My story of getting out of financial stress

I grew up in a single-income household. My dad was in the military, and my mom stayed at home. Please understand, we were not well off by any means. They stretched a single income in the only way they knew how: through sacrifice.

As an adult, I knew I wanted to build from the foundation my parents provided. But when I graduated college, I had $75,000 in student loans and only made $33,000 a year. I was completely overwhelmed, stressed, and spinning my wheels about my own finances.

It felt like debt was holding me back from LIFE! I had gone to college to better myself, to do better than my parents, and to truly thrive. But I left college feeling like I needed to give up on a personally fulfilling opportunity to get a job that would pay my bills and do all the things that society said I needed to use my money for like max out my retirement, contribute to a Roth IRA, pay rent, pay utilities, and pay back debt.

The problem was I did not know where to start.

At the age of 22, I made some big shifts. I decided what my priorities were, I stopped comparing my situation to anyone else's. I created solutions to the problems in front of me. I began to make sacrifices that would change my financial future. I knew this would be temporary, even if temporary meant five, ten, or twenty years out.

And I started having money dates with myself. Yes, money dates.

The first date was about my current situation. How much debt was I in? How much money was I bringing home? What essential expenses did I have? What frivolous expenses did I have? How much did I have in savings?

On the second date, I examined my goals. Why was improving my financial situation important to me? Why did it matter in the end?

On the third date, I reflected on the big picture. I needed to make my funds work for me. My income needed to align with my values and my goals. I had to start somewhere, so I focused on the how. I gave every dollar a home. I created amortization tables for my student loans. I designed a savings table. I projected my future spending.

And in every date after that, I held myself accountable and checked off financial milestones. Slowly but surely, I saved $1,000 or paid off one loan. With time and consistency, I was able to create a plan to pay off my student loans, increase my savings to build a six month emergency fund, save for a down payment for my first home, start a Roth IRA, and increase my retirement fund.

My money dates helped me get out of the overwhelm but they did more than that. They also helped me see that helping people with their own financial challenges was my life’s work. Throughout my journey, I was transparent with my circle of friends, and we openly discussed our financial challenges. I was able to share my story and, in this way, support them in their personalized journey.

So while I may be a financial coach today, I’ve been where you are. I’ve been the young professional making $33,000 a year. I’ve had monthly student loan payments that were as high as a rent payment. I’ve charged up credit cards. I’ve gone on a trip, knowing I didn’t have the cash. I’ve joined the Joneses family when I should’ve just stayed put. I’ve wondered if I’d ever get out of debt. But being there has taught me perseverance, humility, and perspective.

Not only that- being where you are today has also given me the experience, skillset, and the tools to help others, like you, through their financial journey so that they can experience successes they could not alone.

I started Wealth Over Now because my role as a financial coach is the perfect intersection of passion and purpose. I want to bring about generational change, and I truly believe that helping individuals build wealth and change their relationship with money will impact generations.