So, with spring apparently on its way – although it’s difficult to substantiate this as I look out the window and see people walking in their big winter coats still; it’s May for goodness sake, isn’t it? - I think the time has come to a spring-clean talk about how you can find resources to overcome this false and toxic approach and where you can look for help.

First, let’s deal with the future, i.e. young people. Although you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise, it seems more and more young people are prioritising savings and having a longer-term view instead of consumption and spending everything today. This was brilliantly captured in a recent FT article ‘Young people, their money and how all is not lost’ (https://on.ft.com/3xFuwUR) and I am encouraged by that. Life is unpredictable, so being financially prepared is a good idea. If you are young and looking to learn and understand more about money, there is a wealth of free information, and the odd educators like myself, who you can turn to. Some of my favourite places are: 

• Young Money (https://www.youngmoneyblog.co.uk) and its website, with various blogposts across all sorts of topics relevant to young people, such as savings more towards your first home, dealing with student debt, understanding investment products or the recent craze on crypto-currencies, etc.
• For those even younger, still in education or with young children, there are some great materials and supporting resources on the Young Enterprise website (https://www.young-enterprise.org.uk/teachers-hub/financial-education/). Just be brave to explore the Financial Education Tools and Resources, find the age range you are interested in and you can access a large variety of resources as a parent once you registered for free.

Next, let me make a couple of observations for those whose work has sadly been impacted by COVID and face either loss of income or employment. This can be very stressful on its own, so I think it’s all the more important to have a good, rational approach to dealing with the financial consequences. I find the Citizens Advice (‘CA’) website one of the most comprehensive pool of information. Unfortunately, many people don’t really think about the CA, as they perceive its value only in the case of something having gone wrong. In reality, nowadays, when advice is increasingly priced out of reach for a lot of people, the CA offers high quality advice and information on a wide range of topics related to work and money, completely free. All you need to be prepared to do is search, read and learn. Oh, and then act in a considered manner, which is the whole point of this blog. For those who need further help with benefits or money-related problems, there are many, many charities that are happy to help. Some of my favourites are:

• https://themoneycharity.org.uk
• https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en
• https://www.financialwellnessgroup.co.uk/financial-wellness/
• https://www.turn2us.org.uk

And finally, a couple of thoughts for those of you who just want to be well informed and enjoy making conscious decisions about money - surely that’s most of us?! :-)  Starting with my previous employer, HSBC, you could do much worse than explore its Financial Fitness page on its website (https://www.hsbc.co.uk/financial-fitness/) or read through first direct’s ‘Money wellness hub’. I find these really informative and thought provoking and, yes, even a bit if fun! Talking of fun, I also like the provocatively named ‘Boring money’ website (https://www.boringmoney.co.uk) or Money Magpie (https://www.moneymagpie.com), both of which are aimed at helping you with most situations where there is a decision with a financial consequence. 

Ultimately, I believe you need to develop a positive relationship with money; after all most things in life have a monetary value, so wouldn’t it be good to be more in charge of your finances and money than the other way round? Best of luck and if you need any help, I’m still here - although I might retreat into hibernation until this whole COVID-thing is over and some sort of more reasonable weather arrives.