We recently connected with Michelle Hung and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Michelle, thanks for joining us today. How do you think about spending on things like coffee when times are tough?

When I graduated university in 2008, in the midst of the Great Recession, and without unemployment, the only thing I spent money on was food! Manicures, coffees, dining out were out of the question. I couldn’t even afford a yoga pass. Having debt and no income was one of the most financially stressful things I’ve ever experienced.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I was layed off from my full-time job of almost 6 years while at the same time, I was going through a lot in my personal life. My 12-year relationship ended so I moved back home with my parents, and my 9-year old dog fell ill and I had to put him down.

It was a different type of stress compared to 2008 when I was unemployed, had no savings, and bills piling up. The difference was, even though I was unemployed, I learned from my past that I never wanted to be financially vulnerable.

I had built a six-figure investment portfolio by the time I was unemployed for the 2nd time since graduation.

This bought my time to reset my life, take care of my dog before I had to say goodbye to him forever, and re-think the next steps of my career. I was able to travel, take care of myself without any financial worries, and not be pressured into finding a job.

As I was going through this experience, between unemployment and leaving a crummy relationship, I realized how important financial dependence was, and the risks of leaving yourself financially vulnerable.

This lead me to start writing a book on how to invest, which eventually evolved into The Sassy Investor, a platform for women that teaches them how to build a lifetime of wealth and become financially independent.

It’s been 7 years since founding The Sassy Investor and I’ve published two books: The Sassy Investor and Investing for Teens: How to Save, Invest, and Grow Money.

From teaching workshops at universities to working with clients in a 1-on-1 setting, I’ve taught thousands of people how to save money and invest in the stock market.

Financial literacy is so critical to one’s well-being and I strongly believe EVERYONE needs to learn about money management and how to grow their wealth so they can stop leaving their power in the hands of others – whether it’s their employer because they’re dependent on that paycheque or their spouses because they are the sole income earner.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’ve always had that entrepreneurial itch, which I eventually scratched! After I was laid off from my full-time job, I took some time for myself to travel, focus on re-building my life, etc. I started job searching and was able to land a contract job for a few months with this venture capital firm. After that was done, I was back job searching again.

It was very frustrating and emotionally draining. I’ve had an offer rescinded, invested hours into each job application because I had to submit work/projects (unpaid labour) as part of the interview process (which I think is absolutely bs!).

There’s an emotional investment into the job search process because of how much effort, time, and labour one puts in. That was the final straw before I decided I wanted to create my own income. I was taking power back into my own hands because I never wanted to rely on someone else (employer) for my own financial well-being.

These experiences steered me into the direction of entrepreneurship. So needless to say, all those rejections were actually re-direction.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think it’s a combination of my life experience, work experience, and education.

Unemployment and relationship breakdowns resonate with many people so as I told my story over the years, I was able to connect with my audience and relay my message on the importance of financial independence.

Working in corporate finance and obtaining my CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) designation also helps with credibility.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thesassyinvestor.ca/
• Instagram: @thesassyinvestor
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sassyinvestor
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@thesassyinvestor
• Other: TikTok: @thesassyinvestor