Take Five with Anne Graham.

Welcome to “Take Five with…”— where we explore unexpected ideas from interesting people. Whether you’re looking for fresh perspectives or intriguing recommendations for your reading, watching, listening, or doing pleasure, “Take Five with…” delivers big ideas in bite-sized chunks. So grab a coffee, get comfortable, and Take Five with Kearney Group Partner and Senior Financial Adviser, Anne Graham.

A book Anne says you should read.

I’m an avid reader and love getting recommendations from others and sharing my favourites. My last “favourite book” that I read was The Bee Sting by Paul Murray which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2023.

The story focuses on a family of four in Ireland during the GFC. Each of the characters are just so well developed, the voices are different and unique, the backstories are intriguing but it’s the ending (always the ending!) that brings it all together for me. When you finish this book, you’ll say to yourself – wow, I did not see that coming.

A podcast you should listen to.

I love listening to podcasts and it’s just too hard to choose one! Some of my current favourites are:

• The Daily Stoic from Ryan Holiday
• The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish
• Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee

Above all else, the one that feels like a warm blanket and cuppa is the BBC World Book Club.

An experience that shifted Anne’s perspective.

Back at the beginning of my career, I found myself working with an older woman who’d been nursing her husband for years before he passed away.

She didn’t have much saved or invested and she really wanted to go on a holiday which I wasn’t at all sure she could afford. But she went anyway.

When she returned from that trip, she seemed 10 years younger – full of energy, lightness, and healthier. It reaffirmed to me that life (and my role as Financial Adviser) is only partly about the money. I was glad to be proven wrong – she could afford this trip, in fact she needed it.

This experience was such an important reminder to consider the whole person and their needs.

A skill or hobby you should try.

I am absolutely obsessed with knitting!

I thought I was a decent knitter but once you scratch the surface, there’s a whole new world to discover. The techniques, the yarns, the designs, etc – it is limitless and wonderful.

Knitting is a great reminder that it’s ok to make mistakes – that’s how you learn! I used to unpick my mistakes. But now I generally leave them in – they make each piece unique.