Today we kick off our mid-season series focused on the 30th Anniversary of the AFC. In this episode, we had the honor to sit down with Heath Carelock, AFC®. Heath is the Program Director for the Financial Empowerment Center at Prince George’s Community College in Maryland. He was also one of the first AFCs to volunteer for our pro bono counseling initiative at the height of the pandemic and remains active in the program today.

This episode covers the gamut, offering great insights on reframing our services to better meet our clients’ needs, valuable ways to improve our own work as financial professionals (hint: it goes beyond financial knowledge), and the importance of aspiring to a belief system. We also talk about the power of words (in relation to someone seeking help) – and how important it is to understand your clients and how they think about money.

Following the recording of this episode, we learned that Heath was named the “2022 Community Champion” at the Maryland Financial Education and Capability Awards Program. Heath’s impact is far-reaching, and his insights are great, making this an episode you don’t want to miss!

Show Notes:
2:10 Heath's background and what led him to his work today
6:12 What inspired Heath to pursue the AFC® designation
10:43 Heath's experience with the Pro Bono Counseling Initiative
13:23 Trends and different scenarios Heath has been picking up on
17:00 Has there been a rise in clients over the last few years?
23:01 How Heath connects with the community
29:00 Heath's final 2 Cents

Show Note Links:
Connect with Heath on LinkedIn
EarnUp
Money Habitudes
Cash Campaign of Maryland
Financial Empowerment Center at Prince George’s Community College

AFCPE Resources:
Join the Membership community
AFCPE Symposium Invitation to Present

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 final episode of our Real Money, Real Experts Career Series, we catch up with Rachael Bronstein and Maggie Klokkenga. Tune in as they share their own experiences in starting a private practice and how honing in on your niche can lead to a more successful, fulfilling career.

Maggie Klokkenga, CFP®, CPA, and AFC® candidate is a financial coach and the owner of Make a Money Mindshift, a financial coaching and planning firm in central Illinois where she helps individuals and couples to reduce their overwhelm and shame with money. 

Rachael Bronstein is an Accredited Financial Counselor & financial coach for Jean Chatzky’s FinanceFixx program. Rachael also launched a company last May to help touring music professionals simplify their life & finances, called Life’s Jam.

Show Notes:
3:24 Rachael's journey to personal finance
11:33 FinanceFixx Program
14:11 Maggie and multiple streams of income
16:24 Rachael's tips for small business owners
18:26 Tools Rachael found helpful early on
21:18 Maggie's tips for small business owners
24:29 What led Maggie to pursue the AFC
28:15 Guests' final 2 cents

Show Note Links:

Follow Rachael:

• Life’s Jam Website 
• Connect on LinkedIn or Instagram or Facebook
• Kim Kaupe's podcast

Follow Maggie: 

• Make a Money Mindshift website 
• Connect with Brad Klontz
• Connect on LinkedIn or Instagram or Facebook or Youtube

AFCPE Resources:

• Join the Membership community: 
• AFCPE Connections Fair: Gain Experience. Find a Job. 

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.

To kick off Financial Literacy Month, our hosts Rachael DeLeon and Dr. Mary Bell Carlson speak with President and CEO of the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, Laura Levine. Laura shares the ins and outs of her own career journey and provides listeners with ideas on how to get involved with youth financial education and the coalition’s work.

Laura is a fierce advocate for financial education and she is passionate about better equipping our youth with the knowledge they need to thrive. Tune in as she shares resources and actionable steps we can all take to provide the schools in our community with more financial education.

Show Notes:
2:20 Laura's Career Journey to Today
4:50 All about Jump$tart and its history
10:35 Getting involved with the coalition and where to start
14:02 Making a bigger impact with the state coalition
18:18 AFCPE's impact as a Jump$tart board member
20:26 Getting involved as an organization at the state level
21:41 Current state of financial education in schools
27:59  Laura's final two cents

Show Note Links:
Email Laura
Connect on LinkedIn
Jump$tart Website/Instagram/Facebook/Twitter
Laura’s Twitter
Laura’s LinkedIn page
Project Groundswell / Check Your School for Financial Literacy:
Jump$tart State Coalitions
Jump$tart Clearing House
Council for Economic Education’s Survey of the States:
Join the Membership community
AFCPE Connections Fair: Gain Experience. Find a Job. April 28  

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, Rachael sits down with longtime AFCPE Member, Janie Bright, AFC®. Janie is a self-described passionate credit union employee who has worked in the industry for nearly 30 years. She began her journey as a Credit Union teller, where she saw firsthand the issues that individuals and families face in relation to their finances. Today, she serves as the Vice President of Financial Inclusion and Community Strategy and shares all that she's learned along the way.

In this episode, Janie reminds us about the power of mentorship – there are coaches all around you; the importance of financial inclusion – the only thing that separates us from others is our situations; and the value of doing well by doing good. 

Show notes:
2:17 Into her career journey
6:10 Working in the credit union & banking space
8:42 How being an AFC® has enhanced her impact
9:46 Her experience serving on a nonprofit board
12:01 Symposium memories and highlights
14:52 How Janie defines financial inclusion
19:16 Janie's final 2 cents

Show note links:
Email Janie
Connect on LinkedIn
Local Government Federal Credit Union
Join the Membership community
AFCPE Connections Fair: Gain Experience. Find a Job. 

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're continuing our Career Series by diving deep into the world of financial coaching and the ups and downs of owning your own business with Josh Escalante Troesh and Garrett Philbin, AFC®.

Josh and Garrett discuss the importance of community, investing in yourself, as well as detailing the difference between licensure and certification and why they're relevant. They provide tons of useful resources, and their combined wisdom can really speak to wherever you're at in your career, making this episode a must-listen!

Both Josh and Garrett are co-founders of Financial Coaches Network, a business incubator/accelerator that supports entrepreneurs in building their businesses. Garrett holds his AFC® Certification, began financial coaching in 2015 and is the founder of a successful financial coaching business and the Financial Coaches Community Facebook group with over 5,000 members. Josh is a CFP and a Tenured Professor specializing in personal finance and entrepreneurship and has been quoted in Forbes, CNBC, Consumer Reports, US News & World Report, and dozens of other media.

Show notes:
01:45 Garrett's journey to starting a successful financial coaching business
03:47 Josh's unique start in the business and starting Financial Coaches Network with Garrett
05:34 Garrett’s pivot from the music business to the personal finance space
10:08 What made Garrett decide to earn the AFC?
12:32 All about licensure with Josh
20:16 Is there a need for a standardized definition of financial coaching?
24:44 Garrett’s insights on working in private practice 
29:56 The final 2 cents

Show Note Links:

• Garrett’s article on Kitces.com 
• Josh’s article on registration
• Financial coaching network (FCN)
• Financial Coaches Community Facebook Group
• Josh’s non-profit: Purposeful Finance
• Josh's LinkedIn
• Garrett's LinkedIn

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 joined by Andia Dinesen, Executive Vice President for Communications and Operations for the Association of Military Banks of America (AMBA). As a military spouse, Andia shares her journey to AFC® certification through the FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship Program. She touches on the importance of perseverance and offers great advice for AFCs interested in working on a military installation or for a bank or credit union. She also shares why having trusted partners in financial services is critical to our work as financial professionals.

As a bonus, Andia catches us up on the great resources that AMBA provides – from their Veterans Banking Benefits Program (VBBP), to their collaboration with AFCPE which provides free financial counseling to Veterans, to the financial preparedness kit available to servicemembers (MilDocs) – there are lots of great resources for you to better support the military and Veteran community.

Show Notes:
02:23 How she got started, and how she found the AFC®
04:44 The funny backstory behind her being a military spouse
06:21 Advice to all aspiring Military Spouse Fellows and applicants
08:07 Tips for those interested in working at a banker credit union
10:04 Who else hires AFCs?
15:46 How being an AFCPE member has furthered her career
20:09 All about MILDOCS
22:09 Andia's final 2 cents

Show Note Links:
Andia’s LinkedIn page
FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship Program
Veterans Benefits Banking Program
Pro Bono Financial Counseling:  For Veterans or for General Public
AMBA - Association of Military Banks of America
MILDOCS

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 very excitedly welcome Karen Richel to the show as we continue our Career Series. Karen is a University of Idaho Extension Associate Professor and the Family Finance Extension educator for ten north Idaho counties. In her work, Karen caters to every age and socioeconomic group with one-on-one financial counseling/coaching sessions, classes, workshops, and simulations. 

In the third episode of our Real Money, Real Experts career series, Karen shares how an unexpected “pause” in her life led to a more meaningful life and career. As an avid mentor, Karen offers valuable – and unique – advice, on how being an “octopus” can set you up for career success. Regardless of your career path, she is a wealth of knowledge and resources, making this an episode that'll leave you uplifted.

Show Notes:

01:58 How Karen got to where she is now
09:37 What she would’ve loved to know before entering the field
16:12 Karen's amazing experience being an AFCPE® Mentor
18:05 How her AFC® has impacted her work
21:16 All about working in Cooperative Extension
23:51 How to break into this career field
28:07 What type of educational background do you need?
29:22 The transition to virtual learning
32:33 Advice for aspiring mentors and mentees for AFCPE's MentorConnect program 
35:05 Karen’s final 2 Cents

Show Note Links: 

• Reach out to Karen here
• Karen’s LinkedIn page
• University of Idaho Extension  
• Extension Jobs 
• Join the Membership community to become a mentor or mentee!
• "Our Financial Conference" mentioned by Karen

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’re putting co-host Dr. Mary Bell Carlson in the hot seat. In this second episode of our career series, Rachael talks to Mary about her expansive career path in the Government sector. Mary is a wealth of knowledge on the variety of ways AFC professionals can work in financial counseling and education at the local, state, and federal levels, and she offers lots of great resources for our listeners to explore. 

Even if you aren’t interested in a government career, Mary’s passion for advocacy is inspiring and she offers great tips for career growth in any field. (Hint – it starts with building strong relationships!) As an AFC® and a CFP®, Mary has a unique perspective on the value of the AFC, making this an episode you don’t want to miss.

Show Notes:
01:48 Mary’s Attraction to this Field
07:33 Why to Pursue Your AFC® and CFP®
10:02 The Intersection of Government Work and AFCPE®
11:37 All About Our Government Relations Task Force
12:49 What Mary Loved About Working in This Sector
15:32 Getting Involved at the Federal Level
19:45 Advice for Those Looking to Pursue Similar Careers
21:23 What She Would’ve Loved to Know Before Entering the Field          
22:37 Mary’s 2 Cents   

Show Note Links:
Mary's Linkedin
Chief Financial Mom

Career Resources:

• AFC Certification
• Career Paths
• AFCPE Job Board
• Save the Date: April 25 - 29th: AFCPE Virtual Experience Hour & Internship Fair
• Join the Membership community!
• ​​Cities for Financial Empowerment (CFE)
• National Association of Counties (NACO) 
• Treasury’s Financial Literacy & Economic Commission (FLEC)
• Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
• Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC)
• FINRA’s Foundation
• Government Relations Task Force 
• Military Essentials Course 
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) 
• Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)
• InFre & Retirement Counseling

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.

Kicking off the first episode in our new Career Series, “Real Money, Real Experts” co-hosts Dr. Mary Bell Carlson and Rachael DeLeon speak with Marcy Reyes, AFC® about her career in the nonprofit space.

Marcy is the Founder and CEO of The Financial Literacy Youth (or FLY) Initiative, a non-profit organization that provides culturally responsive financial literacy programming to underserved and underrepresented students; empowering youth with the knowledge, skills, and experiences to end generational poverty. Marcy has made her mark in the field by identifying gaps and working to close them... not to mention she is also the first Latina in her state to be an AFC®.

Listen in as she takes us through her journey of starting a nonprofit while sharing her inspiring advice for everyone interested in working in the nonprofit space. Her enthusiasm and passion for this work are contagious, no matter what area of the field you are in!

Show Notes:

00:42 Marcy’s Introduction
01:39 Marcy’s Intro to the Field of Finance
03:45 Marcy’s Journey to the Nonprofit Space
06:33 Manifesting the FLY Initiative
07:49 The Impact of the AFC® in Her Work
11:21 Marcy’s Advice for Breaking into the Nonprofit Space
14:42 The Best Part of Marcy’s Job Is…         
16:23 What She Would’ve Loved to Know Before Entering the Field
18:49 Potential Expansion of the FLY Initiative
20:30 Marcy’s Final 2 Cents

Show Note Links:
Marcy's LinkedIn Page
FLY Website
Join the Membership community

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 our first episode of 2022, co-hosts Mary Bell Carlson and Rachael DeLeon give listeners a sneak peek into what’s ahead on the 2022 season of Real Money, Real Experts. We also answer all your pressing questions about the podcast, the organization, and so much more. Whether you’re already a part of the AFCPE community, or are thinking about pursuing the AFC certification, taking an Essentials course, or becoming an AFCPE Member, this episode is for you!

Show Notes:
00:23 Introduction
01:18 Welcome to Season 3
06:36 What’s new with Dr. Mary Bell Carlson
08:17 How to Apply to be a Guest on Real Money, Real Experts
11:57 AFCPE®s Career Center Page
14:54 The Difference Between Certification & Membership
18:51 Mary’s Journey into the Field of Finance
20:00 Ways to get your AFC®
25:25 Tips for AFC® Candidates
29:04 What Makes the AFC® Unique?
37:53 AFCPE®’s Essentials Courses

Show Note Links:
AFCPE Career and Resource Center
Become a Guest on Real Money, Real Experts
FINRAs List of Accredited Designations
AFCPEs Certification Programs

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.