Yeliz Çiçek: ‘Getting a grip on my money is on my vision board’

January is the month of good intentions, and ‘becoming more financially fit’ is high on the list this year. This was also noticeable on Thursday 23 January at the NIO House in Amsterdam, where Peaks, together with Elfin and Workmode, welcomed 180 ambitious women.

The theme this time? You guessed it: ‘becoming more financially fit by 2025’.

Yeliz Çiçek: ‘f*ck off money’ to be able to choose for yourself

Our guest was Yeliz Çiçek, who became known as the editor-in-chief of Vogue Netherlands but now does all kinds of other things. She founded an empowerment platform, has a podcast with Anna Nooshin and wrote a book: Alles is mogelijk (Everything is possible).

She told her life story to a full house: how, as a little girl from a working-class neighbourhood, she would peer at the expensive international fashion magazines when she went to buy magazines at ‘Wim's’ newsagent. And how, against all odds, she made a name for herself as a fashion journalist. In the end, her childhood dream came true: she became editor-in-chief of the prestigious Vogue Netherlands.

But because there were aspects of the job that did not make Yeliz happy (meetings, meetings, meetings), she decided to take the plunge and do something else. She was able to do so thanks in part to the ‘f*ck off pot’ she had built up over time. This financial buffer gave her the freedom to change the direction of her career.

Yeliz now also invests. As a fashion lover, she naturally sometimes spends her money on a designer bag, but she has recently also discovered Peaks. It is much easier than the other investment app she once tried: ‘With Peaks, you don't have to research all your investments yourself, someone else has done that for you. You only determine your risk and investment. Now something is actually happening with my money, without me having to constantly worry about it.

Tom Arends: investing is persevering

Did you know that 32% of women want to become more financially fit in order to be able to make their own choices in life? And that only 8% of men say the same?* This shows that women are still less financially independent than men, concluded Peaks founder Tom Arends a few floors below Yeliz.

In the art space of the NIO House, he explained the essentials of passive investing. After all, investing can be a way to build up more capital and thus become more financially fit.

Tom showed how you can reduce your risks and let the return-on-return effect work for you by consistently setting money aside, investing in a well-diversified manner and investing for the long term. You really don't have to be an investment expert for that: at Peaks you can get started even if you have no knowledge.

Financial fitness with Peaks, Elfin and Workmode

For the Financial Selfcare series, we are working with Elfin and Workmode. Elfin is the largest platform for women discussing money in the Benelux. Workmode offers female-focused co-working spaces with locations in Amsterdam, Apeldoorn, Utrecht and Rotterdam. It is the place to be for ambitious women who want to develop into strong entrepreneurs. By organising events together, we try to financially empower women.

Want to participate next time?

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* Source: Peaks, Elfin and Motivaction survey of financial intentions, 2024.