We want to introduce you to Selina Flavius, founder of Black Girl Finance, who won our ‘Online Financial Influencer of the Year’ category at the British Bank Awards in July this year. 

Black Girl Finance encompasses a podcast, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, a book, a blog, financial coaching website and community, an online magazine and more recently, online events. That’s impressive for a platform that was launched in April 2019, we’re sure you’ll agree.

At Smart Money People we were impressed by the impact Black Girl Finance has had on their audience and the community they have grown, and feedback voters gave with comments such as:

“She is very insightful and has really provided me with great financial knowledge. Knowledge I wish I had been taught when I was younger and now I will be able to teach to my children so they don’t make the same mistakes I made. Reading her book has also helped me to feel more confident in knowing that it is not too late for me and I can still make a difference in my life financially.”

For those of you who may not have come across Black Girl Finance yet, we caught up with founder Selina to find out more about Black Girl Finance and what’s next for the platform.

What does Black Girl Finance offer?

Black Girl Finance offers a place for Black women and women of colour to focus on and prioritise their finances. We offer a financial coaching service where we provide a framework our clients can work through that highlights any areas of financial vulnerability with the ultimate goal being to increase our clients’ financial capabilities. We have also published a personal finance book called Black Girl Finance – Lets talk money; we curate a weekly finance podcast, and we create inclusive financial events, such as our Black Girl Finance Festival.

Why did you start Black Girl Finance?

I founded Black Girl Finance to provide useful resources to anyone on their own financial journey, I started off by recommending personal finance books, podcasts and social media accounts to follow via the black girl finance website.

Another goal was to make money conversations inclusive. Being from a Black British Caribbean background it felt like our financial stories were not being talked about much in the financial press, which left me (and I imagine others from a similar background to me) feeling excluded and slightly intimidated when having to access financial services.

Prior to launching the organisation, I was also very aware of the financial gaps that exist such as gender and ethnicity pay gaps, the advice gap, as well as the silence around money conversations. I wanted to highlight the gaps and to get people talking about money.

What are you most proud of with your work on Black Girl Finance?

I am very proud of writing the book, as a reader of numerous personal finance books myself, to write a practical book, that highlights some of the financial barriers faced but also is incredibly encouraging, and that includes references to culturally nuances and their influences on money habits, a book which shines a spotlight on people not often visible in financial conversations, was a huge challenge, but very rewarding and the feedback from the book has been great. People do feel seen and included. Plus it’s a great personal finance book that anyone can read.

What does winning the British Bank Awards ‘Online Financial Influencer of the Year’ mean to you?

Winning the award means so much, reading the voter feedback was affirming for the work we do. It confirmed the suspicion we had about the need for more inclusive financial content and conversations.

What’s next for Black Girl Finance?

We are very excited to be hosting our next event in September called Black Girl Finance Fest Invest. The goal with the event is to demystify investing for those who do not yet invest, and to provide new ideas for those who do.

Also, on the roadmap is to expand the financial coaching services we offer. By creating training for others who wish to pursue a career in this space. Our aim here is to bridge the advice gap that exists for those who want to speak to somebody but cannot afford a financial adviser.

What’s your top tip for people who want to be smarter with their money?

Just start. In most instances if we get started sooner i.e., today there are some benefits. For example, the sooner we start investing in our pension, the smaller the contribution can be, and we have a longer time horizon to benefit from compound interest. Don’t talk yourself out of starting to invest or pay off debt. Whatever it is start today.

Thanks to Selina for speaking with us and congratulations again on her win in such a competitive category. You can find out more about Black Girl Finance and follow them here:

Black Girl Finance Fest Invest is running on 11th September. You can find out more about the event and register for tickets here.

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