savova (PensionBee), Bev Shah (City Hive) and Selina Flavius (Black Girl Finance)
“This conversation should be part of the curriculum. If you have children teach them, if you have friends nudge them. Financial knowledge is power.” - Bev Shah
How Can We Make Our Money Work Harder for Us?
The cost of living crisis is impacting everyone's wallets, our income is not growing, and many households feel the pressure. So how do we continue to fund our lifestyle, pay for our essentials and also build our future funds? How do we balance personal and work life, whether that’s running a business, freelancing or being an employee? Where can we find support? We will share the community stories.
Speakers: Helen Driver (Vestpod), Vivi Friedgut, Bola Sol, Helen Tabeshfar (JP Morgan Women on the Move)
“Demystifying money is really important. I want to do for money what Sex And The City did for sex. Why can’t we go out for brunch with our girlfriends and talk about money?” - Vivi Friedgut
Fireside Chat: Anna WHitehouse (Mother Pukka) x Emilie Bellet (Vestpod)
Anna has been advocating for flexible working since 2015 with her campaign 'Flex Appeal', and has a goal to make it the norm. Emilie asks Anna about the journey, how to become an activist, what she would ask our new PM and what her manifesto is all about.
Money Matters Festival: See you next year!
The connections we made throughout the day were. Emilie shared some of her main takeaways.
“There are still far too many gaps. However, you can continue educating yourself and doing what you can, as long as you don’t compare yourself to others.” - Emilie Bellet
MEET OUR SPEAKERS
mother pukka
Anna Whitehouse is a journalist, author and activist. She is campaigning for more flexible working with Flex Appeal.
DAVINiA TOMLINSON
Founder of rainchq, helping women build long term wealth and live life entirely on their own terms.
Bola Sol
Financial coach. Mathematics and Finance graduate who found passion in women coming together to discuss money matters.
BEV SHAH
Fearless Girl. Championing equality and culture change within Investment Management with The City Hive.
VIVI FRIEDGUT
Founder of Blackbullion, passionate about financial education and using fintech to power student finance.
Aja Barber
Writer, stylist and consultant whose work deals with the intersections of sustainability and the fashion landscape. Author of Consumed.
romi savova
CEO of PensionBee, a leading online pension provider she founded in 2014 to simplify pension savings.
Selina Flavius
Founder and author of Black Girl Finance. You will find Selina on ITV Lorraine’s Saver Squad!
Amy SPiller
Chartered Financial Planner at Barclays. Supports Wealth Planners who provide advice to clients in the areas of managing and growing their wealth, planning for their retirement and structuring their estates.
VICKY SPRATT
Journalist and writer ‘Tenants’. Her 2016 campaign Make Renting Fair succeeded in getting letting fees for tenants banned.
LAURA WHATELEY
Award-winning journalist, personal finances expert and Author MONEY a user's guide.
Helen Driver
Vestpod team, ex-fund manager and founder of Moneyready, an interactive financial education platform for children and parents.
Helena Wardle
Solving financial puzzles for a living. Founder of Money Means, Partner and Chartered Financial Planner at Smith and Wardle Financial Planning.
Chanelle Pattinson
Chartered Financial Planner and Co-Founder of Money Means, Chanelle is also the host of Her Future Bright podcast.
HELEN TABESHFAR
Passionate about attracting, developing and retaining talent from minority backgrounds (particularly women and people with disabilities), she is the Executive Director in the EMEA DEI team of JPMorgan Chase and part of Women on the Move.
Isabel Berwick
Host of the FT's Working It podcast and co-editor, Working it newsletter. Talks about inclusion, management, future of work, genderequity, and leadershipskills
Nina Mohanty
Founder and CEO of Bloom Money, a FinTech company that empowers migrant communities with tools to build generational wealth.
Gillian Hepburn
UK Intermediary Solutions Director at Schroders. Gillian has over 30 years experience in financial services.
Emma Maslin
Financial Coach and Mentor, Financial Wellness Speaker and Founder of multi award-winning personal finance education website The Money Whisperer.
At Barclays we’re committed to helping people make their money work harder for them and believe supporting them to improve their knowledge and understanding is a key part of this, particularly when it comes to investing. It’s fantastic to be part of Money Matters – an event dedicated to empowering women, improving their financial confidence and helping them build their wealth for the future.
PensionBee’s incredibly passionate about helping women to save for retirement and eradicating the gender pension gap once and for all.
Women face many barriers when it comes to investing - from societal expectations around caregiving and pressure to take on unpaid labour, to overly complicated jargon around financial products, and an investment industry that places too much blame on women’s risk appetite.
Money Matters is dedicated to helping women take charge of their financial futures and achieve financial freedom. It promises to be a great event, not only offering women the practical tips they need but, crucially, a safe space to come together, ask questions and feel empowered. We’re thrilled to be involved and look forward to meeting everyone.
V-Hub by Vodafone will be at Money Matters for the day to talk all things digital for your business. V-Hub helps your business with free expert guidance, knowledge and a constantly evolving range of tools and training. Topics can range from building an online presence, creating strong digital marketing strategies, and managing online security risks. If you have a question or a challenge, speak to the V-Hub team on the day to discover how to take the next step on your digital journey.
JP Morgan Chase & Co. believe that we have a responsibility to harness our business and policy expertise, research, data, talent and global presence to help create greater economic opportunity for more people. To support our communities, customers and employees, we focus on four key drivers of economic growth; career & skills, business growth & entrepreneurship, community development and financial health & wealth creation. We are proud to support Money Matters which aligns with our desire to help all generations create a vision and a foundation for their financial future – no matter where they’re starting.
The future is female. By 2025, it is estimated that 60% of Britain’s wealth will be in female hands. It is therefore crucial that you are equipped with the know-how to plan and build your wealth. Schroders are delighted to sponsor Vestpod’s inaugural Money Matters Festival. We’re passionate about investing for a sustainable future and supporting female investors on this journey. We hope you have a fantastic day and it provides you with the tools and insights to kick-start your financial planning.
We jumped at the chance to support the Vestpod Money Matters festival. We all need to understand how money affects our well-being and allows us to take care of what matters to us. Working well with your money is empowering, and we wanted to be here to help. Cost, trust, relatability, awareness and perceived value all play a part in why people don’t seek financial advice. We know that financial services could and should do more. The way money matters are presented is often confusing and unnecessarily complicated, and we want to change this. We are two female Chartered Financial Planners on a mission- to make financial advice more accessible. We look forward to being part of the day.