Sanam Balani
Join readers of Money Manners Monday for hands-on strategies to improve how you save and invest to boost your financial wellbeing using simple systems. Receive these in your inbox every Monday at 8am GMT / 12pm GMT+4 / 2pm SGT.
The Neon Sock Theory
The most intelligent people I ever met were hiding something. You'd only catch it if you looked down. When I was 26, I worked at Goldman Sachs, an investment bank, in the City of London. Everyone wore the same thing. Immaculate suits, tailored dresses, polished shoes. All navy, black, grey. Coming from Spain, where we dress colourful and expressive, I couldn't get my head around it. "How does anyone survive this?" I'd think. "Clothes as grim as the weather." Then one morning, I looked down....
"Am I On Track?" Is the Wrong Question. Here's the One Worth Asking Instead.
In 1995, researchers surveyed 257 people at Harvard with a strange choice. Would you rather earn $50,000 a year while everyone around you earns $25,000? Or earn $100,000 while everyone around you earns $200,000? Around half chose the first option. They gave up double the income just to feel ahead of the people around them. For nearly a decade in Banking, I quietly asked myself a version of the same question. “Am I doing well? Compared to whom? Is this enough?” Now I hear it from clients all...
Pessimists are often right
Words I like: Optimists are wealth creators. Pessimists are misery predictors. Regardless of which side of the fence you think you're on, you'll always be right. If you think you're bad with money, every financial loss you face will reaffirm your belief. If you think you're great with money, even the smallest financial gain will push you to make more bank. Mojo Memo: The only way to win at life is to be an Optimist. Most working professionals don't invest because they fear losing money. "What...
Your brain is your worst-performing asset with investing.
Everyone wants a smarter investment strategy. Nobody wants to hear that their own brain is their worst-performing asset. I spent 8 years at Goldman Sachs watching brilliant people make the same predictable mistakes. Not because they lacked information. Because they trusted their instincts over their system. Behavioural finance taught me one uncomfortable truth: We are not rational investors. We are emotional investors who occasionally act rational. The most expensive mistakes I witnessed (and...
The Overwhelmed Boat
Hi Reader, When I was 26, I worked at a large investment bank in the City of London. One Friday, I’d finally tidied up my finances and felt genuinely proud. “I finally have a plan,” I told myself. On Monday, I’d start investing. Then at 7pm, the news dropped. “Brexit confirmed - UK is exiting the EU”. I remember thinking:“Monday is going to be messy”. And it was. Monday morning, a senior manager rushed onto the floor, panicked: “Markets are going wild - be ready.”Phones were off the hook.All...
"I wish they taught money at school"
There isn’t one person I’ve spoken to about wealth who hasn’t used these nine words: “I wish they taught us about money in school.” I made possibly every money mistake because of this: Making life decisions “just for the money” Working hard without clear saving goals Not negotiating my salary as I progressed Panic-selling investments the moment fear kicked in And honestly… so many more I could write a novel. Underneath all of it was one limiting belief: 😰 “Sanam, you’re behind because you’re...
Money Mojo Memo: Default to Save
Words I like: More money is wasted through inaction than spending badly. Money Mojo Memo: The Default to Save Technique Most high-achievers have a rough idea on how much they spend on entertainment, groceries, transport, etc. That’s fine, but you may be leaving more savings on the table, that you could be investing. Here’s a simple fix I teach clients that kills five birds with one elegant solution. Default to Save: Have your salary or income go into your Reservoir, a current account that...
Your obsession with strategy kills wealth
Most high-achievers have a money reflex that looks responsible…but keeps them stuck: “Give me the plan.” “Give me the steps.” “Give me the optimal approach.” This is going to sound offensive, but I say it with love: Your obsession with strategy might be the biggest thing blocking your wealth. The moment I realised I was operating backwards When I worked in banking, my days were intense and long. I’d often finish feeling mentally and physically drained. At night I’d promise myself: “Tomorrow...
Multi-currency chaos in 2026? I battle-tested a solution for you.
Happy New Year! If you’ve been following my work for a while, you know I have a slightly visceral need to do proper due diligence and test solutions on myself before I share them. Which is why I’m genuinely excited (and a little proud) to share my first brand collaboration — with Lunch Money, a global budgeting app. If you operate in multiple currencies across multiple banks, this one’s for you. Brainstorming our first collaboration with founder, Jen Yip As a fellow expat juggling SGD, EUR,...
5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before 2026
Thank you for trusting me with your inbox this year. If you're reading this, you care about building a healthier relationship with money - and I don’t take that lightly. This is my last newsletter of 2025. I hope this year brought you closer to your financial goals, and that 2026 takes you even further! 📅 What’s Coming [January] A Banker's Guide to Index Investing (Reply with "WAITLIST" to join) [Ongoing] Secure a Wealth Breakthrough - Book a Call Want to work together in 2026? Apply here....
Join readers of Money Manners Monday for hands-on strategies to improve how you save and invest to boost your financial wellbeing using simple systems. Receive these in your inbox every Monday at 8am GMT / 12pm GMT+4 / 2pm SGT.