I hate maths — is that why I’m bad with money?

If you hated maths at school, does it follow that you’ll be bad at managing money as an adult? Money Clinic host Claer Barrett hears from Jade, a 21-year-old self-employed graduate, who says even thinking about numbers makes her feel anxious, bringing back memories of not knowing the answer in school maths lessons. In her adult life, it’s affecting Jade’s ability to manage her finances, particularly as the cost of living rises. But Jade’s problem is far from uncommon — half of working-age adults in the UK have the numeracy skills expected of a child at primary school – and ahead of National Numeracy Day on Wednesday May 18, Money Clinic hears from a trio of experts on how to improve your numeracy skills. They are Bobby Seagull, the TV personality and Britain’s most famous maths teacher, Mr MoneyJar, aka Timi Merriman-Johnson, and Suzanne Dale, who teaches adult numeracy in the workplace.


To take the 10-minute National Numeracy Challenge and download many other free resources, visit the National Numeracy website: https://www.nationalnumeracy.org.uk/challenge/


Got a money issue that you’d like to talk to us about? Please email the team via money@ft.com or send Claer a DM on social media - she’s @ClaerB 


Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. 



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