The Sugar Daddy Podcast
Ready to normalize talking about money? Then welcome to The Sugar Daddy Podcast. Every episode will get you one step closer to your financial goals. Whether that is learning how to invest, budget, save, retire early or simply make better money choices, Jess & Brandon have got you covered in a way that's easy to understand, and easy to implement. Tune in as they demystify the realm of dollars, so it all makes cents, while giving you a glimpse into their relationship with money and each other.
Brandon is an award winning licensed financial planner, and owner of Oak City Financial, with over a decade of experience and millions of dollars managed for his clients all over the United States.
New episodes published the first three Wednesdays of every month.
The Sugar Daddy Podcast
83: How to Handle Money with Kia Commodore
In this episode, you’ll get to meet Kia Commodore, the 26-year-old financial literacy powerhouse who's changing how young people in the UK think about money. As founder of Pennies to Pounds and author of "How to Handle Money" (HarperCollins), Kia is tackling a startling reality: the average financial literacy age in the UK is just nine years old.
Join Jess and Brandon as they discuss Kia's journey from early money lessons, to running her first business and the lessons in between that helped shape her understanding of business and finance. What makes Kia's approach unique is her ability to make financial concepts accessible and age-appropriate, breaking down complex topics into manageable pieces that both children and adults can understand.
Whether you're looking to improve your own financial literacy, teach your children about money, or simply gain inspiration from an entrepreneur making real-world impact, Kia's story offers valuable insights that cross generations and borders.
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Notes from the show:
This episode is sponsored by Prenupscom. The truth is, every married couple has a prenup, a set of rules that defines your legal and financial relationship with your spouse. You either choose your own rules or use what your state gives you. At Prenupscom they write prenups that actually help couples stay married. Their specialty is fair prenups that help couples plan for a healthy financial relationship. Don't let the state decide your marriage rules. Make your own. Visit prenupscom. Slash sugar daddy to learn more. That's prenupscom. Backslash sugar daddy and get the prenup that helps you stay married. Already married? No worries, they do postnuptial agreements too. That's what Brandon and I did after eight years of marriage. They do post-nuptial agreements too.
Speaker 2:That's what Brandon and I did after eight years of marriage.
Speaker 2:So how to Handle Money is actually that book that I wish I had when I was 11, 12 and up, and it's a beginner's guide to personal finance in the UK. So we cover everything from chapter one, where I talk about budgeting and saving and break that down into different accounts how savings work, how to budget properly all the way through to the art of negotiation, so how to negotiate whether it's bills, cash back, all those kind of things all the way through to credit fraud, investments. And then the final chapter is almost like planning for the future. So we talk about understand your pay slip, pension, which is 401k for everyone, for you guys in the US, but yeah, all of those things that we need to know when it comes to our finances, because I think there was a stat that came out in terms of the UK recently that said, the average financial literacy age in the UK is nine years old, so you can imagine there's a lot of people in their 20s, 30s, 40s and beyond who have the financial literacy age of a nine-year-old.
Speaker 3:Hey babe, what are we talking about today?
Speaker 1:Today we are talking about young people in finance. I know we are millennials, we're elder millennials, but today we're going to focus on people who are younger than us, with a finance expert who I had the pleasure of meeting in New York and I'm just going to tell you right off the bat I apologize for the terrible English accent that I will be doing throughout this episode, because we have our own Love Island English you know accent for our very first English person on our episodes on the Sugar Daddy podcast. So just that's a little disclaimer for anybody who's listening. I'm going to be doing a lot of terrible English accents for you today.
Speaker 3:Okay, you cannot talk about when I try to do your German accent anymore.
Speaker 1:That's because you make my German accent sound Indian. But we actually do have somebody who's literally from the UK with us today. We have Kia Commodore. She's incredible. Her accent is real, you guys, so you get to enjoy her real English accent on our episode today. Kia, welcome to the pod. Thank you for being with us.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for having me, and I find it so interesting that everyone loves the British accent. I mean, for me it's just how we talk, but I understand the fascination behind it, Yours. It needs a little bit of work, but we'll get there. We'll work on it. We'll get there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we'll work on it we'll do like a call afterwards and do a little practicing. Yeah, yeah, does any does?
Speaker 3:anywhere actually enjoy the like quote-unquote american accent, because no, because it's terrible.
Speaker 1:Who wants to sound like us?
Speaker 2:I wouldn't but, um, I think we enjoy putting it on. I wouldn't necessarily say we enjoy it, but in the uk we we watch a lot of american TV. So it is, you know, fairly normal to hear, but I think the fascination is more so on your side of the British accent than we have of American.
Speaker 1:I would say yes, well, when I met Kia, I was like, oh, kia, and she was like, yeah, kia, like the car and like did the hand motion and everything. And then, as we got comfortable with each other, I was like, well, you should do an English accent, like an American accent, and she did it and it was hysterical and I was like, yeah, that is kind of what we sound like. And it was awful. Who wants to sound like us? It was yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, it was a good moment. I'll be honest, it wasn't great, but yeah.
Speaker 1:I tried you, it's fine. I apologize in advance again for butchering your beautiful accent. We're not here because of Kia's amazing accent. We're here because she's a baddie in personal finance. I instantly became obsessed with her when I had the pleasure of meeting her in New York at Women in Money again for FinCon. This is why y'all got to be out in the streets, y'all because you meet people-.
Speaker 3:Not in the streets, I mean in the financial content creator streets.
Speaker 1:There we go, because you meet amazing people like Kia, and then you get them on the podcast. And let's just get into this bio, because Kia is doing some things, y'all, all right, are you ready?
Speaker 3:I've been ready Stay ready.
Speaker 1:Kia Commodore is the author of how to Handle Money, released this year by HarperCollins, and founder of the highly successful Pennies to Pounds platform, a financial literacy hub created to empower young people by enabling them to shape their future with complete financial knowledge. Love that. In August 2022, Kia starred in the Channel 4 series Money on my Mind in partnership with Barclays, and appeared live on BBC Night News to discuss the cost of living crisis. Kia has also co-hosted the BBC Five Live podcast, your Work, your Money, Cosmopolitan and the Huffington Post, and she has worked with a number of globally recognized brands to create easy to understand financial content. Kia you out here.
Speaker 2:I'm trying, I'm trying to be out here as much as I can in the UK, you know, just trying to do what I can to teach people, and it's been a journey, it's been incredible. I mean, hearing you read it out, it really does. I'm like wow, for me it's been five years and to hear it, you know, put down like that, I'm like wow, I've actually done a fair bit, haven't I?
Speaker 1:I've done a little bit. You really have you really.
Speaker 3:I'm so proud of you for the work that you're doing and it's so impactful, right, because you're teaching them what we all wish we would have learned 10 20 years earlier than we did. You know, and kia, how old are you? So the audience knows I'm 26. See, yeah, 26. So she said this has been five years of her doing this yeah, yes, what was I doing at 21?
Speaker 1:not helping 21.
Speaker 3:I could tell you exactly what we were doing. We were in college, acting a fool, probably. That's true.
Speaker 1:Not partnering with BBC and bar companies for financial literacy, that's for sure. Well, we are so glad to have you and to talk about this journey that you've been on.
Speaker 2:Thank you. No, honestly, I'm so happy to be here. I am a massive fan, so this means so much. I'm so excited.
Speaker 1:Thank you All right. Well, we kick off every guest episode with understanding your background and experience with money. So, kia, can you talk us through your first money memory?
Speaker 2:My first money memory would probably have to be, I would want to say I was around maybe six or seven and my mom took me to the bank for the first time. So my parents had opened up a savings account for me and I had got it I think Christmas money from family members that had given me money and my mum. Usually I'd want to spend it on nonsense. It really was. It was sweets, chocolates, all the stuff that is not good for your teeth, your health, but as a kid you want it.
Speaker 2:Instead of that, mum said no, we're going to go to the bank, I'm going to put it in the bank. Her saying that to me it sounded very boring, but when I actually went with her, the bank teller allowed me to give them the money. I got a little checkbook at the time. I don't think I do anymore, but you have like a little savings book where they would write down how much you put in and I had to sign it. And I think they also gave me like a savings coin jar thing and that's what really got me excited about wanting to go to the bank.
Speaker 2:I didn't really understand what the bank did. I just knew they had my money and whenever I saved up enough I could get it back out and buy stuff. But it got me into that habit and we'd make it probably a regular habit. Every time I get money either Christmas, birthday or some sort of special occasion where your family members gift you with some money my mom would encourage me to write we're going to take a little bit out, maybe you can treat yourself a little bit, but the most of it's going into a savings account and we go to the bank.
Speaker 1:I love that Because you know I'm thinking about our daughter has been collecting her tooth fairy money. She ain't got no more teeth left at this point, but her big bank is full. And you know I was talking to Brandon. I was like, well, what should we do? Should we put it on a debit card, what you know? And we were talking about like, well, they physically need to see the money to understand because, you know, even when they're with us, all they see us do is swipe. They don't actually see cash. And even the other day, when her tooth randomly came out, I was like, oh, do you have any dollars? Because we just don't carry cash. But going to the bank and physically having that experience and talking to the teller and filling out something, it makes it so official.
Speaker 3:We do need to take them in to actually see and have that experience, Because I think you said that is a core memory that you have and obviously it has influenced how you interact with money as an adult.
Speaker 1:Have you been listening to our podcast and wondering how am I really doing with my money? Am I doing the right things with my investments? Am I on track to reach my financial goals? What could I be doing better? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then it's time for you to reach out to Brandon to schedule your free yes, I said free 30-minute introduction conversation to see how his services could help make you the more confident moneymaker we know you could be. What are you waiting for? It's literally free and at the very least, you'll walk away feeling more empowered and confident about your financial future. Link is in our show notes. Go schedule your call today.
Speaker 3:Also, did you have additional conversations with your parents about money outside of opening up the savings account?
Speaker 2:Yes. So my parents made it a habit to teach me the relevant lessons at the right ages. So my parents got gotten together when they were quite young and they'd made their financial mistakes, but I think they'd decided not to make sure that their kids had the same experience. So I remember, like I said, at six or seven it was savings. Then, when I got slightly older, around 11 or 12, it was talking a bit more about budgeting what that means. And when I got slightly older, around 11 or 12, it was talking a bit more about budgeting what that means. And when I got a bit older, it was things like credit, because credit cards started to become available and those lessons got incrementally harder in the topics as I got older and more relevant.
Speaker 2:So when I got to university, there was a lot of talk around managing bills and what does that look like and um, you know. But I wanted to save for a house and understanding how mortgages work and what does that all of that entail. But that was only at the right point, because I think if I learned about what mortgage was at like 14 a, I wouldn't be interested and b, I probably feel very overwhelmed. I think I'm never going to have thousands of pounds to be able to put towards a house, whereas when I'm 18 I'm like, oh, okay, I'm earning a bit more. It might take me some time still, but I can reach that point at some point.
Speaker 3:Our son this morning it's funny it was this morning he asked me he's like how much was the house? And I was like a lot of money. He's like a thousand. I was like way more than that. I was like I wish it was a thousand dollars.
Speaker 1:Well, we talked to them about money all the time. Right Like the other day, there was like a whole lid of strawberries where they basically took one bite of each strawberry and like put it back on like the container lid, and then walked away and thought that they were done. And I was like, so we're about to take money out of your piggy bank because you're wasting a lot of money just by like take like what did? What were you doing? And um, they were like, well, how much does it cost? And I was like, well, this pint of strawberries, you know, is four or five $6, depending on when you buy it.
Speaker 1:And they were just like what you know? But they still have no concept. So I'm that's why I'm like, well, if we took the money out of their piggy bank and actually laid it out and started showing them you know we're doing some sort of fun activity to make them understand like you have $5, if we take two away, you know you're only left with three and that's going to go very quickly. So I love that your parents were so clearly intentional about the act of teaching you about money, because it's so, so important money because it's so, so important, absolutely, yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean I I was gonna say I loved it and, like you mentioned earlier, it's something that's really been embedded in my mind. So I'm always very mindful of how I spend my money and I always reflect back to those lessons and how those lessons impacted me, because I think if I didn't learn about savings from earlier, I probably wouldn't be as good of a saver as I am now, if I didn't understand the importance of it when I was younger. Now it's a no-brainer to save, it's just part of my budget. But I have friends who didn't have that let those lessons growing up, who now find it difficult to save money and keep it in the savings.
Speaker 3:I would honestly say that is the hardest skill for most people. You know, when working with clients, if I'm meeting with someone and I can already tell, like I've already looked at their stuff and they're a great saver, like oh, it's going to be easy, you already have the hardest part down because, like you said, most people are not taught to save at an early age.
Speaker 1:And so it's so difficult to do as they get older. Yeah Well, you have to build that habit right. It really is like a muscle that you have to build and for me I know if it's not automated it doesn't happen. So it has to be automated, and I'm always so grateful, like when I look at, you know, for, for my example, my 401k, I'm like, oh okay, the 401k is looking good because that automatically goes. Every paycheck it goes in there, I'm getting my match. But if I didn't have systems in place to automate especially that savings, it would be a disaster because I would never, I would never do it. So I wouldn't say it would be a disaster, I think it would be a disaster. Yeah, I'm just going to call myself out on it.
Speaker 3:How Disaster?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm just going to call myself out on it.
Speaker 3:How did you go from being the six or seven year old in the bank and you know, putting money into a savings account to pennies, to pounds, and your platform and your podcast and all of that. And for those that don't know, a pound is part of British currency.
Speaker 1:Yes, In case some people didn't know. I just wanted to let them know, with the pennies to pound. I hope if you're listening to this podcast you know that we're talking about.
Speaker 3:Some people aren't as well-traveled as we are, so you never know.
Speaker 1:Okay, let me not be judgy, all right.
Speaker 2:That's true. That's true. I'm going to run it again. Well, well, for me, when I mentioned six or seven was when I started on how to save, and then nine was when I started my first business, or side hustle, however you want to phrase it. My mom had taught me how to knit over the summer holidays and I'd gone back into school during the autumn time and I would go in. My friends would tell me what kind of scarf they wanted. I'd buy the color wool, I'd go home after my my homework, I'd knit and I'd give them their scarf and I'd make money that way.
Speaker 2:And then I got to secondary school, which is when you're around 11 years old, and during that time I was selling cookies and donuts. That was very, very normal. For a lot of entrepreneurial kids in the UK. We'd always be selling cookies and donuts because we didn't really have a tuck shop or anywhere that you could buy sweets or anything at school. There was a healthy eating regime going on, so there's none of that, only fruit and veg. So I capitalized on that. Business was thriving, thriving. Every day I would shift about 40 to 50 cookies. It was very easy. I would sell so many cookies and I'd make a lot of money doing that. So again, I think that's also where my parents knew I was doing that, to the point where I think I was making somewhere around probably like 300 pounds of profit a week and that's a lot of money.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was making a lot of money.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was making a lot of money. I did it for the five years of my secondary schooling, yeah, so I had a lot of money. And again, because I'm making so much money, I think that's also where my parents were up in the ante with the money lessons because like, wow, you've actually got a lot of money coming in. Now we've got to show you how we, you know you actually manage your money. And then when I got to sixth form which when you're 16 to 18 I started wholesaling uh, hair care products from the US. So I'd import them from the US and I'd sell them in the UK and Europe and I made a lot of money. So that's that's kind of like the business side of things. And I think because I was very into business, it naturally moved into into money.
Speaker 2:So when I got to university, when I was 18, I was good at business, good at budgeting, got to manage my money, even setting up bills. I was in charge of all the bills in my house with all my friends I lived with. But a lot of my friends couldn't budget. They had no idea how to. So they'd call me or FaceTime me, ask me to help them budget. So I realized if they're struggling, there's probably other people our age who are also struggling. So that's how I turned to YouTube initially, and then, about a year after YouTube, I went to Twitter and I created a Twitter thread about this account that we had in the UK called Help to Buy ISA, which was coming to a close, but a lot of young people needed to get it before it closed. And that went viral. And shortly after that I started the podcast because I said, okay, there's a demand for the content, so I'm just gonna find somewhere to put it, and the podcast was born oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:Okay, let's rewind a little bit, because there was a lot of entrepreneurial spirit at a young age. Where did that come from? I mean, why did you have this passion for, like, I want to make my own money um, that's a good question.
Speaker 2:You're probably the first person to ask me this question if I actually peel it back yeah, you're very good at questions. I've never been asked before. But if I actually peel it back, my parents probably probably watching them. So my parents both what their individual jobs, but they were all very big in side hustles and making extra money on the side.
Speaker 2:And one thing that I used to go with them to is we go to I guess what you'd call like a dollar store but we called a pound store, and they get things that cost one pound but they'd use their phones and you there's a I think you still do it now but you scan on Amazon and it'll show you how much it retails for on Amazon. So something like a, an action man figure that is one pound in the pound store, might be on Amazon for 12 pounds. So they knew that, oh, if this, we can sell it. Even if you said like 10 pounds, we're still making a huge profit because it only cost us one pound to buy. So they do that for tons of things, like my living room would be filled with stuff because they just clear the shelves of anything. That would make a lot of profit and they just sell it on ebay and they made a lot of money on the side doing that.
Speaker 2:So I think, seeing them do that, I remember I asked to get an ebay account when I was like 12. I wanted to join. I like, I want to do the same thing, but you have to be like 16 to get an eBay account, so I couldn't do that. So I think I looked for other ways to make money because I saw them making extra money.
Speaker 1:Oh, I love it. And did they openly talk to you about, like, the profit that they were making or how much you know they spent on that action figure and then how much it would cost to mail it out and the time equity, Like? Did they really go into detail on the commitment of this entrepreneurial business?
Speaker 2:absolutely, because not only would I see them do it, so I might come downstairs and say, what's my dad doing? And I see my dad there's, he's packaging out what my mom's prints out labels I'm seeing them both do it but they'd also, like I said, that's when I realized what they were doing, because to begin with we just go to the shops and I see them buy loads of action figures, but then I couldn't get any of it. My brother couldn't get any of it and I was like what? So why are you buying so many if we're not going to get any? So that's what I asked them why do you keep buying so many? We don't get any of it. And then then they began to show us what they were doing. I was like, oh, that makes a lot of sense. And then my dad also used to. He used to.
Speaker 2:My dad's been to america more times than I have. He flew to america a good couple times around the time the nintendo wii had come out. He flew to new york because you couldn't really get it in the uk. But I remember he was in new york. He managed to buy two or three consoles. He had my mom in the uk go and queue up for a toy store. She bought one console. So he's now come back. We had four consoles in the house and I was like, oh my gosh, we've got nintendo wii.
Speaker 2:We didn't see nintendo wii for about a year. Yeah, we don't. We did not. We didn't see one for about a year. He kept buying them and then selling them for a profit because it was so difficult to get. So he'd be queuing up everywhere, fly wherever he needed to fly to get them and then make this his profit. And then eventually there was one, and but by that point my brother and I would look at in the living room thing, it's not even ours. We just walked past him, it's not ours. So one day he said actually, this is our one. I said finally we get to see what this thing is finally oh my gosh, I love that.
Speaker 1:well, we're all about normalizing the conversation around money in our home so that when the kids do have questions of how much does this cost or how do I do this Right, they they know that they can freely and openly come to us and ask those questions, and so I love that your parents consciously did that, because it takes that shame out of you know, out of the equation, whereas you said your friends, who didn't know how to save, didn't know how to budget. Then you get to college and it's like how are you expecting your children to keep the lights on and the water running if you're not? You know teaching them how to pay these bills on time or what a credit card really means, and you know so. It's amazing that you took that on and saw the need, even just amongst your friends circle. So kudos to you for recognizing that.
Speaker 1:Also thank you, I mean.
Speaker 3:I tried being the older one here, I I always think back. I'm like man, like I like to think that maybe I might have been a little bit better with the internet like as it is now. You know, back then. But I don't know, man like, because I so like you still gotta give them credit for because there's so much information out there now and young people are there's still tons of young people are not taking full advantage of that. But, like you know, when we were in college the internet was very much in its infancy. Like none of this information was really out there. There wasn't any social media. I mean, facebook came around my senior year of college. That's how old I am. So like I'm the same age as Mark Zuckerberg, amazing amazing.
Speaker 2:You really are the voice of young finance in the UK. How does that feel? It's very overwhelming, but in a good way. When I started off doing what I was doing, as you mentioned earlier, I was 21. I didn't really know what I was doing. I was still in university. So I still I was in my final year of university trying to figure out what I was going to do for the rest of my life.
Speaker 2:I studied French in business. So I was like am I going to go and speak French somewhere? Am I gonna? I don't know what I'm gonna do when I leave university. I have no idea. And that kind of slowly took off. I was also working part-time. I worked in an apple store part-time. So I was kind of just trying to figure it out.
Speaker 2:And then, I think, after about five months of starting the podcast and I was being asked to do talks I was being asked a lot by the BBC to do stuff with them that I basically one day my dad was in the living room came downstairs I said Tim, I'm leaving my job, I'm leaving my job, I'm leaving my job. And he said what are you going to go and do? I said I'm going to podcast, I think. And he said but what does that mean? I said I have no idea. When I know, you'll be the first to know. But this is what I'm going to pursue and I'm glad that I get to educate so many young people and it's.
Speaker 2:It's also really nice to hear from people, because very often I meet people in all walks of life. I could be anywhere, I could be in a supermarket, and someone recognizes me and then they tell me how much of an impact that my content has had on them. Someone told me the other day that they were able to buy their first house because of the content I've been putting out. They followed me for years and implemented a lot of that and have been able to get the property I love, which is just amazing to hear those kinds of things. So yeah, it's great, but it's overwhelming.
Speaker 1:That is. I mean, that is so incredible. Not very many 26 year olds can say that they're having that kind of a truly positive impact on people because we know you know money isn't everything no-transcript, you know people have access to and it doesn't cost them anything. So you are a aside from your book now, which I'm sure they can rent at the library. You know you have so many outlets for people to learn and to consume your content, and so just be really proud of the work that you're doing, because it really is impactful. Thank you.
Speaker 1:You're welcome.
Speaker 2:It means a lot, thank you.
Speaker 1:Let's talk about the book Kia, because it's your first book. Congratulations Traditionally published by one of the biggest publishers in the world. I mean, are you just like screaming on the inside?
Speaker 2:I think I've screamed on the outside now I think I've let that out. It's come out for sure I love it. But yeah, I mean it's still massive, massive. It's been out for just over a month now, at the time we're recording this, and it's yeah, it's incredible. I mean it's been a whole process, a whole journey. So to walk you through it, I found out that about the book and what the premise would be and what I'd write, and I was hoping about October 2023. Then I actually agreed and signed to the book deal, I believe somewhere around the 21st of December 2023. So literally right before Christmas, I knew I was going to write a book and then I started writing the first week of January 2024. And it was a very quick turnaround. I had just about four months to write the book.
Speaker 2:Yeah, usually it's like a two-year process from like start to publishing, but they really wanted to get that cranked out, I guess. Wow, yeah, they really wanted it out.
Speaker 1:There's a lot of pressure but they really wanted it out this year.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, they really wanted it out before Christmas time this year, so that's why there was a lot of pressure in terms of deadlines, so I finished the book. I think end of April 2024 is when I finished the book and then it was available for pre-order in August and it came out in October. So it was a very quick turnaround. A lot of people are surprised. I wrote it this year and it came out this year and I'm like, yep, it was a a hard slog. I mean, it's very indicative if you look at, in the first four months of this year there was hardly anything because all my time and energy went to writing this book, but I'm glad that it's out now and people are enjoying it.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh. So how to handle money? What is in the book? When people buy it, what can they expect and what was you know? What was the context behind it? What did you want people to get out of it?
Speaker 2:So how to handle money for me is almost the book that I wish I had. At a younger age. I was very much a bookworm. Growing up, my mom bought me books on everything from the ancient Egyptians to understanding history, to cookbooks, everything but money was always that void that she couldn't find a good book to fill for me to actually learn. So how to Handle Money is actually that book that I wish I had when I was 11, 12 and up, and it's a beginner's guide to personal finance in the uk.
Speaker 2:So we cover everything from chapter one where I talk about budgeting and saving and break that down into different accounts how savings work, how to budget properly, all the way through to the art of negotiation, so how to negotiate whether it's bills, cash back, all those kind of things, all the way through to credit fraud, investments.
Speaker 2:And then the final chapter is almost like planning for the future. So we talk about understanding your pay slip pension, which is 401k for everyone, for you guys in the US, but, yeah, all of those things that we need to know when it comes to our finances. Because I think there was a stat that came out in terms of the UK recently that said the average financial literacy age in the UK is nine years old, so you can imagine there's a lot of people in their 20s, 30s, 40s and beyond who have the financial literacy age of a nine year old, which is why I wanted to educate people. So, even though the book is aimed at 11 plus, so someone you know, a parent, could buy it for their child I've also had people who are in their 40s who have bought it and messaged me and said it's a great book because it's just getting that foundation, that understanding of personal finance that you can build upon in your own lives.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, and making that information so accessible, because I think and I'm sure you would agree so many people think talking about money, finance, investing, is intimidating, right? They don't even know where to start. Then there's all these acronyms and the lingo and it just feels very unattainable, like you really need a finance degree to understand it all, and so I love that now, yourself included, that there's so many more books coming out in the financial literacy realm that are easy to understand and easy to process and digest and have clear, actionable insights. Right, it doesn't feel like you have to go and get an economics degree in order to budget for your household properly or negotiate a bill, or negotiate a raise or whatever it might be. I mean just immersing yourself in that content, whether it's your podcast, your book, your social media, your YouTube, you know you make it so accessible. So I love that. It's for like 11 and up. I mean, who has written a finance book for an 11 year old? That's amazing.
Speaker 2:Well, there's thank you. Well, there's very few people. I've I've gone into bookstores and that's also a very surreal experience seeing my book in stores, cause obviously I have a few copies at home home, so I'll be seeing it in my own house, let alone outside of my house. But when you look at that selection, at least in the UK anyway I'm not sure about how it is in America, but for us there's probably about four books or five books in that kids selection.
Speaker 2:So when you look for kids and money, it's a very, very narrow, you know, number of books and I pretty much know all the authors yeah, I know all the authors, because only a few of us who've written for that demographic. So yeah, I mean it's a space that's starting to grow. I think adult personal finance very important and I think we still need more books on in that space. But there's whale books being written at a faster pace for adults than there is for kids. I think the younger that people learn about finance, the less mistakes they can make and the better foundation that they get. So so we need more books for young people.
Speaker 2:I'm glad that mine is added to the pile, but hopefully that list keeps growing.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. I think most people really need to start with this. Information is not something that was taught in school, so the whole concept of you believing that you should know it just because you're an adult you need to get that out of your head because you don't know things just because that's not how that works, and also to, like you know, as someone who works in financial services, like we haven't done the public adjust service in regards to how we provide the information, because often the information was gatekept and we tried to make it seem more complicated than it is in some aspects so that you feel as though you need us. Now I do believe that you know that we serve a valuable service when you're working with the right person, but the basic and the foundation information is not hard to understand once you have someone or find a resource, obviously like your book, where it explains it in easy to understand language.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I think it is so important.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, and people seeing you know a brown woman behind the platform too, right, because then again, if you can't see it, then you don't feel like you can be it.
Speaker 1:And so having your face behind the pennies to pound platform and, you know, working with the companies that you've worked with to get this financial literacy content out into the universe, I mean, it makes it more accessible when you can learn from people who look like you and from people who are saying, like I didn't grow up rich or I didn't grow up in the country club or I didn't grow up on the golf course, right, and it's still something that I learned and I mastered and I'm still learning and growing and I've been able to do this, this and this or pay off this debt or raise my credit score, whatever it is.
Speaker 1:You know, I think seeing the melanin behind it, too really is impactful and makes a difference, because, especially in our, in our black and brown communities, you know it's still very taboo to talk about money in general or disrespectful or that's a private thing. We don't talk about that and it's keeping us broke, you know. It's keeping us from investing, it's keeping us from generational wealth, it's keeping us from so many things, and so I'm so glad that there's creators like you who are really making it accessible and attainable for people to make those positive changes financially in their lives.
Speaker 2:No, thank you so much. Honestly, it's a massive thing, especially in the UK, and I grew up in London. I don't live in London anymore, but I grew up in London, in one of the poorer areas in London in terms of economically, and I didn't really see anyone talk about money. We weren't really taught about it in school. I mean, a lot of people aren't, but we definitely weren't. And a lot of people who I grew up with fell victim to our circumstance because of where we lived, and that is almost. It works against them, because I think a lot of people don't have that foundation and if we're not taught it, you think, oh well, this is as far as I can go because of where I live. I can't achieve any more and that isn't the case. So I wanted to obviously hopefully be a face to change that, because I'm not someone who came from money. You know I worked like everyone else instead of my parents. But it is that you can come from one thing and still change the situation and decide where you want to be.
Speaker 1:You don't have to just let your current position be your forever destination. Yeah, that's such a great mindset too. What would you say is one of the best skills, over your youth into your adulthood, that you've learned when it comes to money, that you wish other people could learn really early on?
Speaker 2:I would say one of the best goals I've learned would be creativity. Now when I say this, I mean being creative with how you spend your money. So if I break it down to an example, a big thing for me is as you get older I'm sure you guys will agree it becomes harder to see people. Everyone's lives get busy, you know. Whether it's kids, weddings, everyone's lives get very busy. So when you do meet up with people, it often is let's go meet up and spend some money, whether it's having lunch, having dinner, let's go out here. Often there's some sort of money involved and that can rack up quite quickly if you're doing two or three meetings in a month to catch up with people.
Speaker 2:So I think one thing that's really helped me is getting creative with how you see people. So my friends will often say you know, come round and then they might cook at home, so you might bring something small which doesn't cost much, but we still get the same meetup time we would have. But we saved ourselves 30, 40 pounds that we might have spent if we went out for dinner. Or some of my friends are very much so into fitness so we might go out for a walk. We go for a really long walk two hour walk and we're catching up over that walk. But I think getting creative with how we spend your money and recognizing at some some points, yeah, you can spend money, there's nothing wrong with going out and having a nice lunch with your friend and catching up. But in other points, especially if you're saving up for things, you can get creative and still see people that you love.
Speaker 2:I think that's a big thing that when I speak to young people, they always have that, that trouble, because they're saying I really want to achieve this goal, whether it's to buy my first car or buy my first house, but it's hard to save because people want to go out and people want to go on holiday. And I'm like there are creative ways that you can actually still enjoy yourself but not necessarily break the bank and still be able to reach your financial goals. I think that's one thing that I had to get creative when I was younger because I didn't have money, so you have to figure out ways to still have fun without money. That I've now kept that, even though I do have more money, I'm still not willing to you know, go crazy, unless I'm like okay, cool, this is a treat and I've planned for it, but I'm not just gonna do it every week when I see someone, let's just go and spend 80 pounds and just who cares? We'll just have fun because we're young.
Speaker 1:No, remember on tiktok or I think, instagram, there was like the 200 brunch, like it was. It was kind of this viral where people were like going crazy at sunday brunch with like bottomless mimosas.
Speaker 2:I must have missed that one.
Speaker 1:You're literally going broke at brunch. It should have been called broke brunch, because that's what people were doing on the internet.
Speaker 3:Well, what you described to me sounds like a typical 40-year-old. That's what it is. I was going to say that is now our life. That's our life.
Speaker 1:Bring your own bottle of wine. We'll have something to eat. Play a game. We'll stay in. I can wear sweatpants, right. I don't have to find a parking. Yes, please. Whose house are we going to be? Yes, and we can let the kids play in the yard.
Speaker 1:Yeah, just wait, give it 10 years kia we'll have a different conversation, but but I think that's a great and I'm glad you said that, because there is a lot of societal pressure to go here and buy these concert tickets and buy a new outfit every time you go somewhere and maybe grab a $5 coffee instead, right, or whatever that might be. Or let's meet at the dog park, or you know, like getting together for the true value of quality time versus making it something where you have to spend X amount of dollars or pounds.
Speaker 3:I think that also, you know, builds into the conversation that we're having. As far as being more open about talking about money, because then sometimes you know, if you're, your friends are like, hey, let's go out and spend this money, but you guys don't have these conversations and you feel like ashamed or guilt, then you just go ahead and spend the money, rather than saying like, hey, the reality is that I don't have the money for this. I'm trying to work on this. But if you surround yourself with your friend, with friends that you guys are having these conversations, then you guys can, you know, I guess it'd be open about that and not feel shamed and you can save the money.
Speaker 3:And then even to like being with friends that genuinely want your company, where, like, hey, maybe they're in a better financial place right now and they're like, hey, really, I really do want you to come out to lunch. I'm a pay for it, don't even worry about it. Like it's not about the money, it's about the you know companionship and being together. So, like I mean honestly boiling down to having more open conversations and ultimately building better friendships, cause, like, I feel like part of like obviously, money does not make our personal life a sense, you know who we're choosing to be around. That's not the central focus of it. Not the central focus of it, but our friends that we have these conversations with. I feel like we know them better, they know us better and we have deeper connection, not just around, like you know, money conversation, but just in general, because we have bridged. We have bridged the conversation that most people find taboo and now we don't have any conversations that are off the table.
Speaker 2:We talk about everything with each, each other I think that is key and so important to have those over conversations with your friends and I know it is either said than done. I'm well aware. But whenever I say this to people they're like, oh, but it's not that easy. I understand, but I think that has been, as you mentioned, like it's been such a game changer in my friendships. Naturally, because of what I do, my friends are more open with me, but they're not always open with each other. So they'll come and tell me things, but they won't talk to each other. But yeah, so I know everyone's everything.
Speaker 2:When it comes to money, people tell me oh, kia, I don't have the money this month. Or can we go out, but not go too crazy? You know, everyone told me, but they won't tell each other. So it's down to me to relay the message, or almost um it as yeah, yeah. It's always me in the group chat saying right, guys, we're gonna go out, but 30 pounds is our limit, because someone's told me that they can't spend more than that. So I have to be the voice of reason to say this is what we're doing.
Speaker 2:But I've always told my friends and encouraged them to just be open if you can't afford something or something's out of your budget, or if you're saving towards something, let people know. And one thing that I've done with my friends is that I always start off my new conversations by saying something that I'm doing, because I find it's always easier, if you share something, that people are more willing to be open. So if I say, for example, you know I'm currently saving towards, um, I don't know a brand new car, you know my car now is cool, but I really want a new car. I'm gonna upgrade. That's what I'm saving towards. What about you? People now feel more comfortable talking about oh, do you know? I wasn't really saving towards anything, or I was on track and then I fell off a little bit. But now we get, we have actual conversations around money and they don't feel weird. And that's something I'm really trying to encourage my friends and anyone I speak to to do.
Speaker 1:I love that. It's that vulnerability and that transparency that really helps bring you. You know, communities together, families together, but also, like you said, when one person shares, somebody else is more open. And then in that that group chat, you know, when you end up saying, hey, actually, let's not go to brunch, let's meet at the park, you know, have a picnic and bring a couple of card games, and bring a couple of card games, you still get the value of being together as friends in a more intimate setting, without spending money and then without having that guilt of oh, did I just spend that on brunch. You know, I mean because the guilt that comes with those decisions, I mean that it's just not worth it in the end.
Speaker 3:And I want to call out like again, like you're only 26 years old and you're having these conversations, because just might have these conversations now, but when I was 26, I wasn't having these conversations with my friend circle, I wasn't. It started something that came a little bit later in life and I just think it's amazing and it's inspiring to see what you're doing at such a young age, because I'm not a pessimist by any means, but people my age and older, we're not doing the best with the world. We're not doing the best right now Things in the world as far as overall. So it's always nice to see younger people that are doing amazing things and, you know, give you more hope about how the world can actually change and be better.
Speaker 2:Oh, thank you. That really means a lot. I mean, as I always say, I'm trying my best. I'm only one person trying my best, but honestly, it's just nice to be a positive impact, and we see a lot of everything online nowadays. So if I can kind of help people every so often learn something about their money or inspire them to do something different with their money, then that's all I can ask for.
Speaker 3:But think about it this way Each person just did one good thing for somebody else in the world. Imagine how different the world would be just in one day.
Speaker 2:That's very true. It's not a matter of you.
Speaker 3:You don't necessarily have to help millions and billions of people.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's too much pressure.
Speaker 3:Even just your immediate circle, everybody helping out their immediate circle, and it just extends a little bit further and further.
Speaker 1:Because big change is just honestly just incremental change on top of each other.
Speaker 3:That's very true. That is very true. I like that perspective. He has some good things to say every now and then. You gotta weed through all the other nonsense and mumbling jumbling that I say oh my gosh, kia, is there any?
Speaker 1:I mean, that was a fantastic kind of final thought, but is there any? I mean, that was a fantastic kind of final thought, but is there any final thought? You know our audience, as they're listening today, that you want to leave them with, whether it's you know, getting over past money mistakes or money mindset, what is it that you ultimately want people to learn or know about money and how to handle it?
Speaker 2:people to learn or know about money and how to handle it. You see, what I would say? For me, I, that was good, that was really good. I was gonna leave that one there. You did very good with that one, but what I would want to leave everyone with is probably to be a bit kinder to themselves when it comes to money. We're ultimately not taught it in schools and, unless you had parents who had that education, you probably didn't learn it from your parents either, and you might have taken on their behaviors good or bad as to how they treated money.
Speaker 2:So be kind to yourself. If you're someone who perhaps sees themselves as the impulse spender and struggles with saving, or you've gotten in some debts and you're struggling to get out of it, just be kind to yourself and then just take today as day one and see it right. This is a fresh start and now everything I do today is working towards a positive change because, as you mentioned, brandon, you know it's those incremental, those small changes that will get you to that big change. So if you want to pay off, if you have twenty thousand dollars, for example, worth of debt, you're not going to pay that off overnight. It is going to have to be five, ten, fifty dollars at a time, but you will get that as long as you keep burning on those small changes.
Speaker 2:But yeah, I think being kind to yourself is a big thing, because a lot of people that I encounter will say how terrible they are with money, and I'm like that's really the wrong mindset, because you're not terrible. You were never taught about money, so don't put that in your head, but just let's just slowly unpick and unweave maybe some of the behaviors that you've learned from people around you or that you thought were okay because you might have seen it online, and unpick those and then start to build positive habits and behaviors love that.
Speaker 1:Where can people find you kia?
Speaker 2:I am am on all platforms. So me personally it's. You can type in Kia Commodore, which is my full name, or Ikea, which is a play on the store, so I-K-E-E-Y-A-H, and then my platform is Penny's to Pound, which is everywhere. So if you're interested in seeing how we do things about money over in the UK.
Speaker 1:that's where you'll find out in the UK that's where you'll find out, yeah, and if you want to hear her amazing accent, you can find her on all of those platforms. We will link them in the show notes, because who would not want to listen to you, kia? I'm so sorry. I'm going to stop now. Kia, you've been incredible.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:You're the best. Thank you, Don't forget. Benjamin Franklin said an investment in knowledge pays the best interest. You just got paid Until next time. Thanks for listening to today's episode. We are so glad to have you as part of our Sugar Daddy community. If you learned something today, please remember to subscribe, rate, review and share this episode with your friends, family and extended network. Don't forget to connect with us on social media at the Sugar Daddy podcast, the Sugar Daddy Podcast. You can also email us your questions you want us to answer for our past, the Sugar segments at thesugardaddypodcast at gmailcom, or leave us a voicemail through our Instagram.
Speaker 3:Our content is intended to be used, and must be used, for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment based upon your own personal circumstances. You should take independent financial advice from a licensed professional in connection with, or independently research and verify any information you find in our podcast and wish.
