Planswell client spotlight: Belinda Aramide

Belinda Aramide is a mother of three children, all under the age of seven. She is also the sales executive and founder of Salesfluence; a company focused on changing the way we sell to one another by helping sales organizations and entrepreneurs use video to personalize the selling process.

Belinda’s financial vices include lattes of any kind, eating out, and buying things for her children. Her financial goals focus on growing her own location-independent business while teaching her children solid financial literacy early on in their lives.

We sat down with Belinda to chat about the importance of money, and the daily role it plays in her life. Here’s what she had to say.

“None, if I’m being completely honest.  Throughout my late teens to early 20’s I really realized how important it is to have the foundation, to avoid those pitfalls. That’s the number one thing I’m determined to teach my children about. I’m teaching my daughter what I wish I knew, so when she starts saving she’ll be prepared.”

“As a child, I saw money as a means to an end. I want something, I need the money, let’s go get it. As I went into adolescence, I started to understand that you had to work for the money, and there are limitations to it. It set the tone on how I could acquire money, and I saw it as something that was attainable but only to a point. As I was a young adult stumbling through, I realized money is what you make of it. It’s important to be very aware of where it’s going, and making short term decisions that you won’t later regret.”

“I think that money is incredibly empowering. It means freedom of choice. Having lived my 20s both very broke, and to now where I have financial stability, it represents that freedom and being able to choose what I do, and how I want to do it. I’m more quick to see those financial decisions.”

“I want more, as an immediate reaction. It’s a necessary part of life. If it wasn’t money, it would be something else. It’s a means of trading something of value for a service or good.”

“In life there are things you can and cannot control. Educating yourself on money is important because it’s one of those things you want as much control over as you possibly can. It can affect your relationships, your quality of life, and so much more, so you have to ask the tough questions, and not live your life in the clouds. There are things that happen that are out of your control, and the best way to prepare for those things is to be aware of your money.”

“Surround yourself with people that know more about money, than you do. Money can be empowering, but it can be a very negative experience. I wish that I surrounded myself with people and financial advisors that knew better than I did. I could have sought it out earlier than I did.”

“Fighting for a higher salary than you think you’re going to get. Men out-earn women because we don’t ask the way men do.”

“Planswell came into our office for a Lunch and Learn about a year ago. I immediately loved the approach and how the team came in and spoke about money. It’s clear how Planswell is different from the archaic big 5 banks’ way of doing things, and that they want to change the industry. Plus, it was super educational. I learned more in that 45 minutes than in the past 2 years prior to Planswell coming in.”

Planswell is a free financial planning company. Grow your wealth. Manage your borrowing. Protect your assets. Planswell builds you a free plan that ties investments, insurance and mortgages so you can maintain your lifestyle throughout work and retirement.