The Power of Money Advice

by Sarah-Jayne Dunn, manager of the CAS Financial Health team.

This article was first published in The Herald on 3rd October 2026.

I never intended to need Money Advice, nor to become a Money Adviser, but life has a funny way of changing track without notice. I always think about Ferris Bueller and his wisdom – “Life moves pretty fast. if you don't stop and look around once in a while you could miss it.”

This was definitely my life at one point, moving so fast that I could barely catch my breath and suddenly one day I was a Money Adviser.

It all happened after the 2008 financial crash. I’d gone to university to become a lawyer - a dream of mine from a young age. But overnight my world completely changed. Suddenly law firms couldn’t afford to take on trainees as planned. I was told I could have a traineeship if I was willing to be unpaid.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t afford that. I had bills to pay and I’d even taken on debt to put myself through my degree and diploma. I was counting on being paid. I needed to be paid. Now I felt I had no future, no prospects and a big debt hole that need to be filled.

Luckily, during my Diploma, I’d started volunteering at Falkirk Citizens Advice Bureau and they offered me the chance to train as a money adviser, which I snapped up. They also gave me advice on dealing with my own debt.

Quite frankly the CAB not only saved my life, they gave me a future.

Throughout my career as a Money Adviser, I met people from all walks of life, from all financial backgrounds and many different situations. But they all had one aim – to be debt-free and financially healthy.

I helped people save their homes, their families and even in very extreme cases, their lives. People would come in feeling the weight of the world on their shoulders, unable to eat, sleep or even try to function because of the worry and stress of debt - a predicament I recognised only too well from my own experience. Being a Money Adviser was so fulfilling because I got to help take that weight off them, even if it was bit by painful bit.

I have a saying for Money Advisers – that we always find a way. No matter the situation, the problem or the person sitting in front of us, we will always find a way to help. This has been a mantra I continue to hold even as I moved off the frontlines and into the world of policy and influencing, where instead of trying to change one person's whole world, I am now trying to change the whole world.

But regardless of what I do, just by taking a step into my local CAB, I unlocked the power of money advice. It gave me a career and a wonderful life, a fortunate life and whilst I never intended to be a money adviser, nor to seek debt advice, I’m happy I did

So that’s my story. But if you are in financial difficulty, the power of money advice can help you too. Go to your local CAB and they’ll help you take control of your life again. It’s what they do – believe me.