Event #4 Introduction to Investing Webinar with Emilie Bellet

Context

Imagine if the world was engulfed by a pandemic crisis, grinding life as we know it to a halt? No no, surely not, you say, that only ever happens in sci-fi novels... or so it would seem.

Back in March, I found myself in a tizz because events were being cancelled and my social calendar began to dry up. At that point, I wondered when I would next be attending a female-empowered event and whether, post-pandemic, the plethora of fun + informative feminist events would reappear as the industry was sure to take a financial tumble. I really do feel for the creatives finding themselves making tough decisions about their vision, start-up and side-hustles. A lot of us thought 2020 would be our year to get sh*t done and fulfil many goals... but don't worry, there is still time.

On the bright side, the internet is a truly wonderful thing during COVID-19. It has brought people together through the power of the video calls... #tbt to the early 2000 MSN Messenger webcam days. This is probably why Gen-Z/Millenial generations are embracing the endless quiz nights, home workouts and cook-offs via Zoom. But what to write about on here... I was stuck. Lo and behold! a beacon of light appeared in my inbox in the form of Vestpod's weekly newsletter notifying me of their sweet decision to do ticketed webinars. I have been meaning to attend one of their events irl for a wee while now so I instantly threw my card details at them. Pandemic or not, there are always creatives out there willing to share their expertise to educate others. Now is the time to get learning, you just have to seek it out yourself.

Header Image: Vestpod- Women and Money

The main event

But what is Vestpod, you say? Vestpod is an instrumental platform that offers finance-related pearls of wisdom. Their goal is to empower women financially, focusing on the practical and not the patronising. Bearing in mind, they are not financial advisers (something they make incredibly clear throughout their content), Vestpod aims to tackle money as the "last taboo". I will be the first to admit that I'm not 100% money savvy however, why salaries and debt remain top-secret in this day and age baffles me. The quicker we open up conversations surrounding money, the quicker we'll realise that we deserve to earn more and do more with our money.

The turnout was a huge success with 100 people safely connected from the comforts of their own homes. Founder Emilie Bellet provided a concise overview of pensions, robo-advisers and compound interest for investing protegees like myself. If you're feeling yourself yawn, don't worry! Emilie made it very clear: finances are boring and they always should be. What remains essential is being well-informed about what's what and when to invest. The actual learning content of the webinar was super engaging and Emilie's ears were open to questions (thoughtfully answering as many as possible at the end of the event). As the Zoom video boxes switched about across my screen, you could see plenty of smiley faces and nodding heads amidst the note-taking. Nothing seemed to be missing, it was just your standard Wednesday morning with a bunch of ladies swotting up on their finances.

The event was super slick with several calendar reminders and a follow-up email with access to all slides, the actual Zoom recording, a worksheet and links to all the resources mentioned. We definitely got bang for our buck because the support didn't stop there. Attendees were invited to join a private FB advice portal for all those interested in learning more about their schmoney. It is clear Vestpod wants to create a community of financially-enlightened women and by god, are they ticking all the boxes to achieve this! Due to the overwhelmingly positive response, Emilie donated 50% of the proceeds to Impact 100 London, 'a philanthropic impact fund making transformative grants to charities working primarily to benefit women and girls in Greater London'. In times like this, the generosity is outstanding and demonstrates that more needs to be done in order to give everyone a fighting chance of securing long-term financial stability.

Talking of long-term investments, the webinar promoted making money now! and arguing that your gender should not stop you from giving it a go. The current you needs to be financially savvy to support the future you and perhaps, future mini-yous too. Having recently given birth, Emilie had her baby girl cooing right by her during the event. At times, she attended to her daughter's hiccups whilst discussing Lifetime ISAs. It wasn't distracting at all. If anything, it made the whole webinar vibe feel more relatable and human. Emilie is a new mum, running her own business and educating women at the same time- now that's the sort of self-motivated feminist we like to see! It also highlights the reality for many new parents who own businesses or freelance, that sometimes maternity/paternity-leave isn't as simple as it could, or indeed should be. Plus, given the crisis climate, those who go it alone are already suffering from gig losses, unpaid invoices and reduced exposure so big love to Emilie for continuing her outstanding work at Vestpod with a newborn in tow.

The success of webinar shows that people are still keen to learn and reach out for opportunities to wise-up on how they can best set themselves up for the future. Unfortunately, this pandemic has stressed if not, spooked many of us about our finances and how well they can carry us during these unprecedented tidal waves of times. So let's use this as a learning curve (whilst we flatten the curve) and do better with our money.

Food for thought

For me, the most important takeaway from the Vestpod webinar was learning to play the long game. By nourishing your mind with financial facts, one can keep up-to-date on what will help you in the future. To give you an example, I begrudgingly signed up for the work-place pension scheme at my old job (on my parents' advice) and would shed a tear at the money I "missed out on" each month because it was locked away like Rapunzel in an ivory tower. My thinking behind this was why give it to future me when current me needs it? Having grown up a bit and starting to look at my options of making more money, the answer to overly-dramatic me is: future me probably needs it more...

Spending money is fun, there is no denying it. However, as you grow and learn as a person, you are ultimately trying to know better, do better and be better. One way of being better is by focusing on your finances. If you want future you to buy your dream house- look into Lifetime-ISAs. If you plan to live a more nomadic lifestyle- look into a financial adviser to ensure you can support it. All you need to do is start loving yourself enough to move your money about and make the change (with a slice of risk). There is no shame with being your no.1 fan, own it!

By financially investing in your future now, you're personally investing in the future you.

Hi, I'm Poppy

Feminism, creativity, exploring the world & having a good time are really important to me. If you liked the above, why not subscribe to my newsletter? This is just the beginning.