I’m an undergraduate student at Penn State University and the founder of Balkan Finance Academy, a student-run platform dedicated to making finance and economics translated content and research in Eastern Europe.
My current project is an interview series exploring how people with Eastern European roots view money, corruption, spending and generational wealth.
The goal is to understand how mindsets around money have been shaped by the legacies of post-socialist systems, the post-Yugoslav collapse, and broader histories of post-Soviet transition, post-communism, and post-Holocaust experience in some communities.
The inherited narratives from older generations, economic instability and financial illiteracy are continue to weaken the potential of the Eastern European region.
If you’d like to contribute to this project or help bring more clarity to the youth shaping this region’s future, here are some of the questions that may come up in the interview:
* What did financial “stability” mean in your household?
* Was there shame or pride around money? How did that affect you?
* Have you ever felt that making money honestly isn’t enough to succeed where you’re from?
* What’s your opinion on people who get rich in your region? Are they respected or judged?
* Do you think people in your region believe in fairness or that success always requires “connections”?
* Do you ever feel guilty for wanting money? Do you associate wealth with greed, freedom, or something else?
* Are there things you want to unlearn about money from your upbringing?
* What kind of financial future do you dream of for yourself—and for your region?
* How do you think your country’s economic situation growing up shaped the way you think about money?
* If you could send one message to the world about how Eastern Europeans think about money, what would it be?
* How do you think the breakup of Yugoslavia—and everything that followed—impacted the way your family and your generation view money, survival, and stability?
* What do you think was lost and what was gained when your country transitioned from socialism/communism to capitalism? How did that shift affect how people around you talk about money and success?
* If your family or community has roots tied to the Holocaust, do you think that history has shaped the way you view security, ownership, or even saving money today?
* In what ways do you think the collapse of the Soviet Union still influences how people in your country think about wealth, opportunity, and trust in institutions?
If you’d like to be interviewed or share your perspective, feel free to send me a message on Reddit, email me at [[email protected]], or connect with me on LinkedIn: [http://linkedin.com/in/iskra-mandic-8b499331b].
I’m happy to keep responses anonymous or give credit—whatever you’re comfortable with.
Everyone has a voice and a story, and I am very interested in yours!