Inspiring Tomorrow’s Talent at Chalfonts Community College
This month, Josh and Maria returned to their former school – the Chalfonts Community College – to inspire the next generation.
On 3 February, they represented Beyond Finance at the school’s Careers Fair and Employability Skills Day, speaking with year 11–13 students about opportunities in Financial Planning and shared insight into what the profession really involves. They were hugely encouraged by the interest and the wide range of questions from students. Gabbie Northend from our investment partner, Rathbones, also attended and shared her experience of working as an investment manager.
Josh and Maria returned on Friday 13 February to deliver a 45-minute assembly to nearly 200 Year 12 and 13 students, sharing their journeys into financial planning and practical tips on getting started with investing. The session also covered the role of a financial planner, different roles within the profession, common misconceptions and the basics of investing.
They were thrilled by the students’ curiosity and enthusiasm, reflected in their questions during the assembly. Toward the end of their session, they invited the students to break into groups for some ‘thinking time’ – an opportunity to challenge Josh and Maria with whatever was on their minds.
They kept Maria and Josh completely on their toes with thoughtful, probing questions such as:
- “Where exactly can we find reliable information about which index funds to invest in?”
- “What is the salary and progression like as a financial planner?”
- “What are your thoughts on cryptocurrency?”
- “What do you think about foreign exchange swaps?”
- “Are penny stocks ever worth it?”
- “What’s one thing you wish you could tell your beginner self when you first started investing?”
Safe to say, by the end of the Q&A session, Josh and Maria felt their brains had been well and truly picked!
But what really stood out wasn’t just the quality of the questions. It was the fact that a number of students stayed behind after the session to ask more questions and continue the conversation, asking about investing in more depth, exploring careers in financial planning and even enquiring about work experience opportunities.
Josh and Maria left the experience feeling incredibly encouraged that the appetite for financial education is clearly there! The feedback from the day was that when young people are given the space and confidence to ask questions about money, investing and their futures, the engagement is remarkable and they felt it had been a privilege to give the students this space.
Josh and Maria are excited to continue creating opportunities to inspire, empower and support the next generation as they begin thinking about their financial futures.