Nicola Prentis, founder of The Chilled Investor, shares three ways to start to grow our funds by exploring potential tax-free pensions, investments, and employer pension-matching options. This episode is not financial advice but educational tips and insights designed to help you build your financial literacy. KEY TALKING POINTS Why is Money Difficult to Discuss? Nicola delves into cultural and personal factors contributing to the discomfort around discussing finances, particularly in service-based industries like teaching. Three Ways to Grow Funds Nicola emphasises the importance of pensions, tax-free investing options, and workplace pensions with employer-matching contributions. Overcoming Financial Fear Nicola provides insights on gradually making financial changes, treating financial management like administrative tasks, and exploring personal money beliefs. ABOUT Nicola’s been in TEFL for 20 years, first as a travelling teacher and then a materials writer with 2 award-winning Graded Readers and bits and pieces for most of the publishers.  A couple of years ago, she could no longer ignore her dire finances and taught herself about pensions and investing – from podcasts mainly (of course!).   With this new interest in what she’d always thought of as “boring money stuff”, she wondered how to turn it into a job. And that’s how she ended up creating online courses about investing and personal finance for other people in ELT.  She now spends barely any time managing her investments, in case you’re wondering, because it’s all passive. Visit The Chilled Investor to learn more about Nicola's work. TRANSCRIPT Watch with closed captions. SUPPORT Say thanks with coffee. LEARN TO PODCAST WITH LAURA Podcast Pathfinder programme CREDITS Producer Laura Wilkes Editor Haven Tsang Thanks to our fantastic guest, Nicola Prentis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.