Television

Your Money or Your Life
Seasons 1-5

BBC 2

Seasons 1-5, 1999-2003

Over 5 seasons and 48 programs (plus one Christmas special), Alvin helped people learn and implement the essential tools that help them solve or repair all kinds of money problems. Each program featured one or two families facing a financial issue or problem, some aspects of which were fairly common UK. They ranged for classics like overspending, living on too much credit card, vengeful spending, overindulging children, and having difficulty paying the mortgage; to more complicated situations like starting a new business or winding down one that had gone bankrupt, to a person suddenly coming into a windfall from selling a business. The program showed again and again, that it was often the emotions behind the money situation that was the root of the problem. As the series evolved, the advice combined equal parts psychological and financial tactics. Those who embraced both often succeeded more quickly and did not lapse back into their old habit. In several cases, we revisited the person or family one year later to see how they were doing financially and lesson they had learned from the situation. Your Money or Your Life became the benchmark for financial makeover programs in the UK and variations were created and copied by other stations. In 1999 it was awarded the ‘The Bradford and Bingley Award for Best Finance Program.’