Bendigo Bank provides palatable lessons in financial literacy with podcast via Subversus
Bendigo Bank and new original entertainment studio Subversus have launched Bendigo Bank life coach, a six-part podcast aimed at improving financial literacy.
Offering simple, fun lessons about personal finance that everyone should know, life coach is hosted by accountant-turned-comedian Suren Jayemanne, who couldn’t be more suited to the role if he tried.
Each episode is a deep dive into a monetary topic, from debt to investing and even COVID-19, with host Jayemanne talking to various experts from Bendigo Bank.
The aim of the podcast is to inspire listeners to start thinking about their finances, asking the right questions and ultimately making changes to improve their present and future circumstances.
The podcast is an extension of a video series of the same name, also produced and directed by Tanya Babic and Jason Sukadana of Subversus.
The series was born from research indicating that financial literacy is a growing concern for their customers and the wider community, and they saw an opportunity to provide real help.
Says Sarah Bateson, GM marketing, Bendigo and Adelaide Bank: “We wanted to educate and empower Australians to take charge of their finances. We know over half of Australians struggle with financial literacy and as an organisation that is so deeply connected to community we have a responsibility to try and break down these barriers, especially after such a challenging year.”
The life coach videos were also hosted by Suren Jayemanne, who was referred by a friend of Babic and Sukadana for his unique credentials.
Says Babic: “Finding Suren felt like striking casting gold. A comedian and accountant? We couldn’t have dreamed of a more perfect fit for our brief.”
For his part, Jayemanne says the project has made him realise that many don’t even know the basics of personal finance, such as credit cards, mortgages, superannuation and debt management: “It’s crazy to me that so many concepts we cover in the podcast are not already considered essential life learning for people.”
For their part, Babic and Sukadana say they couldn’t have chosen a better launch project for Subversus. Both are passionate about financial literacy, lamenting that in general, the people who know about money are those who were often brought up with lots of it.
Says Babic: “As the kids of struggling immigrant parents, this wasn’t something we had access to. We’ve had to very slowly learn stuff the hard way.”
So when Bendigo Bank floated the idea of a podcast with them, they jumped at the chance.
“We knew that there were already loads of great finance podcasts out there,” says Babic. “What was cool about this was having an adventurous client and free reign to create something as fun as it is informative.”
Subversus functions as a separate arm of VERSUS, the new venture seeing Babic and Sukadana playing a more active role in creating and developing original entertainment projects.
For more info on Subversus or the life coach podcast get in touch via; subversus@versusversus.com.au