By Saloni Verma

My path to wanting to become an economic journalist started early, as a grew up in Singapore watching as my little island built itself up to become Asia's number #1 financial hub. Banks started to overtake the city center and skyscrapers began to sprout up faster than you could count them. My dad, a businessman, would religiously watch CNBC every night, without fail. As a child I only ever registered these programs as a a bunch of angry men and women arguing about money, but when I started showing an interest, my Dad patiently explained to me the importance of keeping up to date with world markets and stocks. When the 2008 financial crisis occurred, I realized why knowledge of the economy is so crucial to having a good, financially secure life.

I was lucky to have someone who was willing to teach me these things, because I know that lots of people do not have the same privilege. Many people put their blind faith in banks, trusting that nothing could ever go wrong- a notion that we now know is false.

There are many ways through which a person can actually lose money in an attempt to save it. For example, financial advisors can be costly and ineffective. In fact, the title of 'Wealth Manager' or 'broker' does not come with the same credentials as a fiduciary- meaning they are under no actual obligation to work towards their clients best interests. Still, many people believe these terms are interchangeable with that of a certified 'Financial Planner.''

I want my breed of economic journalism to be the kind that explains to people of all ages and education levels that you don't need to have a background in economics to be financially successful, you just need to listen out for key factors that could help them informed decisions about big financial situations in their lives.

So personally, I don't really know what my dream job is, I just know that I want to be able to educate people who may not be able to come across legitimate avenues of getting economic advice. Whether it be through a show on CNBC or a column in the paper, as long as it is easily accessible to mass audiences, it works for me.

The person who really kickstarted this ambition for me was Suze Orman of the Suze Orman show. People would call in to ask her if they were financially viable to buy a new car or house, and she would review their finances to say absolutely not or yes, they can go ahead with their purchase. As I watched more and more episodes I started to try and guess whether she would 'approve' them or not and it always shocked me that there were so many nuances to that decision. Even when it seemed like a person could afford a new car on paper, she would explain that in reality it would just corrupt their existing house mortgage and sink them deeper into debt.

When I get older I hope to travel to countries like India, where the economic disparity is one of the biggest in the world, to learn more about how the poverty cycle is being perpetuated and what can be done to stop it. Assuming all goes well, I hope to spend my retirement looking over the construction of schools and homes for those living in India's slums.