Ola Majekodunmi, a Business Management Graduate and the founder of All Things Money, discovered her passion for personal finance throughout her degree. Despite little prior knowledge of the ins and outs of this evergreen topic, Ola’s newfound love flourished when she founded the All Things Money platform.
Ola’s enthusiasm for financial education to be integrated into the curriculum and her acknowledgement of the importance of financial literacy could not be clearer. Keep reading to find out what she has to say!
What is All Things Money?
“All Things Money is a personal finance platform that teaches young adults how to manage their finances. We cover pretty much everything that isn't taught in schools which ranges from budgeting, saving, credit cards, mortgages and everything else in between.”
Ola completed a placement during her time at university. She was engrossed in reading up on the industry when she found a book that changed her outlook on money: “It wasn’t until I read that book and I was like ‘god, I know nothing about finances’.”
“It’s all self-taught. On my course, there wasn't anything on a personal finance level, so we know there's a huge lack of personal finance education in the school system.”
Ola's headshot. Image Credit:
Why do you think the current curriculum has so little financial literacy?
“It's hard for teachers to teach something they don't know or understand themselves, so I completely understand why not every single teacher out there is teaching it. Also, the curriculum is so broad; how do they have the time to try to fit in financial education anyway? I completely sympathise with the schools.”
Ola suggests that schools integrate teaching their lessons with real-life aspects.
“When it comes to sixth form level, I think how you manage to finance your first part-time job is really handy because we have got a lot of people getting their job, and that's the first time most [of them] will have ever seen a pay slip.”
Do you think it should be assessed?
“I don't think it should be assessed, no, because the minute you start putting assessments on something like that, it becomes a hatred topic and is really just to equip us.”
Why do you think financial literacy has been ignored for so long?
“I don’t think we’re equipped to understand the jargon that is used by the Government. Nowadays, there are loads of schemes out there that the Government put in place – there are topics like mortgages and buying property, being able to get 5% mortgage deposit or XYZ. I think that because the basic fundamental of personal finance education isn't there, it is very hard to understand what is being discussed by the Government or what's been offered up.”
Do you think the Government could make its language less ambiguous?
“I guess maybe simplification isn't the Government’s responsibility, but making sure that whatever they are proposing is very crystal clear [would be good]. Literacy levels are very different to what some people in government have compared to other people.”
Given the cost-of-living crisis, how would you suggest people ask for a higher wage?
“Ask if there’s any scope for one. If there isn't, then look at other ways that you might be able to negotiate something. If they can't offer you a higher increase in pay, maybe they can offer you support with travel costs to work and they may be able to increase your pension contributions.”
The Spring Budget has just been released. What is this for people who may not know?
“The Budget is basically a budget that is carried out by Government and the Chancellor of the Exchequer to set in place what's going to happen in the next few months in terms of finances budgets in sectors, etcetera. That might look like how much money is going to be put into transportation or how much they are going to be funding for schools, what will it look like in terms of your allowances.”
Ola is also the host of the All Things Money Podcast. The podcast aims to help kickstart people’s financial literacy journey by covering a broad range of topics from mortgages, investing, credit cards, student loans, debt and how all of these work.
Financial literacy is something that may seem daunting to many. Due to the lack of education, we receive around this during our time in education; research is often left to the individual. As situations differ from person to person, it’s no surprise that available resources are confusing.
Ola’s light-hearted and chatty persona comes across at all levels, especially within her podcast. Her sound advice makes for easy listening as though it was coming from a friend, rather than a superior. Likewise, Ola’s advice is far from patronising. Thanks to her own experiences, she understands that we’re all in need of a bit of guidance and she continues to deliver that perfectly.
All Things Money hosts a range of resources to help you financially navigate adulthood. Alongside podcasts, those interested can purchase one of the eBooks, book a 1:1 financial advice session, attend a live event or simply follow the platform across socials to keep up with all the latest advice.