See below an introduction from Suzan Issa, in her own words. Suzan is TCFP’s young adult consultant and well-being coach.
She will be helping TCFP in several ways, all will be revealed in the coming months. For now, I hope you enjoy the read, and feel free to find out more about Suzan and her work here: https://suzanissa.com/
So, what brings me here? Why do I think I have anything helpful to say when it comes to managing money? Especially as my own journey has been a tumultuous ride through ups and downs, debt, missed opportunity, wasted finance and at best ‘keeping my back to the wall just trying to keep a roof over my family’s head and food on their table’.
My strategies have varied between ‘winging it’, throwing caution to the wind and taking advantage of ‘free money’ on interest-free cards (no such thing – I know that NOW!), burying my head deep in the sand and minimal payments on debt to hide from the reality for as long as possible. The only thought-out strategy was based on the tenuous advice that you can’t lose if you put money in property, which saw me invest in a home to avoid the otherwise inevitable frittering away of a small inheritance. Click here if this is the kind of advice you’re after (no, don’t click. I know nothing about investment) … If it’s real advice you want, it’s the wizards at Town Close you want – in their own words, ‘boring but effective’ while definitely living up to their by-line ‘Truthful, helpful, kind’.
So, that brings me back to the original question, what qualifies me for this conversation? My background is education, neurodiversity and family therapy, my passion is understanding humans: Why do they do what they do? How do they develop their value system and how does it impact their life? Are their actions driven by nature or nurture? What are they afraid of? What is stopping them from doing the best for themselves?
When it comes to money, there is much call for teaching about money, tax, mortgages, investment… yes, this is crucial and well overdue. However, most adults know all of the above and still make bad decisions and do not put it into practice. There must be a barrier and, when we know that barrier, we can find a way to knock it down prevent it from happening or at least find a way around or over it.
So here I am, embarking on a journey to understand not just the psychology of money personalities and which is the most helpful personality for a secure financial future, but asking “where do our values come from?”, “when do they develop?”, “what fears drive them?”, “how do we prioritise where we spend?”, “how do the rising generation view their financial future?”, “what are the barriers?”, “how can we invest in the future generation’s education and socialisation to support their decisions as they grow?”
This is a journey to understand the current climate for our youth and work out how we can give them faith in a future worth investing in and planning for, while supporting them to develop the mindset and skills to make it a reality.
I genuinely do not know what I will find, but I’m inviting you to come along and explore with me.