The Mogo Blog

When Art Meets FinTech: Ola Volo

When you have a giant white wall in the office, it means only one thing: time to get yourself a kickass mural. Well, we happened to have a giant white wall in the office. So… we went and got ourselves a kickass mural. ![](/content/images/2016/03/mogo_Ola-fullmural.gif) Meet the amazing Ola Volo, (who’s also done murals for Lululemon, Translink, and Save-on Meats). ![](/content/images/2016/03/mogo_Ola-interview_profile.jpeg) So how did you get into art and mural-making? Ola: I studied design at Emily Carr, moved to Holland to study there for a bit. I was also really inspired by street art and murals that I saw in New York. What I love about murals is that they’re accessible to a lot of people at once. Right, it’s more inclusive as opposed to being limited to people who hang out at art galleries. Ola: Yes! Which leads to starting conversations, especially when you have this very public art that can offer a narrative, bypassing language barriers and cultural differences. It’s like storytelling—but on a large scale. ![](/content/images/2016/03/mogo_Ola-interview_publicmural.jpeg) Very cool. Where do you find inspiration

What went down at the Maxim x Mogo All-Star Party

So you may remember that back in February during NBA All-Star weekend, we threw a party with Maxim with Snoop and Shaq in attendance. (Shaq’s actually a pretty good DJ.) We’ve got a cool “Adulting with celebs” video series coming, but in the meantime, check out some of the night’s highlights. ![](/content/images/2016/03/mogo_maximrecap_1.jpg) SWAG ![](/content/images/2016/03/mogo_maximrecap_2.jpg) For the Mogo VIPs ![](/content/images/2016/03/mogo_maximrecap_3.jpg) Ambiance on fleek ![](/content/images/2016/03/mogo_maximrecap_4.jpg) These streets will make you feel brand new, Big lights will inspire you ![](/content/images/2016/03/mogo_maximrecap_5.jpg) “So Shaq, what’s your advice for being an adult?” ![](/content/images/2016/03/mogo_maximrecap_video_6.jpg) Stay tuned for our red carpet interviews with Shaq, Rick Fox, and other celebs and ballers who’ve got their own Adulting advice to share. ![](/content/images/2016/03/value_prop.gif) Keep up with the latest in exclusive events and finance tips with our MogoMember newsletter! SIGN ME UP

Re. Those ads

So we’ve just launched our new ad campaign; you might have seen it online and in the paper. We expected that it might be risky. When we decided that we wanted to make finances relatable to millennials, we knew a few moms and dads would cover their eyes. ![](/content/images/2016/03/Feb_scanadlousads_feedback.gif) The thing is, we’re not talking about sex just for the sake of talking about sex. We’re talking about it in a very specific way that plays on the taboo nature of the topic—because that’s also how people tend to approach conversations about their money... which does nothing for financial literacy rates. A PricewaterhouseCoopers report found that "compared with other Americans, the millennial generation—those born between the early 1980s and mid-1990s—has the “lowest level of financial literacy.” ![](/content/images/2016/03/mogo_sexycampaign_giphy-1.gif) We think $45 NSF fees and bank CEOs’ salaries are more offensive, tbh. Sure, talking about sex can be difficult. But that’s just like talking about finances. It’s not always easy to talk about debt and credit and managing your money. But like any other serious issue, sweeping it

How to travel on a budget: 8 tips for students

Thinking of taking a trip for Reading Week aka. Spring Break? Don’t plan to blow the last three months’ paycheques on it because you’re a responsible adult and stuff? (If so, we’ve taught you well, young Padawan.) Check out these 8 ways to save your wallet from unnecessary pain while you’re abroad. ![](/content/images/2016/02/mogo_boofortravel-2.jpg) 1. Book in advance. One of the most important things you can do to save money can actually be done way before you leave on your trip: book your stuff in advance! Accommodations and plane tickets (any tickets, really) are generally cheaper if you can buy them months before your trip, and if you plan to go to a tourist hotspot, you’ll probably want to get tickets to tourist sights before they sell out. ![](/content/images/2016/02/mogo_highonlifeco_tent.jpg) 2. Don’t stay in a hotel. Seriously. Stay in a B&B or hostel instead. You’ll save so much $$, meet more people, have better conversations, and definitely get a better feel for the local scene. If you’re antsy about staying at a hostel, it’s not that scary—there are so

YOUR BEST. SHAPE. EVER.

So we surveyed a bunch of 18–35s because we were just that curious about the top new year’s resolutions for millennials... and the top two answers were actually really close: • 26% of you want to pay off your debt • 27% of you want to lose weight ![](/content/images/2016/01/mogo_newyearsurvey_graph_img1.gif) In light of these two super popular resolutions, I’ve put together the four must-do things that’ll help you achieve both — well they’re key to any regime, really. New year, new you, right? Set goals "> To make sure that you have a target to hit, you’ve got to set your sights on something — and we prefer our goals lofty. Whether you’re setting savings goals or a goal weight, try to aim just beyond what you know you can realistically do. Hey, if you shoot for the moon, you’ll land among the stars even if you fail. Or something like that. Get edu-ma-cated Now that you know what you want to shoot for, how are you going to get there? (Without getting suckered into fad diets that have no positive effect on your body AND make you