Thefinancial game changerFormermanagement consultant Alice Tapper,
27,is the founder and author of Go Fund
Yourself,an online platform and community
designed to make personal finance more
relevant and relatable. Working as
a consultant for financial institutions and
start-ups, Tapper’s accessible money guides,
digital masterclasses and weekly news
bulletins focus on making complex topics
digestibleand entertaining. Her book,
Go Fund Yourself, was released in July.My career was born out of frustration.First,
was the obvious problem that no one receives
a financial education. We’re taught about Pythagoras
and tectonic plates, but not how to budget, what
interest rates are or why investing is a good idea.
Instead, financial literacy tends to be inherited from
parents. Over half of 22- to 29-year-olds have no
savings. Personal finance is in need of an urgent
facelift, which is how Go Fund Yourself came about.
I’m driven by a desire to combat shame
around money.When I was researching my book,
I spoke to many people about it, and their relationship
with it. But my eyes were really opened when several
close friends told me about their own crippling debt- I had no idea. I do what I do to empower and equip
others, particularly young people, with the tools
and inspiration to feel good about their money,
and make better financial choices.
Great things are not achieved from your
comfort zone.Generally speaking, the younger you
are the less you have to lose, so put yourself out there.
Taking calculated risks – like when I left my safe,
corporate job to run Go Fund Yourself – can really
pay off, but you have to be brave enough to try.
Perspective is key. Like many people, I’m prone
to catastrophising, and I do it often. But I can’t name an
occasion where things turned out even half as bad
I thought they might have. Competition is a great
example. I thought about the idea for Go Fund Yourself
for over a year before I did anything about it. Other
people were doing cool stuff and I felt like there was
no room. But, the reality is, nobody can or should have
an entire field to themselves; competition is good.
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