Josh and Amelie summarize the high level findings from the 2025 State of Financial Coaching Study. Plus, they announce the launch of the new Survey Data Hub, along with how to get free (limited time) access by completing the 2026 survey.

Top takeaways:

The 2026 survey is live through December 1, 2026. With the 2026 survey now open, it’s the ideal time to share your experience and gain limited time access to the expanded Data Hub: https://form.jotform.com/261254448203149.

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https://www.financialcoachesnetwork.com/moneycoachnetwork 

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Josh and Emily continue their discussion of the Financial Counseling textbook by Durband, Law, and Mazzolini. This episode focuses on Chapter 5, exploring how self‑awareness shapes the effectiveness of financial counselors, emphasizing the need for professionals to understand their own traits, biases, past experiences, and emotional triggers. The hosts discuss how counselor self‑awareness influences client relationships, goal‑setting, and the ability to adapt plans, while highlighting tools like transference awareness, cognitive bias recognition, and reflective practice.

Top takeaways:

 
Chapter 5 of Financial Counseling reinforces that self‑awareness is not optional—it’s foundational. Counselors who understand their own biases, triggers, and histories are better equipped to build trust, personalize guidance, and support clients with clarity and compassion.

Want help building or growing a successful financial coaching business? Start here:

Exploring financial coaching? Join our free community of 6,000+ coaches:
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Launching your business? Check out FCN Biz DIY, our step‑by‑step program:
https://www.financialcoachesnetwork.com/biz-diy

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In this episode, Joshua Escalante Troesh CFP® and Amelie Riendl AFC® break down the stages of evolving your workspace as a financial professional, from arranging your first home office to deciding when it’s time for an office outside the home. They explore privacy, professionalism, client expectations, city regulations, and how AI is reshaping in‑person trust.

Top takeaways:

This episode gives financial coaches a clear, practical framework for recognizing when it’s time to upgrade their workspace to support long‑term business growth.

Want help building or growing a successful financial coaching business? Start here:

Exploring financial coaching? Join our free community of 6,000+ coaches:
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Ready to learn more? Get our free 8‑part email series with 30+ tips:
https://www.financialcoachesnetwork.com/pre-launch-email-series

Launching your business? Check out FCN Biz DIY, our step‑by‑step program:
https://www.financialcoachesnetwork.com/biz-diy

Love coaching but not running a business? Beta test MoneyCoach Network:
https://form.jotform.com/231063470154043

In this episode, Joshua Escalante Troesh CFP® and Amelie Riendl AFC® explore why households sometimes run out of money before the month ends, how to recognize warning signs, and what practical steps can help close the gap between income and expenses. Josh and Amelie discuss emotional dynamics, spending patterns, budgeting strategies, and ways to thoughtfully increase income. Together, they break down both short‑term fixes and long‑term solutions for getting back on track.

Top takeaways:

With awareness, communication, and some intentional changes, you can turn a stressful money shortfall into a path toward stability and confidence.

Resources:

Want help building or growing a successful financial coaching business? Start here:

Exploring financial coaching? Join our free community of 6,000+ coaches:
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Ready to learn more? Get our free 8‑part email series with 30+ tips:
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Launching your business? Check out FCN Biz DIY, our step‑by‑step program:
https://www.financialcoachesnetwork.com/biz-diy

Love coaching but not running a business? Beta test MoneyCoach Network:
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In this episode, Joshua Escalante Troesh CFP® and Amelie Riendl AFC® break down how to properly structure, document, and repay owner-funded business loans—from deciding whether the money should be treated as a loan or a capital contribution, to understanding tax, legal, and bookkeeping implications. The conversation highlights why documentation matters, when to involve an attorney, and how repayment mechanics work.

Top takeaways:

With thoughtful planning and proper documentation, owner loans can support your business without creating future financial or legal headaches.

Want help building or growing a successful financial coaching business? Start here:

Exploring financial coaching? Join our free community of 6,000+ coaches:
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Ready to learn more? Get our free 8‑part email series with 30+ tips:
https://www.financialcoachesnetwork.com/pre-launch-email-series

Launching your business? Check out FCN Biz DIY, our step‑by‑step program:
https://www.financialcoachesnetwork.com/biz-diy

Love coaching but not running a business? Beta test MoneyCoach Network:
https://form.jotform.com/231063470154043

In this episode, Joshua Escalante Troesh CFP® and Amelie Riendl AFC® break down why most first-time budgets fail and offers a simple, realistic roadmap for building a budget you can actually stick with.

Top takeaways:

With a simple roadmap and a few intentional choices, anyone can build a budget that fuels their goals and transforms their financial future.

Want help building or growing a successful financial coaching business? Start here:

Exploring financial coaching? Join our free community of 6,000+ coaches:
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Ready to learn more? Get our free 8‑part email series with 30+ tips:
https://www.financialcoachesnetwork.com/pre-launch-email-series

Launching your business? Check out FCN Biz DIY, our step‑by‑step program:
https://www.financialcoachesnetwork.com/biz-diy

Love coaching but not running a business? Beta test MoneyCoach Network:
https://form.jotform.com/231063470154043

In this episode, Joshua Escalante Troesh CFP® and Amelie Riendl AFC® continue their discussion into what makes a website truly effective. The conversation explores how to build trust, structure your site, avoid common design pitfalls, and ensure your website actually supports your business goals.  

Top takeaways:

When your website reflects your purpose, your values, and your niche, it becomes one of the most powerful marketing tools in your business.

Want help building or growing a successful financial coaching business? Start here:

Exploring financial coaching? Join our free community of 6,000+ coaches:
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Ready to learn more? Get our free 8‑part email series with 30+ tips:
https://www.financialcoachesnetwork.com/pre-launch-email-series

Launching your business? Check out FCN Biz DIY, our step‑by‑step program:
https://www.financialcoachesnetwork.com/biz-diy

Love coaching but not running a business? Beta test MoneyCoach Network:
https://form.jotform.com/231063470154043

In this first episode of a two part series, Joshua Escalante Troesh CFP® and Amelie Riendl AFC® discuss what makes a website convert, starting with defining your site’s primary purpose and truly understanding your niche. 

Top takeaways:

If you don’t deeply understand your niche, you don’t have one. As Josh puts it, “When you just have a group of people that you haven’t done the research on… you don’t have a niche.”

Watch for the next episode, where we continue our conversation on building effective, high‑converting websites. 

Want help building or growing a successful financial coaching business? Start here:

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Ready to learn more? Get our free 8‑part email series with 30+ tips:
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https://www.financialcoachesnetwork.com/biz-diy

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In this episode, Joshua Escalante Troesh CFP® and Amelie Riendl AFC® break down each section of a paycheck—what the numbers mean, why they matter, and how understanding them can help you avoid surprises and make smarter financial decisions. They explore required and optional deductions, tax withholdings, employer‑provided benefits, PTO tracking, and common paycheck misconceptions. The conversation empowers listeners to confidently read their pay stubs, spot errors, and use HR and financial professionals as resources.

Top takeaways:

Why it matters: Understanding your paycheck helps you anticipate taxes, bonuses, and benefits—and avoid surprises.

Required deductions: Federal and state tax withholding, Social Security, Medicare, unemployment insurance (UI), and disability insurance (DI) all appear on your pay stub, often under confusing acronyms.

Bonuses aren’t taxed more: They feel heavily taxed because withholding formulas differ, not the tax rate itself.

Your W‑4 is powerful: Adjusting it can prevent big tax bills or oversized refunds; many never revisit it after being hired.

You pay for Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Disability Insurance (DI): These aren’t “government handouts”—the insurance premiums are deducted from your paycheck. Using them when you need them is no different than filing a claim with your car insurance after an accident.

Optional deductions: 401(k) contributions, employer stock plans, life and disability insurance, and other benefits may impact taxable income.

PTO tracking matters: Vacation and sick time accruals are often miscalculated—monitoring them protects benefits you’ve earned.

Paycheck fluctuations: Changes often come from hitting the Social Security cap, maxing out 401(k) contributions, benefit changes, PTO payout, or reimbursement timing.

Red flags: Hours worked not matching the pay stub, PTO not accruing correctly, or unexplained swings in deductions.

HR/Payroll is your ally: Most issues are simple system errors, and HR teams want to help employees understand their benefits and deductions (they may even be excited to share it with you).

Want help building or growing a successful financial coaching business? Start here:

Exploring financial coaching? Join our free community of 6,000+ coaches:
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Ready to learn more? Get our free 8‑part email series with 30+ tips:
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Launching your business? Check out FCN Biz DIY, our step‑by‑step program:
https://www.financialcoachesnetwork.com/biz-diy

Love coaching but not running a business? Beta test MoneyCoach Network:
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In this episode, Josh and Amelie tackle the tricky situation of past clients reaching out for “quick” free advice and how financial coaches can respond professionally, ethically, and without resentment. The hosts explore liability concerns, time boundaries, client expectations, and the importance of avoiding assumptions about a client’s motivations. They also share practical scripts and strategies for setting clearer expectations in future engagements.

Top takeaways:

Want help building or growing a successful financial coaching business? Start here:

Exploring financial coaching? Join our free community of 6,000+ coaches: 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/financialcoachescommunity

Ready to learn more? Get our free 8‑part email series with 30+ tips: 
https://www.financialcoachesnetwork.com/pre-launch-email-series

Launching your business? Check out FCN Biz DIY, our step‑by‑step program: 
https://www.financialcoachesnetwork.com/biz-diy 

Love coaching but not running a business? Beta test MoneyCoach Network: 
https://form.jotform.com/231063470154043