
Following the reopening after lockdown, the property and mortgage market has been super active with record house sales being reported in the UK. According to Rightmove, “asking prices for property on Rightmove advertised between April 11, 2021 and May 8, 2021 were 1.8% higher than a month earlier, when they rose by 2.1%. Compared with March 2020 just before the start of the COVID pandemic, asking prices are 6.7% higher at an average 333,564 pounds ($469,892”).
Thanks to government initiatives such as the stamp duty holiday, many have seen the last 9+ months as a very attractive time to move house or buy their first property.
On Your Smart Money Mindset’s season finale, my guest is Craig Woulds, a property and mortgage expert, and business owner of Vizion Mortgages Ltd. Together we take a look at the property/mortgage market, how its changed since Covid, and tips for how to best position yourself to buy your first property. We also briefly explore how current market conditions are affecting property investors and ways budding investors can begin to build a buy to let property portfolio.
You can connect with Craig:
Instagram: craigwoulds_propertylife
Email: [email protected]
Linkedln: http://linkedin.com/in/craigwoulds
A huge thank you to Craig Woulds, for his invaluable expertise on all things mortgages, property, and first-time buyer homeownership. I can think of no better way to end YSSM's first season.
A massive thank you also to all my special guests who have come onto YSMM since January 2021 and to all of my loyal listeners and friends who have tuned in, given feedback, and kept me honest! Whilst it's bye for now, YSMM will be back in the not too distant future, so keep your eyes peeled for that.
I hope you find this episode useful and as always, feel free to drop me a message, share feedback or send in any questions at [email protected] Happy listening! If you are experiencing financial difficulty, please know that help is available. The following organisations provide free independent advice to those experiencing financial problems: Citizens Advice: http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk, Debt Advice Foundation: www.debtadvicefoundation.org, Money Advice Service: https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/corporate/contact-us, Christians Against Poverty: http://www.capuk.org. *please note the information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes, only. Always seek your own independent financial advisor to get advice on your specific circumstances.
Aug 13, 2021
1 hr 1 min

Have you ever bought something to make yourself feel better? Or splurged on something only to feel instant guilt afterwards? We may not always realise it, but our spending habits are incredibly connected to our emotions and recognising this-especially for someone who has struggled with emotional spending in the past- is truly the first step in reclaiming financial independence and making the financial progress we desire! In this 25minute with Dom C segment, I’m talking about emotional spending, how one defines it, what it can look like (based on my own past experience with it) and some key contributors that can fuel emotional spending. I also briefly share some of my top tips and tricks for curbing emotional spending; small steps that one can start taking to engage in healthy spending patterns. Finally, I end the episode with an announcement that all of my great and loyal YSMM listeners may be particularly interested in. I hope you find this episode useful and as always, feel free to drop me a message, share feedback or send in any questions at [email protected] Happy listening!
If you are experiencing financial difficulty, please know that help is available. The following organisations provide free independent advice to those experiencing financial problems: Citizens Advice: http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk, Debt Advice Foundation: www.debtadvicefoundation.org, Money Advice Service: https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/corporate/contact-us, Christians Against Poverty: http://www.capuk.org.
*please note the information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes, only. Always seek your own independent financial advisor to get advice on your specific circumstances.
Jun 12, 2021
22 min

Joining me today is Claire Wasserman, a Fortune 500 Speaker, Marquis “Who’s Who 75 Most Influential Financial Leaders of 2021”, and Founder of "Ladies Get Paid", a book, leading educational platform and global community that champions the professional and financial advancement of women.
In the space of a few years, the "Ladies Get Paid" community has seen exponential growth, going from a small informal group of women discussing their relationship with money, to a community with over 100,000 women, exchanging more than 2 million messages since launching in 2016. With a passion and zealous for female empowerment, Claire has travelled the country teaching thousands of women how to negotiate salary, raises, start businesses and advocate for themselves in the workplace.
Taking all the insight she’s gained from helping women of all ages all over the globe and her own life experiences, she’s written and published her first book "Ladies Get Paid" a guide on how women can break barriers, own their work, and take command of their careers.
In this episode, Claire shares the story behind the formation of the "Ladies Get Paid" community and book, as well as sharing top tips on how to negotiate your salary when starting a new job or similarly, a raise when you’re already in a position. We also explore the factors that can often hold women back from getting paid what they deserve- in particular (imposter syndrome) and the steps that women can take to help overcome it. Lastly, she shares her one piece of negotiation advice that EVERY working woman needs to know. We also look at how -with all of us working at home due to the pandemic, and research showing that this has had a particularly disproportionate impact on women- we can still show our value at work and advance our careers whilst working remotely. Happy listening!
You can follow and connect with Claire at:
• Website: https://www.ladiesgetpaid.com/
• Book: https://www.ladiesgetpaid.com/book
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladiesgetpaid/
• Claire Wasserman website: https://www.clairewasserman.com/
• Claire Wasserman’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairewasserman/Linkedin
• Company): https://www.linkedin.com/company/ladies-get-paid//
If you are experiencing financial difficulty, please know that help is available. The following organisations provide free independent advice to those experiencing financial problems: Citizens Advice http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk Debt Advice Foundation www.debtadvicefoundation.org Money Advice Service https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/corporate/contact-us Christians Against Poverty http://www.capuk.org Please feel free to get in contact with me with any comments and/or questions at: [email protected].
*please note the information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes, only. Always seek your own independent financial advisor to get advice on your specific circumstances.
May 15, 2021
46 min

Let me ask you something... When was the last time you checked your credit score?! Or your credit report?! 🤷🏽♀️Do you even know what your score is?!
I don't think I even knew what a credit score was until I got declined for attempting to take out my first mobile phone contract at the age of 25! From then, I've had what can only be described as a “colourful”relationship with those 3 magic numbers. With a few bumps in the road, I’ve had to be intentional about working to better understand my credit score, what affects it and ways to improve & maintain it. It’s made for an interesting journey to say the least.
If you’ve decided that 2021 is the year that you want to take charge of your finances then ascertaining your credit score and viewing what’s on your credit report, is a really good starting point! Once you’re armed with this info, it’ll make it tens times easier to make a plan for setting intentional personal finance goals and knowing what if anything needs to be improved.
So that you're not starting from scratch and to help you on your credit score journey- wherever you’re starting from, in this podcast episode I'm sharing 7 things I wish I'd known about all things credit scores.... including realising first & foremost the varying ranges for the 3 different credit reference agencies (Equifax- out of 700,Experian- out of 999 and TransUnion- out of 710)... Happy listening! If you are experiencing financial difficulty, please know that help is available. The following organisations provide free independent advice to those experiencing financial problems: Citizens Advice http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk Debt Advice Foundation www.debtadvicefoundation.org Money Advice Service https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/corporate/contact-us Christians Against Poverty http://www.capuk.org Please feel free to get in contact with me with any comments and/or questions at: [email protected].
*please note the information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes, only. Always seek your own independent financial advisor to get advice on your specific circumstances.
Apr 9, 2021
35 min

Joining me today is accomplished, 25 year old- Caleb Bakare, an Investment Banker, 1st time Home Owner and BSc Management graduate from The London School of Economics and Political Science. In this episode, Caleb shares a glimpse of his money story, together with his cultural and formative background that has undoubtedly played an integral role in shaping his attitude to money to date. We also cover everything from his passion in the financial sector which saw him complete four internships at various high-profile financial firms; to Caleb dabbling in property investing and now being the proud owner of a 3-bedroom investment property, himself. Lastly, we touch on financial freedom and what it means to him, Caleb also shares some actionable steps that he is taking to ultimately get him there.
You can follow and connect with Caleb at:
Instagram: @calebbakare
Linkedln:https://www.linkedin.com/in/calebbakare
If you are experiencing financial difficulty, please know that help is available. The following organisations provide free independent advice to those experiencing financial problems: Citizens Advice http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk Debt Advice Foundation www.debtadvicefoundation.org Money Advice Service https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/corporate/contact-us Christians Against Poverty http://www.capuk.org Please feel free to get in contact with me with any comments and/or questions at: [email protected].
*please note the information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes, only. Always seek your own independent financial advisor to get advice on your specific circumstances.
Mar 12, 2021
47 min

Tired of living Paycheck to Paycheck?!
Don't worry, I've been there, and according to a survey carried out by CareerBuilder.co.uk*- approx 31% of British workers have previously admitted to always (or usually) living Paycheck to Paycheck, so you're definitely NOT alone! In this 25mins with Dom C segment (something I do in between interviews), I'm sharing 5 useful tips that really helped on my road to personal finance RECOVERY and I hope can help you as well. Its trial & error, but you absolutely don't have to make living Paycheck to Paycheck, a way of life forever! The more practice you put in & discipline you have, the easier it becomes... sooooo, without further ado, let's get in to this!!
If you are experiencing financial difficulty, please know that help is available. The following organisations provide free independent advice to those experiencing financial problems: Citizens Advice http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk Debt Advice Foundation www.debtadvicefoundation.org Money Advice Service https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/corporate/contact-us Christians Against Poverty http://www.capuk.org
Please feel free to get in contact with me with any comments and/or questions at: [email protected].
*please note the information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes, only. Always seek your own independent financial advisor to get advice on your specific circumstances.
*survey as at 2015.
Feb 12, 2021
25 min

In today's podcast episode, I’m joined by American guest, Nina Mohanty- a financial technology expert & financial inclusion advocate, who has had a thriving career in the financial tech industry- working with some of the biggest start up names that have literally transformed the way we manage our money, today.
Nina and I caught up to discuss Financial Resilience- something that has become increasingly important following the outbreak of Covid. In this raw, unedited episode, we talk frankly about what it means to be financially resilient, why it’s considered to be so important &, crucially, some of the challenges young people face in building their financial resilience in the 21st century. We also talk about how the financial services and fintech, in particular, can empower young people to become financially resilient. Nina is very open about her own financial journey, and also shares some lessons learnt & top tips, all in hopes of helping you on your path to financial resilience.
You can follow and connect with Nina at:
Instagram: @nina.mohanty
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ninamohanty
*please note the information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes, only. Always seek your own independent financial advisor to get advice on your specific circumstances.
If you are experiencing financial difficulty, please know that help is available. The following organisations provide free independent advice to those experiencing financial problems:
Citizens Advice
http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk
Debt Advice Foundation
www.debtadvicefoundation.org
Money Advice Service
https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/corporate/contact-us
Christians Against Poverty
http://www.capuk.org
Please feel free to get in contact with me with any comments and/or questions at: [email protected].
Jan 8, 2021
55 min

An introduction to Your Smart Money Mindset (YSMM), an educational platform, community & safe space dedicated to empowering Young People to financially flourish. My hope is that, in listening to YSMM, you- as a Young Person will come to feel even more comfortable & confident about talking about money, taking charge of your finances & most importantly, making money work for YOU. So join me on the 2nd Friday of every month. Where I'll be having honest conversations with subject matter experts or Young People themselves about all things personal finance & the multitude of issues that Young People experience. You can even get involved too, by sending in any specific questions or topics you'd like me to cover at: [email protected]. Now that we’ve got the introductions out of the way...Let’s get it!!
Dec 30, 2020
4 min