We recently connected with Anne Lester and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Anne , really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I was terrible with money growing up – whenever I’d get any money at all, it literally felt like it was burning a hole in my pocket. I couldn’t wait to spend it. Maybe because of that, or just because I was curious, I was also fascinated by the world of finance. I ended up working as a portfolio manager, helping to invest other people’s retirement savings, even though I had trouble saving my own money for my own retirement. It wasn’t until I spent several years researching and building retirement products for my job (Target Date Funds at JPMorgan Investment Management) that I finally was able to apply those learnings to myself and start saving successfully.
I know many people – maybe most people – struggle to save, and also struggle with feelings of inadequacy and shame around money. I want to do everything I can to help people understand that a lot of their actions around money are hard-wired, and can’t necessarily be overcome with willpower alone. I also want to help them put practices into place that will help them live their best financial life.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My book, Your Best Financial Life, was recently published by William Morrow. I’m very focused on spreading the word about my book and sharing insights to help people take control over their finances.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Curiosity, empathy, and perseverance. Curiosity about myself as well as constantly learning about behavioral economics. Empathy – for myself and others – to keep learning as much as I can! and perseverance – because some stuff never gets easier. To this day I am a bad saver – I’ve just figured out how to remove temptations from my path more easily!
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
I give myself permission to feel those feelings. I then do a couple of things: 1) remind myself to breathe; 2) take a walk, 3) try to break down whatever is stressing me out into smaller steps.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.annelester.com
- Instagram: savesmartwanne
- Facebook: savesmartwanne
- Linkedin: savesmartwanne
Image Credits
my personal photos and professional image of book that can be freely shared
