Gabriella Goddard, a 22-year-old management consultant from Bath, Somerset, has saved £106,000 despite earning a base salary of £35,000 a year. Instead of going to university, she started a degree apprenticeship in management consulting at age 18, immediately depositing 60% of her £1,400 monthly wage into a cash ISA.
In her second year, her pay rose to £1,600 a month, and she began investing £1,000 monthly — £500 into a cash ISA and £500 into a Trading 212 stocks and shares ISA. Alongside her apprenticeship, she launched a content creation business managing social media for small firms and securing brand partnerships, now earning about £5,000 a month. She now holds £70,000 in investments with Trading 212, £13,000 in an emergency fund, and £23,000 in her workplace pension.
Living with her parents, she pays £200 monthly rent and saves or invests around £1,000 each month. She has no immediate plans to buy property and aims to continue growing her investments. Gabriella credits her early work ethic, starting at a garden centre at 15 for £4 an hour, and learning about investing during the pandemic through books and social media.
She said: 'This money definitely wasn't handed to me. A lot of people assume I'm just a posh girl from Bath whose had everything given to her, but there's been a lot of hard work and sacrifice.' She advises others to do their own research and start investing gradually.
