Honest Stories with Hazal Turunc

Content Creator @LydieandHazal and Co-Founder of Journey2Med

Transcript

I’m a triplet. So my mom was looking after three babies as my dad was working night shifts…

That was cool. I feel like I was always aware of money growing up, but I was also looking back. I’m aware that my parents did the best they could to ensure that me and my siblings got the best upbringing we could have, even if they didn’t have a lot of money at the time. I know that my dad was working day in, day out just to try and provide us with as much money as possible to take care of me and my siblings.

I’m a triplet, so my mom was looking after three babies as my dad was working night shifts. So I am aware of that thinking back. But I think they did a great job making sure we kind of didn’t feel any of that. We didn’t feel impacted in any way. Oh, so yeah, I would say I’m on my journey currently because I wouldn’t say I’m financially independent yet because I still live with my parents.

But I think it’s really cool to make your own money and not have to ask for pocket money or stuff like that. I think I first started making money maybe when I was like 16, 17, I used to tutor children in math and English, I think, and it was just really cool to have my own money that I could spend on whatever I wanted.

And I never really liked asking my parents for money. I always felt like I felt like I was burdening them with my requests, even though they never made me feel like that, I think I always just felt like I should. I shouldn’t ask for money. So then it felt good to make my own money and then spend it how I wanted to.

And a couple of years ago I was able to buy myself my first car, which I was really proud of. You know, it’s not the nicest car in the world, but I just felt really proud that I could buy my own car, pay for my own insurance, and kind of take that first step into adulthood. So I feel like everyone’s talking about investment, aren’t they?

And yet I have started investing so I think two years ago, or maybe I think maybe three years ago, I was speaking to a friend who was talking about the S&P 500 and I kind of picked her brain about it, asked her a few questions and then decided that that was something I also wanted to put my money into just because I felt like I was getting an income.

But I felt like if it was just stayed in my bank account, it was kind of being wasted or there was more that I could do with that money so that in the future, you know, like your money is working for you type of thing. So I’ve invested in the S&P 500 since then and I’ve also started investing in a few startups as well through a website called Crowd Cube.

I think I’ve just invested in one for now, but I’m quite interested to see how this one goes because it’s quite different to investing in the S&P 500, which is kind of long term and this one’s a bit more, I think a bit more of a quicker return kind of or just a different sort, a different style of investing, which I am interested to try out.

I wouldn’t call it a regret, but I just think there’s two things that I wish I would have known when I started. So I wish I started earlier just because obviously more would have accumulated by now, but then I could have also started later. So I’m just happy that I did start eventually. And also there was a period where I still don’t know how the S&P 500 works.

I’m not going to lie to you, but I think there was a period where I invested whilst it was going down. I think so Then I did lose a bit of money. Well, technically I didn’t lose it because I didn’t really withdraw anything. But my returns could have been greater if I had done something differently. Well, yeah, it’s not really a regret.

It’s just something I wish I had known at the time. But that’s just how you learn. By making mistakes. So yeah, I think I have a lot of financial goals. I really enjoy making money and through different means as well. I really enjoy trying out all my different interests and then when they bring me happiness as well as monetary value, it just makes me even more happy.

So I would like to continue investing and see where that goes. I’d also like to start investing in bigger things like property. I think investing in property is quite cool and when I speak to people who are, you know, older than I am, they say that the main way to build generational wealth is through property and building generational wealth is something I’m interested in.

So I would like to do that, hopefully, and I would also like to buy myself a new car, you know, staying on theme, I love my first car. It’s my absolute baby, but I would like an upgrade relatively soon as well, so that would be cool.