Katie Piper: The one thing I’ve learned about money that every woman needs to know

Women who talk about money can be called greedy, but you’d never say that about a man. I run a charity and am used to talking about money all the time; it’s at the centre of all our board and trustee meetings – but that’s ok, because it’s not our money, it’s for charity. Many of the women in the room would never dare talk about their own finances. You see the same thing everywhere. Among friends and family. Even when I go on Instagram I see women talking about diets, ageing, health, relationships and work – but never about money. Why is it that we are such good communicators but we won’t talk about our salary or what we are worth? The one thing I wish I’d known about money much earlier than I do now is that we need to stop whispering about it, and start feeling empowered. Shorts When I think about my younger self, I wouldn’t tell her to start a pension sooner or begin investing – I would tell her to strive, not for money, but for financial independence. After my attack in 2008, I lost absolutely everything. I was in a coma and my landlord assumed I’d done a runner and not paid the rent, so all of my belongings were put into bin liners and thrown away. I woke up months later with no job, no face and no income. There was no ChatGPT back then, so I had to go to the Job Centre and get actual leaflets to work out how to apply for disability benefits. But it was a real motivation for me and completely changed the way I thought about money. When I grew up in the 80s and 90s, it was the norm that the man was the breadwinner and the woman was to raise the family. That’s just what I saw in every book, film and TV programme I ever saw as a young girl. I always thought I wanted to have a house, a car, two children and maybe a cat – but I assumed I needed a man to provide those things. Suddenly, I realised that I could have all those things I wanted, but that I would have to go and get them myself. For women, it’s often true that we only start to talk about things when we reach a crisis point. It was definitely the case for me. Maybe it’s fear of judgment, worry about being seen as greedy, or not wanting to be perceived as intimidating. The next few years after my attack were a steep learning curve. As well as learning about how expensive it is to hire a barrister, have a two-year court battle, and undergo surgery, I learnt that earning money is not the same as keeping it, that you need to diversify your income streams, and that you need to grow your wealth. But it’s not about chasing money. Having money in and of itself is not what you should be aiming for; it is the fact that it gives you freedom and broadens your options. Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can bring you peace of mind. When I was younger I thought it was enough to want something and everything would fall into place, but that’s not how it happens – you need to be financially astute. And to do that we need to learn more about money – and talk more about it. The more you do it, the more you realise it’s actually really empowering to have conversations around financial knowledge. I’m all for being present and enjoying the moment, but when it comes to money we need to think further ahead. I would tell my younger self that spending on yourself is never money wasted. That doesn’t mean buying handbags or £1,000 shoes – it means spending on your education, your mental and physical health, and on upskilling to grow my business or start a new one. It was not so long ago that a woman couldn’t even get a mortgage in her own name, but things are slowly starting to change. I want my two daughters, who are 8 and 12, to grow up seeing someone who makes sensible, intentional, strategic financial decisions and knows her own worth. I want them to see someone who hasn’t chased money, but has built a path with passion-led projects, which might not pay today but are the things that excite you and will lead to opportunities in the future. Women are great at talking about our periods, perimenopause, or how to lose weight – and that’s because there is still this idea that we need to be beautiful and youthful. But wealthy? Women don’t need to be wealthy, so there is no reason for us to talk about it. Let’s start the conversation.