Unbelievably it has been a year since I was first diagnosed with breast cancer. I know that because I attended my first annual check this week. A lot has happened in the last year and I have written various blogs along the way but I haven’t written an update on my health since February, just after my 5th dose of chemo. A few people have asked about an update, so here it is…. I don’t like to moan about my experience because I am acutely aware that many people are going throug

Media hype about stock market falls can make even the most calm and collected investors start to feel nervous. When stock markets experience volatility, it can be easy to panic and make decisions that you might end up regretting, as this client story highlights... Kerry and Dan had secured lucrative contracts overseas and were earning five times the amount they needed to cover their living expenses. They had invested the excess in a high risk investment linked savings plan. T

I was completely overwhelmed by the response to my last blog ‘5 Lessons I have learnt from Cancer – So Far’. I have received many kind messages of support and they all mean a great deal to me. A number of people have asked me to keep them up to date with progress in my treatment, so here goes… When I last wrote I was recovering (slowly!) from a sentinel lymph node biopsy - an operation where they removed 4 of my lymph nodes to check whether my cancer had spread. The good news

I am a great believer in seeing the positive in any situation – but I have to admit that, over the last couple of months, my ability to ‘keep positive’ has been challenged at times! That said, I think I am working my way through the myriad of conflicting emotions that is inevitable with any cancer diagnosis. I would like to say that I diligently perform the recommended breast checks on a regular basis, but the reality is that the discovery of the small lump in my right breast

This weekend saw the launch of the ‘Open Banking’, a term not many of us will have come across before. Open Banking requires banks to share information about our financial records with authorised 3rd parties with the aim of allowing us greater freedom and flexibility in managing our finances. This might set alarm bells ringing due to the potential for fraud if information is disclosed incorrectly or to spurious unregulated companies, but the key term here is ‘authorised’. No

As a company, our purpose is to enhance levels of well-being in society by aligning personal finances with personal values. There is a danger that, as modern day society encourages us to drive for ‘bigger’, ‘better’ and ‘more’, we view our finances as a means to pursuing social ideals, rather than as a mechanism for achieving the lifestyle we truly desire. The result is that our personal finances have become disconnected from what is truly important to us as individuals. Cons

It’s Sunday and it’s mother’s day, if ever I had an excuse to laze about in bed then today was the day. But instead I woke up early, keen to get going, motivated about the day ahead and what progress I could make. I managed to sneak downstairs without waking my children and set to work reviewing the first draft of my book with a nice cup of tea. Having secured my first ‘test reader’ yesterday (eeek!) I have renewed incentive to maintain progress. I’m on a mission to connect p

The fun and festivities of Christmas give most of us a break from the routines that occupy our daily lives. Before we get too far absorbed back in to the daily grind, the new year presents an ideal time for us to take a step back and consider whether there is anything we can change in our daily lives to make them more fulfilling and in tune with our higher values. Identifying what you value most in life and how you can therefore adapt life for the better isn’t as straightforw

I snapped this picture while out on a soggy run with the dogs this morning. It got me thinking about our goals and ambitions and how they change over time. If we achieve what once seemed impossible, that achievement somehow morphs in to the norm and new goals arise – we never quite reach that pot of gold. I’m all for setting and achieving goals but it’s equally as important to appreciate the beauty of rainbow. #MindfulFinance #Values #Vitality