I didn't grow up without money conversations. But the ones we had didn't quite reach me.

Growing up in Hackney, my mum did what so many parents do — she worked hard, she cared deeply, and she told me to save. Don't spend what you don't need to. Hold onto what you have. Money is scarce, so treat it that way. It came from a place of love and lived experience, and she wasn't wrong.

But as a young boy, I couldn't connect those words to my life. There was no framework behind them — no explanation of why, no sense of what I was saving for, no picture of what handling money well could actually look like. So the lessons didn't stick. And when I eventually stepped out into the world on my own, I wasn't equipped for what was waiting for me.

I made bad financial decisions — the kind that take years to untangle. And I did untangle them, slowly, through trial and error, through mistakes I wish someone had warned me about, and through an education in finance that I had to find for myself.

That journey eventually led me to qualify as a Chartered Management Accountant and build a career in finance at one of the UK's largest companies. But I've never forgotten what it felt like to be at the beginning — confused, unsupported, and making it up as I went along.

Now I'm a father of two boys, aged four and seven.

And from the moment they were old enough to hold a coin, I've been doing things differently. Not because I want to raise two mini accountants — but because I know, firsthand, what a difference it makes when a child grows up understanding money before the world starts making financial decisions feel urgent and overwhelming.

I want my boys to know that money is something you can understand, manage, and feel confident about. Not something to fear. Not something that happens to you.

And I want that for every child.

That's why I created Future Money Minds.

Not as a textbook. Not as a lecture. But as something genuinely useful — workshops, resources, and tools that meet children where they are, that parents can trust, and that make learning about money something kids actually want to engage with.

I bring everything I have to this: a professional grounding in finance, a personal understanding of what financial struggle looks like, and a parent's instinct for what actually works with young children. When I walk into a school or speak to a family, I'm not reciting theory. I'm sharing something I've lived.

With financial education set to become a statutory part of the primary curriculum from 2028, there has never been a better moment to give children — whatever their background — the financial foundations they deserve.

Every child should start life with the confidence to handle money well. That's what Future Money Minds is here to build.

Gav Singh — Chartered Management Accountant, CIMA | Founder, Future Money Minds

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Ready to bring financial education to your school? I offer free workshops for primary school children across Hertfordshire — no cost, no commitment, just an hour that could change how your pupils think about money for the rest of their lives. https://www.futuremoneyminds.com/schools/