We Started Because We Were Scared Too
Back in 2019, three of us sat around a kitchen table in Galway, staring at investment statements we barely understood. We'd all heard stories about people losing everything, markets crashing, advisors who seemed to speak a different language.
The fear was real. And honestly? It made sense. Money you've worked hard for deserves respect and careful thought.
What we learned over the next few years changed how we saw everything. Investment fear isn't about being weak or uninformed—it's about being human. Your brain is designed to protect you from risk. That's a feature, not a bug.
What We Actually Do
We run small workshops—never more than twelve people—where you can ask the questions that feel silly but aren't. Like why bonds work the way they do, or what diversification actually means beyond the textbook definition.
Most programmes run for eight weeks, starting either September 2025 or January 2026. You meet once a week, talk through real scenarios, and work out what makes sense for your situation.
There's no pressure to invest in anything specific. Some people leave and open their first ISA. Others just sleep better knowing they understand their pension statement.
The Galway Connection
We're based out in Leenaun, which means our perspective is shaped by rural Irish realities. People here often feel disconnected from the Dublin-centric financial world. That distance creates its own kind of anxiety.
Being out here forces us to explain things clearly, without falling back on jargon that only makes sense if you work in the IFSC. Our participants are farmers, teachers, shop owners, remote workers—people with varied backgrounds who deserve straightforward information.
And yes, we actually are at that address in Letterbrickaun. Drop us a line at [email protected] if you want to chat before committing to anything.
How We Think About This Work
Fear around money is complicated. It comes from stories we heard growing up, bad experiences we've had, and a financial system that sometimes feels designed to confuse rather than clarify.
Fear Isn't the Enemy
When someone tells you to just "get over" your investment anxiety, they're missing the point. That fear exists because your brain is working properly.
What we do is help you understand where specific worries come from. Is it about losing control? Past financial trauma? Watching a parent struggle? Once you know what you're actually afraid of, you can address it directly.
Some fears deserve attention. Others dissolve once you have better information. Our job is helping you tell the difference.
Siobhan Tierney
Programme Coordinator
Education Over Sales
We're not here to sell you investment products. That's deliberate. The moment we have a financial interest in your decisions, everything gets muddier.
Our programmes cost what they cost because that's what covers room hire, materials, and our time. If you complete the course and decide investing isn't for you right now, that's completely fine.
What matters is that you understand your options well enough to make informed choices—whether that's starting a pension, keeping cash in savings, or something in between.
View Our ProgrammesReal Conversations
Every session includes time for questions that might feel awkward elsewhere. Like admitting you don't actually know what a stock is, or asking why index funds matter when you keep hearing about crypto.
The groups stay small so nobody gets lost. We've had sessions where half the time went to one person's specific situation because that's what everyone needed to hear.
You're not interrupting by asking questions. That's literally why we're all there. And if something still doesn't make sense after we explain it, that's on us to try a different approach.
Get in TouchThe Actual Goal
By the end of our programmes, most people report feeling less anxious about financial decisions. Not because investing suddenly became risk-free, but because they understand what they're looking at.
You'll know how to read a fund prospectus. You'll understand why your pension dropped last month. You'll be able to spot when someone's selling you something that doesn't match your needs.
That knowledge doesn't guarantee returns or prevent losses. But it does mean you're making active choices rather than avoiding the whole topic out of fear. And that's usually where things start getting better.