Real Money, Real Experts

Today’s guest, Jonathan Walker, has spent much of his career studying American households - to better understand human behavior and figure out how to create environments where people can succeed and thrive. Jonathan is a practitioner who understands the value of research and how these findings can be translated into practice. 

In this episode, Jonathan shares the three big components to how people function in their finances - numbers, behavior, and values. We discuss the importance of providing information that isn’t anchored in bias or judgment, and explore how values play a critical role in our financial lives.

Show Notes:
2:27 Into Jonathan's background
4:34 The industries he comes from
7:04 Importance of listening & sharing
10:40 Advice for fellow practitioners
17:28 Into Jonathan's tool for helping people identify their financial values
22:29 Tools available to practitioners working with clients
23:59 Why academia must inform practice
28:23 The need for his book
30:31 More about The Yukon Project
32:56 Jonathan's final 2 cents

Show Note Links:

• Money Mindfulness
• Jonathan’s website
• Jonathan’s book: "Anchors, Ostriches, and a Hot Pair of Scissors: Navigating Human Behavior as a Financial Professional" can be found here.
• YouTube Video of “Anchors, Ostriches, and a Hot Pair of Scissors” 
• The Financial Behavior Keynote Group
• The Center for the New Middle Class
• Jonathan’s values-identification tool 
• The Yukon Project website and YouTube

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"The greatest gift we can give our clients is providing that space where they can find the presence of the feeling that they are not alone.” 

Today’s guest, Dr. Erika Rasure, is a financial therapist and deep transformational coach; the Chair of the Research Board for the Financial Therapy Clinical Institute; and a Client Financial Therapist for Beyond Finance.

In this episode, we discuss the biases that exist within the industry; how money stories and very human decisions are too often surrounded by embarrassment or shame; and the importance of helping people move through financial trauma.

Show Notes:
3:07 Erika's journey into personal finance
5:17 Being a deep transformational coach
7:19 Political science to therapy
8:50 Working with Beyond Finance
12:00 A story that has resonated with Erika
15:32 Meeting people where they are
17:26 How counselors utilize therapy without becoming a therapist
21:21 Erika's final 2 cents

Show Note Links:
Connect with Erika on LinkedIn

Today’s episode is sponsored by Beyond Finance, whose mission is to help individuals and families struggling with debt find a pathway to financial freedom.

Beyond Finance is currently hiring Accredited Financial Counselors to provide clients with one-on-one virtual financial counseling sessions in areas of budgeting, credit building, and creating a values-driven action plan. Positions are remote and offer flexible schedules. To learn more, visit careercenter.afcpe.org.

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!

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Our guest today, Michael Kothakota is the head of research at the CFP Board. In this episode, we learn about Michael’s path into financial services, and how the AFC curriculum - on the way to becoming a planner - helped broaden his perspective and enabled him to better support clients.

We discuss how critical it is for financial professionals to be able to effectively connect solutions to human needs, and the importance of relational skills and building trust with our clients. We also get a glimpse into the early stages of CFP Board’s client impact study and are reminded how important it is not to build a profession on anecdotes.

Show Notes:
1:56 Mike's journey into financial planning and research
5:56 Building an integrated continuum of personal finance
9:12 CFB board's addition of financial psychology
13:16 Into his role as research director
17:45 Metrics around financial behavior
19:43 The importance of research in the finance industry
23:17 Advice for students or career changers into financial planning
26:18 Mike's final 2 cents

Show Note Links:

CFP Board Research and Resources

Wealth Bridge Wealth

Connect on Linkedin

JFCP Research Journal & AFCPE Research resources

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!

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"Don't let fear and hesitation hold you back." 

This week's guest is two-time Olympian and financial coach, Keturah Orji (“K.O.”). Keturah is a decorated Track and Field athlete, who is balancing the pursuit of her athletic dreams with studying for the AFC and building a financial coaching practice. 

Keturah is as authentic as she is driven. We talk about why she became a financial coach, what led her to the AFC, and how she finds balance. She shares advice for other AFC candidates and entrepreneurs. And we get to learn about her big 3 philosophy, the starting point she gives all of her clients, no matter where they are in their financial journey. 

If you have big goals, or are balancing multiple priorities (aren't we all?), then this episode is for you.

Show Notes:

2:00 What led Keturah to pursue financial planning
3:52 Balancing athletic and career aspirations
7:59 Balancing training, work, and life
8:55 Training for the 2024 Olympics
11:01 How traveling has helped influence her teachings
11:58 "KO's Big Three"
13:17 Some of Keturah's challenges
15:39 Applying her athletic lessons to finance
17:10 Tips for those also trying to reach goals
19:52 Keturah's final two cents

Show Note Links:

Connect with Keturah on

• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Instagram 
• Facebook
• Keturah's 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.

This week on "Real Money, Real Experts", Rachael and Mary sit down with psychologist and behavioral finance expert, Daniel Crosby. This conversation was a fun one, covering everything from epic failures to Chat GPT to the power of authenticity - which starts with doing the hard internal work on ourselves.

Daniel reminds us that technology is our friend, shares some great book and podcast recommendations, and offers words of wisdom from his father that we can all benefit from remembering.

Show Notes:

1:25 Daniel's journey into this field
3:45 How the transition into this space worked
7:54 One failure Daniel has experienced 
10:11 One success Daniel has experienced
11:35 His journey as an author
15:33 Advice for building engagement with clients
17:39 How technology may affect or drive financial services in the future
21:32 Top books Daniel recommends
23:03 Daniel's final 2 cents
24:27 How listeners can connect with him

Show Note Links:

• Connect with Daniel on Linkedin or Twitter
• Daniel's books:
  • The Behavioral Investor
  • The Laws of Wealth
• Orion Advisor Technology
• Brad Klontz, Ted Klontz, & Charles Chaffin - The Pyschology of Financial Planning for Practitioners
• Richard Shotton - The Choice Factory
• Standard Deviations podcast
• Jen Clinehens - Choice Hacking Podcast

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.

Today’s guest believes that personal finance is a topic to sing and dance about! Julie Beckham, AFC® has taken her passion and turned it into a career, marrying her love for the arts with financial education. Her musical, Ms. Money and the Coins, has been shared with more than 80,000 elementary-age students in Massachusetts and is now available nationwide as an online learning platform - in both English and Spanish. 

In addition to all things K-12 financial education, we also discuss the amazing opportunity that banks have to help bridge financial education from youth to adulthood; and the value of having more AFC professionals working in banks and community-based organizations.

Show Notes:

1:57 How she paired her love for finance and arts into a successful career
4:27 More about her upcoming musical
5:50 How others who are interested in putting this on can access it
6:39 Advice for other aspiring podcast creators
8:28 Julie's current financial education efforts in the banking space
10:55 How more banks can invest in an AFC education for their employees
14:21 More into how Julie values the AFC
15:47 Advice towards others trying to bridge gaps in financial education and literacy
18:55 Julie's final 2 cents 

Show Note Links:

Connect with Rockland Trust on:

• Instagram
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

Connect with Julie on LinkedIn

Ms. Money's Classroom

No Shame in this Money Game's Mini Money Minutes

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!

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Our guest this week is Kia McCallister-Young, AFC, Director of America Saves. With a background in marketing and communications, Kia knows how to create a compelling message that moves people to action. And it’s a skill she uses often in her work at America Saves.

Today Kia shares some of these tips and strategies, and gets us up-to-speed on all the America Saves campaigns (including this month’s Military Saves Week, America Saves at Work, America Saves for Young Workers, and launching this month - Veterans Saves!) 

America Saves provides relatable, down-to-earth personal finance strategies that are easy to implement and make sense for your life - and Kia is as relatable as they come. It’s an open, authentic episode you don’t want to miss.

Show Notes:
1:34 What is America Saves?
2:47 How campaigns help leverage personal values
4:58 How Kia made it to her position today
6:43 What is Military Saves?
8:37 How to become more involved
11:15 Into the Workplace Savers program
13:33 How the AFC® has helped Kia's work
16:19 Growing your social media presence
18:08 Kia's final 2 cents

Show Note Links:
America Saves
Military Saves
America Saves at Work
America Saves for Young Workers

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.

Heather Jarvis is an attorney and a nationally recognized expert specializing in student loan law. As a first-generation college student, Heather got her start in the nonprofit space and was an early advocate for policy change. 

In this episode, we take a deep dive into all thing student loans - from forgiveness to bankruptcy to changes in trends, regulations, and legislation. A must-listen for anyone who is helping individuals and families navigate student loans.

Show Notes:
1:26 How Heather got into this industry
3:24 Intro to student loan forgiveness and student debt cancellation
6:19 Different types of forgiveness
8:35 Transfer their public loans to a private loan
10:04 Student loans and bankruptcy packages
11:32 Advice & resources for those who want to learn more in this area
14:38 Inside Heather's business model
18:07 What is going to change in the student loan space in the next few years? 
22:07 Inside the complicated marketplace
24:01 Heather's outlook on what will move forward in a divided congress
28:56 Heather's final 2 cents

Show Note Links
Student Aid
CSLA Institute
Ask Heather Jarvis
Email Heather

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!

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“If you want to belong, there is a place for you.” 

Our guest this week is Dr. Cherie Stueve, an AFC, a military spouse, and a self-described consummate learner. Cherie shares her journey from farm life to spouse life, the money lessons she learned along the way, and why she is such a strong advocate for the AFC designation.

We learn about her journey to the FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship, and how it served as not only the foundation for her career but how it led to life-long friendships and community.

Show Notes:
3:26 Cherie's early lessons in money
7:53 How she discovered the military spouse fellowship for the AFC
12:21 Being a continual learner
14:09 Advice for AFCs or those considering
19:06 Advice for newcomers to the personal finance space
25:46 Cherie's final 2 cents

Show Note Links:
How to Find Work You Love and Make a Difference
Connect with Cherie on 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 sit down with Chris Browning, the creator and host of the award-winning, short-form podcast Popcorn Finance. Chris is an OG in the personal finance podcast space with more than 350+ episodes that cover popular finance topics in about the time it takes to make a bag of popcorn.

In this episode, we dive into his start as a podcaster (spoiler, it literally started from the front seat of his car!) his business model, and how he keeps his content new and fresh. Chris is down-to-earth, humble, and full of wisdom for those wanting to get into the podcast space.

Show Notes:
2:30 How he got into the world of finance and podcasting
4:08 Podcasting as his full-time role
6:42 How Chris found his niche
8:56 The slow journey of podcasting
11:40 Into his business model
14:35 Mentors and help along the way
16:23 How Chris continues to generate content
18:14 Being an "Influencer"
20:11 Balancing his strengths and personality traits for business
22:50 Chris's final 2 cents

Show Note Links:

@PopcornFinancePodcast on Instagram

Connect on LinkedIn

Follow on TikTok and Twitter

https://popcornfinance.com/

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.