21# How to Actually Build Real Wealth Through Investing, Property, Stocks & Shares by Shifting Your Money Mindset With Raji Kaippallil — Financial Advisor
What if managing your money felt empowering — even exciting? In this episode, we sit down with Raji, a powerhouse financial advisor on a mission to help women, especially entrepreneurs, ditch the overwhelm and take bold control of their finances.
Raji’s story is anything but ordinary. From growing up in Dubai to building a new life in the UK, she shares how her early money beliefs were shaped, and how she flipped the script to become a confident investor in the stock market. Her journey is raw, real, and packed with lessons you can apply right now.
We dive into the real talk around money — from how to shift your mindset and build a healthy relationship with your finances, to why diversification matters, and how to finally stop seeing investing as “just gambling.”
But Raji’s influence doesn’t stop there. With a fast-growing Instagram community of nearly 100,000 followers, she’s leading a financial empowerment movement that’s equal parts practical, inspiring, and deeply needed. She shares how she’s grown that vibrant audience and how community plays a key role in helping women rewrite their financial stories.
If you’re ready to stop playing small with your money and start thinking (and investing) like the visionary entrepreneur you are, this episode is your invitation. Don’t just save for the future — create it.
London Event Waitlist >>> https://afecollective.myflodesk.com/rri2jyhoxx
Resources and Links:
# The Asian Female Entrepreneur Club
Sharn's Website
Connect with her on Instagram - Asian_Female_Entrepreneur - Instagram
Transcript
Thank you very much for having me. So for those of you that don't know who Raji is, Raji, can you just give us a small little introduction on who you are? Yes,
[:So I actually moved from Dubai and I've been here for about eight years. And what I do now is talk about money. That's all what I do every day. I love talking about money. I love talking about managing, your own money and investing in the stock market, which is something not many are really confident.
and my mission has been to be really make sure or give people, everybody you know, everyone the confidence. To be able to, start investing for their future.
[: [: [:And I feel like we have so many feelings around money, especially it's like female entrepreneurs, people who are starting their business or just in general. And I think it's, we are living in such interesting times at the moment with everything happening globally. Yeah.which is, which is I think, exciting and it can be nerve wracking for people.
Yeah. So I'm just really excited to have this conversation, talk about money, beliefs, investing, what you can do with your money as a female entrepreneur, because I think so there's so much kind of stigma attached to investing so much fear as well. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And I'm just really excited for, you know, the listeners and the viewers.
To really break this down for them.
[: [: [:That makes so much sense now that I look back and, you know, if you look at my, my family, my parents, I think one of the things that they have always told me from a very young age is to make sure that you have multiple sources of income. It's important to have multiple sources of income. It's important to save and invest, invest into assets.
And we've always had that conversation like on the dinner table and otherwise, and I have a brother as well, but you know, growing up my parents and especially my dad had that conversation with. Both of us. And obviously back then it was just the norm for me. But when I really stepped out in the world, that's when I realized one, not every family, you know, has a kind of conversation around money.
Two, especially if you are a girl or a woman, again, it's, it's not a conversation that you've probably have had with your family or with your father or with your mother, you know, growing up. And so I'm, I'm just so grateful that, you know, I, I, I really, I'm really grateful to them for having that conversation.
I really think it's some of those beliefs, some of those things that they have really taught me and. Most importantly, they've kind of walked the talk as well. Mm. So they've showed what it is like to be safe, make, making sure we save and invest for our future, and making sure how that can have a positive impact on the long run.
So them just walking the talk kind of just really kind of cemented, you know, in, in, in my world that yes, what they say makes real sense. And so it's just. It was just too obvious for me to, you know, carry on and do, do better if I can. I love that
[:And I think some people might be listening and they might be thinking, oh, you know, I don't know like what my money beliefs are or what my money mindset is, but really you just have to delve into your childhood. Yeah. and really think about what were you taught about money? Yeah. So for example, like with you, it was a very empowering conversation about around money.
Yeah. For me, I was growing up like on the roughest streets of my hometown. My fair parents were like factory workers and we never really had conversations around money. But I think the conversations actually we did have were very negative. Mm. Like I remember so much, negativity around money and like my dad losing his job and then like, you know, him going, on the do so to speak, as we say in the UK here.
Yeah. But I think it's really important also to say that you can change your money beliefs. Yeah, exactly. from someone who like, and this is just like. It's gonna be a humble product. It's all good. for someone who like didn't have much money, I've, you know, widely shared that I was in my overdraft for over a decade mm-hmm.
In like my twenties to then investing in multiple properties and now look really looking at how we can take the money out the business and continue to invest. Invest. Yeah. That's so important. Yeah. Because again, I see so many business owners, especially in the kind of non-Asian space, you know, like, you know, before like say 20 21, 20 22, before like the kind of crash happens, so to speak.
you know, they never invested their money. They were just building their company, which I think is amazing. But I think you have to take that. That's something I've been so big on over the last, you know, since I started my business investing it into property. Yeah. Stocks and shares, not so much, which we'll get into today, but that money has now grown.
And you know, that has been so important, you know, to weather. Like economic storms. Exactly. And just have that reoccurring income, like coming in every month and just not worrying because you never know what's gonna happen with your business. Business. You never know. Like now, like in the uk, there's a cost of living crisis.
Like luckily our business is still doing really well, but there's people out there whose businesses are struggling. There's been redundancies. Yeah. So it's so, I'm so on board. With having these multiple sources, sources of income, but also that you can change your money beliefs. Yeah,
[:Mm. And so this is not to say everything was empowering. So even now I have conversations, you know, like with my parents, where they, they might not necessarily agree with what I, you know, with the way I do with, you know, certain things with money. Yeah. But I'm like, that's, that's how everyone is. Right. And the thing to keep in mind is that, I mean, when you reach your adulthood, it's, and especially now, there's so much information that's out there.
If you're not still change, if you've had a negative relationship with money and if you've had a like negative mindset with money and you already understand that and you're not willing to change, I, I don't think you can't, you can really complain or Yeah, you know, on your parents or on any external factors because now you really have the resources if you wanted to make that change.
So, yeah, it's, it's definitely me taking that step by step approach and, you know, building it over time. I
[:So how did it all start for you?
[:So I'm not gonna lie, I just knew that from day one that okay, it's important to save. And at that point as well, I, I had a goal because I wanted to do my masters and again, just goes back to what my, you know, my parents did tell me that we really can't afford to send you to, you know, like to the UK and non international student fee and all that.
But what you can do is maybe look out for scholarships. So, you know, it just another way of just them saying like, okay, you don't have limit your dreams, but. Look at other ways. Mm-hmm. So, in a way that was good because then I knew the day I got my first job, okay, I need to save up because, you know, getting my myself master's degree was important to me.
And, so yeah, I had a goal in when I started saving, but then when I started saving, I was like, yeah, but when you save it in the bank, it's like, what? 1%, 2%? And now, just now we probably have just because of how the situation is, maybe 4% maximum. Hmm. And I was like, I mean, if I'm gonna save like this, I'm never gonna get anywhere.
So I started look at, you know, different ways in which I can actually look at ways to kind of like. Multiply my money, like make more money. And that's when different people, you know, I, I started to ask different people and everyone was like, oh, don't be so greedy. You should be quite satisfied with what you have.
You've got a good job, which means you can save and, you know, you wanting to make more money. I was told multiple times that I was just being greedy. And to be fair, I kind of internalized that for a very long time. I was like, maybe I am actually being, you know, greedy to make more money. Mm. But. I was, I was let and I stopped.
Like I still have to make, make, you know, find a way to actually make more money. And that's when I started looking at different asset classes and how can I make sure, you know, I can kind of grow my money, you know, in on the side. Now at that point, obviously property was not something I could actually, you know, put my entire money into just because I had another goal of pursuing my masters and I started looking into the stock market and.
I cannot tell you that, like most people told me, do not, do not invest in the stock market. It's gambling. Yeah. You know, that's, that's what I've been told. It's, it's too big of a risk, so don't invest or, you know, it's, it's just gambling your money.
[: [:You know, this is some kind of, I dunno, something that's not right. And I was, I was really worried that if I told someone that I was investing my money in the stock market, and if what they said became true, then. They would be dis proved, right? Yeah. And I don't wanna be proven wrong and you're like, I might just get some evil eye or something.
So yeah, for a very long time I didn't tell. But you know, at that point I was, I think. Maybe it's also, you know, the time when you're too young and you, you know, you, your risk appetite is a little bit higher. But at that point, whatever I could really keep aside, I just kept aside and started investing, started, you know, making those small steps.
But what that really helped me was to actually want to learn more about the stock market, because I started putting my money in because I had all these fears, you know, around me and everybody telling me, oh, my door, don't do that. That's gambling. You know, it's, it's not the right way to go. You're being greedy.
I was like, I need to learn more about this, that, you know, I, I definitely need to learn more about this. And that's when I really started reading a lot of books and, you know, like online resources at that point. This was about nine years ago. Yeah. You, it's different. It's very different. So it was basically like resources like Investopedia that I could just read.
But it, it, it's, it's overwhelming. Like each word, I'm like, okay, what is this jargon mean? I then go and Google that. So it was a long journey, but then that's really what got me started. And over time I then realized actually it, it's not really like what people tell say. And then that's when I realized anyone who does not invest in the stock market are the ones who say that it's a gamble that you're being greedy.
But anyone who's been investing consistently, I. They would never say that. Hmm. And also stock market has a got, you know, has this reputation that, oh, you can go and make like, you know, 10 x your money, you put in, you know, 10 pounds today, you will get like a hundred pounds tomorrow. And that is where most people go wrong, because they just thinking, I can make quick money from the stock market.
I can become rich instantly if I, you know, if I buy this share today at this price, and tomorrow if I sell it, you know, that kind of, they tried and predict the stock market, but what I realized was it's, it was really about staying. In that game for the longer term. It's, it's not really about you buying something today and selling it off tomorrow, but you being, it's, it's very similar to property, right?
Like Yeah, it's a long game. It's a long game. It's exactly that. But I think most people don't see stock market as a long game. They just see it as something where they can make quick money and, you know, just spend that on something else.
[:Okay. So I was in my like twenties 25 when I bought my first few properties. So I was really good at that time. I was like, I'm gonna just put my money into property. 'cause that's like the Asian thing to do.and it's grown. It's been incredible. And now it's like the rents have obviously gone up, up, gone up.
Yeah. and ha obviously in the UK the housing crisis is wild. Yeah. And that's obviously gonna be a trend that continues Exactly over the next. Well, decades I think. So in terms of like the UK and internationally? Mm. Is there like a difference between kind of international stock market or like the uk?
Is there, is there differences or is it that, you know, if you learn the principles, you can apply it globally, if you makes sense.
[:What then when it comes to differences, it would probably be like things like what platforms do you use? So if you're a UK resident, you know the platforms that you can access and then invest through to, you know, buy stocks or funds will be different for someone else in another country. So that's, it's only those things, but the underlying principles and the basics are the same across anywhere.
Yeah. And. The beauty of technology is that today we can actually invest not just in the UK stock market Yeah. But across the world. Like you can invest in the US stock market, you know, if you wanna invest in the, in the Indian stock market, you can do that. Or any other stock market, you name it, you can do that just because, yeah.
Thanks to technology. Yeah, I
[: [:You're looking at like 10 plus years. Yes. Right. So when, a difficult situation comes in or you know, some something like right now where we are and your business is struggling and if you really wanna take money, you know, out, you, you, you know, to pay your bills or things like that, you really can't. Be going in and putting your hand into one of these asset classes or like go and sell your shares.
This is definitely not the right time to be selling them. Yeah. So you still wanna be holding them. So if you wanna be doing that, you need to make sure before you even start investing, you have like a liquid cash, like something called an emergency fund. Yeah. And as a name suggests, it's just there for emergency.
So if an emergency arises that's there for you to just go and, you know, take that money and spend it on, like, I'm not, when I say spend it on, spend it on your emergencies. Right. So that's important. And once you have that, then the next step is for you to actually start, make, making sure now your money, the rest of your money does some work and make more money for you.
So that's where you, if, if you're investing in stock market, I, my suggestion would be to actually be starting with a global, exposure rather than just one, particular country. So you, there are, funds, you know, like something called index funds, where basically if you invest into an index fund, a global index fund, you get exposure to companies in the US stock market, UK stock market across multiple countries, across developed countries and developing countries.
Mm-hmm. So you're not. Technically just dependent on one country and its, you know, its economy and it's then associated stock market performance. So that way, for instance, like you put in a hundred, a hundred pounds, that a hundred pounds would be split across companies like Tesla, you know, Google in the us.
Ah, and you'll also have some exposure to some of like the fse hundred companies, the top con companies in the UK as well. So that way. That kind of risk that you take, you're starting when you start off, it's, it's not that high. It's low risk. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. So that's where I would, you know, if you ask someone who's starting out, that's where you wanna start off with.
'cause then that and then build it up slowly. Yeah. What most people do is they go the other way around. They start off with high risk things like crypto and Yeah, I know startups and all of that. And then they were like, oh, but if you ask them, do you invest into like something as similar as an index fund?
Oh no, I don't. Yeah. So, so, you know, it's, this is where you wanna start off, but it's, it's, it's more like, I would say like a building the foundation where you're building one step at a time and then what then, you know, technically it means is it's, you're just building a stronger base. Yeah. So when times.
You know, becomes difficult. Which it will, right? Yeah. And, and I think this is the perfect time to, you know, kind of to show which proves that right there will be times when it's difficult. We're still able to hold on to thi these things. We are not forced to sell these shares or funds. and we can hold on and then we can move on.
I really
[: [:Exactly. I think that's, that's where, I mean, yeah, blame it on media, you know, on, on films as well. I think that's, that's what people think the stock markets are. You have to be constantly involved, you know, like keep making sure you are always glued to your screen. Yeah. And checking what the price is.
That's. That is an element of the stock market, and that's called trading. Yes. Yeah. So where you're trying to make money within a very short time. Now, of course you can trade and you can be a good trader, but it's not easy. It's time consuming. Exactly what most people think is that I can make really big amount of money without doing, you know, putting in the work.
That's, that's not how it is. Yeah, it's no, no easy money. You have to be willing to, you know, do your research and be constantly, you know, making sure you're updated and then accordingly take decisions. And it's high risk as well because you, as much as you can make money, you can lose money as well as well.
So that's definitely not the area that you wanna. Start off with, yeah. So you wanna start off with something which is more long term, which is a little bit more, less riskier. And I'm not saying this is not, not risky at all, but there is some element of risk always. But you know, you start off with something less riskier and then after that you start slowly building it up.
And then of course, that's my questions thing, you know, comes like, where, what are your financial goals? Like, how long are you planning to invest it for? What, why are you even investing? Why do you need this money for Yeah. Et cetera. And all of that comes in.
[:So in terms of like, if you do wanna get started mm-hmm. Is it like we would work with someone like you, obviously who's really qualified in this area? Is it that you would go to a bank? Is it that you could like look at your, because I know like some banks do have their own kind of process, don't they?
I've seen that on their website. Yeah. So what would you say is like the best way to do it?
[:It's just made it so much easier and accessible, you know, for us to actually invest. So think, you know. Companies like Vanguard or, trading 2 1 2. These are like free trade. These are great platforms where you can just sit at home and open an account like within minutes, and then you can set up, you know, start investing.
And especially if you are someone who's starting off with very, you know, very minimal amount, I'm saying like 50 pounds, a hundred pounds a month, yeah. Then you do not necessarily need, you know, a bank or a, a financial advisor to actually be kind of telling you or taking a percentage of your money to actually manage that for you.
But if you, if you want to, what, what I would say is it's important that you do some research, like take some time out to learn. Yeah. Right. And I'm not saying that you should not, you know, work with a financial advisor. It is important that you work with a financial advisor. But in that case, what I always suggest is make sure you work with a fee only financial advisor.
So what that means is you basically.you know, you're just giving them money for their time. Yeah. So they, they charge you for their time and they're not taking a percentage of your portfolio. Yeah. 'cause that over time, that can compounds. Yeah, exactly. And that can be a big number over time. So what you wanna do is find a yearly financial advisor.
And most of the, the, the thing is, most of these advisors, when they're fee only financial advisor, it means they're not affiliated to any particular products or anything. So they actually keep your interests in mind, heart, yeah. Yeah. And then they. Accordingly suggest because they don't have to kind of sell a product that, you know, kind of push it down your throat because they get commission from it.
Yeah. So that's, that's an important thing to keep in mind. Make sure you work with a field financial advisor and take advice from them and of, of, of course you have to pay for them, you know, so that's where most people are like, oh, I, I don't wanna pay for it. But if you're going to another financial advisor who's commission based, just bear in mind that you might not be paying for it, but it's, it's just that you're probably given a product that's not the best fit for you.
[:Like what kind of things should we be looking out for, I guess?
[:Yeah, you can either do that or what you can do is you can actually invest into a fund. Now a fund is basically, it's, think of it like a basket of multiple companies so that, you know, so it, that basket has, you know, Google, Tesla, name it, Microsoft, you know, all these big companies across the world. All of them are in that basket.
And then you buy a portion of that basket.
[: [:So the way I always suggest is if you are someone who's investing for the very long time, right? It's, I always suggest to go for a fund. And the reason is, I mean, how do you know 10 years of 20 years down the line, you just don't which company's gonna be doing well? Or how do you know if it's, you know, if it's going to go up or down?
Yeah, it might look great now, but what about 10 or 15 years down the line? Right. I mean, the biggest example is we all know about Nokia, right? I know it was, I mean, everybody Black. Blackberry. Blackberry. Exactly. We all wanted, you know them at some point, but then came iPhone and Samsung and where are they?
But you know, like years ago someone said, this is how it would be, would be like, oh, no way. Like, I know. Exactly. It's madness. Exactly. So, and there's just so many other such companies, right? Yeah. Who's, who's done well and who's gone the other way around as well. So, that is why you don't want to be putting all, like, you know, for example, your entire retirement and, you know, fund into just one company.
This is the way you, this is called diversification. 'cause then that way you're having exposure to multiple companies. And even if one company, you know, closes down or does not perform that well, you're not. That impacted the impact is minimal, basically. You're basically diversifying your risk. Exactly.
Yeah. So that is where you wanna start off with. So if you're very much the early stages, and then once you have set that up, now you're like, oh, you know what? Now I have a little bit more money, which I can kind of, you know, take that higher risk and be like, you know what, I, I actually wanna buy some shares of Nvidia.
Or you know, I dunno, like Tesla or whatever. It's okay because you've already kind of set that foundation, you've got a strong foundation, now you're taking a little bit more higher risk, but then it's not all your money in one particular share. And if you were to hedge your vets
[: [: [: [:Believer of ai. So companies that are, in that space is where. You know what I would put, and again, I wouldn't put all my money into just one company. Never, never do that. So, so yeah, so, you know, even, even companies right now, like in the green energy space, those are, those are great as well. That's, that's where I believe.
Yeah. and some of these comes down to your own beliefs as well. Like I said, you know, some people are like, there's no way AI is just a hype and no, you know, it's, you know, but some people do believe that and some people are like, oh no, that's, that's kind of future. So I think a little bit of that comes down to your personal beliefs as well.
You know, the way you see the world and perceive the world.
[:Yeah. Will be. You know, because at the moment, probably for me, I probably wouldn't invest in Google just because I think. AI is Rich Chat. GPT is kind of the new Google. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Can't remember the last time I went on to Google Google actually. Unless I was finding an address or like a restaurant. But I'm just Chichi Chat.
GP Ting, everything. Everything. Yeah. Because it's my like little assistant now. you know, and like my husband, he was using another one. Which one was it?not clawed. It was like a different, uh uh, it is literally gone. But they were literally having a conversation, like we were talking about, 'cause I'm a little bit, we, we were talking about human design and it was like, Davin, what, what month were you born?
It was literally talking and then it was like, my husband was teaching it to say like, because my mother-in-law was coming in like five minutes. Oh good. And he was teaching it to say like. I'll say this, when my mom arrives, her name is dfi, and I was like, oh my God, this is literally, wow. Crazy. It's just literally crazy.
I'll have to, the name will come to me in a second, but yeah, so in terms of, because I know this is probably, this is a big question as well and something I've always wondered because historically I've always been very pro property and I do, I do like a good little saving account. I know it's only 4% at the moment, but yeah.
I think for someone like me who's been through like a lot of money trauma Mm. it keeps me like grounded and secure and safe and it's in line with like my money beliefs, I think. Yeah. do you think it's better to invest in property or like stocks and shares? Like what's your kind of thoughts on that?
[:You wouldn't expect your, you know, your engineer colleague to do the work of an accountant, or you wouldn't expect your accountant to do the work of your pa. So basically. Each one of them in your team, they have a different role and they just have to do well in that particular role. So things, so that's exactly the way I want you to think of your money as well.
Yeah. So think of it like with your savings account. It has, I'm not saying that does not have a role at all. It, it has a, it has its own job, which is for, for instance, just coming back to security, if you need money instantly, if you wanna be able to access money in an emergency or something, you know, where, where you're thinking, you know what, actually wanna buy a car or buy a, you know, put a deposit for a house in the next one year.
You want that money readily, you know, accessible. Right. So that is when a savings account is the best place to go into. And then there are other various asset classes, right. They all have different, roles. Exactly. Roles. So, you know, it's, so it's not, it's never really like. One or the other. So, I mean, like I said, I started with stock market.
'cause for me it was the best way of like en entrance into like, into kind of getting that exposure to, you know, one of the asset class. And now I, I really wanna invest into the real estate because I'm like, I wanna diversify. I don't wanna put all my money into just one kind of asset class. Gold Gold is another asset class, right?
Yes. So they all are there and we wanna be able to have that like, exposure to each one. Look at Gold's price right now. Yeah. The, the, you know, the, the world is just going crazy right now. And the gold is, the gold prices are shooting up. Right. And that's, and that's something we've always seen. Like if you look in the past data as well, we always see that every time when things are uncertain, when there's the, when there's so much uncertainty and fear in the world, in the economy of countries and, you know, just all together around the world.
It's assets like gold, which are kind considered a kind, stable assets, they tend to shoot up. So, which is where we want to be able to have that exposure to, you know, each one of them. So that way it, we are not, when, if, if the stock market crashes. Crashes, yeah. It's not like I'm gonna lose all my money.
Like the other day, you know, two weeks, two to three weeks ago when Trump tariffs Yeah. With the tariffs coming in, I saw on like ex people were like, oh my god, Trump's, you know, basically destroyed my retirement, account and all of that, and I was like. You can't really blame Trump for that because the, if you put all your money into the stock market for your retirement, you were definitely not diversifying, and this is exactly why.
You wanna make sure you have exposure to something like, you know, stock market, but at the same time, also have exposure to other assets, which are not. Coal related to the performance of the stock market. Yeah. You know,
[:Yeah. And I think that's so interesting also when it comes to like property as well, because like all my properties now are spread across different cities.
[: [: d. I remember like before say:Mm. And everyone was like investing, I don't know, like 50,000 pounds into like a mastermind. Mm. I remember just like people were just spending crazy preco, like around Covid and pre covid. Pre covid. Yeah. even in Covid, like we know that everyone was doing really well. and I remember I said to my coach, loved her to bits, but that year I'd literally smashed my like, savings target.
Mm. And she was like. Are you, are you not gonna like, reinvest that back into the business or, and I was like, no, I'm gonna put that into like, 'cause we bought a house in Oxford and I said, I'm gonna put my, because I knew, like, I knew we were getting like a good deal with our house, but I knew we, I knew that our money would grow in that house.
Yeah. And I was like, no. Like, I'm gonna put, put it into property. And this was like, what, three, four years ago now. And then I've seen that trend with female entrepreneurs who are doing really well. Mm-hmm. Where they're not like taking their money. I think that's such a, a thing that we don't talk about enough.
Yeah. Is like, where's the money being pulled out and where's it being put in? Yeah. And I think,
[:Kind of have some something for ourselves as well in case, like the way I see it is yes, my business is another asset class. Yeah. So I see it as that's the way I see it. Like it's another asset. So I'm definitely, you know, reinvesting my money, but I'm not gonna put all my money into my business. Right.
Just, just how you know, have you just, you know, just said before it, what if tomorrow it does not exist anymore? Mm. I still wanna be, I, I don't wanna be where I'm just back to square one where I've built everything, I've put all my money into it, and now I've just lost it all. Yeah. Right. So that's why that, the way I always see it is like, yeah, that's another asset class.
Like right now I'm working on a startup, you know, I'm building like a FinTech and, but that's another, that's another asset that I'm working on, but I'm not gonna put all my money into it. Right. I'm gonna make sure I still diversify that across. Having in, you know, investments in, like I said, I'm getting into property as well.
I've got one and I really want to have that exposure across the world as well. So, you know, be able to do that and also invest in into my business.
[:I do believe in like having a team. Yeah. But at the end of the day, just being really mindful about your finances. Yeah. So in terms, I've got some really interesting questions actually, so I love it. I love your question. So in terms of, gosh, there's so many I want to cover here. So first of all, let's just talk about this, keeping up with the Jones' attitude.
Oh yeah. Yeah. Because I went through a stage where in my twenties, as everyone knows, I wasn't very good with my money. Then I went through a stage where I was like investing money in my business, but then like really like hell bent on saving elsewhere. Mm-hmm. So I remember like I would. You know, I lived in Canada like around 20 17, 20 18 and like to the, that sounds really crazy, but like to the airport, I would get like a coach.
Mm-hmm. I was like, I'm not getting a train, I'm not getting a taxi. Mm-hmm. And obviously in hindsight I could probably just could have got it. But what I found in that kind of period of my time, I found I was manifesting money a lot because I was taking care of my money. Like, now I've become a little bit lax.
Like today I have already had like two coffees and I'm like, oh my God, I spent like 10 pounds on coffee. Right. But there is this attitude, I think it's being fueled by social media, especially if people are in their twenties or early thirties listening to this, like keeping up with the Joneses. Like I see a lot of influencers, and business owners, and I work with influencers and they are doing really well.
and you know, we've had conversations around this, but they're like, you know, very obsessed with like, buying the newest handbag showing, showing, especially the younger generation. Yeah. So like what do, what are your kind of thoughts on that and how should we like, be prioritizing our finances as women, I guess, and female entrepreneurs?
[:Yeah. And so there's all, what and why am I feeling that? That's probably because of what I see on social media as well. Right. So that's, that's somewhere I'm, you know, I, I talk about all this. It's as I'm constantly asking myself as to, you know, should I, should I show up in a way that is in line with what, you know, what the world expects me to do?
Or should I be showing up in a way where. The way I wanna show up. And it's always a constant battle, right? It's always a constant battle. And the way I always ask is what's really important to me? So, something I always say is, I love traveling. Mm, same. You know, I've just come back from Norways yesterday, so I love traveling.
So I will definitely spend my money when it comes to travel, but I would not spend my money on getting a designer bag. I'll be like, wow, I might as well spend that money. That's that money on, you know, traveling. So firstly, the most important thing to ask is what's really important to you? And if, if something's important to you, ask again, is that important to you?
Because you're trying to keep up with. People around you? Or is it because it truly fuels your happiness? Is it, is it for yourself? And this is something I am always asking, like even even when I, you know, when I see a, you know, a good outfit, I'm like, why do I want that? Like, is it because I, you know, is it because I just want, just wear new outfits every day and look, you know, make it look like, oh, I'm actually, I don't know, like spending money and you know, I have money.
Or is it because I really want it? So it's always a question I keep asking. So one first thing is to really ask. What's important to you? So it's never about, don't, I, I always say it's with money, it's always that balance, right? Mm. It's always learning. Again, just goes back to, you know, my, my dad always says, it's like money is like a bird.
If you hold it too tight, it will die. And if you just, if you keep, if you hold it too loose, it'll fly away. So it's really learning that balance. And I, I, I always, I always, you know, keep that in mind. I'm like, so with that balance, what is important to me when it comes to spending my money? Where do I want to spend my money?
That actually makes me happy. Yeah. Not trying to keep up with someone else or anything, but what makes me happy? And I think that's, that's really very, very important. And when it comes to personal finance, I always say, if you're starting out, aim for at least 20% of your income to be saved, slashed, invested, 20%.
If you, if you are able to do that 20% and then of course you've got all other expenses, right? You've got, you pay your rent a mortgage and all of that. After all of that, like save 20%, then you've got the remaining 80%. Of course, out of that 80%, you know, you'll, you still have all of the expenses to be met, but then what's left for you, if you've got money left after that, you can, you can spend it because you've only saved, right.
What? You don't have to feel guilty about spending that money anymore. Yeah. So that's the way I see it. But if you are someone who, who's spending all your money not saving at all, then it's definitely a problem. You're definitely trying to keep up with someone, someone around you. And whether you like it or not, sometimes I have to be, you know, with my clients, I have to be that hard, that harsh friend who has to tell you the truth.
I'm like, I hate to break it to you and be that, you know, be that person, but this is the truth. You've got a problem. Yes, you have got a problem.
[:Like I just didn't. I did have a little bit of savings and obviously I bought my properties, which was great, but you know that I had a really bad relationship with money. And it was only when I started self-educating myself and started thinking long term.
[: [:I need to save now for properties. Yeah. And now like I'm in my thirties, I really thank my 20-year-old self. But you can change as well. Exactly. And I think what you said. Raji. It was such a breakthrough moment for me there because you said about your dad saying if you grab onto it too much, you'll lose it.
Yeah. And it's the same if you are too loose with it. Yeah. And I've seen that so much in like, my extended family. Like, you know, people that have got a lot of money, you know, that are like millionaires. I, I had very good role models around me when I was growing up. Mm-hmm. Like a lot of my fam, it's so funny 'cause we called ourselves like the, you know, the kind of poorer side of the family, so to speak, but like, not without, you know, I'm not degrading anyone, but my other family members were really, you know, they are rich.
Well, yeah. But, and some of them I've seen like really freely spend their money on what they want, but they'll like save and invest. Mm-hmm. But others Hold on so tightly. Yeah. So tight in the long run, it ends up they, you know, ends up costing them. They get exactly. Bad luck or they get like a big financial bill or something happens in the family.
Yeah. And that's so important when it comes to money. 'cause it is like a relationship. Exactly. If you've got, if it's like, say your girlfriend or boyfriend and you're just grabbing onto it constantly and not letting it go, it's, it's not gonna be good. So they, they, they will eventually
[:So. Yeah, exactly. Which is why I say it's all about that balance. Right. And then I think that that saying, which, you know, my dad says like his father taught him. I, I, it's, it's just always stuck with me. 'cause I'm always asking, right, am I being too tight or am I being, you know, too careless about it?
Like, I'm always asking that question and you know, and I like, I just, you know, said before, it's important to enjoy your money as well. Yes. It's not just about saving and spending and all of that. So it's a, it's about having that balance. So if, if you, if you can split your money in such a way that where you are saving a percentage, at least 20%.
Spend the rest of it guilt free. It's for you to spend. Yeah.
[:Yeah. Investing in like a coach, like you do also go through seasons as well. Yeah. 'cause I think that's also really important. Yeah. For like long-term growth. Yeah. In a way. Because you can't just be stuck in a season where you're just constantly, constantly, yeah. You know, breaking your back and just saving every penny.
'cause that's not healthy either. Yeah, exactly. So Raji, you are of course a financial influencer. I love how you phrased that earlier, and it's incredible because you came to my event, I think it was like maybe not last year, the year before. Yeah, I think so. Yeah. And you are on about 8,000 followers, and I loved your content back then as well.
And I actually came into mind when I was thinking, I wanna bring someone on to talk about finance. Then I went onto your profile and I saw that it's like. Is it like 90,000 followers on Instagram? Yeah,
[:So it's, it's, it's definitely a big milestone that I'm hoping to get to. I love,
[:So in terms of the audience, like what kind of tips would you give? Because I think sometimes, like women in their thirties and forties, just like, oh, the algorithm hates me. My content's not being seen. I dunno how to do reels. I, I'm not very good on video. I dunno what to do. Like, how did you like navigate that and how did you actually like crack the viral code?
So.
[:I, I was doing everything I was still posting and, and everything as usual, but my numbers would just wouldn't move, you know, at that point I somehow just, my, my target was to hit 10 K, but I was like, there's, there's no way I, you know, I'm, I able to get there. And I, I remember taking a break. I, I took like a good three to four months break and I was like.
What, what's going on? 'cause I really wanted to reassess and I think that's when I realized, like when I started my page, I started just with the intention of being able to talk about money. 'cause nobody around me was talking about money. I have made mistakes and you know, all of that. So I was like, I just wanted to simply talk about money.
And then over time I kind of got lost, you know, lost in between where catching up with the algorithm, trying to do this, trying to do that, you know, just, it was the algorithm that was driving me and that's when I realized that's probably when I, you know. I, I, I what? I think that's when I start, stop growing as well.
Yeah. And then I said, you know what? I don't care about the numbers. I am going to go back and I'm gonna try again. And one of the things is I'm gonna stop complaining. I'm gonna stop complaining about me not getting the reach, me not growing. I'm going to just look at why did I even start this space? I started this space because I wanted to talk about money.
I wanted to serve the community, and that's what I'm gonna do. And then, you know, accordingly, test, test, keep testing. I think one of the other things I know I learned at that point was I was very strict and, you know, kind of, I was not ready to change and adapt. Like I kept complaining things like, oh my God, the algorithm keeps changing when I do this, this works, but the next day that doesn't work.
Why? Why are my story views like this? You know, all of this? And I'm like, can we just stop obsessing? Can we, can we start treating it like. I think something that I do now is, that's just how the digital media is. It's, it's, it's basically trial and error. You have to keep testing it. It's, it's, you always testing it and seeing what's working, what's not working.
If it's not working right. Lesson learn that's not working. Let's look at what's working now. This can change like few months down the line. So it's, it's always that, and I think once I started doing that, it. Changed the game. Mm. It changed the game. It, I, you know, I then started to like, my, my content started to, you know, change and, and that eventually meant that I started to reach out to more people.
ne because like, I started in: [: [:So exactly three years later is when I hit 10 K. And then, you know, now I'm, you know, I'm, yeah, I, I'm like nearly at 93 k and s. It's, there are others who've had like, such massive growth as well compared to my, you know, myself. But then I'm like, it's okay. Hmm. I think,over time I've kind of realized that what's more important, I think, is also making sure that you do have an engaged community.
I still take the time, you know, to go through my dms, respond to each and every dm. and I, I still do that. I did that day one and I still do that because community at the end of the day is like the core thing. I know many, I, I, again, this is, this is quite controversial because some people are like, oh, we've got such a large community.
It's really hard to keep up with dms. But I'm like, I don't believe that. I think at the end of the day, that's your community, like. I have grown, like, even, even just this, this morning I was on the train and I was responding dms and somebody just messaged me and he said, I, I've been following you from a very, very long time and I, I really look up to you for your grit and perseverance over time.
I've seen how you've grown. And I just, and I was so happy that there are people who've been with me from day one until today. Yeah. And the fact that I, you know, they, they message me even today is that just makes me happy. And I think that, you know, I mean, numbers are important, but at the same time, it's really important to keep in mind that at the end of the day, they're all humans.
And that connection and that, you know, community is very, very important. And one of the other things, you know, especially because I am in the finance space, one of the things I've always stuck to is making sure. That I do provide unbiased information. Mm. Like if you, if you look at my platform, I don't really do a lot of brand partnerships.
Mm. And that's really for a reason, because that's important. yeah. 'cause, I know that if I say something, if I partner with the brand, I know that my community will, will take that, you know, to, will take my word for it. So therefore, I definitely take responsibility for what I put there. Again, that's not something diff you know.
Everyone does. And I think, I definitely take personal responsibility for what I share on the platform, even if I'm endorsing another brand. So, which is why I do very, very few brand, you know, sponsorships for that reason. Only if I believe, only if I know that, you know, I will, I definitely believe in that brand.
I, I invest through them more and I use that brand that is when I actually associate it with them. Yeah. So, it's just, yeah, I think it's always, for me, it's always kind of sticking to that principles and basic principles that have been there from day one. And I always ask that myself.
[:I love that. Thank you so much for sharing that. And just as we finish up in terms of then context, I know so many people want to know this. I think a test and learn approach is so important when you stop making it about yourself and just think of Instagram as a free platform, which we are all lucky to have because let's be honest, we didn't have it like 20 years ago to promote our businesses or our brands.
Then that's really important. So do you have like a content creation process? Like in terms of, 'cause I think a lot of women just struggle with like filming Mm. And finding the time and just putting it on a back burner. So like how do you manage that?
[:So it's not like I just. No. Yeah, exactly. Wake up this morning and think, okay, what to post today. And then, you know, come up with something. So I, every time I ha sometimes I have these creativity, you know, spurs coming in, and then I'm just, just noting it, them, noting them down. And then what I do is then put that into a content calendar for a month.
So, and then I know, okay, this day this is what we are posting. So what if I have to do that, then that means I'll have to get my script ready and I'll have to do that work beforehand. So it might just take a few weeks. And I, I don't generally tend to do everything in one go, so sometimes I might just script through all of these, you know, one day, the next day I might just film those.
And, the next day I might just edit. And some, you know, sometimes, I, I do have like a t someone who helps me with, with yeah. Help editing. So that means I have to make sure that's sent on time. but you know. Very recently, I got someone to start editing. At this very start, it was me who was doing everything.
Yeah. Like my husband wouldn't even help me with like the Canva posts and everything. So, so it's been, you know, I have to say, there's a little bit of, credit that goes to him as well. Oh no. I try not to nag him now. Aw. But, I think, I mean, people have made fun of me at the start, right? They're, you know, when I was, when I was creating all these real, which again, I kind of feel like I.
I won't, you know, can't blame them because when you start, you're not good. You're just not. You're good. You're not. Exactly. It is, you are probably funny, but then that's how you learn. Like, the fact that I always tell myself I'm so glad I did not listen to any of them, you know, who made fun of me? Because if I had listened, I wouldn't really have what I've built today.
The brand, you know, financial strategy and the, my startup that's, you know, that's a spinoff of that. It's, it's, it's, nothing would've happened, you know? it's all because I was like, you know what? That's okay. Let them make fun. And one thing again, I've realized time and again, is. Only those people have not done it will make fun of you.
[: [:You have to. Only if someone who does it, like let's say you tell me, RA, you're doing such, such a bad job, I'll take that. Because I'm like, okay, she's done it. So she knows. So there's definitely something that I'm doing wrong, but otherwise I think I've, I've kind of learned that, you know? Yeah. Like, yeah. why are they criticizing me?
Yeah.
[: [:It's as simple as that. These, these are two places where you can find me. Like I said, I try and respond to each and every DM because I think it's important. Yeah. so yes, if you, you know, if, if you have something, if you, you know, if you wanna have a chat, just, just shoot a DM and I'll be in touch.
Amazing. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. I really enjoyed it.
