Hi I’m Ali and I’m Financially Illiterate

This is one of the most embarrassing things I’ve ever published

I’m 36 years old. I’m supposed to have my personal finances figured out by now. But I don’t. I’m not very good at managing my money. And it’s not for lack of trying.

I know how to earn money- I just don’t know how to save or grow it

I was the youngest in a household full of professionals. So the importance of getting a good education and climbing up the corporate ladder was drilled into me by my parents and elder siblings. Here’s what we didn’t discuss at the dinner table: How to save. How to invest. How the stock market works. How the property market works. You know, things that would be super important once I got that corporate job.

It only took a couple of crises to completely ruin me financially

Nobody prepared me for just how turbulent my early-mid 30s would be. I let myself get pressured into paying for a big wedding I couldn’t afford. My parents got sick which meant multiple long-haul trips and sending money home. And then I lost my job due to COVID. Completely burned through any savings we had until I found my next job. Took on debt. Ruined.

I’m headed in the right direction (I think) but this shouldn’t have happened

I have a debt repayment plan. I’ve started saving again even though it’s a tiny amount at the moment. I’m diversifying my income sources to avoid another financial catastrophe. I’m educating myself on personal finance. But it should have never gotten to this.

Financial literacy needs to be one of the core life skills taught to kids. I‘m going to make sure my son has a very different experience from me.

If you’re wondering why I’m suddenly writing on ‘random’ subjects, it’s by design :) I have a theory that ‘find your niche’ is bad advice for new writers. I want to prove to people that they can write about anything.

So I created a 4-week writing challenge. You find your unique perspective (I’ll show you how), and then write about 10 wildly varied topics. Then you publish and test it out in public. Sound interesting? It’s totally free and you can sign up here.