The Money Proust Questionnaire - Laëtitia Vitaud
Women I like and admire about their relationship with MONEY
Dear readers, I am pleased to introduce to you The Money Proust Questionnaire, a place half serious half whimsical, where women I like and admire talk freely about the money continent of their lives, explored and unexplored. I hope you like it and if you do, please forward it to your loved ones to help me spread the rodeo spirit!
In case you were wondering, here is where to further discover my work:
My podcast and book “The rules of the Game” about being a woman at work.
My podcast about how to invest one’s savings “The Starter Pack” (Fra)
The Money Proust Questionnaire of Laëtitia Vitaud
I first met Laëtitia many moons ago, at the very beginning of my gender equality advocacy journey and am very happy to inaugurate the MPQ with her. At the time, I was landing from Brazil, my mind still wandering somewhere over the Atlantic, and I remember my first impression of Laëtitia - supportive, open, genuinely interested, at a time where I had no idea where I was heading.
Laëtitia is a bright mind and a pure spirit who puts herself entirely in everything she undertakes, and she undertakes A LOT. She has been committed to making the workplace a better place for over ten years and is a widely recognized specialist of the future of work and consumption. She is the acclaimed writer of several books, the awesome Laetitia@Work NL, and a Chief Editor at Welcome to the Jungle. She also founded with her husband the media Nouveau Départ that explores the profound transitions our society is going through, of a podcast that raises awareness about ageism at work, she is a polyglotte, a mother, a transborder citizen, and has reinvented herself professionally at least twice.
Thank you Laëtitia for sharing your money journey with us, and for your sincerity doing it.
What is your current state of mind regarding your finances?
The more worried I am, the more worried I am about money, as if my state of mind regarding my finances reflected my state of mind in general, rather than vice versa. Political and natural disasters worry me a lot right now. The outside world worries me a lot. The health of the planet and the health of democracy worry me. So I think about personal finances all the more! It's like a retreat into my own family bubble that can only be protective if it is well-funded...
What image comes to mind when you hear the word “money”?
Freedom and great open spaces.
Was money a discussed topic in your household while growing up?
Not much, except to imply that you aren't supposed to be interested in money. Growing up I understood it was an instrument of power. My mother was submitted to my father because she had given up having enough of her own money. My father subtly reminded her of this every day, without directly speaking about money.
Did you have pocket money?
Very little. But at 14 I started doing a lot of baby sitting and odd jobs. So I had money I could spend on cinema and books.
Do you remember the feeling associated with your first ever purchase?
I remember the feeling of having money I earned. I associated it with pleasure, the pleasure of buying cinema tickets, books and films on videotapes. So I associated it with the pleasure of fiction (pre-internet, pre-content over abundance and saturation, the most valuable thing to me was to be able to buy access to fiction).
If your relationship with money was an animal?
I would like it to be a tortoise, slow and steady and reliable.
You have a brother - do you both have the same relationship with money?
Not at all, my brother thinks money is fundamentally something unfair that needs to be redistributed straight away. For him, it's the reflection of a system that preys on the weak to overfeed a few powerful predators. Having money means you're a predator.
What is the best money advice you have ever heard?
As a woman you need money of your own as well as a room of your own. Not really "advice" but the understanding that it can protect women against violence.
What did you do with your first salary?
Pay the rent and save some.
Do you remember the first time money allowed you to do something you dreamed of?
Yes, as a teenager, I went to the cinema 3 times in a row, and then went to a bookshop and bought what I wanted.
You are an entrepreneur - do you have a conscious strategy to increase your revenues?
No, except for "do your best to sell more and negotiate".
How did your revenues evolve between the beginning of your professional journey and today?
I was a teacher with low revenues who had to work like crazy to get a few crumbs extra, but everything was safe. Now, nothing is safe, but I earn so much more.
What is your greatest extravagance?
The freedom to do what I want with my time and sometimes not pursue lucrative opportunities because I find them too boring.
What is your greatest material fear?
I'm scared I'll get sick and won't be able to work anymore. And then I'll be poor.
What is the worst financial decision you ever made?
To spend so much money living abroad and changing countries. You always get the worst deal as a newcomer.
What is the best financial decision you ever made?
Becoming self-employed.
What is the stupidest thing you saw someone do with his or her money?
I see people fall for scams because they believe in easy money. I have personally witnessed people trusting their money with a crook who stole it. I don't believe in easy money. Or rather I don't believe in gurus who say they can teach me how to get rich while I sleep.
If you could change something in your relationship with money what would it be?
I wish I could trust life more.
What were your professional money milestones?
The first milestone was generating more revenue than when I was a teacher. Then reaching a six-figure revenue.
Do you invest your money?
For now in real-estate I use.
You have two children – do you educate them financially?
We speak about money openly. About entrepreneurship and business models too. Within our family, solidarity and generosity are meant to provide a sense of safety.
You have a boy and a girl – do you note differences in the relationship they each have with money?
I don't know if it's related to gender. My eldest (who happens to be a girl) is more obsessed with money.
What is your wisest financial habit?
Set money aside at the beginning of the month.
You are married – do you have a conscious money management strategy with your partner?
We share our company so money discussions are frequent. We regularly have to negotiate.
A new banknote is issued. Who would you choose to be printed on it?
I prefer abstract things on banknotes rather than the faces of personalities I like. It's not really a gift to be associated with a banknote, is it?
What financial skill would you like to master?
I would like to be a better salesperson.
What is your financial strength?
I'm not as bad a salesperson as I used to be.
Are there people you admire in the way they use their money?
I'm not sure. I don't want to judge how other people use their money (except when they don't pay their taxes).
If money had a face?
Money has many faces, faces of giving but also faces of predation and violence.
Thank you Laëtitia!
You liked it, you loathed it, you had more questions to ask and are not done with it? Please get in touch and let me know!
Clara