The Money Medicine Clinic Podcast

Hello,

If you’re someone who is conscious of how your money is impacting on the planet, there’s no better place to start that your bank! It’s a simple way to start reducing your carbon footprint. Check out Dan's website: MyMotherTree.com and complete the carbon footprint calculator. Don’t forget to look out for switching deals so you can make money helping the environment too!

Hello!

It's time I let you know about a recent project I've been involved in.....

...I've helped write a book!! Woo hoo!

And it's all about one of my FAVOURITE SUBJECTS - Investing.

It's written for women, by women and is being released on International Women's Day by publishers Harriman House (who incidentally have also published next month's bookclub book - The Psychology of Money).

Why is this book both timely and essential?

>> A 2022 Bankrate study found women feel more financially stressed as 60% worry about emergency savings compared to 53% of men

>> According to finder.com, less than 30% of women in the UK invest

>> Despite fewer women investing, a 2018 three-year study of Barclays investors showed women outperform men by 1.8%.

Editor Amanda Taylor has brought together leading women from the world of investment and asks:

• What is the impact of rising living costs?

• Where to start with investing your money?

• How can your health affect your money?

• How can you make sure your money is being invested in alignment with your values?

• What psychological biases affect how well you invest?

I'm so excited about this... it's not my own book, but it's a stepping stone to my own book (which I'm aiming to publish in 2024 so watch this space). I'm so humbled to be a part of this and I'm looking forward to reading my own copy soon!

Hello!

With the cost of literally everything going up right now, it would be helpful to have some tech in your corner to help you out right?

Hello!

Money mindset is vitally important at every stage of the process in building wealth no matter which stage you're at or how much you earn. There is always something to work on.

And this episode completes the series on the steps to wealth! I hope you enjoyed it... if you missed the other episodes, look for 125, 126, 127 and 128. 

Hello!

Pillar 3 is an important piece of your wealth building journey. Without it, the process will certainly be a much harder one! Investing gives your money rollarskates, helping to speed up the process of growing your nest eggs.

Hello! 

In the 5-part series of "the steps to wealth", I'm talking about protecting your money in this one.

If you want money management, go to episode 126, and if you want an overview of the whole thing, go to episode 125. 

Hello!

This week's episode is all about the first foundational pillar of the steps to wealth. If you don't know what these are, check out episode 125 where I do a full overview of all 4 of them.

Hello! Welcome to season 4 -wow!!

I can’t believe that this is the fourth year of the money medicine clinic podcast.

It literally feels like yesterday that I started this.

Hello!

In this episode I'm talking with the fabulous Charlotte Jessop of the blog Looking After Your Pennies on how you can prepare your finances for pregnancy, a topic you chose as a community to learn more about. 

Hello!

In my work as a money coach, I’ve noticed a number of money management patterns among my clients. It’s incredible how similar we all are when it comes to our finances.

I’ve pulled out the top 10 money mistakes I see regularly with the aim of making you feel like you’re not alone in this.

So here goes...

Hello!

Our hormones are fascinating! Have you ever stopped to consider how your hormones can affect your finances? My background is in women’s health, and I’d never really thought about the idea that my money was affected by my menstrual cycle. But the more I read about it, the more I realise that our hormones could play a big part in how we manage our money.

Hello!

One of my favourite authors writing about money is Robert Kiosaki. In fact, the first book I ever read was Rich Dad, Poor Dad. It really opened my eyes to what was possible in life when it came to money, and it sparked my interest in this topic.

A while later, I read another of his books, The Cash-Flow Quadrant and I realised that building wealth involved needing to transform what I was doing with my money long term and how I was making money too.

Many people think is that starting a business is what they need to do to make money. This is partially true, but it is the way that you do it which holds the biggest key to success (and less stress!).

I’m going to talk through what I have learnt from this book, and perhaps you’ll want to check it out and read it yourself too!

Hello!

Hello!

Examining your money mindset and beliefs is ESSENTIAL if you want to sort your money out. 80% of personal finance is about how you think about money, the other 20% is the nuts and bolts that you need to organise it.

Have you ever thought about your money mindset?

Feeling frustrated and like there is never "enough" money is a clue that there is some stuff going on.

I hope you find this episode helpful for examining your own blocks around money.

Hello!

Robert Kiyosaki calls them "doodads". Vicki Robin calls them "Gazingus Pins". Otherwise known as an unconscious spending weakness.

We all have them.

Be it books, journals, notebooks, scarves, shoes, bags, jewellery, makeup, watches (like my mum), toys for your kids, there will be SOMETHING you can’t resist spending money on.

For me its shoes.

Oh, and journals. I never seem to be able to resist a journal.

Now, in my world, there is nothing wrong with spending money on things we want.

I am ABSOLTELY all about rewarding yourself for a job well done or a goal reached. We celebrate people's wins often in my community.

But what does cause problems is if this celebrating is done without thought or planning. In other words, when we allow our unconscious emotions to guide our spending.

Enjoy my ramble on the subject!

Dr Nikki x

Hello!

I'm back with a new season and a new episode for 2022!

Here's the topic for today's discussion. Can money buy you happiness? Well, it’s a hotly debated topic. The thing is, I think a lot of people confuse money and happiness with the well-known phrase, “money is the root of all evil”. Personally, I think you can have both money and happiness, and here’s why.

Enjoy!

Nikki x

Hello!

It's time for another community question, and it's one I get asked a lot - "how much do I need in my emergency fund?".

An emergency fund is really important to help you out if you lost your job or had an unexpected major life event to deal with. But how much should you have, and where should you keep it? As with anything to do with personal finance – it depends. It’s very specific to who you are and your circumstances. 

It was one of the first goals I ever set myself when I started out on my money journey, and I will never forget the excitement when I managed to save my first £1000!

Hello!

For most people, buying their first house will be the biggest investment that they ever make. However, the worst thing you can do is get on the property ladder before you are ready.

Many people think that they’re “throwing money away” if they don’t buy a home, but actually, it may be the more savvy approach not to.

Today, there is so much pressure to own your own property, yet it is more difficult than ever before to do so. With that being said, read on to discover the key signs that you are ready to purchase a property.

Hello!

There are many forms of investing. Most people, when they think of investing, I’m sure will think of the “Wolf of Wallstreet”, or something similar; high aggression, testosterone-driven, swearing, sweaty, money-fueled madness.

But this is embellished reality – a story made all the more obscene to make a good film. Real investing is not like this. In fact, the kind of investing that is safe, secure and sustainable is decidedly unexciting. It involves due-dilligence, honest, emotionless appraisal, and playing the long-game. This is everything that the famous Warren Buffett stands for, and he is an excellent investing role-model for the rest of us. In fact, he also disliked the testosterone-fueled craziness that was going on in wall-street, and chose not to be part of it.

If you don’t know who this genius man is, he is the CEO of a major American share-holding company called Berkshire-Hathaway, and is known as the “Oracle of Omaha”. He is one of the richest men in America, building his wealth slowly over his lifetime. This is what he partially blames his amazing success on – his good genes and time spent actually investing.

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Hello!

Do you invest in the stock market? Gone are the days where you have to have huge sums of money and a fund manager to do it for you.

It might look confusing, but that is nothing that a bit of knowledge can't sort out. Investing is actually very rewarding - both in feeling accomplished in understanding how to do it, and of course financially for your longterm future.

More women than ever are branching out into the proactive side of money management. One of the reasons behind this is a wave of new technologies coming through that are making investing in stocks and shares easier and cheaper than ever.

But it's still not enough (yet).

According to HSBC UK, just 12% of women currently invest, vs. 19% of men.

Why is this a problem?

Because women on average live longer than men, yet our pensions are not matching this. Due to reduced income through the gender pay gap, and taking the greater share of childcare responsibilities, women are losing out on all fronts.

But investing doesn't have to be hard, or expensive!

Hello!

Whether you have kids or not, teaching children about money is a really important topic. It’s the only way we’re going to break the money blocks and limiting belief cycles that continue to hinder our success when it comes to personal finance. I truly believe that the more women there are educating each other about money, talking about it, discussing it with their children and demonstrating powerful ways of using it, we’ll all be much better off.

This is how you make your child wealthy.

I don’t have kids — but I do have a nephew and a goddaughter, and I like to take the time to make money an important subject in their lives. If you have children, I’ve outlined some ideas below for you to help them get involved with learning about money. Even if you don’t have kids, do pass this podcast on to someone who does and can benefit from it.

Hello!

According to marriage.com money is the number two cause of divorce.

So I wanted to focus this week on your relationship and how you handle money as a couple. Have you had the conversation with your other half yet, or are you both sweeping it under the rug?

Knowing how you’re going to manage your money together is essential before getting too deep into commitment. Here are some suggested questions to get the conversation flowing. Remember that talking about money can be difficult for some people (it certainly was for me), so take your time, and keep the atmosphere light and relaxed. Money conversations do not need to be stressful!

Hello!

When you’re keen to make some positive changes to your finances but your partner isn’t, how do you get them on board? This question is so common; many people in our community have the same concerns. There are some things that might help, which I’ll break down in this episode.

Hello!

The online community talks a lot about financial independence. The goal – one of mine too – is being so financially secure through assets like stocks and shares or property, that you’re in a position where you no longer have to work. But what I don’t see covered very often is the journey, how things can go wrong, and what measurements to put in place to protect yourself when things don’t go to plan.

Having money freedom involves getting to a stage where you can handle most situations that require money without having to stress. It’s not a state of financial independence where you can give up work, but rather a case of money no longer stressing you out because you know you are covered.

As a doctor I’ve seen lots of circumstances where patients are being caught out through illness, then struggling to cope with daily life. The aim is to make sure that you have things in place to avoid getting caught out financially in your time of most need. Here's my suggestion for what you can do.

Until next time,

Nikki x

Hello!

Being in debt can make you feel really isolated, but this question is one I’m asked frequently, by people who are worried and don’t know what to do or where to start. Ultimately, the debt isn’t going to go away — it’s something you’re just going to have to deal with. So, for now, here are some things you can do to get started.

It’s also very easy to trick ourselves, and not do the things we say we’re going to do. I’m just as guilty of this with things like exercise, weight loss and debt. So, I highly recommend getting an accountability buddy for those times you feel like things aren’t going so well.

Hello!

Money is intimately linked to our physical and mental health. It was one of the main reasons why I started my blog, The Female Money Doctor. It's also why I'm now a Financial Empowerment Coach for Women (as well as an NHS GP!).

I am on a mission to help as many women as possible with money stress, and help them feel in control of their finances.

In my doctor role, I regularly come across patients who get into financial difficulty, and are so stressed by it that they become anxious and depressed. Or they become unwell, and then get into financial problems, further adding to their health burden.

Financial instability is a big reason why people cannot take time off of work. It's why they often can't get the help they need and get back to full health quickly. Sleepless nights, poor eating habits, and poor coping strategies with drug and alcohol use all perpetuate and contribute to the problem.

Hello!

“I want to invest, but I’m scared of losing all my money. I know it’s a limiting belief, but I can’t seem to get around it. What can I do to get over my fear of investing?”

This is a really common question, one which I think many of you can identify with. There’s quite a lot to consider around this, so I’m going to break it down into 5 different parts; stocks, funds, investment amount, your risk tolerance and your mindset.

How Can I Overcome My Fear of Investing?

Fear of investing generally stems from stories of people losing fortunes. It’s hardly surprising; these are the stories that are creating headlines. But ultimately, the highs and lows of your investing journey depend on how you approach it.

Hello!

I talk often about "Money Freedom", which is the point at which you are free from worrying about money - it no longer stresses you out and you have a handle on how to manage it. It's where money supports you.

This is TOTALLY do-able!

But what if your goal is even more ambitious than that? What if you want to retire earlier than in your 60s for example?

Well you're not alone... 

There are many people who would love to be able to leave work earlier than traditional "retirement age", often not to "do nothing", but to gain the freedom to choose what they want to do in life. This is certainly my goal.

This is otherwise known as Financial Independence.

Hello!

This podcast episode was inspired by a question I was sent in:

“I try to save money every single month, but it never seems to work. I put money aside each time, but by the end of each month, I realise there’s something I still need to pay for, so the money has to come out of my savings again. What am I doing wrong? I am so frustrated; I feel like I’m never going to get what I want.” - Anon

I want you to know, it’s not just you!

This is a really common scenario that I see all over the internet in various different guises, and perhaps you’ve felt like this too? I certainly have; it was at the very start of my money journey, and I was really struggling, trying to do everything. So, I want to answer this as fully as I can, and I hope that the following suggestions will help you to move forward.

Hello!

So 2021 is The Female Money Doctor's 4th Year of business, and in celebration, I invited Emma Sutherland of Shine Development Coaching to ask whatever she wanted. 

In this episode she asks me about my money journey, why I started The Female Money Doctor community and some top tips to help you feel better about money RIGHT NOW. 

I hope you enjoy this episode. I would love to hear from you! Send me an email: info@thefemalemoneydoctor.com to let me know what you thought, and it would be awesome if you could leave me a review to help even more people find me.

Here's to the next 4 years! Thank you so much for your amazing support.

Nikki x

Hello!

Money management help isn’t limited to using a financial adviser. There are also money coaches, financial planners, accountants/bookkeepers, lawyers, solicitors, will writers, accountability buddies, life/business coaches, and counsellors.

There's a whole team of people that could potentially support you, and we’re going to look at some of these as a suggestion to help you throughout your money journey. It’s also important to ensure these people resonate with you and are in alignment with your goals and who you are so you can work seamlessly with them.

Hello,

We often neglect our own fun don’t we? I find it so easy to give to other people – but when it comes to spending on myself, I struggle.

So I am proposing that you take a look at your budget and you make a little room in there for some fun of your own – have a listen of this episode and you’ll see what I mean.

Hello!

There are many different budgeting methods out there, and what works for one person may not work for you. If you struggle with spreadsheets or writing things down and want the ease of using an app, I’ve put together a roundup of some budgeting apps you might like to try.

Hello!

Hello!

Today I wanted to share with you a fascinating piece of research from Aegon (pronounced, a-gon) that is looking into how confident we are about managing our money. It is so much more than the numbers!

I interviewed Steven Cameron from Aegon about this research.

Steven Cameron is Pensions Director at Aegon. He’s responsible for analysing future plans the Government or the financial regulators have for our pensions, savings and investments and helping shape these. You may well have seen him talking about these topics in the financial press. Right now, he’s taking an interest in how the Government will get the UK’s finances back on track post pandemic and what can be done to ensure people in the UK have a lifetime of financial security.

Hello!

Today I bring to you another awesome guest session. Emma is part of my abundance clinic membership and investing course, and she explains how being part of the community has helped her change her mindset around her finances.

Enjoy!

Hello!

Journaling is a powerful habit to get into and can make it easier to manage all areas of your life, including money. It’s something I’ve integrated gradually over time, and while some methods don’t work so well for me, there are others that I’ve adapted and used for myself. Personally, I try to use some form of journaling every day, and I want to share my suggestions and resources with you so that you can integrate it into your life, too.

Resources mentioned:

Hello!

Being surrounded by people who can support you in all areas of your life is really important to help things flow more easily. It’s a concept I learned from Dr. Joanna Martin, founder of One of Many, called Conscious Network Design.

It’s essential to have a network of people you can rely on for the day-to-day stuff; not simply when you’re faced with a crisis. Having this level of personal, practical support is just as important as being on top of your finances and having an emergency fund to get you out of a sticky spot. Examples might include support for promotions at work, or help looking after your children so that you and your other half can enjoy a much-needed date night together.

Being alone is no fun and makes everything so much harder. That’s why it’s so important to have a strong network of people around you — and it’s best to get this network in place now.

Who in your life right now is there to help you in all the different areas?

Nikki x

P.S. For help with all things money-mindset related, I’ll be opening the doors to my Money Mindset Reset course in just a few weeks’ time.

This course will help you to lift the lid on your limiting beliefs and clear them so you can get on the path to wealth and abundance. If you feel stuck around money, or would rather do anything but sort your finances out, then this course is definitely for you.

Hello! 

In this facebook live replay, I interview John Dionysiou (The Anti Marketer) to explain what cryptocurrency is, and how you can start to research coins yourself to prepare to start investing in them.   

Resources Mentioned:  

Hello!

Your inner critic is that voice inside your head that tells you, “You’re not good enough.” It’s the voice of doom, poised to tell you things are NOT going well for you right now.

“You’re not clever enough to learn how to invest - you'll lose it all”

“You’re too stupid ­­­— you’ll never be good with money. Your money management skills are RUBBISH.”

This internal voice is YOUR voice. It’s your inner critic, and it’s mean. But why do you let yourself speak to you like that when you wouldn’t treat your friends in this way?

Actually, your inner critic can be used to your advantage to help you grow, rather than to hold you back. This is something I’ve struggled with myself, but I’ve learned some tactics to “befriend” my inner critic and find out what’s going on. It’s not always easy, sometimes she’s in there before I’ve even noticed and she’s running the show, but it’s important to be aware so that we can get better at managing it.

Hello!

A money journey isn’t a linear, straightforward path. It’s very unlikely you’ll wake up one day, decide you’re going to get out of debt, and be done with it in six months. Life isn’t like that; we’re not robots. 

We face twists and turns, ladders and snakes, breakthroughs and dead ends. I speak from experience. I’ve taken three steps forward and five steps back. One to the left, five steps forward and three steps sideways. 

Yep, I’ve been there.

Dr Nikki x

Hello!

Today is my birthday and I love to reflect on how life is going for me, and where the next stage is heading. Getting older doesn't worry me, in fact, I've learned to embrace it, because as I get older, I learn more and I develop more as an individual. I feel more and more comfortable in my own skin and I can feel myself growing more confident everyday.

But of course it has taken me going through some pretty rough things sometimes to learn these things about myself and to learn how to adapt.

I'd like to share with you some lessons I have learnt in my 36 years, and my hope is that you can learn vicariously through my mistakes, rather than make them yourself, or if you have already made the same mistakes as me, feel better knowing someone else has done it too - you're not alone!

Enjoy...

Hello!

If you are selling anything, and you feel "icky" about it, then Catherine Watkin is your lady! She is the UK's leading expert in selling from the heart, and knows all too well the struggles that authentic people have with selling. 

Hello,

Have you ever noticed how when good things come your way, more follows? If you want to attract more, it’s really important to start paying attention to all of the amazing abundance coming into your life. It’s a really interesting concept, and I think it really does help you to see what’s going on. And when you do it for the first time, it can be a real eye-opener.

Here's how you can do it...

Hello!

I hope you enjoy Katie's interview, she is such an inspiration! Having come from a difficult background financially, she has worked through her limiting beliefs and is now doing amazing things in the world. 

She shares with you some of her tips for how to do the same. The biggest take away for me was to never, ever, ever, give up!

Enjoy!

Hello!

How often do you tell yourself that you can’t have money? I'm not saying that you're doing it deliberately. But what’s interesting is that often when we think about people with money, or those who manage it well, our preconceived ideas distort the truth.

While it’s not money related, a good example of this is from when I worked in the hospital, and I’d get asked when the doctor was coming. Usually, it was an older person who still believed that a doctor should be a white-haired man. I felt that because I’m female, it was always assumed I was the nurse. (There are also loads of male nurses, and I think all nurses are awesome and have supported me so many times over!)

It's the same thing with money. If you have a preconceived idea about what a wealthy person looks like and you don’t fit that ideal, it’s creating a limiting belief that you cannot be wealthy or have money. It’s really worth getting a journal out here and having a good think about this, because it can bring up so many limiting ideas. And if you have got these sneaky beliefs cemented in your subconscious, it's no wonder you find it difficult to save, get out of debt or grow wealth.

Hello!

In this episode I am interviewing one of my lovely community members Semone. She has an awesome money story to share and I hope you find it inspiring for your own money journey.

Hello!

What exactly is manifesting? It’s sometimes seen as a bit of a joke, where you’re wishing and praying for something that you want to drop into your lap. Actually, that’s not what it’s about at all. It’s about bringing something that you want into being. It’s about getting clear on what you want, taking the steps to make it happen, and making your dreams a reality.

Hello,

Creating a healthy money mindset is easier when we’re inspired and guided by others, which is why I want to talk about 10 books that I think will really help you. What I really love is that these are all written by women. In my opinion, the more women that we have writing about their experiences and how we can create a better money mindset, the better.

Some of these books are directly linked to money, while others are more focused on mindset which you can apply to anything in your life. A good mindset, an abundance mindset, or a growth mindset, all link to money regardless. Having a few of these in your library to refer to at any time will be invaluable to you.

Hello!

Hello,

Overspending isn’t uncommon, but the first step to managing it is to understand why it happens. Our budget is there to support us, and to direct money where it is needed the most. There will be some months where the plan doesn't quite work, and it happens to everyone. As far as I'm aware, I don't think anybody can say they 100% stick to their budget every single month.

There is always something that causes us to go off track. Here are 6 reasons why...

Hello!

Hello!

I have been running an exercise this week in my abundance clinic membership that is helping everyone to see where their negative beliefs might lie with varying income levels. It struck me that I have been focusing on "lack" through doing this exercise and not looking at what is already going well which keeps me feeling stuck.

Perhaps this is the same for you too? Where do you feel struck with money? Perhaps you have debt? Or perhaps you have a lot of money and it keeps you feeling paralysed through fear of getting it wrong. 

But having an attitude of gratitude around what is already going well in your life is so powerful, so here are my reflections on how you could integrate this powerful tool into your life.

Nikki x

Hello!

Is it bad to be checking your money on a daily basis? Actually, I think it’s essential. In a recent post, I wrote about the tasks I practice on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis, but I didn’t go into too much detail about the quick-check actions that I perform each day. And recently, I had a conversation with someone who asked me why I was doing these things every day.

This person was worried that my actions were coming from a place of fear, and that this could show that I didn’t trust the universe, which in turn could block my flow of money and abundance. Respectfully, I disagree.

Checking my money every day is not a fear-based practice but rather a quick, functional process to check my accounts and see what’s going on. These actions don’t need to involve any emotion, blame, or fear of what you might find. If anything, you’re looking after your money in the same way you would look after your loved ones. Checking in, making sure everything is in order. So, here’s a breakdown of the small tasks I do each day, to keep me on track with my finances.

Hello!

From money chaos comes fear, and with it the seemingly impossible – yet unavoidable – task of sifting through your finances. So, you procrastinate, which is completely understandable! Let’s face it: when it’s in such a mess, how do you know what to do first? Getting some structure in place for your finances is essential if you want to bring order to the chaos.

So, in today’s takeaway, I’m going to share with you how I manage my money throughout the year. If you find it takes a while to get used to doing this, or you feel that it seems to be taking forever, I can assure you that it will get easier with time. While I’m not perfect, I do know that committing to reviewing my finances every week definitely makes me feel in control and it will help you, too.

Hello!

Something magical happens when you regularly track your money habits. Tracking allows you to see patterns where things might not be going as you’d like, and highlights where you need to take action. Because, instead of facing a financial mess, you’re laying a great foundation for your monetary future with positive, progressive, and smart changes.

Hello!

This 10 minute takeaway is a portion of a facebook live I did recently with John Dionysiou - The Anti Marketer (he's on youtube with loads of business building advice, so make sure you check him out!).  

Investing isn't scary, but people can lose money from investing in a place of FOMO and THIS is what makes investing scary. 

Here's my take on the boom and bust cycle of investing. 

If you understand it, then you'll know how to avoid making this "herd mentality" mistake in the future (unlike me, when I learnt the hard way with Bitcoin!!).  

Hello! 

Now listen... I know tax can seem like such a bad thing. I know, because I've been there. I've had the big unexpected tax bill after underpaying tax for 3 years in the past. It sucks. 

But what if you could learn to love it? Yes, you should only pay what you're due to pay, but why not love it at the same time?

Listen to find out how...

Hello!

When it comes to building a business, charging for what you do is essential. However, it is not as simple as that! We fall prey to all sorts of outside influences, opinions and judgements that can seriously derail us.

The key is to do what YOU feel is the best to do. YOU deserve it! 

I'd love to know what you think...

Hello!

What are you really scared of? Fighting just to keep afloat or treading water below the surface is a real indication that you’re not where you need to be financially. Your fear will keep you frozen in a state of paralyzed uncertainty, unable to find your way through. In this post, I want us to explore the factors that might be contributing to your money worries and look at how we can solve them.

Hello!

No. More. Money. Worries. 

Can you just imagine how that would feel, for a moment? 

Being able to sleep at night and not feel sick from debt weighing heavy in the pit of your stomach. Imagine a feeling of ease and security, knowing how exciting and bright your future looks? Well, I want to help you get your finances back to good health, so I’ve put together these three money goals you absolutely should have for 2021.

Hello!

Knowing how to teach our kids about money in a fun and exciting way is really important to help them build a better future for themselves. So, I want to give you some tips about how you can help your children grasp the concept and value of money. There are so many great things you can do to help them, and really have some fun with it at the same time.

Below are a few categories I want to touch on, to give you some ideas. 

Hello! 

Celebrating small money wins can be really powerful when you’re on the path to your one big goal. For example, your big end goal might be the deposit for your first house, building a lump sum of money for your emergency fund, or paying off your debt.

I often think the reason people give up is because all they see is a huge goal; an enormous mountain to climb.

It can seem impossible.

But actually, a big goal is just a number of smaller goals, broken down. When you look at it that way, you can easily achieve one small goal. Then another, and another. And before you know it, you’ve reached your vision.

Hello! 

In this episode, I talk about how our thoughts lead to our behaviours, and how this can be the very thing that sabotages us when it comes to money! Our personal financial history and patterns of behaviour can be very telling about where some of these sneaky money blocks can be.

I also talked about the end of year survey (Dec 2020) and how you can get involved to WIN a HUGE hamper of goodies!

Hello!

The new year can make us acutely aware of how things went for us the year before. It can be a time of positive or negative contemplation. 2020 has not been a great year for so many reasons, but there is always the hope that a new year will bring on better things.

Around this time of year, I like to think about what I would like to achieve in the next 12 months. I find it therapeutic, and I love the anticipation of what is to come.

When I first started doing this, I wildly OVERESTIMATED what I could do in a year, and massively UNDERESTIMATED what I could do in 5.

But with the best will in the world, no-one knew that the majority of our plans would be rammed off the road this year, so while planning is helpful, it also needs to be FLEXIBLE!

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Cancer, depression and broken bones can stop you from doing your job. And I’m stating the obvious, but if you can’t work, you’ve got no money coming in. And when you have no money coming in, you can’t pay the bills, which can lead to debt — and further problems down the line.

That’s precisely what happened to one of my patients, and why I want to discuss how it’s so important to put insurance in place. With the right insurances in place, you can ‘rent’ wealth, before you have wealth. 

While it might sound dry and boring, insurance is something we should all have while building our wealth. Unless you come from a wealthy family, living without insurance means you’re leaving yourself vulnerable. You work hard every day, paying off debt, growing your savings, and building your investment portfolio.

Hello!

Can you imagine your beautiful dream home being built with no structure? It doesn’t take a genius to know that it would collapse. There would be no support system, no proper plan to make it last. The same goes for money. Money needs and loves a plan, so let’s look at how we can bring some structure to your finances. By getting your money organised, you can direct it where YOU want it to go.

Here are my top tips for giving your money some structure so it can serve you better in the long run.

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Money and divorce is a HUGE topic, but it's such an important one, and definitely something to think about in every relationship (even if you're happy!).

BUT, let’s just say you may have to deal with this one day. What will you do? What do you need to consider to make sure you don’t leave that relationship worse off than when you started? 

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The Sacred Money Archetypes® is an approach I absolutely love, and it’s why ultimately, I became a certified coach.

When I first discovered the concept, I took a quiz to discover my own archetype through Denise Duffield-Thomas’ Money Bootcamp and her version of The Sacred Money Archetypes® course. It really helped me to understand more about myself and what was going on, and it enabled me to create a path to wealth that was unique to me.

It really opened my eyes to how profound it all is.

In fact, it had such a lasting impact on me, that this actually led me to become The Female Money Doctor.

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This week's 10 minute session is all about investing in your best asset - YOURSELF! Even the awesome Warren Buffett has said that investing in yourself first is the best thing you can do. You learn, you build, you develop and as a bi-product of that, if you put what you learn into action, you uplevel your wealth and bring in more abundance to your life! 

So do you invest in yourself?

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In this 10 minutes, I talk about property investing, and how you can get involved even without a huge deposit to buy one! It's amazing what's out there once you start looking around for the opportunities.

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What do you think about when you see the word RISK?  It can conjure up all sorts of horrible images and thoughts right? It may even make you want to back. away. slowly. before running out the door!!  And you wouldn’t be wrong. 

The work “risk” literally means: "the possibility that something unpleasant or unwelcome will happen".  

Risk however needs to be put into context.  

Listen for my take on investing risk!  

Hello!

Let's say you've been given a lump sum of cash - perhaps an inheritence or a tax refund. What do you do with it?! This very question alone can be totally paralysing. In the end, you either do nothing, or blow it all on a holiday of a lifetime.

But what if you could think about this logically, without emotion playing a role? It would be powerful stuff! It's amazing how strongly we can feel about money, particularly when we associate it with a big event such as the death of a loved one.

So what'sthe best thing to do with a lump sum of cash?

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Our relationships can be the BIGGEST influence on the way we handle money. I remember spending every penny I earnt when I went shopping with my friends every weekend. We always encouraged eachother to buy ourselves things, and in that kind of social circle, it's no wonder I ended up in so much debt in my 20s!!

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If you’re anything like me – you’ll find budgeting hard. Its like fighting over a duvet that’s a little bit too small – there just never seems to be enough to cover your butt!

For some people, they never go over the amount of money they have, so budgeting is not something they actively “try” to do. For others, they never seem to have enough. I believe though that creating a budget (or spending plan if you hate the b-word) is really the only way of being able to gain full control and awareness of your money.

So what I’m really saying is, whether you love it or hate it, budgeting is essential, and I want you to find the method that works for you so that you stick to it and achieve your money goals!

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Debt is unfortunately something that is extremely common and accepted as normal in our society. We’re encouraged to take out credit cards to build our credit scores and we’re bombarded with “buy now, pay later” messages all the time: why wait when can have what we want NOW? We take out loans to go to university, to buy houses, cars, furniture – you name it, we can usually get credit for it. It means we don’t have to go through the discomfort of delayed gratification like our grandparents and parents needed to – the first credit card only came to the UK in 1966!!

So we get our first credit card (for me, it was when I turned 18 and was given one with my student account) and in an ideal world, we would be taught to pay it off in full every month, but what if that isn’t possible, or we choose not to? The debt then builds and we end up in a big fat mess – much to the bank’s delight.

So here's my take on how to get out of debt FOR GOOD!

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In this episode I want to talk to you about motivation!

Motivation is difficult to find sometimes, especially if it involves going out in the cold for a run, when all you want to do is curl up on the sofa with a blanket! Our intentions start off well, but as those dark nights creep in, it gets much harder to maintain!

I think this is especially true if you’re doing something new for the first time, like trying to get out of debt or starting a new way to budget. Seeing results can take a while in both cases!

Motivation will wax and wane - you won't always feel "on it", but here are some ideas for how to keep yourself on track as much as possible. It's ok if you fall off the wagon from time to time, but do your best to get back on it and keep working on those goals!

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When I started on my money journey, I was convinced that to ever have real wealth, I'd need to be either born into a rich family, or win the lottery.

Since learning more about finance, I now realise what BS that is and how it's related to my own money-blocks and limited thinking.

ANYONE can improve their financial destiny and become money savvy by employing a number of tweaks to their finances.

And I really don't think it's that hard - and certainly not as hard as it's made out to be.

Yes, having more money coming in makes things EASIER, and I'm certainly not going to pretend that people who rely on benefits/maternity pay can necessarily take ALL the advice that's given about personal finance, BUT, there is always something you can do to improve your financial circumstances.

And be ok with the fact that you will need more TIME.

So here are my tips for being money savvy no matter what your income!

Hello!

The NHS pension causes A LOT of headaches for people, which is why I asked Medical IFA Sarb Chahal and Medical Accountant Tina Milligan to come into my facebook group to talk about it from a beginner's perspective.

It was a LONG session!! I definitely think there is scope to do more on this though because it is such a huge topic!

It's not just for doctors - this applies to anyone with an NHS pension.

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In this extra -special 10-minute take-away, I speak with the AWESOME Cheryl Douglas about the Feminine Archetypes that she has created. 

Our personality holds the KEY to how we manage money, life and everything! Once we figure out our strengths and challenges, we can then. ALIGN our personality with our path to wealth. It's such a powerful thing to learn about. 

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Your credit score is a digital footprint of how you are with money. Banks use it to decide how "risky" you are to lend money too. 

So do you know yours? And do you know how you could improve yours?

Listen in and find out!

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Do you feel like you're working SO hard, but everything you do feels like an effort and not helping you gain the results you want? Me too until I decided to embrance the universe and ask for help in all my endeavours. I have built up an abundance altar that helps me to appreciate the abundance I have already in my life, and to help bring in more.

This episode is all about how you can do yours too!

Hello!

As with everything in our lives, when we get older, our needs change. Our money needs are no different, and what you need as a young adult may look very different to when you’re in your menopause.

Our money journey may have started out in stress – but it doesn’t need to end in stress.

No matter where you are on the path, you can redirect yourself and get back on the pathway to wealth.

Hello!

This is an extra special long interview with the most amazing woman - Dr Joanna Martin!

There is SO MUCH GOLD inside this interview.  

If you're someone who struggles with money, it's likely you have a money block or two. To be honest, we ALL have them, and if you think you don't, you just haven't found yours yet.  80% of managing your money is about dancing with the voice inside your head that is trying to put you off. 

So sit back and enjoy the wisdom that is Dr Jo to uncover your own blocks and do something about them!  

Hello!

Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll know how hard recent events have been for everyone - some more than others. Money in particular has been a huge focus for so many people, and not in a good way.

If things have not quite gone to plan, then it can be really tempting to beat ourselves up with the "should ofs", "would ofs" and "could ofs".

This is not helpful if this is all you do! (and definitely not good for your mental health)

What you can do however is use this information to TAKE ACTION and get things sorted with your money, so that if anything like this happened again you'll be prepared.

This is your time to getting around to doing those tasks that somehow never make it to the top of your "to-do" list.

So here are a few ideas to get you started.

Hello!

Scams are sadly part and parcel of modern daily living. It’s the reason why your bank is going to great lengths to stop you from spending money from your account without checking and double checking with you that what you are doing is a legitimate transaction.

It happens all the time, and to people who think they’re switched on too! And it’s not your fault if you do get involved in a scam – these people are devious! With the online world ever-expanding and scammers getting more and more sophistocated, it’s not surprising.

So let’s talk through what a scam might look like, how you can spot one, and ultimately keep yourself as safe as you possibly can.

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I can’t quite believe this, but The Female Money Doctor is now officially 3 YEARS OLD!!!

For 3 years I have been writing about money, mindset and abundance thinking and that feels like quite a milestone to me. It's longer than some marriages!!!

3 years is the same length of time it takes to study a university degree, and I definitely feel like I have had university-level schooling in what it takes to be an online entrepreneur building a business.

It’s not as simple as slapping up a website and expecting people to find you. I think if it was, then entrepreneurship wouldn’t be that exciting!

Here’s a run-down of what I’ve learned in the hopes it will help you if you’re deciding to start a business like mine.

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In this 10 minute takeaway, I talk through retirement planning using a bar analogy - you won't have heard it spoken about like this before!

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In this episode, I ponder what might happen if negative interest rates become a reality in our country - it has happened elsewhere so could be a thing! I certainly hope it doesn't happen, but if it does, it only lasts a short while.

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In this episode, I talk about 10 things I have learnt from the best at what they do. Manifesting is a handy tool to have in your armoury for wealth creation, but what is it, and how do you even use it??

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I sat and pondered this question recently and thought I’d share my ponderings! I’m going to a lot more networking meetings, and it struck me that some people didn’t “get” what I did. I’m not an IFA (independent financial adviser), so what am I then?

Here in this 10-minute takeaway, I discuss the differences to help you decide which one you might want to work with.

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I needed a stepcount watch-type thingy, and I decided that I was going to challenge myself to manifest it for free. So I used all my cash-back tools and made it happen!

Here's how I did it.....

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In this episode, I mull over the idea of being a good leader to money. It needs direction and purpose, otherwise it disappears off to someone else! 

So.... how good a money leader are you?

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In this session, Stephanie talks about how her mindset around spending has completely turned around! She has found all sorts of amazing savings just by going through her bank statements. Her story is awesome and so inspiring!

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In this session, I'm answering a question I saw in a group I follow on facebook. The individual wanted to know what the difference was between saving and investing, so I thought I'd break down this question for you now. 

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In this session, Hayley talks about how her money journey has been met with a lot of unexpected bumps and turns in the road! Her story is a real inspiration and serves as a reminder for all of us to prepare and plan for the expected unexpected events that happen in our lives.

Hello!

In times of overwhelm and stress, we can often feel depleted and find life hard to cope with. BUT, if we focus on the things we CAN do, instead of what we CAN'T do, it can really help calm the stress down.

So here are 10 ways you can feel better in crazy times.

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This week I starting something new - community member spotlight sessions! Starting us off is the lovely Jill who has had an amazing career to date. She talks about the inspiration she has had to manage her own money and is starting to look at investing for her long term financial success. 

So you may have noticed that the markets have dropped lately - even if you aren't currently an investor you couldn't not have seen it! The news has been FULL of it!

What I want to do in this post is hopefully make you feel more reassured that investing in a crisis is possible AND "do-able", you just need to remember the rules.

So you’ve heard that having a will is a grown-up thing to have, but you’re not entirely sure how to even go about sorting one out (or even if you actually need one?).

Then you go to buy a house, and the mortgage broker tells you that you need to sort one out, and they can help you do it….

…this is great! But before you do, let’s talk through a few things first so you don’t get your fingers burnt.

And these testing times, it's more important than ever!

We're living in some really uncertain times right now, and it can feel incredibly overwhelming and upsetting. So many sectors are being seriously affected by recent government recommendations, and this is putting a lot of people out of work. Money then suddenly comes to the forefront of everyone's mind, because for many people, working is the only source of income they have.

It's a hard time to realise that having an emergency fund would probably have been a good idea.

So I get it - I see this all the time working as a GP, and not just in the current climate. Illness strikes at ANY time and can turn someone's world upside down.

But in chaos can come clarity, and actually, this is probably a really good time to evaluate your finances - particularly if you have nothing to do right now. These are my thoughts on how to handle your money in a crisis.

Money is one of those subjects that has a lot of "collective wisdom", but in reality, “common knowledge” can actually be holding people back from properly managing their money.

Let's start unpicking 6 of them!

This post has been inspired by a question I received. Do you ever feel absolutely overwhelmed with money, and you feel that you can just NEVER get ahead??

Just when you think that you have some savings, BANG! Something happens, and then you have to take that money out again and your savings go down to £0 again.

It's really easy to get completely dispondent.

So, in this post, I want to talk you through some things you can do to start examining what's happening.

A wise man once said that compounding is the 8th wonder of the world:

But what exactly is compounding?

This is what I like to call: “money making money babies”.

Before you even get started with tracking and budgeting, it helps to have your hand on EVERYTHING you might need – this includes old pension statements, your income, bank log in details…. all of this is useful when controlling your finances.

You’ll feel like a rockstar if you put this together!!

So while the love of money itself is not particularly helpful, the love of what money can do for you is!

If you don't pay attention to money then it will run off and go visit someone else [insert your favourite shop here].....

So if you want money to stick around more, here is what you can do.

Saving money is not up there on the 10 ten list of what is fun in life is it? Saving money is repetitive, it’s boring and it’s slow.

But what if we made it more fun?

I am NOT a natural saver, so I need to do things to help me stay the course when it comes to saving. So I use fun challenges and games to make saving money fun for myself….. otherwise I wouldn’t be able to do it.

Here are my tips!

Recently there have been some questions in the Facebook Group about bank accounts and which ones are the best ones. 

This is a *really* hard question to answer because like the world of personal finance and how you manage your money, your choice of bank account is personal!  So rather than say which ones I think are the best, I'll share with you what I think you should look for in a good bank account and what sort of features are important!  

Then the choice is yours....  

Change is scary - but there is a predictable way to see where you are in the process.

This is my take on the cycle of change, and how you can use it.

We all do it, but to what extent does it affect your money?

Are you struggling with moving forward with your money due to procrastination?

Emergencies happen all the time - and they are costly! 

Whether to pay off debt first before starting to invest has been a conundrum for so many people! I had the same question when I first started properly taking care of my money – the finance books said yes, pay off the debt first, then you can focus on saving and investing.

We have all heard of domestic abuse – and this conjures up images of women with bruises and scars to most minds. But domestic abuse is so much more than this. Not only can it affect men too, but it can also extend beyond the physical and the emotional.

Have you ever thought about investing, but then looked at the financial times and felt absolutely overwhelmed? Yep, me too….and when I learned about index trackers, I realised that I had discovered a way to invest WITHOUT all the faff around researching companies and trying to time the market.

Money is not exciting. What money can buy CAN be exciting, especially if you’re ticking off that bucket list. Money itself is boring.

If you’re managing it well, it really is boring!

The only excitement I get is seeing my savings increase over time, or my debt being paid off bit by bit.

The reality of good money management is not to get caught up in the “get rich quick” type of projects. More money definitely does not solve everything in your life, although it can certainly help to get out of debt and to live comfortably and healthily.

I love fintech - and the market for this in the UK is EXPLODING!!

Here I talk about some of my favourites, but I'll sure I'll need to update it again soon. There's always something new happening.

I hope you find it useful - which one will you try?

Dr Nikki

Retirement - it's something we all want to do one day!

So are you preparing for yours yet??

Credit cards are so easy to get now - I can't tell you how mad it makes me!! There isn't anything wrong with having one, the issue I have is that there is no education that comes with getting credit cards.

We all have money triggers and blocks that need addressing - it's amazing how these unconscious beliefs quietly sabotage our efforts.