Girlfunds

As we wrap up 2020, we’re excited to have a guest on Girlfunds that literally hits close to home. To help our listeners set and achieve New Year’s resolutions to buy a home this upcoming year, we sat down with Colorado Springs-based Real Estate Agent Scott Sanchez, who helped our host Brena Nath buy a home this year. This episode aims to answer your top home-buying questions for 2021, and set the record straight on some common misconceptions around buying a home.  

During this episode, we go through a list of the top home-buying questions to ask from Bankrate, diving into how to figure out your total budget, how much you should care about your potential future neighbors and what really goes into closing costs. 

After touching on the top home-buying questions, Scott Sanchez also touches on how to be a competitive buyer in today’s seller’s market and his thoughts on the best way to start the home-buying process. 

We’re thrilled and honored to have HousingWire 2020 Woman of Influence Dava Davin on Girlfunds this week. In this episode, she not only shares her amazing insight and wisdom on the home-buying market but also on how to teach your kids about finances and being an empty nester. We also discuss everything from her best financial tip to her No. 1 piece of advice to people starting the homebuying process. 

Courtney Poulos, who is not only the broker/owner of LA-based ACME Real Estate but is also a 2020 HousingWire Women of Influence, joins us on this week’s episode of Girlfunds. During the episode, she reframes the idea of buying a home, helping take fear out of the equation, and also shares how we can take control of our finances as women. 

This episode is packed with a ton of actionable tips that you can apply as a listener on how to take control of your finances and some extremely catchy quotes that you can’t help but feel inspired by. For example, during the interview, Courtney Poulos likens buying a home to dating, stating that buying your first home doesn’t need to be like buying your forever home, saying you should think of it as your long-term boyfriend but not your husband. 

This week’s episode of Girlfunds features Tomeka Lynch Purcell, as she joins us to talk about her own passion for female financial empowerment. During the interview, she talks about why she strongly believes in helping women take ownership of their finances and how to repair your “broke mindset” when it comes to money. 

From how she brings money into the conversation with friends and family to how to teach your children about money management, Tomeka Lynch Purcell provides listeners with actionable tips around finances. 

For some background, Tomeka Lynch Purcell is an educator, entrepreneur, and financial coach. She specializes in helping women establish financial goals, build wealth, and change the way they think about money. She’s a nationally recognized financial empowerment coach, mentor, speaker and strategic planner with over 15 years of experience. 

Tapping into her background in financial planning, corporate finance, and real estate, Tomeka Lynch Purcell founded Credit Solutions Services, a credit and finance management firm, where she teaches women financial stability and wealth that encourages personal and financial assertiveness and evolution. 

Girlfunds takeaway tip from Tomeka Lynch Purcell:

One thing I recommend for all of your friends who are willing to discuss things with you is to definitely talk about money. One of the ways to get them to do that is to let them know that you are open and that you're vulnerable and you understand their situation. Your friends won't talk with you if they only see you as someone who is never in a bind.

Join the two best friends who met as financial journalists at HousingWire, Brena Nath, a twenty-something forever renter with her husband and pup, and Sarah Wheeler, an empty nester on her third home, every week for our girls night focused on everything from affording your best friend’s wedding to how to turn your side hustle into your main hustle. Each week, Girlfunds will have a special guest join us as we intertwine finance and friendship. And don’t worry, you don’t have to have your finances all together to join our girls nights. We’re all in this together to learn - women supporting women - and in the words of our producer, so we can all be #confidentqueens.

Rachel Symone Gilliam joins us for this week’s episode of Girlfunds, a female financial empowerment podcast where we intertwine finance and friendship. During the interview, Rachel not only shares how she sets goals in her own life, but how she empowers others to achieve their goals. 

From how she helps friends negotiate their salaries to how she bought her first home, Rachel gives actionable tips and advice on how she lives a life with purpose. And most notably, she shares all these stories with well being and mental health at the center, diving into what you need in your own life in order to be successful. 

For some background, Rachel is a speaker, encourager, host, digital marketer and more. She  created a space on the internet to empower others to own their grief and their stories. As an advocate for mental, physical, and spiritual health, Rachel shares her journey and lessons learned along the way to help people live their best life on purpose. 

Girlfunds takeaway tip from Rachel Symone Gilliam: 

#1 As an enneagram 3, what parts of being an enneagram 3 do you think could be taken out of the enneagram world and really just be helpful, intentional tips that others could benefit from when it comes to setting intentions for themselves in life?

You need to realize what you need to be successful every day.  I've kind of coined this as my core four. And it'll change because I can have a core four for the day, I can have a core four for the week, or for the year or whatever time frame. But, what are the four things that you need to be successful for that period of time? Today, for me, because I'm having such a crazy work week, that is water, sleep, movement and supplements. I know I've had a successful day when I've checked off all of those boxes. Nothing else matters to me because that's what I need to be successful. But for you, it could be your core four for your finances. What are the four things you need to avoid in order to hit your goals? Or what are the four things that you need to be focusing on at work in order to hit your sales target or your marketing goals?  I've adopted this core four a couple months ago, and it's been really great to live by.

Join the two best friends who met as financial journalists at HousingWire, Brena Nath, a twenty-something forever renter with her husband and pup, and Sarah Wheeler, an empty nester on her third home, every week for our girls night focused on everything from affording your best friend’s wedding to how to turn your side hustle into your main hustle. Each week, Girlfunds will have a special guest join us as we intertwine finance and friendship. And don’t worry, you don’t have to have your finances all together to join our girls nights. We’re all in this together to learn - women supporting women - and in the words of our producer, so we can all be #confidentqueens.

Joining us this week on Girlfunds, we interview photographer and entrepreneur Jess Henderson. Weddings are often the first time we talk to our friends about our finances, making it the perfect topic for Girlfunds, where we intertwine finance and friendship. 

How can we navigate these initial financial conversations with friends, especially when it’s their special day? Also, as a bride, how can you set up a realistic budget but still get the wedding of your dreams? Jess shares her unique and insightful tips on these questions. 

For some background, Jess is a wedding photographer, owns a photography studio, and has also worked in the real estate industry. During the episode, we also discuss some of the greatest financial lessons she’s learned from running her own business, how to pursue a job that you’re passionate about and her biggest tip on how to buy a home.  

Girlfunds takeaway tip from Jess Henderson: 

#1 Weddings are often the first time friends talk about money with each other, have you ever seen this go badly? And if so, how do you think it could go well to prevent a potential strain in relationships.

I think this goes back before you get to the wedding and your close friends that you're inviting to be a part of your wedding party or to help on that day. I think it's respectful to kind of know where people are without having to know what's in their bank account, if that makes sense. As a friend, I think it's nice to be situationally aware of one of your bridesmaids maybe expecting their first child or maybe they’re getting married two months after you and this is a large amount of time and money. All of those things that they have to figure out. And then, kind of giving permission to your bridesmaids to say back to you, that's too expensive. 

Join the two best friends who met as financial journalists at HousingWire, Brena Nath, a twenty-something forever renter with her husband and pup, and Sarah Wheeler, an empty nester on her third home, every week for our girls night focused on everything from affording your best friend’s wedding to how to turn your side hustle into your main hustle. Each week, Girlfunds will have a special guest join us as we intertwine finance and friendship. And don’t worry, you don’t have to have your finances all together to join our girls nights. We’re all in this together to learn - women supporting women - and in the words of our producer, so we can all be #confidentqueens.

We couldn’t be more thrilled about interviewing a real estate agent for the second episode of Girlfunds, a show where we give you our two cents on money. They say money talks, so why can’t we? We love to talk with our girlfriends about everything — except our finances. We’re here to bring money back into the conversation with our sisters — and that includes you. For our second episode, we interview LA-based Real Estate Agent Xio Sandoval 

For some background on Xio Sandoval, she has been a leading and respected Latina Realtor since 2004. Recently, ranking number 19 in California with CENTURY 21, she is among the nation’s Top 250 National Association Of Hispanice Realtors (NAHREP) and distinguished by the Montebello Board of Realtors since 2014 as the number one agent in sales, total listings, and most escrows closed.

During the episode, we discuss how she is helping her clients lock in a home in today’s competitive market, along with some creative financial ways she has helped people buy a home, like renting out the basement. 

Girlfunds takeaway tip from Xio Sandoval: 

#1 What tips would you give potential homebuyers when it comes to creating a budget to save for a home? Or even, where to start on a six-month plan or a one-year plan?

You do have the families who are just not ready, whether it's credit or down payment. So, we  meet with the lender anyways, and we give them a financial analysis as to where they're at right now and what they need to do to get to the purchasing stage. Sometimes it's paying down credit card debt. Sometimes it's saving additional money towards the down payment fund. Sometimes it's knowing that, hey, you know what, we probably don't need the full 3% or 3.5%. Let’s see if you qualify for one of the state's down payment assistance programs. We really just tailor their scenario to them at the time. And if they're not ready to buy, we put them in a database, and they get drip mail for me once a month. And they get phone calls for me maybe twice a month, just making sure that they know that we're here. 

Join the two best friends who met as financial journalists at HousingWire, Brena Nath, a twenty-something forever renter with her husband and pup, and Sarah Wheeler, an empty nester on her third home, every week for our girls night focused on everything from affording your best friend’s wedding to how to turn your side hustle into your main hustle. Each week, Girlfunds will have a special guest join us as we intertwine finance and friendship. And don’t worry, you don’t have to have your finances all together to join our girls nights. We’re all in this together to learn - women supporting women - and in the words of our producer, so we can all be #confidentqueens.

We couldn’t be more excited to launch Girlfunds, a show where we give you our two cents on money. They say money talks, so why can’t we? We love to talk with our girlfriends about everything — except our finances. We’re here to bring money back into the conversation with our sisters — and that includes you. For this week’s episode, we sat down with Kendall Berry, a certified financial educator and money coach. 

For some background on Kendall Berry, she is a certified financial educator and a graduate of the Ramsey Solutions Financial Coach Master Training program. She discovered her passion for personal finance after going through her own journey of paying off over $53,000 in debt.

During the episode, we discuss some of the foundational elements to financial empowerment and taking control of your finances. Kendall Berry shares why she is so passionate about finances, along with some tips on where to start when it comes to gaining financial freedom and how to create a plan that is sustainable. 

Girlfunds takeaway tip from Kendall Berry: 

#1 Why do you think people struggle with budgeting and how can you stick to it?

It sounds really easy when I talk about it right there, but so many people, even when they get this information, don't stick with it. I think what it really comes down to is the same reason that people don't stick with other healthy habits – either they haven't given it enough time to become an ingrained habit or they don't have a big enough why. 

When it comes to taking enough time for it to become an ingrained habit, I like to suggest to people, “Let's take the next three to six months and make this your thing.” Just like you would if you're trying to get into a workout routine, or something else. Make this your thing. Set a reminder every day and make sure that you're in the budget and in your financial situation often, so that it becomes second nature to you. Once it becomes one of those ingrained habits, it's not as difficult. It's not as time consuming. It's just something that you're checking up on. That comes really easily. 

But then, of course, not having a big enough why, that can really stop people from staying motivated with their budget. I like to help people dig deep. What's the real reason this is important to you? Do you have children that you want to create a better life for? Do you want to have children? That was my why that was really motivating. And it's usually not the first thing that people say. It's like, okay, but why? But why? And it's way down there. So once people have to dig deep and understand why they're doing this, that can really help them stay motivated.

Join the two best friends who met as financial journalists at HousingWire, Brena Nath, a twenty-something forever renter with her husband and pup, and Sarah Wheeler, an empty nester on her third home, every week for our girls night focused on everything from affording your best friend’s wedding to how to turn your side hustle into your main hustle. Each week, Girlfunds will have a special guest join us as we intertwine finance and friendship. And don’t worry, you don’t have to have your finances all together to join our girls nights. We’re all in this together to learn - women supporting women - and in the words of our producer, so we can all be #confidentqueens.