Financial Literacy Built on Real Experience
We started mynorithael in 2019 because too many people were struggling with basic financial concepts that should be straightforward. After years of working with confused clients at traditional banks, we realized something needed to change.
Financial terminology shouldn't feel like a foreign language. It's just vocabulary that unlocks better money decisions.
Why Financial Language Matters More Than You Think
Most financial education focuses on advice. We focus on language first. You can't follow advice if you don't understand what the words actually mean.
Take "compound interest" – plenty of people know it's important. But do they understand the mechanism? Can they calculate it? More importantly, can they spot when it's working against them on a credit card versus working for them in savings?
We break down the jargon into plain English first. Then we show you how these concepts connect to your actual financial decisions. Because knowing definitions isn't enough – you need to recognize them in real life situations.
What Guides Our Teaching
We've learned a lot about what actually helps people understand money. Here's what shapes everything we create.
Clear Language First
Financial terms get thrown around like everyone knows them. We define everything before using it. No assumptions about what you already know.
Real Examples Always
Theory means nothing without context. Every concept comes with actual scenarios you might face – mortgage applications, investment choices, loan comparisons.
Honest About Complexity
Some financial concepts are genuinely complicated. We don't pretend they're simple, but we do break them into manageable pieces you can understand step by step.
Fionnuala Breckridge
Financial Education Specialist
Teaching What Banks Don't Explain
Fionnuala spent twelve years in retail banking before getting frustrated enough to start mynorithael. She kept seeing the same pattern – people nodding along during financial consultations, then making decisions that showed they hadn't understood a word.
The problem wasn't intelligence. It was language. Banks use specialized terminology without explaining it, assuming everyone knows what "equity" or "amortization" means. Most people don't, and they're too embarrassed to ask.
So she started writing definitions and explanations in her spare time. Those notes became our first course materials. Now she leads our content development, making sure every term gets properly explained before we use it in any lesson.
Her approach is simple – if your teenager wouldn't understand it, we need to explain it better. That doesn't mean dumbing things down. It means respecting that financial language is specialized, and nobody should feel bad for needing clear definitions.
How We Build Financial Understanding
Our programs start with vocabulary and build toward confident decision-making. Here's what that actually looks like in practice.
Every financial term gets explained in plain English before we use it. We build a shared vocabulary first, so later lessons don't lose you with unexplained jargon.
Once you know what a term means, we show you where it appears in actual financial products – loan documents, investment statements, mortgage agreements. Recognition matters as much as definition.
Understanding terminology doesn't help unless you can use it. Our exercises walk you through comparing options, calculating outcomes, and recognizing when something doesn't add up in fine print.