Max Gerstein Independant Financial Advisor

Why So Many Young Adults Feel They Can’t Afford a Family  And why that belief is often wrong One in four young adults say they are choosing not to have children because they feel financially trapped. That statistic should stop us in our tracks. Not because raising a family is cheap. It isn’t. But because, in my experience, many of these decisions are being made without clarity, structure, or proper guidance. I speak to people every week who earn well, work hard, and are doing what they believe are the “right things.” Yet they feel stuck. Overwhelmed. Unable to move forward with major life decisions because money feels like a permanent constraint. What’s striking is this: in many cases, the problem isn’t income. It’s the absence of a plan. When you don’t have a clear framework, everything feels risky. Starting a family feels irresponsible. Changing jobs feels dangerous. Even enjoying your money feels reckless. Uncertainty fills the gaps where structure should be. This is wher...

  The UK property market continues to attract investor attention, but not all opportunities are created equal. For investors assessing where property still makes sense within a broader wealth strategy, Manchester and Birmingham remain two of the few UK cities supported by fundamentals rather than speculation. According to Savills, both cities are forecast to outperform the national average for house price growth over the medium term. Manchester is projected to see growth of approximately 24.3% between 2023 and 2027, while Birmingham is expected to achieve around 19.2%. This compares with London’s forecast growth of just over 8% during the same period. These figures matter, but only in context. Property should not be viewed in isolation. For higher earners and established investors, the real question is not “where will prices rise?” but “where does property still justify the capital, risk, and illiquidity involved?” Manchester continues to stand out due to a combination of populatio...

Why a Financial Plan Is What Allows You to Spend Without Guilt Unlimited spending sounds reckless. Most people assume it comes at the expense of long-term security. In reality, the opposite is true. The ability to spend freely comes from structure, not restraint. Financial stress rarely comes from numbers alone. It comes from uncertainty. When future outcomes are undefined, every decision feels heavier than it should. Spending feels risky. Saving feels arbitrary. Guilt appears not because money is being spent, but because there is no clarity about what that spending might cost later. A properly designed financial plan removes that uncertainty. Once long-term outcomes are clearly defined, behaviour changes without force. When someone knows what capital is required to support the life they want later, and what needs to happen consistently to reach that point, spending stops competing with the future. It exists alongside it. This is the difference between discipline and alignment. W...

  Why Small Financial Frictions Quietly Cost More Than People Realise When people think about financial advice, they often imagine complex strategies, high fees, and intimidating language. What they rarely consider is how much money is lost through small, routine decisions that feel too insignificant to question. One of the most common examples is how money is moved. International transfers and currency conversions are treated as administrative tasks. They feel transactional, not strategic. As a result, they rarely receive scrutiny. Convenience takes precedence, and the cost is accepted without examination. Banks rely on this behaviour. Transfer fees, intermediary charges, and wide currency spreads are built into systems people use by default. Individually, these costs appear modest. Over time, they compound quietly. What feels like a minor inefficiency becomes a recurring drain on capital. The real issue is not the size of the fee. It is the habit of not questioning friction....

Why High Earners Stay Broke Even When They Think They’re Doing Everything Right Earning a strong salary is supposed to create security. For many people, it does the opposite. Income rises, pressure remains, and progress never quite materialises. This is not because people are careless. It is because the behaviours that keep them stuck rarely feel wrong at the time. Most high earners who struggle financially are disciplined, hardworking, and responsible. They pay their bills. They avoid obvious mistakes. They believe they are doing what they should. What they miss is that wealth does not stall through recklessness. It stalls through drift. As income increases, lifestyle expands quietly to meet it. Spending adjusts without conscious intent. Obligations grow in line with earnings. What feels like success becomes a higher baseline that must be maintained. The issue is not enjoyment. It is that additional income fails to create additional flexibility. Without a clear structure guiding decis...

Why You’re Not Getting Wealthy Even When You Think You’re Doing Everything Right Many people believe they are managing their finances responsibly. They earn well. They avoid obvious mistakes. They feel disciplined. And yet, progress never quite materialises. This is not usually because they are doing something wrong. It is because they are doing nothing wrong for too long. Wealth rarely stalls because of a single bad decision. It stalls through patterns that feel sensible in the moment and costly later. Most people who feel financially stuck are not reckless. They are consistent, busy, and focused on the present. That combination creates blind spots. One of the most common is lifestyle expansion that quietly absorbs progress. As income increases, spending adjusts to match it. Obligations grow in line with earnings. What feels like success becomes a higher baseline that must be maintained. The problem is not enjoyment. It is that higher income fails to translate into increased fle...