Q. What is money coaching?
Money coaches, or financial coaches, help people see where they stand in relation to their money, set financial goals, develop spending or get-out-of-debt plans, and provide accountability for all those areas, and more, all personalized for your situation.
As a client, you are still 100 percent in charge or your money and your financial decisions.
Here is a good basic article about the profession.
While no analogy is perfect, a money coach is akin to a personal trainer for your finances.
Q. What are your qualifications?
*I am a Certified Personal Finance Counselor®.
*I completed the excellent Financial Coach Academy (FCA), a training course that helped clarify my ideal client base, set up my business properly, and develop professional relationships with other coaches. FCA is the premier path for coaches to set up a thriving practice.
*I participate in groups of money coaches for ongoing professional development, accountability, and discussion.
*My life experience as the decades-long CMO (chief money officer) of our family; my experience as a trained journalist & writer (my master’s degree is from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism ); and my wealth of knowledge, study, and writing on personal finance and money stewardship qualifies me to help many, if not most, people who seek coaching.
*I am an exceptional listener, and, more importantly, discreet–your privacy is paramount to me.
*as a coach, I offer prudent advice, positive encouragement, and valuable accountability in reaching your financial goals or talking through money issues.
If I cannot help you, I will let you know, and help you find a suitable coach for your situation.
Why should I hire you?
To return to the (imperfect) personal trainer analogy, let’s say you:
*knew you should be getting into shape
*wanted to train for a race of some kind
*felt really unhealthy physically, but didn’t know where to start
You could read books related to health & fitness, listen to podcasts, read blog posts, join a gym, and test different approaches to “getting into shape.”
And action of any kind would probably help you move the needle towards better health. However, it might take you a lot longer. Or, you might find excuses not to make changes.
So, you might decide to hire a personal trainer. But how would you find one? Maybe at your local gym, or asking friends for who they use.
Depending on the “fit” between your style and your personal trainer, you may reach those fitness goals a lot faster and more enjoyably. Finding the best personal trainer for you might take awhile, but it would be worth it to reach your goal.
Finding a money coach is a similar process. You might feel unsure of where you stand with your finances, or you know you have some “issues,” or, darn it, this is the year that you’re going to get yourself organized!
If it’s not a good fit, one or both of us will know. If you still want to explore money coaching, but not with Clarus, no pressure! I know many people in the field, and could connect you with other money coaches that would fit your life and goals better.
Q. Your session prices seem high/low/weird to me. Why should I have to pay for something, especially if I am having money issues?
Well, first of all, money coaching in general is a great value. Coaches usually save clients at least the value of their initial session fee, just in the first run-through of your finances.
More importantly, money coaching should provide you with the priceless intangibles of feeling (and being) more at peace with your money; being happier because you’ll be spending money on things that matter to you; and just in general feeling better because your finances will be more organized.
Finally, paying for coaching helps keep you accountable, and inspires you to take the process seriously. It compels you—in a good way—to put in the work that is needed.
I know I keep saying that the personal trainer analogy is imperfect, and it is, but consider this if this helps:
If you’ve paid a set amount of money for a certain number of sessions with your personal trainer, you are much more likely to show up physically (and mentally) than if someone said, “Hey, let’s meet at the gym sometime.”
Let me know if you have any other questions about Clarus Money Coaching, coaching in general, or anything else. I’ll answer ASAP.