Real Money, Real Experts

Dr. Preston Cherry, AFC®, CFP®, CFT-1 is the Founder & President of Concurrent Financial Planning, the Head of the University of Wisconsin Green Bay Financial Planning Program, and also a keynote speaker at this year's AFCPE Symposium. Preston is passionate about the ways that storytelling and listening can help us better connect with clients, advance human lives, and inspire transformation. In this episode, Preston shares the influence of stories in his own life and how they have shaped his journey. We take a look at the ways stories can increase engagement and build trust. And we talk about mentors and opportunities to build yourself as a professional and deepen your human experience. This conversation was a fun one! Tell us what you think by engaging with us on social media, and make sure you're registered for the 2023 AFCPE Symposium!Show Notes:2:25 How Preston got to where he is now6:10 How he uses storytelling with his clients9:04 How to actually go about creating stories9:48 Unpacking counter transfer12:15 Increasing connection with the client without decentering them14:45 Advice for AFCs and balancing empathy and vulnerability17:41 The importance of practice19:19 How to incorporate valuable lessons with students22:14 Preston's final 2 centsShow Note Links:@drprestoncherry on all social media platformsYouTubeWant 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.

On today's episode we talk to AFC candidate, Rahkim Sabree, a financial coach, entrepreneur, and thought leader on the topic of financial trauma. We discuss how personal background, cultural experiences, and mental health all play a role in personal finance, and how financial professionals can add a trauma-informed lens to your work with clients. With the rise of one-size-fits-all, and often inaccurate, personal finance information being shared on social media, Rahkim shares how his perspective around credentialing has shifted and how he's been able to apply what he's learned through the AFC program. We also talk about lessons learned through entrepreneurship, the danger of comparison (we're looking at you social media), and the value of community and kindness.Show Notes:1:29 Rahkim's professional journey7:16 The term financial trauma13:01 Using your own trauma as a way to bond with clients and others22:17 How finance professionals can use a trauma-informed lens30:24 Battling imposter syndrome37:59 Rahkim's 2 centsShow Note Links:RahkimSabree.com Join his community at moneysystems.substack.com His work as a Forbes contributorPost-traumatic slave syndromeWant 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.

“Whether someone wants to be independent with their finances is their absolute decision…but what I don’t want that decision to be based around is the fact that someone cannot see anymore…I want to help [people] realize that there are options.” - Liz BottnerOn this week’s episode, we get to know Chris Peterson and Liz Bottner of Penny Forward. Penny Forward is a non-profit organization that offers accessible financial wellness education and counseling programs for people who are blind or disabled. Chris started the organization in 2020, and together with Liz they are “boldly and bravely” breaking down barriers to financial counseling and education.Chris and Liz share some of the ways managing personal finances is unique to someone who is blind or low-vision. They also remind us that, with all clients, it’s important to get to know each client individually - their needs, goals and aspirations. Learn how Penny Forward can be a resource to you, and the ways you can get involved and support their mission. Show Notes: 1:27 Chris & LIz's journey into this space4:06 From teaching to starting Penny Forward9:00 Liz's background and being cohost12:57 Personal finance and the blind community18:30 Advice for professionals wanting to be more accessible22:28 How can people get involved with Penny Forward26:49 Chris & Liz's final 2 centsShow Note Links:PennyForward SummitPennyForward WebsiteConnect with PennyForward onFacebookInstagramTwitterYouTubeClubhousePennyForward PodcastInterested in volunteering? Email pennyforward@pennyforward.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.

With the student loan pause coming to an end and a new repayment plan announced, we wanted to answer your questions. And who better to help us break down the new Student Loan SAVE plan than Ryan Law.Ryan H. Law is an award-winning educator who teaches in the Personal Financial Planning program at Utah Valley University. He’s a Certified Financial Planner, an Accredited Financial Counselor®, past President of the AFCPE Board of Directors, and also a leading expert in student loans. In today's episode we discuss the benefits of the SAVE plan, how financial professionals can support their clients during this time, and 5 things we need to do now. Show Notes:1:41 Why repayments may return2:24 The current student loan landscape6:45 How to best support your clients with these changes8:27 Who is best suited for the SAVE loans9:24 Borrowers and calling their providers10:47 Ryan's recommended payment calculators11:03 Benefits to switching to SAVE plan11:52 Interest accumulation & rollover13:26 Other elements of this plan to be aware of13:59 Student loan forgiveness14:43 The PSLF program16:12 Budgeting for payments again19:09 Other resources to look for24:30 Ryan's 2 cents for clientsShow Note Links:Studentaid.govhttps://ryanhlaw.com/student-loan-save-plan/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.

Sarah Newcomb is an applied scientist, behavioral economist, and the Founder of the Thrive Financial Empowerment Center. Her work bridges the gap between research and practice, adapting the findings of academic research for practical use in personal financial management.In this episode, Sarah shares her own personal story and how it led to her current work - exploring the connection between mental and financial health, particularly among our youth.  We discuss the need for empowerment-based and trauma-informed financial education and how understanding the psychology behind behaviors leads to both understanding and empathy. And she shares some practical insights on the things financial counselors, coaches, and advisors can do to give their clients agency. Show Notes:1:22 Sarah's money story7:14 Utilizing academic findings for practical use9:39 Young people and their mental + financial health14:45 Empowerment-based financial education23:58 Moving away from the contamination narrative to a redemptive one (and what that means)27:47 Sarah's new financial empowerment content30:28 Sarah's final 2 centsShow Note Links:Sarah’s websiteSpeaking and further CE from SarahSarah’s book, “Loaded”Statistics:CDC Youth Risk Behavior Risk Behavior SurveyFrontiers in Public HealthThe Deloitte Global 2022 Gen Z and Millennial SurveyWant 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.

Rhonda Noordyk, founded The Women's Financial Wellness Center in 2014.  Her mission is to help reduce financial vulnerability for women going through divorce. In this episode, Rhonda talks to us about the challenges women face when going through divorce, the financial considerations, and the importance of having a support team to provide legal, financial, and emotional support.As an advocate for women, Rhonda believes that knowledge plus experience equals confidence, and she understands the value of trauma-informed care. This episode provides great insights and resources to help you or your clients navigate divorce.Show Notes:2:06 Rhonda's journey into the divorce space4:29 Building her own business10:50 Her experience with divorce and founding the women's center14:50 The big challenges for women20:19 Lack of confidence around finances27:49 Best methods for women when they're going through a divorce37:57 Rhonda's final 2 centsShow Note Links:Connect on Instagram| Facebook| LinkedinDivorce Conversations for Women Podcast Your Bridge from Divorce Crisis to ClosureDivorce Resource Guide QuizJoin Rhonda for our upcoming webinar:FPA Connect: A Behind the Scenes Look at Divorce: 3 ways you can help your clients: - August 17 at 12 PM ETWant 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.

Kimberly Henne is a board member and financial wellness coach for a local nonprofit, Ways for Life, an organization that works with youth aged 15 - 25 who are touched by foster care or homelessness. In this episode we learn more about Kimberly's personal journey with the foster care system - she adopted both of her children out of foster care - as well as some of the unique challenges facing foster youth. We also discuss the opportunity for AFC professionals to marry their skills and passions to serve local nonprofit organizations that have a critical need for high-quality financial counseling and education.Show Notes:2:17 How Kimberly discovered the AFC and the military spouse fellowship3:41 Her transition from the military to the Red Cross5:04 Into foster care and adopting her children6:15 Financial counseling in the foster care system6:57 How she got involved with volunteering9:16 What are the needs of youth in the foster care system?12:27 Aging out of the foster care system and how to help14:11 Tracking outcomes and effects of education15:35 How her experience benefit her in the military community16:29 Advice for other AFC professionals breaking into the nonprofit17:29 Kimberly's 2 centsShow Note Links:Ways for LifeKimberly’s LinkedInPost a volunteer opportunity for AFC candidatesWant 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, 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 background4:34 The industries he comes from7:04 Importance of listening & sharing10:40 Advice for fellow practitioners17:28 Into Jonathan's tool for helping people identify their financial values22:29 Tools available to practitioners working with clients23:59 Why academia must inform practice28:23 The need for his book30:31 More about The Yukon Project32:56 Jonathan's final 2 centsShow Note Links:Money MindfulnessJonathan’s websiteJonathan’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 GroupThe Center for the New Middle ClassJonathan’s values-identification tool The Yukon Project website and YouTubeWant 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.

"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 finance5:17 Being a deep transformational coach7:19 Political science to therapy8:50 Working with Beyond Finance12:00 A story that has resonated with Erika15:32 Meeting people where they are17:26 How counselors utilize therapy without becoming a therapist21:21 Erika's final 2 centsShow Note Links:Connect with Erika on LinkedInToday’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!Want to support the podcast? We love partnering with organizations that share our mission and values. Download our media kit.

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 research5:56 Building an integrated continuum of personal finance9:12 CFB board's addition of financial psychology13:16 Into his role as research director17:45 Metrics around financial behavior19:43 The importance of research in the finance industry23:17 Advice for students or career changers into financial planning26:18 Mike's final 2 centsShow Note Links:CFP Board Research and ResourcesWealth Bridge WealthConnect on LinkedinJFCP Research Journal & AFCPE Research resourcesWant 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.