FAQs
What services do you provide?
I offer advice-only, cash-flow financial planning and budget coaching services for individuals, couples, families, and businesses. My work focuses on helping you (a) figure out where your money is currently going, (b) decide where you want it to go instead, and (c) design smart and sustainable systems to make it happen. I do not offer investment management, nor do I sell any financial products.
What does "advice-only" mean?
Advice-only means I only provide suggestions and recommendations of what you should do, but I do not provide any direct money management for you. My fees are a flat fee-for-service model so you always know exactly how much you are paying in advance, and as a result I have no minimum income or asset level required in order to work with me.
How are you compensated?
I am fee-only in that my compensation comes only directly from the fees paid by my clients. I do not receive referral fees or commissions from any products or services I may recommend to you, nor do I sell financial products of any kind. There are no hidden fees or secret pricing. You are the only one paying me, and as a result I only recommend what is in your best interest at all times.
How can I justify spending money to help me solve this problem when I am already struggling with debt?
It can seem counterintuitive to pay somebody if you are struggling with your money. However, if you are struggling and have not been able to solve the problem on your own, consider what will happen if you allow the problem to continue unchecked for another 6 months, 6 years, or even longer! Carrying credit card debt is expensive, and making a poorly planned large purchase can be expensive too. Hiring somebody to help you comes with a steep upfront cost; however, this is an investment in yourself and your progress. At some point, leaving the problem unsolved is more expensive than solving it, both in terms of financial and emotional cost.
If I do not think that investing in my services is a wise decision for your situation, I will certainly tell you so. I never want my clients to be receiving less value than the price they are paying. While I cannot guarantee specific financial outcomes, I have seen repeatedly how my services will save you money immediately as we find subscriptions you had forgotten to cancel and other ways to immediately reduce your expenses, as well as long term savings from stopping the pattern of carrying expensive credit card debt, reevaluating what expenses truly add value to your life, and other changes to your spending habits.
How many sessions will we need to solve my problem?
That depends on what type of problem you are trying to solve and how you would like to solve it. For some clients, what they need is ongoing accountability, support, and structure for several months. For other clients, a smaller package may be all they need to discuss a specific financial goal. I want you to optimize your money, and I include my service under that same umbrella. I will never recommend that you spend more money on my service than what I think is worthwhile for you and your particular situation.
Do I need to have a certain level of savings or investments to work with you?
No, there are no asset minimums for working with me, as my fees are billed on a flat fee basis only and therefore not tied to the level of your savings or investments.
Where do we meet?
We will meet online over Zoom.
What tools will we use?
We will collaborate primarily via Google Sheets. You will need a Gmail account in order to access Google Sheets.
What will happen in a typical meeting?
In a typical meeting, we will collaborate via screen share — usually I will ask you to share your screen, and we will look at your information together.
Is my data secure with you?
By design, I do not ever have any of your financial information in my possession. The information we review together will be in a Google Sheet owned by you, which you can choose to share with me during the time we are working together and then remove my access when we are finished working together. I will not have any of your passwords, log in details, account numbers, credit card numbers, or any other sensitive financial information at any time. Your data will always remain your own.
Can you help me save $20k in 3 weeks?
No, probably not. There are, sadly, no shortcuts to creating a solid financial footing, and only you have the power to change your situation. I do firmly believe, however, that if you want to change your financial situation, you can. I can provide the tools, expertise, vision, support, and accountability for you to get where you want to go at a pace that is achievable for you.
I'd like to work with you. What are the next steps?
Great! The first step is to schedule your free 20-minute consultation call so we can confirm my service is a a good fit for your needs. After booking, you will receive a confirmation email with our meeting link. Once we’ve talked and you decide you want to move ahead and work together, here are the next steps:
1. Sign the client services agreement.
2. Pay your first invoice and set up your remaining subscription payments (if applicable).
3. Schedule your first session.
4. Complete your intake form (if applicable).
I feel overwhelmed by the idea of looking at my bank statements.
This is very common! If you feel too overwhelmed to pull together all your financial details for the intake form, just let me know, and we can schedule additional time to do this work together. Together we will get it done! It will feel much less painful to work through this together, and it will be such a relief to get started.
Do you offer payment plans?
Yes. Reach out and we can discuss what would work for you and your budget, and we will work something out. It’s important to me that my help is as accessible as possible.
Do you offer reduced price services?
Yes, I reserve a limited number of spots in my client roster for income-based sliding-scale clients. Reach out to discuss this further if this is of interest to you.