Charlotte Van Brabander talks to BVs about money in new podcast: “There are guests who are having quite a hard time financially”

Véronique De Kock, Conner Rousseau, Klaasje Meijer, Herman Verbruggen, William Boeva, Nora Gharib and Bart Appeltans. These are just a few of the thirteen well-known Flemish people who were convinced by Charlotte Van Brabander to talk about their money into a microphone. “Money is a bigger taboo in our country than sex,” says the influencer and author. “I notice that I talk about it with few people, although I find it a super fascinating subject. If famous people dare to talk about it, maybe we’ll all do it a little more?”

According to Charlotte, there is “a dark cloud” hanging over the subject. She wants to take that away. “The unequal distribution, the self-esteem that we associate with it, the shame, anger, fears and dreams make it an emotional subject. I noticed that very hard after The traitors“, she says about the VTM program in which she participated last year. “I had said in an article: ‘My daughter will become a millionaire’. That’s pure math. I am already investing for her and have calculated that she will almost certainly become a millionaire. The hate reactions I received from that… Then I thought: wow, money is a huge emotion. I want to disarm them.”

“Money is a bigger taboo in our country than sex. If famous people dare to talk about it, maybe we’ll all do it a little more?”

Charlotte Van Brabander

Finfluencer

No amounts but ‘types’

Anyone who wants to find out how much money millionaire Marc Coucke has in his savings account will be disappointed. “It is not specifically about amounts, because I don’t find that relevant,” Charlotte explains. “I talk to guests about how they spend money, how they grew up with money, about their financial blunders and worries. Yes, even Marc Coucke has money worries.” The episode with Coucke will be on all podcast platforms from Tuesday, just like the episode with Lotte Vanwezemael.

Charlotte uses a personality test to determine the ‘money type’ or ‘money personality’ of her guest. “How someone like Bart Appeltans thinks about his money is miles away from how Nora Gharib, for example, deals with it. Bart is someone who is very frugal and thinks carefully about what he spends. Nora is more reckless with her money. When she earns something, she wants to share it. She lives in the moment and is not concerned with money matters at all.”

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That type of money largely determines your financial success. “Bart is what we call a ‘ruler’: he works very hard and likes to work, combines many things and does not like to outsource work. In addition to his TV work, he has his own architectural firm and sells online courses. He is financially successful, but not necessarily because of his work in the media. That alone just won’t get you there. There were guests with a media career who were having quite a hard time financially. They forget to make invoices at the end of the month and then think: shit, I can’t make ends meet. Just because you’re famous doesn’t mean you’ve made it. You have to be smart about it.”

Expensive sneakers

A notable guest is Conner Rousseau. The episode with the Vooruit politician appears two weeks before the elections. “But it is certainly not political promotional talk. Sometimes he went in that direction, but then I steered the conversation away from it,” Van Brabander explains. “I really wanted him in because I was very curious about his money type. For me, the person he is outwardly could not be reconciled with the socialist who stands up for the poor.”

“Your money type is like a magnifying glass on your personality. How you do money is how you do everything”

Charlotte Van Brabander

Finfluencer

“He appears without shame before the king wearing Alexander McQueens, sneakers that easily cost 500 euros. He always looks his best. Now that I’ve chatted with him, I know: it makes perfect sense. My image of him has changed. Not that I will vote for him or not, but I understand him better.”

Charlotte hopes that listeners will get to know themselves and others better through the podcast. “It’s actually a psychological podcast. I’ve had very deep, open conversations with guests. William Boeva ​​brought tears to my eyes at one point. Your money type is like a magnifying glass on your personality. How you make money is how you do everything. Understanding your relationship with money will benefit your relationships with others and your financial success.”