Financier №1 (41) 2026

How has the approach to personal finance changed in society over the past five years?

During the pandemic, there was a sharp surge in interest in personal finance: people realised that something unpredictable could happen and it was necessary to save money.

I believe financial literacy has improved over these years. A major role in this was played by the high key interest rate: people’s attitude towards spending has become more cautious. Meanwhile, high deposit rates are encouraging savings.

What are the minimum rules of financial literacy that are relevant in 2026?

Save part of your money and use another part to build assets. Securities can be a good first step for those on a tight budget. I have faith in stocks because there will always be successful companies in any situation, and we will always have the opportunity to earn alongside them. The same goes for bonds: businesses will always need to borrow money.

I would also add that you need to understand what you’re investing in. You can’t just buy into random funds and expect your portfolio to grow.

Which investment illusions do you consider the most dangerous?

The first is the belief that you can “beat the market”. Today, discipline and measured actions aren’t very popular. Because the general environment is unstable and many people are swayed by emotions, they think: “Now we should invest in gold, no - now in crypto, no - now in AI.” But professionals who have been doing this for years, with vastly more experience and information, are playing against you. So instead of trying to “guess the trend”, I prefer discipline and strategy.

The second new illusion is the belief that there is an AI out there that will invest everything for you. You can interact with artificial intelligence in a smart way: based on portfolio theory and statistics, you can ask it to point out imbalances in your portfolio, areas with high risk, or suggest potential securities.

But I’ll repeat: you need to understand the market yourself, rather than blindly trusting what AI says. You must verify its advice. 

What indicators and news do you follow when making investment decisions?

The market makes many moves that are best ignored - and so are the news, as they only distract you. In investing, you should act not on emotions triggered by reading some message, but based on a strategy. What I do check is the All‑Time High: if an asset is growing very quickly, now is not the time to buy it.

When did you realise you wanted to write a book specifically about money management - and specifically for women?

I didn’t have such a plan: I was simply running a finance blog, and a publisher noticed it and offered me to write a book.

Why for women? Because I know everything about us: how we spend, how we earn, and how we brush off financial tools, thinking “this isn’t for us”. I wanted to change this mind-set into the opposite. From my followers, I see that goals are being achieved: I get messages saying they’ve gotten out of debt, dared to take out a mortgage, and started investing. And I believe these women will share this with their friends and children.

Why did you write your new book, “To Be in the Black”?

Because I became convinced that psychology and habits play a bigger role in finance than finance itself. In “To Be in the Black”, I talk more about why to learn money management, rather than how. Attitude, mind-set, and self‑awareness are more important.

What is the key message you’d like every reader to get from your work? 

First, that money is my business - it’s an area of my interest. It’s not just for some smart and serious male investors. Second, we are perfectly capable. All studies show that women are more successful investors when they take it seriously; women handle money more carefully and have less debt.

Michelle Obama once said that financial independence is a form of self‑respect. Taking care of your money means taking care of yourself.