When I was a kid, my mum’s greatest fear was that our washing machine would break.

It wasn’t until I was older that I understood why: she was never sure she’d be able to afford to fix it. And as a single mum, working full time with 2 kids, a working washing machine was a really big deal.

So I grew up, as the vast majority of people do (rich or poor), seeing money as a constraint. Something that I worried about. Throughout my twenties, I didn’t take any career risks because I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to afford to pay my student loan and my rent. And I know I’m not alone.

Our relationship with money is usually more emotional than logical. And it’s a relationship we can change, if we want to, with the right support.

Yes, money can fuel our fears – but it can also unlock our dreams. For ourselves, for our loved ones, for the world, even. And that’s exciting.

So how do we shift our relationship with money, so it’s in service of our hopes and dreams? The answer is real people and real conversations. 

When you ask people how they want help with their money, the #1 answer is speaking to an expert. And yet, this is simply not an option for most of us.

When we have a sudden change in our health, we know who to call, but when we have a sudden change that impacts our money, most of us don’t know who to turn to.

No one should be left to sort their money on their own.

That’s why we’ve launched Octopus Money.

Providing money advice for everyone isn’t an information problem. There’s more information available to us than ever before. It’s a personalisation problem!

Our money is tied up with our wider wellbeing as well as our hopes and dreams. So when it comes to big financial decisions, we want to speak to a human, not a robot.

And when we get closer to those goals – having kids, moving home. Or if the unimaginable happens – we get divorced, or we lose someone we love. We want that same care. Someone who understands us, who can specialise to get us through that particularly complicated moment and back again.

We imagine a world where a significant proportion of the UK population always has someone to call. Primary care for your money. And specialists when life gets complicated.

That’s Octopus Money. And we’re just getting started!

If you’re an employer and want to learn how you can help all of your employees make the most of the salary and the benefits you provide, we’d love to speak with you.