My process always begins with the Financial Clarity Intensive

Clients tell me this takes them anywhere from 30-minutes to 3 hours, depending on how organized your finances currently are. There is so much value in completing the prep work alone!

2-2.5 hours, depending on whether you’re a business owner.

I’m confident this session will more than pay for itself (and actually that all my coaching pays for itself). You’ll get the most concrete, thorough, holistic, fool-proof spending plan you can imagine, and as many of your burning questions about finances answered as we have time for. The spending plan we create will inevitably have us talking through your debt-repayment and debt-prevention plan, savings plan, how much you’re investing for your (or your kids’) future, as well as diving into all of your financial goals. The savings clients get simply by trimming unwanted expenses or renegotiating certain bills are huge, and continue to save them year after year. The less measurable return is more peace of mind and excitement for your future.

Most clients need more than one session to transform how they think about and manage their money, though this intensive offers a ton of value on its own as well. The Financial Clarity Intensive is all about getting clear on where you stand, and making the best possible plan we can to get you to where you want to be. If you’d like support managing your money day to day and becoming someone who is confident with your finances, that transformation happens during our 3-month program (and beyond).

Yes! Sometimes people already have a dialed-in system for tracking their spending throughout the month, and so this planning session helps them make a roadmap to their goals and identifies action steps for them to better streamline and allocate their money. Few people wouldn’t benefit from support in actually sticking to their plan, though this session always results in clear action steps to move you forward.

Definitely. There is a spreadsheet specifically for rental expenses in the prep work, as well as an instructional video assisting you in filling it out. As a landlord with a lot of experience in remodeling and building, I love supporting folks in creating a realistic rental budget.

Most of my clients are also self employed, and I love supporting clients in making their businesses work for their personal lives. During this session we will have 2.5 hours to dive into both your business and personal finances, creating a ‘Sustainable Spending Plan’ for each. We will be able to answer questions like, ‘how much am I currently making? How much do I want to be making from my business, based on my personal goals? What would I need to change in order to do that?’ See the Business Coaching page for more info.

Nope! Anyone is welcome to schedule their Financial Clarity Intensive without chatting with me first, and most people I talk to are a great fit unless they are specifically seeking investment advice (see this FAQ page for the difference between a coach and an advisor). If you’re not sure yet whether you are interested in a 3-month program, that’s OK- we can always chat about that either on the call or at the end of your Intensive.

Yes, this is more than OK. By getting clear on your own financial goals and priorities, you will inevitably have clearer boundaries with how you handle the shared expenses with your partner.

Yes, this can be OK. I do often recommend that both people attend this initial intensive if possible, because it is so clarifying and helps get couples on the same page about their finances. Once you both agree on the Spending Plan (budget) that we’ll make together, then your communication about following the plan should go much more smoothly– even if you’re the one primarily handling the finances. It’s also OK if you need to attend alone- I mostly want to support you in moving forward.

Yes I am. And, you are a good fit for this session if you both are willing to show up, be kind to one another, and be willing to take steps to move forward. I have worked with hundreds of couples at this point and understand how important it is, yet difficult it can be, to make simple agreements about a budget. This is exactly what this intensive is for- laying all the information out on the table, and talking through how you two would like to allocate your money each month to better meet your needs, goals, and values. If you would like support in learning a system to actually manage your shared finances in real time, that is what my 3-month coaching program is for.

I believe it is! I have designed the prep work to be as clear and helpful as possible, with a whole web page devoted to guiding you through filling it out, loaded with dorky instructional videos from yours truly. You are more than welcome to reach out before the session with questions, and it’s also OK if your answers aren’t ‘perfect.’ For example, I don’t want you to spend three hours looking up some old 401K if it’s a hassle- A simple ballpark estimate of what you have saved would be fine.

Additionally, the most important part of the prep work is a personal questionnaire about your values, what you want in your life, and your relationship with money. This tends to be a good first step for anyone experiencing anxiety around finances.

I have pretty much seen everything, and this is a shame-free-zone… so however messy you feel your finances are, I’ll do my best to help make sense of them together.

Though many of my clients do come to me with complex situations, I also love supporting folks who were simply never taught how to manage their take-home pay in a way that prevents future debt, contributes to their goals, and gives them a clear guilt-free-spending-number each month. I would love to help you make a plan to balance everything you’d like your money to do for you. If you’d like, you’re more than welcome to check out the Budgeting course(es) on my Shop page if you want to try a DIY approach at first- and you could always schedule a one-on-one follow-up after if you prefer.