In today's episode, I answer TEN of the most frequently asked questions I get from people who are thinking about working with me. As a former teacher, I know that if one person has a question, there are multiple people wondering the same thing! I also understand the feeling of knowing you need to do something to help yourself but also feeling unsure about taking that next step. This episode is designed to help you overcome feelings of hesitation and paint a clearer picture of what it would be like to have me as your coach!

Remember, working with me is a one-time investment that's going to pay for itself for the rest of your life. So I wanted to use this episode to answer some questions for people still on the fence. Maybe you follow me on Instagram, or maybe you have opened up the application to work with me several times and are having a hard time saying 'yes' to yourself - Wherever you are in the decision cycle, I am always here to answer your questions. My goal is to create a comfortable space to talk about finances. 

Tune into this week's episode to get the answers to questions I am asked all the time, such as…

[01:29] Do you only coach women?

[07:28] I’m not in debt. Can I still sign up to work with you?

[10:44] What happens after I start working with you?

[24:32] Do I have to stop using my credit cards?

Listen to this episode of Money Files and learn the answers to ten of the most frequently asked questions from clients!

Get full show notes and the episode transcript: https://wealthovernow.com/personal-finances-budgeting-financial-coaching-money-questions-frequently-asked-questions/

Links mentioned in this episode…

Set up a call | Financial Coach Washington, DC | Wealth Over Now

The Supreme Court has overturned Biden’s student debt forgiveness plan. While student loan payments were suspended during COVID, interest fees will resume in October 2023. It is essential to understand your numbers now to avoid feeling stressed and overwhelmed in a few months.

I had over $70,000 in student loan debt. My payments were between $500 and $700 a month. I never fought or got angry with the payment because I knew that $500-$700 would always be needed in my budget. It might have different names in the future, like “car payment” or “childcare,” but I would always have a similar payment.

That is why I encourage you to plan your student loan payments into your budget now! If you aren’t sure how much you will owe, make an estimate and start allocating that money aside. Not only will this put you ahead of the game in October, but it will save you so much stress. So don’t get discouraged. Stay in control of your finances with these four easy tips to pay down student loans drama-free!

As you prepare to start repaying student loans again, consider…

[08:16] I want you to incorporate your student loan payment into your budget now. 

[10:13] I want you to put a reminder in your calendar to set up auto pay on your student  loan payments.

Tune in to this episode of Money Files to learn four tips to help with repaying student loan debt. 

Get full show notes and the episode transcript: https://wealthovernow.com/personal-finances-budgeting-student-loan-payment-student-loan-forgiveness-student-debt/

Links mentioned in this episode…

Set up a call | Financial Coach Washington, DC | Wealth Over Now

Join The Waitlist For My Next Money Class

Every client comes to me with a different set of goals. Some are more traditional like wanting to save money, pay off debt, or purchase a home. However, the main thing that differentiates their experience with me as a financial coach from attempting to do the work themselves is that I build a financial system they can trust.

During a coaching container, every single client says how much they love budgeting. Hard to imagine? That’s because you have never worked with me! A budget is a working tool that you can manipulate to meet your goals. It isn’t about restrictions or lists. Together we can create a budget plan that involves a system you can trust and allows you to live the life you have dreamed of. Do you want to experience stress-free budgeting? It’s time to make the move and apply to work with me. I can’t wait to help change how you feel about and manage money. 

During this episode I want you to ask yourself…

[06:25] This week I want you to really think about what it would look like in your own life if you had this financial system that you can trust. How would you show up if you knew that there was money always available for the things that you need?

Tune in to this episode of Money Files to learn how building a financial plan you can trust will help you to love budgeting, reach your money goals, and manage your finances confidently.

Get full show notes and the episode transcript: https://wealthovernow.com/personal-finances-budgeting-bill-tracking-paying-down-debt-saving-money-financial-management-financial-coach/

Links mentioned in this episode…

Set up a call | Financial Coach Washington, DC | Wealth Over Now

Join The Waitlist For My Next Money Class

Today’s episode is about highlighting the difference between tracking and budgeting. Many coaching consultations focus on a client’s frustration with managing money. These six-figure earners are living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to pay down debt, and unable to reach saving goals. Most clients come to me with some sort of tracking system they use to “budget.” But listing out bills and tracking expenses is a passive activity. That isn’t budgeting.

To help explain the difference between tracking and budgeting, I share a client example. Tune in as I detail her journey from passive money management to proactive planning and saving. 

Finally, I share three steps you should take to actively budget. Remember, effective budgeting isn’t about restriction. It is about naming and assigning every dollar to protect your future money goals, increase financial awareness, and spend in ways that are important to you. 

During this episode I want you to ask yourself…

[18:00] As we think about the difference between tracking versus budgeting, I want you to ask yourself: Am I tracking or am I budgeting?

Tune in to this episode of Money Files to learn the difference between tracking and budgeting so that you can proactively manage your finances in a way that serves your money goals. 

Get full show notes and the episode transcript: https://wealthovernow.com/tracking-vs-budgeting---how-to-actively-manage-your-finances/

Links mentioned in this episode…

Set up a call | Financial Coach Washington, DC | Wealth Over Now

The Critical Link Between Budgeting and Financial Awareness - Wealth Over Now

How to Budget for Clarity & Confidence

Rethink Your Numbers With Values-Based Budgeting

Join The Waitlist For My Next Money Class

We are officially in June! We are already halfway through 2023. It is time to do a financial check-in. In today's episode, I discuss the importance of conducting a midyear financial review and strategies to keep you on track to hit your money goals. 

January is an exciting time to set resolutions, and we enter the new year with enthusiasm, especially around changing money habits. However, it is easy to lose focus and stray away from financial plans. A lot can happen in six months. It's normal for goals to change or different aspects of our finances to gain a higher priority. That is why a midyear review is so important!

Schedule time in your calendar to sit down with the money goals you set for yourself and reflect. Really evaluate your progress. Take a moment to celebrate wins! Then consider what is important to you right now. Do these new goals align with your original financial plan? Remember, budgeting is a tool, and your process will evolve. By checking in with yourself now, you will gain more financial confidence and set yourself up for more success in the second half of 2023. 

During this episode, I encourage you to consider the following…

[00:04:55] The first thing I want you to do in your midyear review about your goals for this year is to think about what financial goals you said out loud or put on paper. 

[00:06:45] I want you to think about what is truly important (in your finances) right now

[00:11:17] As part of the media review I want you to actually think about quick actions. What are the quick actions you can take to make progress?

Tune in to this episode of Money Files to learn how to jump-start your midyear financial review and reflect on your progress in 2023.

Get full show notes and the episode transcript: https://wealthovernow.com/how-to-begin-a-midyear-finance-review/

Links mentioned in this episode…

Set up a call | Financial Coach Washington, DC | Wealth Over Now

How Ellie Got Out Of The Paycheck To Paycheck Cycle As A Six Figure Earner - Wealth Over Now

Join My Next Money Class

In today's episode, I provide a list of questions designed to help you define and understand your financial self-concept. You are with yourself every single day. When you are in the midst of working on your financial journey, it can be hard to see progress. One of the benefits of hiring a coach is that I am watching your progress, and I push you to reflect on the growth and shifts you've made around money.

Managing your finances is more than just budgeting and spreadsheets. Everyone has strong feelings about money. To create lasting changes, you have to identify and understand these emotions. That is why it is so important to understand your financial concept.

Your financial self-concept is just a set of thoughts that you have about yourself in relation to money. I curated a list of questions to help you define and understand your financial story. So get your pen and paper ready! I want you to really engage in this work and take a massive step forward in your financial journey, self-awareness, and money confidence.

As you listen, participate in the work of discovering your financial self concept…

[00:06:27] What is your self-concept like? What are the things that you are thinking about yourself now that you didn’t used to think about yourself when it came to your finances?

[00:08:51] Get your pen and paper. Here are some awesome questions for you to answer while defining your financial self concept.

[00:13:00] Be honest with yourself in terms of your financial mistakes or experiences because there are things that may have happened when you were a child that have influenced how you think about money. After you answer these questions, I want you to think about your answers. I want you to think about what connections you see overall and if there is a trend when you think about the thoughts that you automatically have about money

Tune in to this episode of Money Files as I outline a map of questions that will help you define and understand your financial self concept.

Get full show notes and the episode transcript: 

https://wealthovernow.com/defining-and-understanding-your-financial-self-concept/

Links mentioned in this episode…

Set up a call | Financial Coach Washington, DC | Wealth Over Now

Join My Next Money Class

On today’s episode, I am joined by fitness and nutrition coach Jenny Blake. Together we discuss the similar mindset women have around budgeting and nutrition and how simple mindset shifts can change how you reach goals.

Successfully balancing your nutrition or budget is all about identifying and clarifying your values. Neither principles are about restriction. Instead, the tools Jenny and I empower our clients to use are designed to create a foundational structure you can rely on.

There is a massive overlap between finances, nutrition, and fitness. Achieving your financial and nutrition goals is about learning what holds value for you. Whether that means incorporating your favorite foods into a meal plan or budgeting for travel, these plans are not restrictive. Instead, they are a way to introduce consistency in a manageable and attainable way for your long-term growth and success.  

Listen to this episode as Jenny and I tackle key topics like…

[00:03:14] The huge overlap between finances, nutrition, and fitness.

[00:04:40] Whether we’re talking about macros or we’re talking about a budget, going through this process helps you identify your values

[00:42:01] What do you do when you fail?

[00:46:10] You are your average.

Get full show notes and the episode transcript: 

https://wealthovernow.com/keina-and-jenny-talk-no-restriction-budgeting-and-nutrition/

Links mentioned in this episode…

Set up a call | Financial Coach Washington, DC | Wealth Over Now

Website Create Your Shape Program

Instagram @jennythenutritionist

On today’s episode, I chat with my client, Ellie. I love sharing client stories and relatable examples that show what financial coaching is all about. Ellie’s situation is relatable to every 6-figure earner that struggles with managing their finances. 

Despite several significant raises and cementing herself as a 6-figure earner, Ellie could not escape the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle. Like many other high-income earners, she thought making more money automatically meant she would have more money. But in order to get control of her finances, Ellie and I needed to create a strategy that aligned her money and personal goals.

Listen in as Ellie shares how a different approach to budgeting has helped her gain more security with her finances. She went from spending impulsively on material items to purposely planning for future expenses, confidently paying down debt, and consistently contributing over $500 a month to her emergency fund. I hope you get inspired by Ellie’s newfound financial freedom and gain a proper understanding of how financial coaching can change your life. 

Listen to this episode as Ellie answers questions about her experience…

[00:02:48] When you were thinking about one-on-one coaching, what did you know that you wanted or needed from this experience?

[00:07:15] What is your experience like spending money since we’ve been working together?

[00:32:40]  How are you feeling about [the potential of] getting back into debt after you have paid it off?

[00:33:30] What are the tools that you have now that you know will support you?

Tune in to this episode of Money Files as Ellie and I discuss her journey to financial freedom.

Get full show notes and the episode transcript: 

https://wealthovernow.com/how-ellie-got-out-of-the-paycheck-to-paycheck-cycle-as-a-six-figure-earner/

Links mentioned in this episode…

Set up a call | Financial Coach Washington, DC | Wealth Over Now

The beauty of working with a financial coach is creating a sustainable financial plan. Oftentimes my clients are worried that even though they’ve attempted to budget in the past their financial results have always felt temporary.  They pay off their credit card but then they have a $5,000 balance  before the year is over or they finally start saving money but then they have to constantly dip into savings to cover unplanned expenses.  

On today’s episode, I’m resharing one of my favorite episodes with my client Marie.  Before working with me Marie wrote out her bills from the first of the month to the end of the month as a way to keep track of her spending.  Whatever money she had leftover after the bills were paid she viewed it as extra money. 

You’ll hear us discuss how learning to give every dollar a name helped her reframe how she thought about the money in her account and how she thought about money on payday.  If you find yourself living paycheck to paycheck or maybe you too have a list of bills as a budget you’ll want to tune into today’s episode. 

So listen as she shares her experience working with me as her financial coach and how her life has changed since finishing the program. 

In this episode, I ask Marie…

[00:04:15] How did you manage your finances prior to working with me?

[00:08:35] What has been easier than you expected and what’s been a bit more challenging than you expected?

[00:14:58] What has budgeting freed up for you? 

Tune in to this episode of Money Files as Marie shares how working with a financial coach has impacted her perspective on money.

Get full show notes and the episode transcript: 

https://wealthovernow.com/mvp-how-giving-every-dollar-a-name-changed-maries-spending/

Links mentioned in this episode…

Set up a call | Financial Coach Washington, DC | Wealth Over Now

Join My Next Money Class | How to Budget Without Restriction

On today’s episode, I sit down with my friend and colleague Shamika Marie Hill. We discuss hot topics around career development, salary negotiation, and interviewing for women. As a career development coach, Shamika offers advice on pushing your career to the next level through a shift in mindset around earning money. 

Over 75% of the women Shamika works with are underpaid. Similarly, so many of my clients are afraid to counter salary offers or ask for a raise. It is a consequence of our society (and the patriarchy) that women feel that they should be grateful or thankful for the opportunity to make six figures. This needs to change. We need to shift our mindset as women to earn the money that is equivalent to our skills, education, experience, and value.

If you are ready to realize your true earning potential, this episode is for you. Grab a notebook and a pen because you will want to take notes! Shamika gives actionable advice on how to interview, negotiate offers, and how to shift your mindset to be the best advocate for YOU. 

Listen to this episode to hear Shamika answer…

[00:30:30] What is one mindset shift all women need to make to become a six-figure or even multiple six-figure earners?

[00:33:40] What are four tips you have for women when negotiating their next offer?

Tune in to this episode of Money Files as Shamika and I discuss the crucial mindset shifts women need to make to get the salaries they deserve.

Get full show notes and the episode transcript: 

https://wealthovernow.com/exploring-a-new-mindset-to-make-more-money-the-ownership-of-you/

Links mentioned in this episode…

Set up a call | Financial Coach Washington, DC | Wealth Over Now

Join My Next Money Class