‍

Hi! Could you introduce yourself

Hi - I’m Nafeesa and I’m the co-founder and Chief of Product at Quirk. I’m originally from Sri Lanka and moved to the US for my Bachelors and worked in Silicon Valley for several years before I moved to London. I’m a user experience & product designer by training and always been passionate about using technology for good. 

‍

What personality type did you get? Did you find the results to be accurate?

I am an “Explorer”, and it’s quite accurate with regards to how I manage my money. I have good financial habits but tend to overspend on things I enjoy and very much think big picture when it comes to my finances!

‍

What inspired you to start/join Quirk?

I realised that young adults don’t become financially literate early enough and it was more apparent that as a woman, I was far behind my male peers when it came to growing and investing my money. I founded Quirk, with the vision to make managing money more fun and engaging for people, help them build good financial behaviour earlier in life and to put humans, not numbers at the heart of a financial service. 

What is your relationship with personal finance? - If applicable, how has that defined your current pursuits? What changes have you made that have helped? How has it changed over time?

Until I started working on Quirk - I actually had a very out of sight out of mind approach when it came to my finances. It gave me a lot of anxiety to check my bank balance and I felt very overwhelmed getting started with investing or taking any action on improving my finances. As I’ve progressed through my career with some nudges from friends & family, I’ve made it a priority to become more financially literate and take control of my finances to feel more in control and empowered over my future. With Quirk, I hope to make it easier for others to take control of their financial well being.

‍

What are some things that worked for you for maintaining balance and managing your spending?

I’m all about prioritising things that I enjoy. I’ll make sure to spend less on shopping but go all out food because it’s something I really enjoy. Practically I track my spending categories after taking out essential costs to better understand where most of my money goes.  I then rearrange my spend amounts for each category on items I really value. 

Is there a specific financial goal you are working towards right now? What steps are you taking to achieve that goal?

To be financially independent. For me being financially independent means that I can live the life I want on my terms. It means having choices, taking risks and not ending up in a financially vulnerable situation. The main actions I’m taking for this is hitting my saving goals each month and investing my spare cash in long-term investment funds. 

‍

What do you most enjoy spending on? Or any guilty pleasure you can share.

I love spending on clothes & jewellery. I make sure never to go overboard but I love the feeling of wearing “new” things, makes me feel confident and happy and feeds into my design side!

‍

How often do you check your finances?

Not very often! but I try to check my portfolio and balance every few weeks to make sure I’m staying on track with my goals. 

For someone who is starting completely new to personal finance, how would they get started? What specific tips would you have for newbies?

1. Don’t let your cash sit- always move it to an interest earning savings account or investment account. I’ve been very guilty of this and it’s made me lose out growing my money!
2. Educate yourself on debt. Understand how credit cards work and make sure you only take on debt you can afford to pay. 

What’s your stack? (Accounts, credit cards, apps or other tools)

I have a Monzo & Barclays bank account, I have a Nutmeg & Freetrade investment account and Binance for trading crypto. I use Quirk to manage the above and also give me insights on how to optimise my goals.