Here’s the full transcript of financial advisor Emmanuel Asuquo’s chat with Jane Farnham of Great British Speakers
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00:00:08:06 – 00:00:21:22
Jane Farnham
Hi, I’m Jane Farnham. I’m from great British speakers and I’m here chatting to financial advisor, media personality, and wealth building entrepreneur Emmanuel Asuquo. Emmanuel, good morning. Good to see you. How are you?
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00:00:22:06 – 00:00:25:18
Emmanuel Asuquo
Good morning. Good to see you, too. Thank you for having me. It’s lovely to be here.
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00:00:25:18 – 00:00:46:16
Jane Farnham
Oh, it’s lovely to chat to you. I’m interested in finding out more about you. So obviously we know that there’s a cost of living crisis happening right at this moment in time. We’ll talk about that in a second. But firstly, tell us about getting into the world of finance, because you are relatively young to be discussing this sort of topic. How did that happen?
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00:00:47:04 – 00:01:06:23
Emmanuel Asuquo
Yes, So I grew up in Tower Hamlets in East London on a council estate, and basically it all came from me. My mom used to always tell me if I left a light on in the kitchen and used to be a big thing in the house. My mum would shop for a whole house lot who left a lot in the kitchen and unfortunately it would always be me.
00:01:07:05 – 00:01:32:13
Emmanuel Asuquo
For some reason I would always be. And you know, I’ve got two sisters that always click just to switch and grass because they don’t want no trouble. They don’t want trouble for a moment. So that was always me. And so what would happen is that I would get in trouble for leaving one light bulb on in the kitchen and I go to bed and when I look out my window and of course where I lived in Limehouse, I’ve seen Canary Wharf and I’ve seen all these big buildings, nine, 10:00 at night, lights still on, Everyone’s going home.
00:01:32:22 – 00:01:48:20
Emmanuel Asuquo
And in my mind I said to myself, Well, there must be money over there, because they can leave all these lights on and go home. And I can’t even leave one light I the kitchen. And so from there I was in one of these buildings. I could see the Barclays building, the HSBC building, obviously the billionaire wealth. Go to him and I’ll go I’ll get in one of these buildings.
00:01:49:02 – 00:01:54:02
Emmanuel Asuquo
And by 20 to just having that vision, have a let go, having that dream by 22, I became the youngest.
00:01:56:06 – 00:02:16:04
Emmanuel Asuquo
And and so I made that dream come true, worked in Canary Wharf. I’ve got into finance. So that’s what kind of got me to where I am today in regards to working in finance. And then when I got here, I realized that I was just helping rich people get richer and there wasn’t that value, you know, because I didn’t come from that background because I come from a council estate working class type background.
00:02:16:04 – 00:02:33:08
Emmanuel Asuquo
For me, it was that where all those people why don’t I have any any of my clients, I mean, people I see from that background. And I was like, well, actually I need to be the change I want to see. So I left the banks and I went to start it up by myself to try and help normal people understand money, understand how it works and how it can be better for them.
00:02:33:14 – 00:02:37:06
Emmanuel Asuquo
And that’s how I use social media and so forth. And here we are today.
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00:02:37:23 – 00:02:49:00
Jane Farnham
So I mean, that’s a fascinating introduction into the financial world, but you now obviously do a fair bit of TV. So tell me about some of the programs you’ve been involved with and how did that start?
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00:02:49:18 – 00:03:08:11
Emmanuel Asuquo
Yes. So how it started was through social media. So I basically I went on social media and I used to say this is a pension. A pension really good, because it does X, Y and Z. And guess what? Nobody cared. Nobody like you do video. And I got about five likes. Three of them live in my house, you know.
00:03:08:11 – 00:03:29:04
Emmanuel Asuquo
I mean, the other two were bots, you know, I mean, nobody cared at the end of the day on social media, you got so many different people trying to get your attention. I had to change it up. So what I decided to do, going to a rough school like I did there was something that we always used to do called rousted, where basically somebody would just be like, Oh, I don’t like the color of your trainers, and then you would have to have a comeback.
00:03:29:11 – 00:03:48:21
Emmanuel Asuquo
And everyone would be like, Who are you? And we basically wrote and I said to myself, you know, well, I’m just going to start roasting people about their financial decisions. And so I started the videos saying, Oh, well, you know, you you drive a really nice car, but you live in a council estate and share a bedroom with your little brother doesn’t make sense.
00:03:49:04 – 00:04:09:01
Emmanuel Asuquo
And so saying these things would make people laugh, but also make people look and say, actually is the way I’m spending my money really doesn’t make sense and make them make change. And also scary like have we seen this? And so then it started to get shared and that’s how, you know, Channel a production company, worked with Channel four, saw my videos come on within the show.
00:04:09:03 – 00:04:32:07
Emmanuel Asuquo
Come on, it’d be great. And I went on it and I’ve been on TV ever since. That was that show was called Save Well Spend, but I’ve done secret spenders. I’ve got a show covered, literally. Are money on my mind with Channel four. On Channel four is YouTube sponsored by Barclays. I’ve done this morning morning live. You know I’m glad I did Jeremy Vine loads loads and loads Sky News.
00:04:32:07 – 00:04:52:05
Emmanuel Asuquo
I’ve done the great debate on Sky News, so I’ve done so many, so many of these things, but I’ve been able to be my authentic self. That was really important to me and that’s where I think I stand out amongst. All, I guess for most financial people is that I come from an experience, a background and a style that’s very interesting and very much more relatable to the normal people.
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00:04:52:16 – 00:05:03:19
Jane Farnham
Yeah, so obviously you’ve done a bit of telling you go big on social media and you started in the corporate world as a financial adviser. Do you still work in the corporate industry?
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00:05:04:05 – 00:05:20:23
Emmanuel Asuquo
Well, I still have a I have a firm I have a financial advice firm, So I still do financial advice and still help people that way. So we have an office in Canary Wharf and I still work in and out, in and around that environment. So, yes, I still do that and I have my own business and I’m an entrepreneur in that sense, and I’ve been able to live off my own needs.
00:05:20:23 – 00:05:38:22
Emmanuel Asuquo
You know, I don’t I work for myself and I do what I love and I get paid for it. So I’ve been able to turn my 9 to 5 into my my, my own business. So that’s that’s great there. But I think, yeah, I’m still in and around that environment. I still help people on a professional basis, but I do it in my style.
00:05:38:22 – 00:05:52:09
Emmanuel Asuquo
So, you know, a lot of the time when I was lucky, I might be in a hoodie. I could never imagine wearing a hoodie to a financial advice meet when I went to the banks. You know, I mean, but now I can and my clients are happy because we’re comfortable and we’re able to do it. So yeah.
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00:05:53:14 – 00:06:09:19
Jane Farnham
So we got Black History Month coming up again, inquiries there. So you must come across issues in your line of work to talk to me about that. And you know, tell our audience really, you know, how the EU could talk in that area.
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00:06:10:08 – 00:06:31:20
Emmanuel Asuquo
Yeah. So the main things that I’ve been doing when it comes to talks is obviously on the cost of living crisis just coming in and helping people understand how they can navigate things that they can do and really adding value because I think a lot of the talks when clients book me is a case of they, they they see the need for their staff members, their employees, and they’re really thinking, how can we add benefit to them?
00:06:31:20 – 00:06:49:15
Emmanuel Asuquo
How can we really empower them? And finances is something that a lot of us don’t talk about. So having that open conversation in a relatable way where we can discuss and share best practices is a way not only to help your employee, but also empower them to be better with the money that they’re getting paid. And most people don’t have financial worry.
00:06:49:22 – 00:07:12:15
Emmanuel Asuquo
They’re going to be better employees, as a lot of my clients are found. So that’s adding value there. But also, you know, sharing my story, I think a lot of the time, especially on Black History Month, we talk about all the bad things that happened. But actually my story is one of someone who came from from nothing and was able to achieve and now speaks on speaks to millions on television on a regular basis.
00:07:12:15 – 00:07:35:21
Emmanuel Asuquo
So it’s about overcoming the fears, overcoming the anxieties, the imposter syndrome, being self-motivated, being driven, having a goal. These are all things that I teach people as well to kind of really empower people to know that, you know, they can reach their goals and reach their dreams and whatever they want to live, however they want to live their life, whatever, whatever they want to achieve in life is possible through sharing my story.
00:07:36:03 – 00:07:58:20
Emmanuel Asuquo
So and then also I talk about the whole, you know, in regards to family. So I’m a father of four and so I have I have a large family and we talk about how how we navigate that, especially with, you know, with the cost of living crisis and how how we how we work as a family, how it works in regards to the me and my wife and kids and how we make sure we were looking after them, supporting them as well.
00:07:58:20 – 00:08:01:05
Emmanuel Asuquo
So yeah, those are the main three angles we look at.
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00:08:01:21 – 00:08:13:06
Jane Farnham
Okay. So we are obviously, as you just said, in the middle of a cost of living crisis. We’re hearing about it all over the news. What are your views on cutting costs and where should we be cutting costs?
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00:08:13:17 – 00:08:34:17
Emmanuel Asuquo
Yes, thank you. I think, number one, I think actually when people hear this question, a number of figures, there’s nothing left. And I think for some people that is the case. You know, we’ve done a lot of cutting. So I think what we have to do is let Mr. Soni just be more savvy. I think what we need to do is look at what are the things that we are doing, where are we spending our money and how come we do it in a more savvier way?
00:08:34:24 – 00:08:52:14
Emmanuel Asuquo
Is that, for example, fuel prices are going up. Can we carpool? Is that an option to us? Can we take public transport instead of driving? How do we work from home? We spend time plays and say, actually come out. Can I my role, can I do that to an extra day or two from home? Because that will save me X amount per month.
00:08:52:20 – 00:09:10:11
Emmanuel Asuquo
I think it’s about looking at the future of the things that we are spending money when it comes to food. I mean, I don’t buy all our food from one shop because we know which I it and it’s convenient, but actually we’re spending 20 £30 more a week just by going to this one store when we actually we can mix it up.
00:09:10:19 – 00:09:31:05
Emmanuel Asuquo
So for me, it’s really looking at where are we, where’s our money going and how do we be more savvy with it? And then on top of that is looking at what can we then do to actually increase that income? Are there things that we can do in regards to creating side hustles, family time, the things that we are passionate about, the things that we enjoy into, into income, can we generate income from it?
00:09:31:10 – 00:09:52:09
Emmanuel Asuquo
And the revenue from it? Other things that we can do that can help others. I’ve had clients do simple things that I’ve got kids. Some of my some of my friends drop me, their kids, my kids because it’s it’s easy. I don’t charge. But that’s something that someone else could do. If you’ve got the space to do that and you’ve got you could you can babysit people, go out and generate additional income from that.
00:09:52:15 – 00:10:03:12
Emmanuel Asuquo
So there are small things that we can do. And what my job really is, is to try and help you look at what are the things that you can do in your life that can make you live the life you want to live, rather than just the doom and gloom that we see on the news.
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00:10:03:17 – 00:10:11:07
Jane Farnham
Yeah. Do you think it’s possible to save and build wealth during this stage, or are we just having to kind of stay afloat?
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00:10:11:07 – 00:10:34:17
Emmanuel Asuquo
I think it is possible, but it’s not necessity, and I think that’s the difference. I think if you if there are people who still have money left over each month and they’re able to save and invest and so forth, well, if that’s not you, that doesn’t mean you’re failing in life. And again, this is these are the types of conversations that we have because a lot of us take our identity from being able to go on holiday three or four times a year, being able to drive a nice car, being able to live in a nice house.
00:10:34:17 – 00:11:02:05
Emmanuel Asuquo
I mean, now that we’re starting to have to make decisions where maybe we can’t drive that nice car anymore, maybe we can only go on holiday in the UK once a year. All of a sudden we start to lose our worth and our value of life. We’re failing in life, but that’s not the reality. And so when I’m giving talks, when I’m speaking to people, it’s really about bringing that realization that you are not defined by the things that you buy, that you’re not more important because you drive a nice car, you’re not doing better in life because you have a nice house, but it’s all personal.
00:11:02:05 – 00:11:05:04
Emmanuel Asuquo
It’s an individual journey. And that’s why I really try to explain to people.
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00:11:05:14 – 00:11:34:07
Jane Farnham
Yeah, and lastly, I’m interested. I really would like some top tips on crypto. Obviously, loads of people have got different views on it. I’ve never invested in that thought about it. I’m going online. I’ve done a lot. Partly I haven’t because it seems so You have to go through so many secure state security stages and I can never quite manage to get through it all. But what are your thoughts on it?
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00:11:34:14 – 00:12:00:17
Emmanuel Asuquo
I think and I’m this honestly, this my my, my opinion is if you struggle with word or PowerPoint, crypto is not for you. Like that’s not your that’s not your bag. That’s not where you need to be. Okay? Not just you don’t have to do everything that everybody else does if you’re not a person, if you if you struggle to even open your phone, then sometimes, you know, if that’s you, then let’s leave crypto alone and let’s look at the obvious investments that make a bit more sense to you, number one.
00:12:00:24 – 00:12:20:16
Emmanuel Asuquo
Number two, that should be crypto and, and the like is the should be the one of the last investments you should think about. I mean, a lot of people don’t have emergency funds, People don’t even have stocks. People haven’t even started saving for their children. And yet they’re thinking about how they’re going to become a billionaire or million by investing in this one investment.
00:12:20:24 – 00:12:23:06
Emmanuel Asuquo
If it sounds too good to be true in money.
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00:12:23:13 – 00:12:24:21
Jane Farnham
I’m just about to say that!
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00:12:25:15 – 00:12:41:20
Emmanuel Asuquo
And so the thing about crypto is this I do believe in it. I do believe that we are we are seeing because of the of the pandemic, we have moved so far away from cash now that we are. But some of the more contactless society which is going to lead to us becoming more digital, which is where crypto is going to set in.
00:12:42:01 – 00:13:03:15
Emmanuel Asuquo
But at the moment people need to understand are they are they looking at things? So as a currency or as an investment? And you need to understand what it is because this is an investment investment so long term. So you don’t care if it goes up and down. Right now you’re invested. If they use mine as a currency to buy something, then actually you might think, should I be using other currencies At this time, I’m a bit less volatile.
00:13:03:20 – 00:13:10:19
Emmanuel Asuquo
So for me it’s about understanding what is your investment and a lot of people need to focus on getting the knowledge before they try to make them.
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00:13:10:19 – 00:13:20:23
Jane Farnham
A good point. Well made. It’s been so lovely chatting to you this morning, Emmanuel and I thank you so much. I really do appreciate it.
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00:13:21:21 – 00:13:31:07
Emmanuel Asuquo
Nigel, and thank you so much. It’s always a pleasure to speak to you and I love your smile. Makes it so simple, so easy. So you want to do it again soon?
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00:13:31:16 – 00:13:42:24
Jane Farnham
Yeah. You take care. And if you’d like to book Emmanuel, simply contact myself with Steve at Great British Speakers on 01753 439289. Or you can email bookings@greatbritishtalent.com. Thank you.
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00:13:43:23 – 00:13:44:08
Emmanuel Asuquo
Thank you..
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