The MyBFD platform identifies and addresses the customer related problems that hinder service providers by addressing gaps in the financial capability of their customers. Our proprietary software and online platform provides a dynamic, tangible and transparent solution to issues that are caused by gaps in financial capability and often result in default, non-compliance and impaired outcomes
Financial literacy is the possession of a set of skills and knowledge that allows an individual to effectively use financial resources to make decisions.
When someone is operating with poor financial literacy, their decision making is impaired, this leads to choices that result in debt and default, as essential bills are left inadequately prepared for.
The effects of poor financial literacy are blighting the lives of the most vulnerable in our society.
Economic uncertainty affects the most vulnerable in our society. The externalities of these issues can be felt by tenants, students, employees, landlords, and other vital service providers.
As income inequality rises, increases in the use of zero hours contract and rises in personal and household debt, we have seen the average persons capacity to meet their financial needs in a consistent manner reduce significantly.
The tools available to the service providers of these people are restricted in nature, reach and effectiveness, meaning that occurrences of financial difficulty overwhelming result in litigation.
83% of social housing residents fail to make sufficient plans for their financial future, and as many as 94% are making poor financial choices. 81% have no savings account, 91% have no insurance cover, and 20% have made use of doorstep lenders.
Social housing accounts for half of the poorest 10% of households in the UK while, 61% of social housing households have nobody within the home working – compared to 35% nationally.
In the regrettable circumstances where the decision must be made to litigate against somebody that is in default as a result of sustained non-payment and non-compliance, significant monetary costs are incurred upon service providers.
These costs include, but are not limited to, litigation costs – many of which are unrecoverable – in addition to the time that members of staff spend attending eviction hearings and chasing recurring debt.
Non-Compliance affects all stakeholders by way of revenue collection, damaging profits and impacting resource allocation. Landlords can pay more than £30,000 in costs to evict non-compliant tenants. Aside from the average £2,500 court and bailiff costs, there also unpaid rent, property damage, additional legal costs, opportunity costs and void periods where the property is empty.
Those with limited financial capability are prone to falling into debt with payday lenders, ‘loan-sharks’, and unsecured lenders. Many are excluded from the ability to make use of the credit system, are likely to be unbanked, access cheap debt and are often likely to be paying a premium for day to day expenses.
Limited financial capability has been shown to have tangible impacts on the physical and mental health of individuals. This has been most recently evidenced by the disproportionate way in which the Covid-19 pandemic so disproportionately affects the poorest and most vulnerable members of our society. As a result more support is required from the state through healthcare, benefits and social housing.
Gaps in financial literacy and limited financial capability act as a generational weight, negating the possibility of passing on wealth, assets, and effective financial education.
Studies in publications including The OECD, World Bank, World Business Review and the Office for National Statistics; report on the negative impact that gaps in financial capability and financial literacy have on the Gross Domestic Product of a nation.
MyBFD addresses the challenges faced by vital service providers that are caused by the rising indebtedness of stakeholders, and the subsequent enforcement and litigation costs. MyBFD improves the financial capability and financial literacy of participants in a manner that is effective and sustainable, whilst yielding results that we are able to track and evidence to the service providers that we work with.
The provision of access to effective financial literacy education, is of mutual benefit to all of the stakeholders that we work with. Our outreach and education platform enables participants to identify and eradicate the causes of their debt, imparting within them the tools required to navigate the landscape unique to their socioeconomic circumstances. This in turn provides vital service providers with benefits that are immediately apparent in revenue collection, significant savings in litigation costs, more effective deployment of human resources, reduced client turnover, and a higher standard of living amongst their client base.
The MyBFD solution works with partners across different pillars of business and industry in order to incentivise participants with an ongoing reward structure that is of benefit to the entire family, and recognises the achievements and progress that they make.
Service provides already commit significant resources in order to provide a supportive interface with their customers that are centred on debt issues. The available data shows that the current approach is being outstripped by need, and this is compounded by the unforeseen and unprecedented shocks that our economy has experienced in recent times. These are having a disproportionate effect on the current provision of debt support and financial literacy education, causing it to not be effective or efficient enough to meet the needs of any of the stakeholders.
The MyBFD platform allows us to address a large-scale problem with the attention to detail that each individual and their circumstances require.
We engage and onboard participants independently onto the MyBFD platform. The onboarding process identifies gaps in the participants financial capabilities and tailors course content specific to
their needs.
Our proprietary software enables each participant to tackle their individual issues, but also enables the user to chart their progress towards their individual goals through content and modules that are made available to them according to their ambitions.
As participants progress through the course, they are rewarded for adhering to the requirements of
the modules and for the tangible progress made through the program.
Participants are empowered to take control of their circumstances, improve the lives of their families and create positive generational change.
MyBFD has been created with a focus on providing financial education to those that really are in
need. With an initial focus on social housing residents, MyBFD now offers a solution or a wider scope of clients and end users including rent guarantee insurance providers, educational institutes and more. The management team at MyBFD are committed to effecting change in the lives of those who otherwise would not have access to financial literacy education. The aim is that they too have a platform from which they can access social mobility and enjoy long-lasting relationships with their service providers.
Pre-emptive and responsive engagement with stakeholders whose behaviour is creating issues in the revenue collection process.
Especially effective in cases in which litigation has already commenced, and in cases in which there is persistent non-compliance, and recurring behaviour. Also particularly impactful for clients that have no desire to initiate litigation whatsoever, yet still want corrective measures to be deployed.
Rather than incurring the costs associated with litigation, our engagement can result in revenue
recovery, and the long-term maintenance of the relationship between service provider and
participant.
Our engagement reduces stakeholder/end-user turnover by addressing the shortcomings in the financial literacy of participants and the impaired decisions that gaps in their financial capabilities
are likely to cause.
Importantly, our engagement also identifies participants who are more likely to cause ongoing
compliance issues, thus providing our clients with the information required to take decisions that are driven by data.
Make contact with those that demonstrate the relevant indicators
Deploy the training and tools specific to individual need through our app, engagement channels and face-to-face functionality
Sustained monitoring and progress review, culminating in ‘graduation’ and recognition of participant’s accomplishment
MyBFD works with vital service providers, which are those that operate within sectors such as Housing, Insurance, Education, Safeguarding and Legal Services.
MyBFD tackles circumstances in which the financial capability of a crucial stakeholder is limiting or corroding profits, impacting revenue collection, or leading to increased costs.
Our focus is on improving financial capability, therefore tackling poverty, hunger and homelessness; improving health and well-being, and contributing to economic growth.
The MyBFD platform is powered by proprietary software and content which enables us to address the different challenges and issues that are often unique to each stakeholder, in a manner that creates mutually beneficial outcomes.
Krystle is a Chartered Management Accountant and has a degree in Financial Mathematics. Krystle is experienced within financial planning and analysis and is the founder of Moneytelligence.
Krystle is dedicated to improving the financial capability and literacy of underprivileged groups with the aim of creating financial stability.
Paul has worked in asset finance and real estate since graduating from the University of Durham in 2004, where he read Business Finance and Economics.
Paul is passionate about the role that technology and big data can play in providing solutions to corporate problems as well as enhancing the lives of the disadvantaged.
