'I've got the best in the biz': TikTok star Lauren Whelan on hiring a financial adviser and starting a pension at 23
Whelan, a popular 23-year-old content creator from Carlow, has established herself as a bona fide social media sensation in recent years, building up an audience of 1.7 million on TikTok alone.
So, how does one go about achieving such numbers?
Whelan started off by tapping into trends before giving comedy skits a go. It was her move into fashion and beauty content that really raised her game, though, attracting the attention of not just brands, but professional management companies.
Influencing might still be a relatively new career option, and its unconventional nature often provokes criticism, but Whelan and the team around her take it very seriously indeed.
'I actually have no fears,' she says. 'Maybe that's a bit delusional of me, but I've seen how far the other girls in my management company have gone, they've been doing it so much longer than I have and they all have their own brands.
'They've ventured off into new things. They've invested in different things. They've taken different routes; they've gone into TV and media. So, I think I'm in a really nice position.
'It's nice to have that platform because you can kind of venture into different things from it,' she adds. 'I'm never in my ear like, 'Oh, I must get a more traditional job because this is a real job.'
And like any job, there are long-term financial considerations. Despite her young age, Whelan is already securing her future.
'I am very lucky in that I'm set up with a really good financial adviser and accountant... I have the best in the biz,' she said.
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'I have a pension, which is mad to say at 23. I know it's a bit like, 'Oh, what does a 23-year-old need a pension for? But I think everyone should have one, no matter what age you are, and no matter how much you put into it.'
You can hear the full conversation with Lauren Whelan on the latest episode of Money Talks, available now wherever you get your podcasts.
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