Show Notes:
2:22 What led Meghan to financial counseling
5:15 Inside Meghan's business model
6:36 How she serves her clients
7:25 The setup of her business
8:53 Advice for approaching employers without a financial wellness program
10:57 How to best network with businesses
13:26 Advice for other counselors interested in this work
15:35 Meghan's final 2 cents

Show Note Links:

• Connect with Meghan on Linkedin and her company
• CIF Financial Planning
• Financial Health Network Studies 
• PolkaDot Powerhouse
• AFCPE Community: Join Membership
• FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship: Applications open March 1!

This week on Real Money, Real Experts, our hosts sit down with Meghan Lape, AFC®, CFP®, EA®, the founder of Conscious Impact Financial Planning, a financial wellness and socially responsible investment firm.

Meghan recognizes that all too often, the people who need financial services the most also cannot afford them. Her solution? Engaging with employers to better meet people where they are. As an AFC, Meghan is a fierce advocate for financial wellness programs in the workplace, and believes in a people-first approach. On this episode, she takes us through her business model, shares how’s she’s building a network within her local community, and offers honest words of advice and encouragement for other entrepreneurs.

Want to get involved with AFCPE®?
Here are a few places to start: Become a Member, Sign up for an Essentials Course, or Get AFC Certified today!

Want to support the podcast? We love partnering with organizations that share our mission and values. Download our media kit.

This week we are excited to welcome Sasha Grabenstetter to the show! Sasha is a new AFCPE Board Member and the Financial Planning Education Consultant at eMoney Advisor who shares AFCPE's passion for creating a more integrated field that better serves all individuals and families.

In this episode, we discuss the benefits of building financial planning practices that offer wrap-around services and talk about the value in building strong referral partnerships between counselors, coaches, and planners. Sasha is a gifted educator with infectious energy, making this a must-listen episode!

Show Notes:
1:36 Why AFCPE and the AFC®?
6:05 What is eMoney?
7:33 Into Sasha's work with eMoney
9:26 How the CFP and AFC complement each other
11:46 Financial planning firms & the ever-changing landscape
16:07 More into referral partnerships and the AFC
21:41 Sasha's advice for connecting to audiences as a podcaster
23:22 Sasha's final 2 cents

Show Note Links:
eMoney Advisor
Apple Seed Program
Connect with Sasha on LinkedIn
Heart of Advice blog

Want to get involved with AFCPE®?
Here are a few places to start: Become a Member, Sign up for an Essentials Course, or Get AFC Certified today!

Want to support the podcast? We love partnering with organizations that share our mission and values. Download our media kit.

We’re kicking off 2023 with award-winning journalist and the founder and CEO of HerMoney Media, Jean Chatzky!

In this episode, Jean shares her journey into journalism and personal finance and discusses the importance of building camaraderie and accountability when talking about money. We learn more about her coaching programs FinanceFixx and InvestingFixx and why she values the AFC. Jean leaves us with great advice that is applicable to personal finance but also for any goals you may be setting in the new year! 

Show Notes:
1:38 How Jean got started
8:12 Jean's PBS show: Opportunity Knocks
8:59 Why she recommends the AFC
11:15  FinanceFixx and InvestingFixx 
15:14 Suggestions for women getting started with organizing their finances
19:01 Jean's final 2 cents

Show Note Links:

• Follow @JeanChatzky and @HerMoneyMedia
• Jean is hiring part-time coaches! Send her an email or connect at [email protected]
• Finance Fixx
• Her Money
• Investing Fixx
• Opportunity Knocks
• Opportunity Finders

Want to get involved with AFCPE®?
Here are a few places to start: Become a Member, Sign up for an Essentials Course, or Get AFC Certified today!

Want to support the podcast? We love partnering with organizations that share our mission and values. Download our media kit.

In the final episode of this season, Mary and Rachael are joined by AFCPE’s Board President, Michele Godfrey, AFC®. Two weeks ago, we kicked off the 2022 AFCPE Symposium with a trip down memory lane – celebrating where we’ve been and where we’re going as we wrap up celebrations for the #30YearsofAFC.

In this episode, we’ll recap some of the highlights from our opening general session, answer your questions about the organization, and share our favorite moments from #AFCPE2022.

This episode was live-streamed on Youtube on November 22nd, 2022.

Transcript and Show Notes:
1:08 Why focus on the past, present, and future?
4:31 What's happening in the world of certification and education
10:03 What groups live within the profession?
14:18 What can someone get out of membership?
24:43 What's next with the AFCPE Pro Bono Program?
27:54  Thoughts for those wanting to get into private practice
32:28 Outgoing remarks from Board President Michele

Show Note Links:
Annual Report
Download Symposium Recordings

Want to get involved with AFCPE®?
Here are a few places to start: Become a Member, Sign up for an Essentials Course, or Get AFC Certified today!

Want to support the podcast? We love partnering with organizations that share our mission and values. Download our media kit.

This week, we're speaking with joint #AFCPE2022 keynote speakers from the FINRA foundation: Ritta McLaughlin,  the Director of Investor Education Community Outreach & Olivia Valdes, Senior Research Analyst. In this episode, we dive into trends across multiple areas of the market such as the idea of intergenerational wealth and its contribution to massive wealth gaps, and the importance of truly understanding the nuances of the populations we study.

Tune in for more impactful, data-driven takeaways from the FINRA National Financial Capability study and listen to the full presentation at #AFCPE2022--register to attend virtually today!

Show Notes:
2:20 Into the FINRA National Financial Capability Study
14:53 Market participation across race and ethnicity
18:16 Gender investing trends
19:53 How can we impact this challenge and become a more inclusive market?
31:18 Fun facts!
34:56 Ritta and Olivia's final 2 cents

Show Note Links:

• Connect with FINRA on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook,or Contact 
• 2021 NFCS Report 
• Bridging the Divide 
• Interact with the Data

Want to get involved with AFCPE®?
Here are a few places to start: Become a Member, Sign up for an Essentials Course, or Get AFC Certified today!

Want to support the podcast? We love partnering with organizations that share our mission and values. Download our media kit.

In this week’s episode, we sit with Jason Craige Harris, a voice for healing and transformation who works across communities and organizations to promote dignity, belonging, and compassion. Jason is also one of our keynote speakers at the 2022 AFCPE Symposium this November.

Jason takes us through the importance of building genuine empathy with others and the need for a Revolution of Compassion. Learn more about what that looks like by tuning in, and attending Jason’s full presentation at #AFCPE2022. Register today!

Show Notes:
2:50 How Jason got into this work
7:27 When Jason knew he wanted to make change
10:34 His keynote topic and how it will relate to AFCPE professionals
15:29 Strategies for being less judgmental and more empathetic
18:24 Jason’s final 2 cents

Show Note Links:

• Connect with Jason on Linkedin
• Jason and Perception Strategies
• Susan Finke’s Nature of Prejudice

Want to get involved with AFCPE®?
Here are a few places to start: Become a Member, Sign up for an Essentials Course, or Get AFC Certified today!

Want to support the podcast? We love partnering with organizations that share our mission and values. Download our media kit.

In this week’s episode, we get to know Robin Hauser: an award-winning documentary filmmaker and a keynote speaker at the 2022 AFCPE Symposium. Her film, $avvy, was inspired by her own personal experience with money. It led her to wonder, why do women tend to abdicate major financial decisions to someone else (often the man in their life)? And why is that so dangerous?

Our hosts and Robin talk about the power of storytelling and its ability to eliminate shame and increase empathy. We also address the subtle microaggressions that women face even today, and how we can ensure that women feel included in the personal finance space. Tune in, and don't miss the screening at #AFCPE2022 by registering to attend today.

Show Notes:
1:58 How Robin got into documentary filmmaking
4:40 What to expect during Robin's session
6:30 How counselors can utilize video to spread their impact
8:55 What is the likability dilemma
11:39 Increasing women in a male-dominated industry
15:31 Robin's 2 cents

Show Note Links:

• $avvy documentary
• Robin's Ted Talk: Likability Dilemma
• UBS Study that Robin referenced regarding women believing men know more about money
• Robin's Website
• McKinsey study about the transfer of wealth from men to women

Want to get involved with AFCPE®?
Here are a few places to start: Become a Member, Sign up for an Essentials Course, or Get AFC Certified today!

Want to support the podcast? We love partnering with organizations that share our mission and values. Download our media kit.

Download the transcript here.

This week on Real Money, Real Experts, we're back with Ryan Law, CFP®, AFC®,  a recognized expert in client communication, student loans, financial counseling, and behavior change. He recently served as President of AFCPE, and in 2021 Ryan received the AFCPE Distinguished Fellow Award!

In this episode, Ryan takes us through the current state of federal student loans and what to anticipate in the coming months given the recent updates. He also shares a sneak peek of what to expect for his keynote presentation this November and provides practical advice for being change agents in our own lives. Tune in to Ryan's episode for great insights, and secure your ticket to symposium today to catch his full presentation at #AFCPE2022!

Show Notes:
1:40 Sneak peek of Ryan's symposium keynote presentation
9:19 What to know right now for student loans
13:09 When might payments restart?
14:06 What about direct or FFEL loans?
15:06 Why Ryan chose to pursue his AFC®
17:19 His first symposium experience
18:04 What he most looks forward to at #AFCPE2022
19:42 Ryan's final 2 cents

Show Note Links:

• Ryan's Website and Blog
• Student Aid 
• Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn
• Ryan's Financial Behavior Keynote Group
• Student Debt Relief Plan Explained 
• Register for Symposium! The early Bird deadline ends September 30th.

Want to get involved with AFCPE®?
Here are a few places to start: Become a Member, Sign up for an Essentials Course, or Get AFC Certified today!

Want to support the podcast? We love partnering with organizations that share our mission and values. Download our media kit.

In this week's episode of Real Money, Real Experts, our hosts speak with Bill Gustafson, who is a professor emeritus in the Personal Financial Planning Department at Texas Tech University. He has been educating students and conducting research related to personal finance for over 36 years and helped to create what we now know as the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education.

Bill takes us back to the very first meeting where AFCPE®  was named and dives into the importance of recognizing the human side of finance vs. the business side, and how to best bridge the two in your work. In this episode, we are reminded of the importance of telling the stories about the people that make a difference along the way, and documenting it for future generations to come. Tune in for an inspiring episode into Bill's broad perspective of the finance profession as a whole.

Throughout his career he has been honored with Texas Tech’s President's Excellence in Teaching Award; the College of Human Sciences Helen Burleson Service Award; and the Department of Personal Financial Planning Visionary Award

Show notes:
2:01 Bill's start in the field
3:42 How he got connected to the financial counseling world
5:02 Bill and Dr. Jerry Mason
8:52 College of Human Sciences and its importance in finance
13:23 Diving into the archives project
15:45 Bill's final 2 cents

Show note links:
Texas Tech’s School of Financial Planning
Southwest Collections at TTU
Register for Symposium!
Email Bill

Want to get involved with AFCPE®?
Here are a few places to start: Become a Member, Sign up for an Essentials Course, or Get AFC Certified today!

Want to support the podcast? We love partnering with organizations that share our mission and values. Download our media kit.

This week on Real Money, Real Experts, we are joined by Dorothy "Dottie" Durband,  who is known to many as the "Godmother of Financial Counseling." Dottie is the associate dean for academics and faculty and a professor of personal financial planning in the College of Human Sciences at Texas Tech University. She's been an Accredited Financial Counselor for over 20 years and is an esteemed member and mentor in both the AFCPE community and the field of finance as a whole.

In our 60th episode, Dottie shares her greatest takeaways from the field of personal finance as a whole, including great insights into how she pioneered one of the first major student financial literacy initiatives at Texas Tech titled 'Red to Black'.  Dottie and Mary also chat about The Financial Counseling Archives Project that is currently underway, and how the most influential voices of the finance sector are getting to have their stories told. Tune in for a conversation that'll leave you feeling inspired!

Show notes:

2:02 How she began her career in personal finance
3:24 Consumer Credit Counseling Service
4:43 Dottie's student financial literacy initiative @ Texas Tech
6:49 How does this program help?
8:15 How its inspired other programs
9:11 Mentorship advice
11:10 Dottie's advice for those entering the finance space
12:27 The Financial Counseling Archives Project
16:21 What Dottie would tell someone who's considering becoming an AFC
18:05 Advising and guiding students
22:39 Dottie's final 2 cents
 

Show Note Links

• Dottie’s LinkedIn 
• Red to Black program
• AFC Certification
• Become or Get a Mentor
• Texas Tech University School of Financial Planning

Want to get involved with AFCPE®?
Here are a few places to start: Become a Member, Sign up for an Essentials Course, or Get AFC Certified today!

Want to support the podcast? We love partnering with organizations that share our mission and values. Download our media kit.