Yuliia Harmashova: “Financial Growth Begins the Moment a Person Stops Looking for Excuses and Starts Looking for Solutions”
Almost always, the decisions that open a new chapter in life do not begin with the perfect moment, but with the willingness to take the first step, even when there are still more questions than answers. It is this readiness to act rather than postpone life that often determines the scale of future possibilities.
The heroine of a new interview in BOMOND VIP Fashion magazine is Yuliia Harmashova, a stock trader and personal investment mentor. We talk about a profession that has become part of her identity, the psychology behind financial decisions, the power of discipline, the nature of human potential, women’s leadership in the world of investing, and the values capable of shaping the financial culture of future generations.
“Actions create experience. Experience creates confidence. And over time, confidence turns into capital,” Ms. Yuliia believes.
Ms. Yuliia, I would like to begin today’s interview with words of yours that seem relevant in any era: “When you choose yourself, everything changes.” Could you tell us when that choice took place in your life? What was your path toward becoming a stock trader and personal investment mentor?
To be honest, I do not remember the moment when I began choosing myself. I am a Leo by zodiac sign, and I feel that this has always been my default setting. I have always known that I am responsible for my own life.
If I look for the origins of it, everything began in childhood. My favorite game was “Manager,” which my brother and I used to play. And the most interesting part is that my favorite square on the board was always “Stock Exchange.”
That was the square that opened up new opportunities, allowed you to grow, earn money, and keep moving forward. At the time, it was simply a game. Today, however, I understand that this is where my interest in financial markets first emerged.
Years later, when I was 18, I went to an interview at a brokerage company. I remember that day in every detail. Market quotes covered the walls, Bloomberg was playing in English through the speakers, trades were being discussed all around me, and traders were reacting emotionally to market movements.
As I was filling out the application, I was absorbing the atmosphere. And at some point, I caught myself thinking: “I’m home.”
They had not even offered me the job yet. The interview was not over, and I already knew that I wanted to be part of this world.
That was when I realized: this was not my dream job. It was something much more. It was something I had loved since childhood, something I found genuinely interesting regardless of money, position, or status.
That is why today I never say that I work as a trader. Trading is a profession. Financial markets, for me, are a way of thinking and part of my identity.
I manage capital. I help people make decisions, preserve and grow what they have built over the years. And after almost twenty years in the profession, I still feel the same excitement and curiosity that I felt back then, at 18, standing in an office surrounded by screens filled with market quotes and the voices of traders.
How do you see the modern woman? If you imagined yourself as an artist and had to portray her on canvas, what qualities of character and mindset, and what values, would define that image?
If I were painting the modern woman, I would not portray her as perfect. I would portray her as free.
Free in her decisions, her views, and her choice of path. A woman who knows how to take responsibility for her own life and does not wait for someone else to create her future for her.
In my opinion, the defining quality of a modern woman is the ability to think not only about today, but generations ahead. To understand that every decision she makes today influences how her children will live tomorrow.
I made an important decision for myself a long time ago: to become the founder of my family’s future legacy. We often admire old-money families, dynasties built over generations. But every one of those families once had a first person who decided to change the trajectory of the future for their children and grandchildren. I understand that, for my family, I am that person.
So, in my painting, the modern woman would be both strong and gentle, ambitious and caring.
She knows how to create capital, but understands that money is only a tool. True legacy is values, education, a healthy culture around money, and the opportunity to give your children a stronger starting position.
I want my new money to one day become old money for my five children and future grandchildren. And that is why, to me, the modern woman is not the one who tries to do everything. She is the one who creates the future.
Financial literacy today sounds like a necessity rather than an option. Where does it actually begin? What basic principles should a person understand in order to develop healthy financial habits?
Honestly? Financial literacy does not begin with investing or even with money.
It begins the moment a person stops living only for today.
I have a simple habit. On the first day of every month, I add money to my emergency fund and my children’s accounts. I do not see this money as an expense. I see it as future opportunities for my children: education, development, and their first steps into adult life.
In general, I have noticed something interesting: when a person has no financial safety net, they think only about how to deal with immediate problems. But as soon as a reserve appears, the brain begins looking for opportunities. Investments. New projects. New solutions.
But if I am completely honest, the biggest “Xs” in my life have not come from financial instruments.
Education.
Today, the lion’s share of my time and investments goes into development: artificial intelligence, leadership, a strong network, English, and new skills. Because knowledge is often what creates that very quantum leap in income and quality of life.
And when it comes to children, I believe the best investment portfolio consists of four assets: languages, mathematics, sports, and travel.
Especially travel.
Many people see travel as a reward or entertainment. I see it as an investment. In perspective. In thinking. In the ability to see the world more broadly and understand just how many opportunities exist around us.
That is why, for me, financial literacy is not about saving money. It is about knowing how to create opportunities for yourself and your family.
What beliefs, in your opinion, most often block financial growth?
In my opinion, the biggest obstacle to financial growth is fear.
Fear of losing. Fear of making a mistake. Fear of starting. Fear of looking foolish. Fear of taking responsibility for the outcome.
I often use a simple example. When a lion is hungry, it is not stopped by heat, cold, competitors, or previous unsuccessful attempts. It has a goal, and it moves toward it.
That philosophy resonates deeply with me.
I have a painting from the series Billions hanging on my wall. It has various excuses written on it, all crossed out. Across the top, in large letters, it says: “BLA BLA BLA.”
For me, it is a daily reminder that most limitations exist only in our minds.
People often say: now is not the right time, I do not have enough experience, I have no connections, I have no money, the market is difficult, the country is not right, I am the wrong age. But if you look at successful people, almost none of them started under perfect conditions.
That is why I believe financial growth begins the moment a person stops looking for excuses and starts looking for solutions.
Want to change your life? Take action. No excuses. Everything else is simply BLA BLA BLA.
Money is closely connected with discipline and the inner courage to make financial decisions. Many people are either afraid to invest or believe that small amounts do not matter. How can financial discipline be developed? And can small, regular contributions really create a meaningful result over the long term?
Of course they can.
I do not believe in the theory that you need a large amount of money to build capital. I started my own journey with 400 hryvnias.
In my opinion, financial discipline is built in exactly the same way as any other kind of discipline: through action rather than reflection.
So many people spend years thinking. Thinking about where to invest. Thinking about when to start. Thinking about whether they know enough. Thinking about whether the timing is right.
But the people who get results are the ones who actually do it.
There is a wonderful line from the film Top Gun: Maverick: “You’re thinking too much.”
And I really like it. Because most often, our main problem is not a lack of money or opportunities. The main problem is the endless “thought spiral” in our heads.
I always say: you started? Great. It did not work? Analyze it and keep going. It worked? Scale it and keep going.
Do it. Do it. Do it.
Actions create experience. Experience creates confidence. And over time, confidence turns into capital.
That is why I am convinced that the amount you start with is not what matters most. What matters much more is whether you start at all.
Because large fortunes very often begin with small but consistent actions.
As of 2026, the financial world is undergoing constant transformation. What should investors be paying attention to today?
You know, I think investors need to pay attention to one simple thing today: the world has become too fast.
I have been working professionally with markets for almost twenty years, and even I have to keep learning constantly, following the news, technology, artificial intelligence, and changes in the economy.
That is why I increasingly find myself thinking that you do not necessarily have to understand everything on your own.
Most people have a family doctor. A dentist. A lawyer. A favorite hairstylist.
And no one finds that unusual.
But when it comes to money, many people somehow believe they have to become analysts, traders, economists, and capital managers all at once.
It seems strange to me.
I consider it completely normal to have someone who manages your capital professionally. Money is simply too important a part of life to be treated as an afterthought.
So, if we are talking about 2026, my advice is simple: stop trying to do everything yourself. Find strong professionals and focus on what you genuinely do better than anyone else.
More and more women are entering the world of investing today. Does a woman bring a different type of thinking to financial strategy? And can we speak of a distinct “female model” of capital management?
I think so.
Women tend to approach risk differently. We are generally less inclined to gamble with capital and more inclined to preserve it, grow it, and pass it on.
Another strength women have is the discipline of small steps. Not one heroic leap, but consistent action, day after day.
Fund the account. Reinvest the profit. Continue learning. Make the right decision again.
At first glance, this may not look particularly impressive, but it is precisely these habits that create serious capital.
So, if I were to put it very simply, the female model of capital management is less gambling, more discipline, and a healthier attitude toward risk.
Let us imagine that we are somewhere on the ocean shore, and we have many postcards that we are going to send to every woman on the planet. What message would you write?
I would write just two words:
“Dream. Fearlessly.”
Because everything best in my life today was once simply a dream.
Five children. My favorite profession. Life by the sea. The opportunity to manage capital.
So do not be afraid to dream big. Sometimes our dreams know more about our future than we do ourselves.
Let us imagine that we are somewhere on the ocean shore, and we have many postcards that we are going to send to every woman on the planet. What message would you write?
I would write just two words:
“Dream. Fearlessly.”
Because everything best in my life today was once simply a dream.
Five children. My favorite profession. Life by the sea. The opportunity to manage capital.
So do not be afraid to dream big. Sometimes our dreams know more about our future than we do ourselves.
