The Graduate Grind

We want to say thank you to everyone who has supported our podcast over the last two years. A huge shout out to all the guests we’ve had and the change makers who are taking us to new heights. Check out The New Blxck https://www.thenewblxck.com/home

Today we are joined by Zainab Kwaw-Swanzy, a millennial finance specialist at Barclays. Zainab is responsible for creating innovative features for the Barclays app and is a prominent voice for the millennial finance sector within the business. She’s also co-Chair of the Barclays Black Professionals Forum (BPF) and winner of the Black British Business Awards Financial Services Rising Star 2020 Award. We discuss the culture of corporations changing, FOMO, splitting bills, work/life balance and interviewing employers. Tune in to laugh and learn with TL3D and Zainab.

On this episode we were joined by Ken & Mary, the creators of The Humble Penny. A business started in 2017 that has skyrocketed to over 50,000 subscribers and counting. Disu and Bola ask about how they keep consistent in making quality content. Ken gets into his role as CFO prior to becoming a full time entrepreneur. Last but not least Ken and Mary discuss how they paid off their mortgage in 7 years. Make sure you tune in to the full episode, it’s not one to be missed! You can find Ken and Mary at www.youtube.com/c/TheHumblePenny/ and https://financialjoyacademy.com/

Nego, Bola & Disu discuss the cost of socialising now we’ve been outside for over a month. We talk about our spending now vs pre pandemic and what we’re doing to make sure our finances don’t take anymore serious hits as a result. We get into the costs of running a charity and whether they should have cash reserves in case anything happens. TL3D also talk about how Go Fund Me makes the majority of their money and the most bizarre things we’ve seen individuals raise money for. Nonetheless, we know there are many notable causes that we shout out on the podcast. Make sure you tune in!

Given the events of last year, graduates are struggling to find jobs irrespective of their degrees and grades. Disu, Nego and Bola talk about their experience when they left university and the advice they’d give to their younger selves. We go on to discuss whether arduous applications and long winded interview processes are worth the hassle. Is working for a top company as good as it seems? Disu gets into what it means to work for a top firm and why it’s worth it. Tune in and get involved in the discussion via our socials.

On this weeks episode, The Last 3 Digits begin discussing how many billionaires there are in the world as well as how many came from Africa. With most billionaires wealth being held in the companies they own, we talk about delayed gratification and the type of salary we would pay ourselves if we owned a company that had a valuation that was over £100 billion. Nego, Bola and Disu talk about the causes they’d be willing to be a part of from a philanthropic/charitable standpoint which led to the conversation about how much money goes directly to the cause in question. With a net worth of a billion, how would you prefer to split up your wealth between businesses, stock, property and other assets? Let us know what you’d do on our social channels.

This week we explore the costs of being a man vs being a woman. Disu and Nego discuss how the costs of haircuts have risen since the early 2000s. They also talk about the costs of their hobbies, keeping up with fitness and what they’re happy to cover financially for their partner without expectations playing a part. Bola goes into the costs of hair care for women highlighting how extortionate prices can be for black women’s hair products. We also cover the gender pay gap, how feminine branded products are branded and much more. Make sure you tune in to #TL3D

The first bank holiday weekend hit when the sun was shining and outside was open. This resulted in individual’s expenditure hitting an all time high after months of staying indoors physically and financially. We asked our audience how much they spent on the weekend and we heard ranges from £50-£4K. People questioned if costs had gone up and inflation figures confirmed this. In March inflation was 0.7% and by April, it rose to 1.5%. We discuss what this means for the cost of our goods and services as well as those who benefit from inflation. Just like inflation, house prices have also seen a 10.9% surge in the past twelve months with more buyers seeking out a property with a garden. Stocks such as AMC are also on the up now cinemas are back open. With the economy working overtime to recover, we question where this leaves our personal pockets. Let us know how you’re getting through the summer financially via our socials.

We sit down with the young media entrepreneur Fassah Speaks to discuss if we’re losing our culture in the diaspora? Whether language, finances and everything culture what can be done to keep our heritages going? Is there a cultural reason as to why we don’t do well in the property market? In another informative, yet funny episode #TL3D break down the intricacies of keeping a culture going.

This week Nego, Bola and Disu sat down to discuss the legendary question ‘Can money buy happiness?’ For centuries people have argued about this question. Is there an amount? Does having less impact your mental health? What are the numbers, stats, studies behind this and how does it impact our choices when we want families?