Meet Parween Mander, a South Asian Millennial Money Expert on a mission to empower other women of colour from immigrant upbringings to feel confident in their ability to manage their finances. Her organization, the Wealthy Wolfe, is a digital financial coaching and education platform geared towards providing a safe space around learning about money in a non-judgemental space.

Tell us about your journey? How did you get involved in your industry? 

We almost lost our home when I was 16 years old, and as the eldest daughter of immigrant parents I was responsible for translating what the bank reps were saying to my parents so I was overly exposed to adult financial matters at a young age. This experience taught me that not having money meant you don’t have control, power or safety so that must mean having money – you have these things. I vowed to become financially independent and 10 years later at the age of 26, I built a six-figure net worth by self teaching myself about finances. I didn’t have a money mentor who looked like me that I could turn to to ask questions on my financial journey, so that’s why I wanted to become one for others. 

What is the hardest challenge you have come up against in your personal/professional life? 

It happened very recently when I was laid off from my 9-5 after 4.5 years with the company. I had thankfully built a great foundation with my coaching business and was able to hop into it full time and out earn my 9-5 salary in 3 months time. My biggest lesson learned was to not depend on an employer to have my best interests at heart. When you are your own boss, yes it’s a whole different world of problems you can face, but you have yourself to depend on. 

What advice would you give WOC wanting to do what you do?

Become accredited first, I see a lot of money coaches online who leverage their personal experience to build their brand but don’t actually have credentials to coach others. I hold two designations, the Accredited financial counselor – Canada designation and a Trauma of Money Facilitator. And second, don’t be afraid to take up space. The personal finance community is traditionally male and white male specifically dominated – so talking about wealth building from a diversified lens is needed in this world!

 What do you do to help South Asian women feel empowered?

It’s wanting to help others win and not gatekeeping your success. As someone who’s built a significant net worth, I don’t want to be the “exception” . I want this to be normalized and more WOC to be wealthy of their own accord. I help my clients pay off debt, build savings, learn how to invest & deeply understand their relationship with money on an emotional and trauma sensitive level. This is how we break generational cycles. 

If you could tell your teenage self something, what would it be?

That everything happens for a reason – truly. I’ve been rejected from jobs and programs that I really wanted in my early 20’s and thank god I was because it would have sent me down a different path. 

What is your personal motto or mission statement?

Every win gives you maybe 1-2 lessons learned, every mistake gives you 10. I value learning and making mistakes because you don’t get complacent and you continue growing. 

Besides your work, what are you passionate about?

Wellness, I love living on the west coast and exploring nature from forests to beaches. 

Where can one find you on your days off?

In a local bakery, sipping a mocha latte and hanging with loved ones. 

How do you balance work, life, family?

It’s about carving out dedicated times to be with my family & loved ones. This looks like setting boundaries on which days I work 1-1 with clients, giving myself one weekend day to rest and reset etc. 

Upcoming Events

Parween is launching a signature workshop in late January/early February all about how to stop impulse spending and spending with intention. It’s a workshop all about understanding how your emotions impact your financial decisions, and her strategies to help you overcome them. It’s not about depriving ourselves of spending on things we enjoy, it’s about identifying those items and reducing purchases that we ultimately regret. 

Stay connected with Parween

IG: @parween.mander

Website: https://thewealthywolfe.ca/

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