The Financial Self-care event series: Inequality, investing and intuition

Money doesn't make you happy, but it can certainly help with stress. You might also be aware that (prolonged) stress can have serious health implications. Recent findings indicate this is really just the tip of the iceberg.



It's hardly a stretch then, to say that achieving clarity and peace of mind in regards to your finances is an important form of self-care. This was the understanding we operated on when we brainstormed the idea for Peaks' latest collaboration: a new series of events, developed in collaboration with two female-led institutions in the Netherlands: financial platform Elfin and co-working group Workmode. The theme: ‘Financial Self-care’.

The Peaks, Elfin and Workmode collaboration

Before we get to the event recap, here's the lowdown on our brilliant collaborators, who planned, produced and set-designed the event for us.

Elfin is the largest financial platform for women in the Netherlands and Belgium, offering content, education and events to help women become financially savvy. Workmode offers female-focused co-working spaces with locations in Amsterdam, Apeldoorn, Utrecht and Rotterdam and aims to be the place for ambitious women who want to develop into formidable entrepreneurs. We were in good company, to say the least!

The first Financial Self-Care event

On the 26th of September, the first instalment of our Financial Self-care series took place at Workmode in Apeldoorn. Hosted by Elfin's Lieke van Danenberg and Workmode's Emilie Sobels, the event featured Marianne Bruijn of The Female Fix, Peaks founder Tom Arends and Jessica Scholten of LAKWERK, not to mention 75 women with pens and paper at the ready. Keep reading for a recap of this special afternoon.

Marianne Bruijn: Hard facts about the gender gap

How well would you think the Netherlands scored on gender equality? Dissapointingly, the answer is not very high at all, according to statistics revealed by Marianne Bruijn. She illustrated this point by highlighting a Dutch awareness campaign, which translates to 'My Name is Peter', which exposed the fact that listed companies in the Netherlands employ more CEOs called ‘Peter’ than female CEOs.

Marianne also revealed that while 40% of entrepreneurs are women, only 10% of funding goes to female entrepreneurs. To make matters worse, women's salaries statistically drop by 40% on average when they become mothers – and typically ‘female’ professions in general are shown to be valued less from a salary standpoint. In short, gender inequality in the business world still looms large. 

Tom Arends: Make that money work for you

Even in 2024, the investment world is still mainly a man's world. This is really a missed opportunity, because in the long run investing has shown to deliver higher returns than saving, as Peaks founder Tom Arends explained. If you keep your investing practice simple, it can be a great, low-barrier way to grow your money and create more financial freedom for yourself. This is the premise that inspired the simplicity of the Peaks app. You don't need any knowledge to get started, you can invest as little as one euro and once you set things up, your investing could essentially be hands-free.

Jessica Scholten: Following your intuition

You may know Jessica Scholten as the woman behind LAKWERK: a highly successful nail studio and nail art school. Her booming business began with a dream and the decision to follow her intuition instead of just her brain. She helped remind us of the times we swam against the current ourselves. How did that feel - and would we do it again?

Interested in joining us for an afternoon on Financial Self-care?

This winter we're organising the second event in our Financial Self-care series. Learn where and when it takes place by reading our newsletter. As a Peaks customer, you'll automatically receive this in your mailbox (unless you've opted out). We hope to see you next time!