If I were in your shoes right now and I saw a post on social media that says something about a financial coach I might think, who needs a financial coach? How will working with a financial coach help me? What does working with a financial coach look like? Today I’m going to share my thoughts on these questions as a guide and a financial coach.
Often, there is an assumption that people who hire a coach are struggling in some way. Maybe they aren’t performing the way they want, or they aren’t reaching their goals as quickly as they had hoped. For example, people who want to live a healthier lifestyle might hire a personal coach to help them make better eating choices, hold them accountable to a certain level of exercise and help clients identify bad habits. Friends of mine who are working hard to be the best at what they do in their industry/career have hired executive coaches to help them reach their career goals faster. These coaches challenge their clients’ perceptions about what might be holding them back. Life coaches help clients identify areas of opportunity and provide recommendations for the client to move forward. Let’s not forget that these coaches also celebrate wins with their clients. They are giving virtual high-fives, sending encouraging communication and keeping their clients motivated as they move closer to their goals. In these examples, you can see that the clients aren’t necessarily “struggling.” They might not be where they want to be yet, but they are already making changes that will ultimately catapult them into making faster progress towards their goals.
When people ask me who actually needs a financial coach, the answer is simple. Nobody NEEDS a coach of any kind. As a financial coach, my role is to come alongside people who WANT to do better or improve their situation. This means that I work with clients who have a ton of student loan or consumer debt or who are saving for their first home purchase. Clients may also be in a place where they want to focus on preparing for retirement or saving their money for the next generation. Once again, none of these scenarios are necessarily clients who are struggling. They are specifically and intentionally seeking out a guide to help them reach their financial goals with gazelle focus and intensity. I should also mention that even though I am a financial coach, I invest in coaching every month because I truly believe in the power of coaching. I’ve seen and experienced the ability to reach my goals quickly.
Just like in athletics, when the team is ready to go all in and win the game there is a coach who is there to help them establish and execute the plays. As a financial coach we need all the players to be present so that we can help develop a plan and work together to reach our goals.
Working with a financial coach is the best way to reach your financial goals with energy. Most financial coaches offer complimentary consultations. This is a great way for you to get to know the financial coach. You want to make sure that the coach understands you, your situation and your goals. Secondly, you should feel like they can help you. If these two criteria aren’t met, you might consider doing a consultation with another coach. This is your money we’re talking about here. If you’re interested in scheduling a consultation with me, you can click https://calendly.com/coaching-freedom/dream-conversation
When you decide that you’d like to work with a financial coach, it’s time to fully commit. Yes, it means it’s time for you to put some skin in the game. You can do this by simply registering for the coaching sessions that you discussed with your financial coach during the consultation.
And then it begins…your coaching starts immediately starting with a customized plan to help you reach your personal financial goals. Financial coaches have resources and tools to help you along the way. They will challenge you and your thinking about why reaching these financial goals in the amount of time you want, hasn’t worked in the past and help you change your behavior around money.
A few other things that you can expect when working with a financial coach:
We listen. We take the time needed to hear the client. We hear things that aren’t even said out loud. We recognize non-verbal communication even in a Zoom consultation.
We are curious. We can hear someone’s story and identify things that are important to clients without them saying it directly. We know that everyone has layers, and we want to work through them with our clients.
We are truth-tellers. If we recognize something that doesn’t align with your goals, we’re going to say that. We are here to say things that nobody else would dare say to you.
We care. Many of us have been through our own journey of changing our behavior around money and we can relate to how challenging it can be. Ask your financial coach about their journey and see if there are any similarities between their story and yours.
We are knowledgeable. As financial coaches we have access to some great tools and resources that we want to share with our clients to help them reach their goals as quickly as possible.
We are resourceful. Our specialty is helping people change the way they behave around money. We ask tough questions, we listen, and make recommendations. Even though we are knowledgeable we definitely don’t know it all. We have a whole list of preferred providers that we can refer you to if the action items require more expertise in a specific field. These might include a marriage counselor, a mortgage broker, or even a financial advisor!
Want to learn more about my coaching practice? Visit www.coaching-freedom.com