A:

Think of a financial coach like a fitness coach.

We all know we should eat right, drink water, and exercise, but how many of us do it?

So if you hire a fitness coach, they’ll help you figure out what’s been going wrong, make a plan for your intake and activity, and walk beside you to keep you accountable to your goals.

Then you actually Do The Thing.

We all know we should budget, live on less than we make, avoid debt, control our spending, keep an emergency fund, and save toward our goals. Right?

Do you do all that?

If you hire a finance coach, they will come alongside you, help you untangle what’s been keeping you from succeeding, work with you to make a plan to move forward, and keep you accountable to you as you walk your path to freedom.

Then you’ll actually Do The Thing.

A:

Nope! I am not a licensed financial advisor. I can share general tips and education about investing, but I cannot recommend investments. The SEC would have my butt, and I rather like my butt, thank you very much.

A:

I do not! While I do have some automations set up—auto-replies and the like—to help me serve a large number of people efficiently, rest assured that everything you read and receive was written by a human. No message that you receive from me will ever be generated by a robot pretending to be a real boy. 

This being the case, please be patient with my response time. Thoughtfully answering emails and texts as a real person takes real person schedule and mental energy. And I do take a sabbath every week to be with my family and recharge. But when I answer you, it will really be me!

Humanity first, baby!

A:

Nope! In fact, I encourage my clients to have fun with money! Now does that mean I won’t ever ask you questions about things you like or poke at something you enjoy? Also no! Poking at your personal sacred cows is one of the things you’re paying me to do as your coach, to help you attain a deeper level of understanding of yourself and your behavior.

What caused you to click on this question? What thing did your brain fill into that blank? Hmmm?

A:

Yes, you can learn a lot of stuff online for free! There are some great resources out there! But if you’ve tried the free stuff and you’re still struggling, that’s when you hire a coach. With a coach, you get help that you get to respond to. Help that adapts to your struggles, your needs, and your circumstances to help you overcome your unique challenges.

Service like that, by a real human, takes time. My time is what I exchange for money so that my kids get to eat.

Many coaches and other businesses participate in affiliate programs or sponsorship deals to help them make their money and keep things free or cheap. I, however, do not. The thought of taking money to recommend stuff to my clients feels—slimy. Like a potential conflict of interest. So I don’t. I don’t even use share codes that give me rewards. Because I want my clients to know that they can trust that the words coming out of my mouth are for their benefit, not mine. When you hire me, you’re buying trust. You can know that every recommendation I make is done in good faith, because I truly believe that that thing will help you. Not because some company paid me to tell you about it.

A:

The beginning of my training as a coach was with Ramsey Solutions! I really appreciate Dave and all that he does to help people on a large scale. I mean, whether you like him or not, the man’s got the receipts—he’s helped a LOT of people. My own family walks the Baby Steps and has had tremendous success with his program!

But I’m not Dave. Nor do I work for him. I work for my clients, to help each person and couple find what they need to move toward what they define as success, at a pace and in a manner that is sustainable for them. That might be the Baby Steps. Or that might be a custom journey made just for them.

A: Yes they do!