I see you, and you are extraordinary. You bring your A-game to every area of your life. You’ve been struggling to get your financial shit together for a while, and you’ve sought help from your financial advisor, your CPA, your well-meaning friend or relative and, of course, Google.
You WANT to transform this area of your life, but the conversations are falling short. They land somewhere between confusing and condescending.
It’s not you. But it’s also not them.
Financial advisors and CPAs are trained to see your money through a certain lens. They are a vital part of your financial team. When I sit on calls with my clients and their FAs & CPAs, I am AMAZED at the knowledge and skills they provide my people. But, day-to-day money management is not their thing.
Financial advisors run projections and recommend the best products to maximize your retirement savings. But, if you don’t have your day-to-day finances in order, you won’t have the money available to invest in these products, jeopardizing the health of your retirement.
CPAs find the most beneficial tax savings for their clients, often saving you thousands of dollars. But, if you don’t have your day-to-day finances in order, you will blow through that money in a heartbeat, oftentimes feeling guilty and embarrassed.
As a financial coach, I help you connect your everyday financial choices with your longer-term goals.
If your financial advisor told you that contributing $400 more toward your IRA every month will set you up to retire by 60, but you’ve gone months (and maybe years) without finding that extra $400 to invest, I will help you find it.
If your CPA found a way to reduce your taxes and secure you a refund of $2500, but you don’t remember where that money went (or you spent it before it even hit your bank account), I will help you never have that happen again.
Financial professionals see your money with an objective set of eyes. Your personal finances are not personal to us. That’s the gift of working with a financial professional – we won’t judge your financial decisions like you may be judging them yourself.
Many of my clients come to me saying: “I know I shouldn’t be spending so much on going out to eat (or Cable or Amazon).” I listen and ask: “Why?” because “should” is never a compelling reason. Why would you spend less on going out to eat? What would that make available that you haven’t been able to get?
We need to be able to SEE the impact of our everyday financial choices on our longer-term goals. It helps us connect Amazon purchases, Cable, eating out, etc. with our retirement, house savings, and future vacation dreams. That’s why I use an extremely visual budgeting system with my clients. This system is a game-changer in connecting the dots, giving us a plan and taking the “should” out of our finances.
But, here’s the thing: you can have the most amazing budgeting system in the world and still not be reaching your financial goals (and feeling stressed and overwhelmed about it). As if you are doing something wrong with budgeting, when the budget is likely not the issue.
If you find yourself wanting to change your behaviors and habits around money but hitting a dead end with your efforts, you may ask your CPA or financial advisor for advice. The best CPAs and FAs that I work with would refer you to a financial coach.
As a coach, it’s my job to understand the WHY behind your behaviors. Why hasn’t budgeting worked for you in the past? Why do you struggle with credit card debt? Why have you been talking about a job change for 3 years, but you haven’t saved the money to make the move?
I strive to understand what you really want in your life – yes, the things and experiences, but also the feelings. How do you want to feel about your relationship to money? Many people come to me ashamed, embarrassed, guilty and overwhelmed, but that is not how they want to feel!
As a financial coach, I will teach you life-changing skills to manage your day-to-day finances with confidence, but just as importantly, I will guide you in transforming your relationship to money.
I am a financial coach, but I am also your financial BFF. You can count on me to give it to you straight, to embrace hard conversations, and to know how incredibly amazing you are. I will help you know and trust yourself as someone who is good with money. I will believe in you, even on those days when you don’t believe in yourself.
As a financial coach, I help you to become confident and in control of your finances. So, when your financial advisor encourages you to invest more in your IRA, life insurance or 529 college savings plan, you will have the empowering mindset and badass budgeting skills to make that shift. And when your CPA finds a tax break that results in more money in your pocket, you will have a plan and a purpose for it!
Financial coaches, CPAs and Financial Advisors all play important roles on your financial team. It’s important to understand what each of us does well so you can find the help you need when you need it!
If you’d like my thoughts on budgeting, check out my post: Why Your Budget Isn’t Working for You and How to Fix It.