I believe wellbeing, wealth and wisdom are intrinsically linked and the absence of one impacts another. Access to financial literacy is a global problem and I’m advocating for the solution - independent and accessible education. I’m not a financial advisor or a financial expert. I’m sharing my own journey on the road to wellbeing and wealth and hope it inspires others to take control of theirs.
I was born in Adelaide in a family where all my grandparents were refugees, arriving in Australia after World War Two with nothing more than a suitcase. I was raised speaking Latvian, went to school without knowing English. With learning challenges, school was always hard for me and I quit maths as soon as I could. However, my grandparents instilled in me the power of education, the one thing no one can take away from you.
These experiences made me even more dedicated to education and helping others. Working in retail as a student enabled me to fund volunteer work where I travelled the world to support impoverished communities across Africa and Asia. While I experienced first hand the power of education to transform lives over this time, I also suffered from debilitating mental and physical sickness, while accumulating financial debt as a student. It was a vicious cycle. I felt crippled by mental, physical and financial stress and deeply understand the pain that comes from not having health or wealth.
My solution to debilitating pain was to work hard, learn hard and get smarter about the decisions I made to support being healthy, wealthy and wise. As a global financial journalist I’ve worked inside Australian Securities Exchange, New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq. As an entrepreneur I held meetings within the London Stock Exchange and Singapore Stock Exchange. I’ve interviewed and worked for thousands of executives around the world, millionaires and billionaires, and learnt education is what propels you to the next level.
Now as a Director of Australian Shareholder’s Association and Ambassador for Women on Boards I’m addressing the financial inequality in our society through education, the passport to a better future and the most powerful weapon we have to change the world. I believe everyone has the right to independent education and can learn to be both healthy and earn to be wealthy. I invite you to come along with me and learn the art of value.
The value star
The uniquely designed 'Value Advisor' star pays tribute to key elements of Lel Smits' heritage, vision and mission for building individual and collective value in our community.
It signifies three elements, a traditional Latvian star from Lel's heritage, rotated points stretched out to form a North Star and the directional points of a compass symbolising purpose.
Education.
Advocacy.
Equality.
Education is a passport, a weapon and your greatest tool. My multiple tertiary qualifications and significant global professional experience have equipped me to coach leaders around the world and build businesses. Through sharing my own personal experiences in addition to independent information from credible sources I hope to help facilitate financial wellbeing for all.
Advocacy is the quest to change that which is, into that we wish it to be. Mental illness and financial distress are growing problems that I believe must be together addressed along with new approaches and solutions. The global pandemic has only amplified challenges for marginalised groups, physically vulnerable and financially struggling and I am committed to helping all build a stronger future.
Equality is at the heart of humanity and I am a fierce champion of financial equality, opportunity and access to education. Having struggled as a student without money looking for opportunity, and a professional in the minority within a male dominated industry I have personally experienced injustice and now work to promote diversity, stand up for equality and uphold fairness for all.
Financial literacy matters
1 in 5 Australians could not access $2000 in an emergency
2 in 3 Australians don’t understand the investment concept of diversification
2 in 3 Australians don’t know the current value of their superannuation
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Financial illiteracy is reaching dangerous levels in Australia
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Women are the most at risk of making bad financial decisions
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Financially illiterate people are more likely to experience asset loss and outlive their savings after retirement
"Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity"
“Education is the most powerful weapon
we have to change the world”
- Nelson Mandela