Apparently, 94% of people in the UK worry about money. That’s nearly everyone, including me.
I’ve always thought it a bit strange that schools provide very little in the way of financial education and that most of us enter the adult world trying to figure it all out as we go along. No wonder we feel worried. Furthermore, we have a culture in Britain of hardly talking about money, making it really hard to get support and advice from people you know without it feeling awkward.
Now, in an economy with high inflation and rising interest rates, everyone apart from that lucky 6% are feeling the squeeze, even those in well paid jobs. It therefore seems more important than ever that we all are able to feel in control of our own finances and make the most of our money to support us in living our best lives.
That’s why I’m delighted to announce that we have given our team access to financial education and support from fellow B Corp, Octopus Money. It’s designed to make information, guidance and support more accessible and digestible than traditional financial advice services, so that everyone can feel more confident and in control of their finances.
As an employee benefit, our team will have confidential access to a dedicated money coach or financial adviser, as well as monthly webinars, a content hub packed full of useful info, free mortgage advice, discounts on wills and the opportunity to create a personal action plan. The advice and support to create (and stick to) a personal action plan could be particularly valuable for those big life commitments and goals such as buying a home, having children, getting a pet, paying for IVF treatment or preparing for retirement.
Due to the nature of the service, some advice will only be available to team members in the UK but the access to information and webinars is available to all. Just a couple of months in, around half of our team have used the service and to my surprise it seems to be one of the most popular employee benefits that we have ever introduced. It hasn’t been perfect and didn’t meet everyone’s needs but overall it seems to be a helpful and appreciated service. One team member said:
“I have a financial advisor already but it’s been brilliant to get into detail about a particular goal and create a plan, having someone to check in with along the way. I even got a free call with another professional to look into options, at no additional cost to me!”
It’s a small benefit but we hope that it can help people in our team feel more confident about managing their own personal finances and in turn that it can make a meaningful contribution to their quality of life.
