YouTube’s Nischa: Don’t Follow These 2 Common Pieces of Money Advice
Nischa is a British accountant and investment banker who runs the popular YouTube channel Nischa. She shares personal finance, self-development and business advice to her subscriber base of more than 500,000.
One of GOBankingRates’ Top Money Experts, here Nischa shares her thoughts on investing, how to select the best financial advice from YouTube and how to be happy in the present while being mindful of the future.
Want to vote for Nischa as your favorite money expert? Click here and go to her expert page.
What’s been your most popular video and why do you think it has resonated with so many viewers?
My video on “9 Bad Money Habits Keeping You Poor” has resonated with nearly 7 million people in three months. I believe this video struck a chord with so many people because it combined two things that are rarely paired together in the finance world: the fundamentals of personal finance and the idea of choosing the path of least resistance.
The video highlights daily habits that most engage in, without even realizing it is hurting their finances. These money habits have been ingrained in us from an early age and have become a normal part of life, making it hard to spot them. To identify bad money habits, you want to nail the basics, and then to replace those bad money habits with good money habits, you want to use systems and psychology. By intertwining both you can stack the deck in your favor and completely change your financial trajectory.
What topic do you wish people were more informed about and why is it so important to understand this topic?
Investing! It’s easy to understand and access information on how to save money. A simple Google search will give you 101 different ideas: from cutting your own hair to finding discount codes, you will never be short of teachings! How to invest, on the other hand, is another side of the equation that is a lot less accessible.
This is the part nobody seems to teach you, and these are the conversations happening behind closed doors, not on blog posts or public forums. Not doing anything with your money is the easy route, but the stakes are high. I am on a mission to educate people about investing so they can make their hard-earned money work hard for them. Have the conversations, learn the fundamentals, and start early.
There’s a lot of great financial advice on YouTube — but also a lot of not-so-great advice. How can viewers determine what advice they should and shouldn’t follow?
Having a “money radar” that identifies the good advice from the not-so-good advice is one of the most useful skills you can have. It’s not always easy to weed out the good from the bad but there are two things that I always look for when taking advice from someone on YouTube:
1) Experience. Have they already done what you’re trying to achieve and are they able to give practical advice on what works and what doesn’t?
2) Education: Have they got the qualifications and the credentials to back up what they are saying?
Just like you would rather take health advice from a doctor than a banker, you want to take money advice from someone who has experience and/or education on the topic.
And remember, unlike math, where there is a sure answer, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to money. Finding someone that you resonate with is just the first step, tailoring it to perfectly fit you is the second.
What’s the worst financial advice you’ve seen being given (on YouTube or elsewhere) and why is this bad advice?
“Credit cards are bad” followed by “Cut back on coffee”. I am a believer in prioritization and find these statements to be promoting deprivation. Money should serve as a tool to create the life you desire, not to take away from it.
How you spend money is heavily influenced by what others say and do, so one of the best things you can do for your finances is carve out what your ideal financial life looks like. Having clarity on why you work so hard and what you are working towards means you can make conscious decisions and ruthlessly cut back on spending elsewhere.
Striking a balance is essential. Enjoy the rewards of your hard work now while also setting up a financially secure future.
Jaime Catmull contributed to the reporting for this article.
More From GOBankingRates
- How To Get Free Money: 13 Proven Ways
- Successful Retirees Master These 7 Money Moves To Keep Their Retirement Funds Secure
- 3 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $50,000
- How to Save $200,000 Cash By Improving Your Credit Score
