Hi, I’m Susan Hayes. Are you wondering who I am and why you should listen to me? Read on!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why are you called “The Positive Economist”?

 

A few years ago I had a regular slot on 4FM on Friday mornings, with Gareth O’Callaghan. My slot was at 7.30 am, which meant I would get up before 6.30, then hop on my bike and cycle to the radio station headquarters. I am naturally a happy and positive person, and people at the radio would comment that I was always smiling, no matter how early I had to get up or how horrible the weather was on my ride.

 

So they began introducing me on air with the nickname “The Happy Economist”. Once the CEO of 4FM heard about me and said “She can’t possibly be a happy economist. Economists are never happy!”, but the staff countered that I was both happy and an economist – for real!

 

It was at a time when I was still a young entrepreneur and I was still wondering who I was exactly. And these two elements, happiness and economics, I thought described me perfectly.

 

So I adopted “The Positive Economist” as my business name.

 

How can you possibly be interested in economics?

 

I know, I know. Economics is a dry and boring subject, full of numbers and percentages, and economists usually bring bad news.

 

This is not the way I see it. To me, economics is a fascinating lens through which to see the world and make sense of it. Whenever something changes in the economy (for example when Irish bonds are downgraded by a ratings agency), people’s behaviours and decision-making processes are affected. It’s riveting to observe these changes, sometimes on an hourly basis.

 

Economics is also a wonderful and essential tool – and not just for millionaires, but for anybody with a bank account. When you understand economics, you are able to make better decisions to manage your money. You improve your financial well-being and you are able to protect your assets. If you are a business owner, understanding economics allows you to spot opportunities and to have a successful business.

 

I am passionate about economics because I find the topic enthralling – but also because it empowers people to make better choices for themselves, and not be at the mercy of doom and gloom fear-mongers. My mission, as I see it, is to destroy hurtful money myths and teach anyone who will listen what they can do, what small step they can take, right now, to improve their financial situation, even in the deep recession that we are all suffering from.

 

What do you do?

 

I am Managing Director at Hayes Culleton – a financial training and educational consultancy company, specialising in eLearning. Hayes Culleton is a client of Enterprise Ireland and a corporate affiliate of Finance Malta and VectorVest.

 

I am a successful individual trader, managing my own portfolio of actions.

 

I am a financial trainer and a speaker.

 

How did you get there?

 

I have a BSc Financial Maths & Economics from NUI Galway. I passed two of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exams on the first attempt.

 

What keeps you busy?

 

I deliver financial training for Irish Times Training, Malta Institute of Accountants, Bank of Valletta as well as the InvestR Centre.

I speak on a wide range of topics, at networking events, organizations’ meetings, etc.

In 2008, I wrote a digitised module called “Introducing Wall Street to the Classroom” with Ardle Culleton. The module is designed to make the stock market approachable and accessible for second level students and their teachers.

 

Where can I hear more from you?

 

As the “Positive Economist”, I regularly contribute to the national and international media, including The Sunday Times (Malta), RTE, Newstalk and Today FM (Ireland). I talk about matters relating to economics, the stock market, banking, entrepreneurship and finance.

 

I write the Recovery Index in the Sunday Independent weekly with Nick Webb.

 

What do you have in your own portfolio?

 

I favour Exchange Traded Funds, Value Stocks and Writing Options.

 

 

 

Meet the other people in my team:

 

 

 

 

 

Ardle Culleton (QFA), Qualified Financial Advisor with the Institute of Bankers, is a Director of Hayes Culleton (Financial Training) and of the www.investrcentre.com, a Stock Market Training Company & Independent Investment Advisory Service.

 

He has seventeen years experience in the Life & Pensions Industry and is a member of CFA Ireland. Ardle co-ordinates investment clubs and holds individual consultations in Stock Market Investing.

 

 

Julie Duran-Gelléri is Editor and Web Content Manager at Hayes Culleton.

 

A writer, translator and editor, she strives for clarity and empathy to make complex, technical knowledge accessible and appealing to lay audiences, without the need to “dumb things down”.

 

She studied at the Sorbonne, Paris and is an alumna of the Ecole Normale Supérieure Ulm, Paris. She then taught at the Sorbonne and at Oxford (Lady Margaret Hall and Saint Anne’s), before undertaking a PhD and focusing on writing.