As defined by the National Financial Educators Council, a Financial Coach is “a professional who is entrusted to understand a client’s current situation through analysis of their finances; identifying their goals and needs; defining clear objectives; prioritizing steps; providing education, guidance, and accountability; and supporting clients to work toward a state of financial wellness and security.”
Once a plan is in place, Financial Coaches do not make phone calls and financial decisions on your behalf. A coach is there to guide you and teach you, not do it for you.

For many, their finances are a smorgasbord of unrelated decisions made over time.  This often leads to situations where people are overcome by high amounts of debt, or even foreclosures and possible bankruptcy.  These are all situations where expert guidance and clearly defined alternatives can make a huge difference. Whether you are a recent college grad, newlywed, a growing family, an empty nester, or a retiree, we all benefit from having a plan to achieve our financial goals.

The initial consultation is a 30-minute session where you describe your goals and concerns with your finances.  If you are married, both spouses must attend. I will describe how the coaching process works and the cost of a coaching session.  This conversation is a safe place to discuss your needs and will enable you to determine if you should schedule a paid coaching session.
For the first coaching session, you complete a form beforehand that summarizes your current financial state.  It covers income, fixed and flexible expenses, debts, retirement, savings, etc.  All financial details are kept in strict confidence and stored securely.  Once the basics are covered, you receive some initial recommendations on a path forward and how many sessions may be required, based on your unique situation.  

In-person and online options are available. A virtual Zoom meeting is often the easiest. If you are local to the Northern Virginia area, we can meet in a library conference room, cafe, or dining area (think Wegmans).  It’s up to you.

While I am a graduate of the Dave Ramsey Financial Coach Master Training course,  my most influential teacher has been real-world experience.  I am at a stage in life where I have purchased multiple homes, dealt with student loans and credit card debt, put two children through college,  saved for retirement, and am able to give to my local church.  I have made my fair share of mistakes with money and learned many lessons the hard way. My goal is to help others avoid the same mistakes.  In my professional life, I have managed complex projects and multi-million dollar budgets, and hold a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, as well.

Our financial coaching process is based on the Ramsey 7 Baby Steps to get you from basic saving for emergencies to becoming debt-free.  This process also relies on a well-defined budgeting method.  If you haven’t attended Financial Peace University, here is a quick description of how it works.  It generally takes 3+ months to dial in your budget, but it is well worth the effort to have a plan for each dollar.  Some are able to do this on your own, while others need help and accountability.

A 30 minute consultation is complimentary, and will answer any questions that you may have and let you decide if financial coaching is for you.  The initial paid session is $220.  Follow-up sessions are offered at a quantity discount, based on the number of sessions you choose.
Reduced fees or gratis sessions are available for special circumstances.

Think of financial coaching as an investment that pays for itself in the long term.  It will help you to identify leakages in your cash flow cycle and plug those leaks. It’s our experience that 90% of people recoup the cost of coaching within the first month and 100% recoup the cost within the first two months.