Anna Slodka-Turner

FOUNDER
 

Many years ago my father told my mother she didn’t get to make any decisions in our family because – as he put it - ‘everyone is worth as much as they earn’ (and she didn’t earn much). This was one of many of the injustices I could see in my parents’ relationship. At the back of the car, aged 10, I made myself two promises. Firstly, I would never live with anyone who thought like that. Secondly, as insurance, I would earn a lot of money, so that I was always in a position to make the decisions I wanted.

 I focused on earning and saving. Investing was my complete blind spot. I never thought of investing as anything other than ‘saving for the long term’. It was always, as it is with so many women, about putting aside money for a rainy day. Like most women, I am good at imagining how things might go wrong.

 In 2009 things did go badly wrong when my then partner had a car accident. He was unable to work, I was unable to work. Life became very hard, not least because he became abusive (something that is common in post-coma recovery). However, I realised how much other people around me were able to help me. It woke me up to the fact that having money in a savings account is just one of many assets for a rainy day.

 Even after all of this, I don’t do very much investing. I am not very confident about doing it, despite having so much knowledge after spending years in Financial Services. All around me I see women who similarly do not invest. I want all this to change. I think I have the drive, the experience, and the support network to make a difference, and inspire not just the younger me, but my kids and the women around me to realise how investing can add to the power you have over your life.

Why are you here?