Charlie Friend

Charlie Friend is an award-winning Chartered Tax Adviser and personal finance creator on a mission to make wealth-building accessible, with a particular focus on empowering women to take control of their financial futures.

A winner of Tolley’s Taxation Rising Star award in 2025, Charlie built her career across some of the biggest names in finance and professional services, including JP Morgan, PwC, and EY, specialising in M&A tax advisory. She also spent time in private equity and luxury fashion before turning her expertise into content that cuts through the noise.

Across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, Charlie breaks down investing, tax planning, and financial independence in a way that’s grounded in real professional credibility, not just opinion. Her content blends the technical authority of a CTA with the relatability of someone who experienced housing instability at 19 and built her financial life from scratch.

With a growing audience of over 50,000 followers and partnerships with leading financial brands, Charlie is one of the UK’s most credible voices at the intersection of professional tax expertise and personal finance education.

Suggested talks

Charlie also delivers accessible, practical talks on the fundamentals of tax and personal finance, ideal for those entering, or about to enter, the world of work, covering everything from investing and property to pensions and inheritance tax.

Against All Odds – My Journey to Financial Freedom

In this talk, Charlie takes the audience through her journey from growing up in a low-income, working-class household where money was a constant source of stress, to leaving home at 19, choosing an apprenticeship over university, and building her own path towards financial independence. Along the way, she explains that while the financial system is deliberately complex, it can be learned, and that small, consistent steps can gradually give you more freedom and control over your future.

The Fundamentals of Finance

What’s the best way to build wealth? Charlie, an award‑winning chartered tax advisor, breaks it down. Most people don’t realise that frozen tax thresholds (fiscal drag) are quietly pushing them into higher tax bands without obvious increases, or that investing is essential if you want to outpace inflation. She also explains how to assess your pension and spot unused tax relief, choose the right ISAs for your goals, and understand how your status as employed or self‑employed shapes your financial position.

Financial Nihilism: How to Meet the Next Generation Where They Are

Younger generations aren’t bad with money; they’re operating in a very different financial landscape to previous generations, and many institutions are only just starting to catch up. With rising house prices, stagnant wages, student debt, fiscal drag, and a tougher job market, traditional financial products like mortgages, pensions, and wealth management can feel out of reach or irrelevant. Charlie, an expert personal finance content creator, shows how to tackle this sense of ‘financial nihilism’ by meeting audiences where they are on social media, cutting through jargon, encouraging values-led spending and investing, and rebuilding trust in financial advice.

Combatting the Gender Wealth & Pensions Gap

Charlie can deliver a practical, empowering talk on why the gender wealth and pensions gap still exists, how it compounds over a lifetime, and what women can do now to take back control. Drawing on her expertise as a chartered tax adviser and personal finance educator, she shows how small actions, from understanding tax relief and workplace pensions to using ISAs and investing consistently, can make a meaningful difference over time. This talk is designed to make financial planning feel accessible rather than intimidating, helping women engage with their money earlier, ask better questions, and build long-term financial security.