Note: I posted an article on privilege almost exactly a year ago, but upon re-reading it, I realized that not only did it not go far enough, but that by only having one article I was doing a great disservice to my readers. 

It feels like everywhere I turn there are discussions about discussing privilege. The term comes up in conversations with friends in passing -  as in “I know and am grateful for my privilege, but…”. It comes up on my social media feed - as in “we need to confront our privilege”, and it comes up in news stories - as in “Tammy Duckworth didn’t come from privilege”.

Saying the word and acknowledging our own privilege, whether racial, gender, or economic (or all three), is good. Recognizing that it exists is an important first step, but it is only a first step and a pretty minor one at that. Conversations in passing, instagram and the periodic news story are all great forums for pushing a term to the forefront of our lexicon, but they are often not great spaces for going deeper (of course there are exceptions to this rule). I’ve been finding myself growing increasingly frustrated by the conversations, or, perhaps a better way of putting it, the “almost-conversations” that I’m surrounded by. 

It feels frustrating because I know through my day-to-day work that privilege runs deep within our understanding of our own financial realities and relationships. Privilege impacts how we earn, how we spend and how we discuss money. And those things -- the hows of money -- impact our society at large. By just touching the surface we are never going to be able to unpack our own privilege or make larger organizational and structural changes that will change the status quo. Instead, we just sit in the space of recognizing some guilt and shame we feel and hope that the recognition relieves us of our individual pain. Unfortunately, economic justice isn’t about individual pain, it is about collective disenfranchisement. 

So, let’s have a real conversation about privilege. Or, since this is just one small article, let’s at least start a real conversation about privilege -- one that we can come back to and continue to unpack over the following weeks, months and, let’s be honest, years. 

Since my expertise is financial, I’m going to focus on economic privilege, but I highly encourage you to have these same internal and external conversations around other forms of privilege (race, gender, sexual-orientation, body, nationality). 

A Guide for Understanding Your Own Privilege

First, we need to better understand the bare bones data on where we fall in the economic ladder of our society.

Because of the way we talk about money in this country (or rather, don’t talk about money), many of us assume that we are farther down the economic ladder than we are. The Pew Research Institute created a calculator that shows where you fall economically based on your geographic location, household income and number of members of your household. Take a minute to go find where you fall. Are you surprised? Play around with the calculator a little bit -- how easy is it for you to move from tier to tier? What happens if you pretend you got a raise? What happens if you add or subtract a significant other from your numbers?

My family falls within the middle income tier in the Los Angeles area, but only barely. If we have a good year financially (i.e. not a pandemic year) then we quickly move into the upper tier. Once our baby is born it’ll be slightly harder to stay in the upper tier because our household will be bigger and therefore each of us will have a smaller portion of the income allotted to us within the family unit, but I expect, based on past experiences, that over the next few years we’ll continue to earn more and therefore move back into the higher tier. The fact is that even though I am not part of the 1% of Californians (who make a minimum of $514,694 per year), I am far from poor. To see the minimum income to be in the 1% by state, check out this article. To learn more about the tiers and change in concentration of wealth over time in the U.S. check out this Investopedia article. 

Next, we need to understand the ways that we experience economic privilege and recognize that much of our success is buoyed by our own privilege. 

The American dream ideal encourages us to try to fit into the “I pulled myself up from my bootstraps” storyline regardless of our own backgrounds. My family lore certainly leaned into this narrative -- my father grew up in a upper-middle class neighborhood in the Milwaukee suburbs, went to college (granted, there were some bumps in the road for him during this time) and then worked his way from an entry level position at a bank up to Vice-President in a multinational corporation. He absolutely worked hard and he did move from near the bottom of the totem pole to very close to the top, but this is not a “pulled myself up from my bootstraps story”. My father is white, tall, has all of his hair and, while not receiving regular financial support from his parents after leaving home, benefited greatly from the place of economic privilege he was born into. 

Similarly, I grew up in a upper-middle class suburb of Chicago, went to a top rated public school (where I attended honors classes, which in retrospect, were blatantly tracked based on race), attended a private university paid for by my parents and then took advantage of the opportunities surrounding me to go into education and then, later, finance. I worked hard. I still work hard! I also am working within a societal framework that sets me up for success. Perhaps as a woman in finance, less so than my father, but I have removed myself from the typical financial industry in order to avoid the sexism that so often coalesces in large, male-dominated fields. Being able to remove myself was only possible because of my privilege. I knew that I could start my own business, I knew that if things went really poorly I could find outside work and I knew that family and friends would help me if needed. 

You experience economic privilege if any of the following is true (note: this is not an exhaustive list, just a starting point):

• You grew up in a neighborhood with good public schools

• You went to private school 

• You were taught specific ways to interact with those in power so that they would help you (i.e. writing thank you notes, dressing a specific way for specific events)

• You were able to choose your post-high school pursuits without focusing on cost or income

• You received at least some financial support from family and friends when you attended college and/or graduate school

• You’ve been able to take unpaid internships

• You have a network of friends and family who are able to help you get employment or other career related opportunities

• You do not have student loans

• You have not had to take loans or use credit cards in order to take advantage of non-paid or poorly-paid “great opportunities”

• You have been able to take advantage of career opportunities that cost you money instead of pay you money

• You are able to pay for equipment, materials and clothing that is “necessary” to be comfortable or taken seriously in professional settings

• You are able to outsource work, either professional or personal, to others that would otherwise take time out of your day

How many of these experiences have you had? Are you surprised by the layers of privilege you experience? 

Over the course of the next week I encourage you to spend time reflecting on your experiences of economic privilege. Take time to journal, think quietly, talk to close friends and family members to try to delve deeper into this work. You will not be able to fully understand your privilege in a week. Society has done an incredible job of creating social norms that make it very difficult to unpack the invisible threads that help us, but, with time and effort, you will be able to understand a lot and, perhaps more importantly, create neural pathways that allow you to continue to delve into this uncomfortable awakening again and again in the future. 

Next week we’ll turn to focus on how to transform your understanding into action, but, as I’m a big believer in the power of truly understanding your own desires and values before taking action, I’m going to leave it here for now. 

As always, I’m here for you in your money journey, no matter where you are.

XOXO

When I started my coaching business I was told by countless peers, business coaches, books, blogs and podcasts that I should not under any circumstances list my prices on my website. What they all recommended instead was to have client acquisition phone calls, win over the prospective clients with my charm and amazing services and then right at the very end (preferably after I had gotten the prospective client to voice their desire to hire me) tell them what my prices were. Because I was new to entrepreneurship I listened to them. 

It felt awful. I always felt like a slimy salesperson and hated that gaining clients essentially felt like I had to trick people into signing up for coaching sessions with me. I shouldn’t have to trick people! What I do is awesome! I knew that my services were valuable and I knew from experience that people loved working with me, but none of that came through in my client acquisition process. 

After a few months I decided that I was going to ignore the recommendations by these so-called experts. I didn’t add my prices to my website right away, but I started being very transparent about them in any interactions I had with prospective clients, both verbally and in writing on fliers and workshop notes. Sometime in 2018 I added the prices directly to my website (you can find my individual coaching pricing here and my group coaching pricing here). Making my prices transparent was a game changer. I got more clients. I had an easier time explaining my services and the value that I bring to the table. And, the best part, is that I felt aligned with the values that are at the heart of Verdi Advising. 

Verdi was founded on the belief that everyone can manage their money well if they are given the opportunity to gain the knowledge, skills and confidence they need. My ultimate goal is to improve economic equality in this country through individual change -- the more people (who have traditionally been left out of the financial advising market) who are financially confident and skilled, the more people out there who have access to capital and economic power than they had before. In a country with an incredibly stark wealth gap that is largely gender- and racially- based, this has always felt like my guiding light. 

If my ultimate goal, my vision in business terms, is to create a world in which economic equality exists, then part of my work must be on promoting transparency. The way that economic inequality has been maintained is partly through the policing of information. By making it socially acceptable and legally condoned to not share financial information, financial institutions and those that have traditionally held the financial power in this country have been given the greenlight to actively not engage with the have-nots. I may not be able to change the laws by myself, but I can begin to chip away at the taboos around money. I can speak freely about what I spend money on (check out my Day in the Life of my Wallet highlight on instagram), and what I charge for services. I can encourage others to do the same. I can expand my role to look outward at what other, larger companies are doing and what the government’s role is in this work.

In the Verdi Money Club I share everything I spend in a whole month. Even after years of inner work on my money relationship, that day of the club always makes me a little uncomfortable - and that is one reason I do it again and again. The reason I’m uncomfortable is because I, probably like you, was taught from a very early age that sharing these kinds of details is inappropriate and socially unacceptable. Countering that deep narrative is extremely difficult. In future posts I’ll share how I work through these uncomfortable feelings and explain why some of them are so deep seated in our psyches. 

Before then I’d love your input - what do you want to know about? What money taboos have the strongest hold on you? What do you want to know about encouraging transparency at a wider scale? 

As always, I’m here for you and your money journey - wherever you are on (or off) your path. 

XOXO 

Over the past two and a half weeks I have struggled with how best to help the current civil movement. I feel called to be involved. I feel frustrated and disappointed in my own lack of involvement over the past decade. And yet, I’m not exactly sure how I can be of the most service. A big part of me wants to protest in person, but another, quite loud, inner voice tells me that now is not the right time for me to be using my physical presence in this way. I’m six and a half months pregnant - my body isn’t putting up with much physical exertion anymore and I am incredibly protective of my belly. I knocked into the side of a bookcase the other day and had a bit of a melt down out of fear of hurting her (of course she’s absolutely fine). And there’s a pandemic. While there is no research that shows pregnant women are more susceptible to COVID-19, there is a lot of research that shows that high fevers during pregnancy can be very dangerous. And so, even though my brain and emotions say, “go out, use your physical presence, use your physical voice”, my pregnant during a pandemic brain says, “absolutely not” and, right now, that’s the brain that wins.

I know that my inner struggle and my conclusion shows the privileged place I hold. I get to protect my body and am both grateful and a little embarrassed that I hold that space. 

So here I am. Someone who wants to help, someone who knows my limitations and I’ve been wondering if any of you have been feeling the same way. Maybe you’re not pregnant, but maybe you have a pre-existing condition. Maybe you live with folks who are vulnerable, maybe you get anxious in crowds. Maybe you just don’t feel called to protest physically. I should not and will not tell you what to do, but I will share what I’m doing. 

I’m starting with two things: 1) I am exploring my own place of privilege, my own prejudices and conscious and subconscious beliefs and 2) I am voting with my wallet. 

Last week I shared how I am making adjustments to how I regularly vote with my wallet. This week I want to share a few places that I, or other members of my community, have supported financially. All of these organizations have missions to support racial equality, stop police brutality, dismantle systemic racism and/or improve our justice systems. 

Note: If you are part of or know of another organization that is doing great work and you’d like to share, please reply to this email with their name and contact (website, email, instagram etc). I will share their information in the next newsletter and include them on instagram. Thank you! 

• AbideWomen, a women’s prenatal and postnatal health organization in South Dallas

• Donate to a campaign to fund 4 amazing black owned organizations in Compton

• My Friend’s Place, an organization helping youth experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles

• Justice For My Sister

• The Underground Museum in Los Angeles

• Ashe Cultural Arts Center in New Orleans

• Museum of Social Justice in Los Angeles

• National Bail Out

• People’s City Council Freedom Fund

• iFundWomen has a great list of Black Owned Businesses to help fund

• Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment

• Unicorn Riot, an alternative media outlet

• Black Lives Matter - I recommend donating to a local chapter

XOXO

Disclaimer: I’ve really struggled with writing this post. I knew I wanted to talk about voting with your wallet this week, but, in light of the escalating protests that have spread throughout the country, I had a hard time expressing my thoughts in a way that felt useful. 

As a white, middle class woman I am incredibly privileged. So privileged that I’ve been able to stay disengaged with the fight against systemic racism and police brutality in this country. I’m working to change that and one of the ways that I am doing that is by being more focused on how I vote with my wallet, which is the subject of today’s post. As I shared with my instagram community last week, I am committed to doing better and I need your help. That means that if I say something that is steeped in racism or that ignores the greater cause of equality, please call me out. 

-- 

I talk about voting with your wallet all of the time. Voting with your wallet is simply the idea of displaying and adhering to your values by how you spend money. For some people that means donating to specific causes and for others it means supporting certain businesses and organizations over others. For me it means both (and I urge you to include both too), but, if I’m really honest, I’ve done more work on the latter than the former. I want to increase the power of my donations by spending more and spending smarter. I am sharing my plans with you in part to show you a financial coach’s thought process on the matter, but also because I selfishly know I need accountability to do this well and knowing that you know what my plan is will help me follow through. 

I have a constant running list of money goals, some of which are incredibly action oriented a la some of these past gems: 

• Pay off credit card debt (done and done!)

• Save for trip to Japan (done!)

• Surpass $100k revenue goal (done!)

Some of the others are more, as I say, squishy: 

• Feel at peace with all clothing purchases (sometimes, sometimes not)

• Have all income come from work I enjoy and feel aligned with (done!)

• Vote with my wallet by supporting organizations that I love (a work in progress)

I want to spend time today on that last bullet point. Right now I donate money regularly in the following ways: (1) recurring monthly donation to an organization I love; (2) member of a non-profit board and pay my annual give-get; (3) regularly give “randomly” to organizations or causes that I feel strongly about. By randomly I mean truly randomly - there are months when I give to multiple organizations and months when I don’t. The frequency and amount is all over the place. While all of the ways I give are aligned with my values, the third way always feels haphazard and, because of that, I know that I don’t end up giving as much, as often, or in as targeted a way as I would like. 

So here’s how I’m going about changing that: 

My Long-Term Plan

My husband and I would like to work up to donating 10% of our annual income each year. We are nowhere near that goal yet. Right now we are averaging about 2%. I don’t think of that as a failure though. We’re on a financial path that is continuously allowing us more flexibility and freedom to give more. We probably won’t reach this goal in 2020 or 2021 or maybe even 2022, but I know we’ll get there. And, I hope, that once we reach that goal we will move the target out even farther.

My Medium-Term Plan

I love recurring donations. They are easy for me as the donor because I’ll never forget to pay them and they are wonderful for non-profits that are trying to project revenue in uncertain times (note: I have many non-profit clients and this is hugely helpful).  However, I haven’t yet decided on another organization (or handful of organizations) that I would like to commit to giving to every month. My 3 month goal is to have narrowed down to a list of organizations I love whose work I care deeply about and then move over to a system where I have multiple recurring donations each month and give additional money to other organizations when it seems especially timely or when I feel moved to do so. The amount I give per month will be dependent on our household income (i.e. right now I am the only one working, but my husband’s work will likely restart in the next couple of months assuming that no plans change re: film and COVID-19 safety. When that happens our monthly donations will go up). 

My Short-Term Plan: 

Over the next 3 months I am going to set aside an additional $100/month to go to any organization or organizations of my choosing. This will be my time to research organizations to determine which are the best fit for my values and which are able to impact the most change right now; experiment with monthly amounts to determine how much I want to give on a recurring basis after the 3 month period ends; and most importantly, spend more time unpacking my values and deciding how I can be of the most service.

I’ll keep you all posted on how this plan plays out over the next several months, but in the meantime I want to hear from you. Are you struggling with something similar? What are your voting with your wallet goals? How can I support you in that work? 

As always, I’m here for you and your money journey. 

XOXO

Last week I shared the origins of the narrative that most directly harms my relationship with money. The narrative is that I should be a martyr, but with really nice clothes. Today I want to share how I’ve reframed this narrative into something positive and helpful. 

The first step is to determine whether there are any helpful nuggets hidden in your not-so-helpful narrative. Even though my narrative conflicts with itself and made it difficult to make financial decisions that feel aligned with who I am, there is a lot of good in there. 

Once I’ve identified the good, which in this case is: (1) doing good things for others and (2) appreciating things that make me happy, I’m able to rewrite the phrase into something that aligns with my values. 

My new narrative: I do good for the world, and for myself. 

There are still times when I struggle with maintaining the positive, reframed version of my narrative as the one that steers my relationship. I notice that when I’m particularly stressed, tired, sick, or not in tune with my emotional state I fall back into my old thinking patterns. I think that I should help others in ways that directly hurt myself or break my own healthy boundaries. I think I need to live a lifestyle that puts wealth on display (but, you know, in a classy way…). 

On my better days I catch this thought pattern and I’m able to stop it. I have to disengage from whatever I’m doing (get off the phone, get off my laptop, leave the room) and take some deep breaths. I then have to repeat my new narrative over and over again. Sometimes I can do this in my head and it’s plenty. Sometimes I have to do this out loud. Sometimes I have to emphasize the first part of the sentence: “I do good for the world”, and sometimes I have to emphasize the latter: “and for myself”. 

There are other days when I don’t even realize that the negative pattern is running in my brain. Those are the days when I end up making decisions that feel prickly because they are misaligned with my values. I know they don’t feel good, but it is often that I can’t pinpoint why until the next day, or sometimes the next week. 

I know it is a cliche, but this process is truly a journey. I promise your path won’t be a straight line, and it’s impossible to say how many loop-de-loops you’ll end up doing. My path feels a lot like this: 

As long as you continue to move forward, continue to reflect and continue to work toward alignment you are going in the right direction. Wherever you are on your journey, I’m here for you. 

XOXO

Last week I shared a personal struggle that I’ve been working on since the start of the pandemic: how to comfortably continue to sell my services when I know that paying for anything “extra” during a time of financial crisis is hard. Part of my struggle stems from the money narratives I’ve held since childhood. Today, I’m going to dive into those and ask you to try doing the same!

1st you will need to dive into your past! Use the following questions to get started, but feel free to go in whatever direction the process moves you in. I share some of my takeaways below. 

• What are your earliest money memories? 

• Were there any money expectations that your family or community put on you? 

• What money values could you see around you? Was it clear that money was important? Not important? Evil? 

My Takeaways: 

I was raised in a strict, Southern Baptist household. I was also raised in a liberal Chicago suburb (Oak Park). This was simultaneous, and just as those two sentences are direct juxtapositions, so were the money values I left my home with at age 18. 

I like to think of it as being raised to be a martyr, but with really nice clothes. 

Let me explain by giving a few examples:

1. When I was graduating high school and deciding what I’d do with the rest of my life (as you do), I remember telling one of my best friends that I wanted to work with disadvantaged kids in the poorest parts of the world. Remote would be good. Someplace where I didn’t have running water would be ideal. His response? “You won’t do that because then you won’t be able to afford those pants”. Brutal. And very accurate. For reference, I was wearing a pair of 7 For All Mankind Jeans. They were not cheap and they were my favorite. I had zero concept of how many hours I would need to work in the kind of job I was describing to be able to afford those pants (they were probably about $150).

2. Every few years my mother would say that they had a rough year and therefore we wouldn’t be having a big Christmas. Those were the years that my sister and I tended to get mostly joint gifts. My personal *favorite* was the year they bought us a sewing machine. My sister was and is a gifted seamstress. I can manage a button. I interpreted this gift to mean that I was either less loved or that they thought if I wasn’t distracted by other presents I would finally get my act together and fall in line with the long line of seamstresses in my family tree. Even though these “small Christmases” were less extravagant than other years, there wasn’t much of a difference, and they were often followed up with random January sales shopping trips that would have more than made up for what wasn’t spent in December. 

3. My dad worked for an international bank and made good money. I never did find out what his salary was. I remember asking a few different times over the course of my childhood and I was always berated, told that was an incredibly inappropriate question to ask and told that we were “fine”, but not “rich”. This meant nothing to me then and I think would still mean nothing to me now. Also, in retrospect, we were rich. Telling me that we weren’t meant that I had a very hard time as an adult living with less than what I grew up with. I thought what I had was normal and since I was working in a career that my family approved of, then it would surely pay me enough to live that same lifestyle I was accustomed to. It did not. 

Learning about your money narratives can be an incredibly empowering experience. By diving into these memories I am able to make connections with my present life and question the reasoning behind my beliefs. The next step in my process is to create new narratives that are accurate, empowering and fit my lifestyle goals. I’ll share how I do that next week!

As always, I’m here for you and your money goals. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. 

XOXO

Part of my job is to ask people to pay me money so that they get better with their money. Getting better with their money often means that they’re currently struggling with some scary money issues: debt, overspending, a lack of savings or harmful income inconsistencies. When I first started working for myself I really struggled with this ask. It feels uncomfortable to tell someone who is struggling with money to spend more money so that they can stop struggling with money. See that vicious circle? 

When the coronavirus pandemic hit the first thing I thought of with how it would impact my business was that my pitch was all of a sudden going to be a whole lot harder. And then I paused. The value of my work actually just went up, not down. It’s in my head that my pitch is harder. It isn’t harder, it’s that I still have some money mindset issues to work through. 

Here’s the real answer of why working with a financial coach is so important during a time of financial crisis. While this may feel like an incredibly bizarre time to be spending money on getting better with money, it also may be an incredibly important time to invest in this part of your life/work. I can help you manage your money so that it stretches farther while improving the way it feels when you spend it. I can also help you determine the best ways to use your time bringing in revenue so that you are getting more bang for your buck. Being able to use those skills and tools now means that you are in a much stronger position both during the pandemic and after. 

And here’s the money mindset work that I’m doing. I have recognized that asking for money for my services makes me uncomfortable. It makes me way less uncomfortable than it did a few years ago, but it still brings up some difficult feelings. I have realized that those uncomfortable feelings are connected to two things: 1) my not-always-stellar feelings of self-worth, and 2) some confusing money values that were pounded into me at a very young age. 

Most of the time I feel like a confident business owner. I’m proud of the work I’ve done, the impact my business has on my clients, and the money I bring in to my family. Unfortunately, most of the time is not all of the time. There are days when I feel like an imposter and there are days when I question whether or not anything I’m doing makes sense. I never doubt the quality of my work or how much I’m helping clients, which is good, but it is all the other things that I don’t stay consistently proud of. I know this is normal. I also know that when I focus on all of the good that I do for people most of my doubts melt away. 

The money values I was raised with are actually much more complicated and harmful than my self-worth issues. I was raised to believe that the only work worth doing is work that makes you a martyr to your cause. Being a public school teacher was great because I did a lot of good for the world, was wholeheartedly underpaid and overworked. Owning my own business that helps folks who are usually left out of traditional financial advising services because of their net worth, gender orientation, sex or ethnicity gets a check for doing good in the world, but fails at the martyrdom. Yes, I work a lot (I’m writing this on a Saturday evening), but I also make sure that I get paid an appropriate amount. This value of martyrdom creeps up when I’m feeling emotionally vulnerable (see self-worth doubts) and then makes me question whether I should even ask for money in the first place. See that vicious circle? I know that when I’m feeling more stable emotionally I’m less likely to feel these feelings, but they are still there and will probably still be there to some extent for the rest of my life. In the next newsletter I’ll dive deeper into this story and help you figure out your harmful money narratives and how to reframe them. 

Have you noticed any harmful money narratives come up over the past few weeks? How have you, or are you, dealing with them? 

XOXO

There are a lot of financial professionals out there who wouldn’t touch the word mantra with a 6 foot pole. There is a whole other contingent that spends 100% of their time focusing on mantras, mindset and manifestation. I’m in neither camp. I rarely find the extremes to work for me, nor do I find that they work for many of my clients. That being said, according to my family in rural Louisiana I am incredibly “woo woo”. According to my friends in Los Angeles I’m pragmatic and straightlaced. Clearly perspective matters and depending on where you fall in the spectrum, this post may feel particularly uncomfortable or particularly easy to digest. I urge you, regardless of your initial reaction, to give it a try. 

THE MINDSET/ACTION CYCLE

Your money mindset is the set of beliefs and internal narratives that you hold in regards to how you view money, wealth and your position in that world. No single mindset is right for everyone, but everyone deserves to have a healthy mindset - one that enables you to feel comfortable and good about your experiences with money and one that encourages you to make money decisions that align with your values. 

Most healthy money mindsets are relatively fragile. Many of us grow up with incredibly negative mindsets and therefore have had to do a lot of work to change our narratives. Even if you grew up with a positive mindset, social norms often tear that down and you will have to work to keep it intact. Therefore, any time you experience emotional distress, your fragile money mindset can easily get disrupted and become negative. Unfortunately, we, as human beings, have a very hard time removing emotion from our decision making processes (actually, I think this is a good thing, but it certainly makes life harder!). If your mindset is in disarray then your decision making process will almost inevitably suffer as well. 

You’ve likely experienced this at different times in the past. Maybe you were going through a particularly tough breakup and ended up booking a flight to Hawaii that you couldn’t really afford. Maybe you were feeling left out of a friend group and you spent money on clothes or experiences that helped you fit in, but didn’t really match your values. Maybe you were just having a shitty day so you ended up self soothing via online shopping or buying one too many glasses of wine because “you deserved it”. I’ve been there. 

Globally, we are now in a time of mass distress. Even if you are healthy, employed and safe, you are likely feeling the trauma that is happening all around us. And, unfortunately, many of us aren’t healthy, employed or safe.

MANTRAS TO THE RESCUE (kind of)

Mantras are simple phrases that we can repeat again and again to help us rewire our narratives. For example, instead of my frequent narrative, “I’ll never get another client again” (truly, I do not know where this comes from, it has never been true, but has been a persistent, unhelpful thought for years), I can say “I am constantly bringing in new clients and helping them reach their goals”. Putting the mantra in the present tense is important because it signals to our brains that this thing that you’re saying is true now, and not something that might happen in the future or something that used to happen. 

Mantras may feel silly when you first start using them. I mean, you are repeating the same phrase over and over to yourself, often out loud and often in a mirror,  but they are incredibly powerful when you are trying to rewire a specific, negative money narrative. That being said, mindset is only one piece to the puzzle. You can rewire those negative narratives and create an emotional space where you are primed and ready to take on your financial goals, but if you don’t have the knowledge or skills to actually achieve those goals, you’ll still be, as my high school World History teacher, Mrs. Young, used to say, "up poo poo creek without a paddle." That is why I believe in the power of mindfulness, emotional intelligence and introspection when it comes to creating a healthy relationship with money and reaching financial goals and I believe that specialized skills and knowledge are crucial. 

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE MANTRAS 

• I am healthy, wealthy and happy. 

• I have great ideas for how to make and save money. 

• I am enough.

• I am worthy of financial success. 

• Money improves my life and the lives around me. 

NEXT STEPS

Try it out! Start by asking yourself what your current money mindset is. Is it serving you? Is it hurting? If it is hurting, try to put that in words. Now spin that around and make it a positive sentence that will help you find alignment. If you’re having trouble, try out one of my tried and true examples, or reach out to me for some guidance. If you feel like you’ve got the mindset on point, but want some help with the skills, let me know. If you feel lost on both fronts, let me know (note: you can email me here).

I’m here for you on your money journey, wherever that may be. 

XOXO

A few weeks ago I led a workshop on resources available to entrepreneurs and small businesses during this time of crisis. One of the programs that I talked about and that, not surprisingly, got a lot of interest from the workshop attendees, was the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The PPP is, in theory, a really useful resource for any small business, sole proprietor or non-profit. It allows organizations to get a forgivable loan for 8 weeks of payroll. There are a bunch of stipulations, which I won’t go into detail about here, but even with the stipulations the program is still incredibly helpful. 

That is, if anyone could actually get the money. 

The PPP went live on Friday, April 3. I tried to apply for Verdi, but wasn’t able to get through on Chase’s website (phone lines were backed up by hours) until Tuesday, April 7. Once I got into the site it was relatively easy. I already had all of the documentation I needed to apply because my payroll system, Gusto, made getting the reports really easy. I also already bank with Chase so I didn’t have to establish a new relationship with them. I assumed that even with the intense demand for the program, that I must have been among the first to successfully submit a completed application and therefore would certainly see the money show up in my account in a few days or weeks. 

Before I go down that rabbit hole, let me make clear why I applied in the first place. Verdi is incredibly lucky in a lot of ways - I run my business virtually already. I work with people all over the country (and in a few other countries -- hey Canada and the U.K.!) and therefore am not limited in who my clients can be. People and organizations need my help right now - perhaps more than ever. However, my client base has always largely been entrepreneurs, freelancers and non-profit executive directors. Almost every single one of my existing clients has faced economic hardship due to the coronavirus and that, inevitably, trickles down to me. I and my company will be fine. I’ve made adjustments that will allow me to both help a greater number of people and bring in revenue -- I’ve changed my pricing structure, I’ve offered another round of the Verdi Money Club before previously planned, and I’m sharing my insights at frequent virtual workshops. These changes will help, but they don’t fix the problem overnight and don’t change the fact that without outside help I would have to forgo payroll for a while in order to responsibly stay afloat. 

As I’m sure you’re not surprised, I didn’t get the PPP loan in the first round of $350 billion distributed. I, along with the vast majority of small businesses who applied weren’t fast or savvy enough to get through in time. The PPP was refilled with an additional $350 billion last week and applications went live again yesterday. Since I already applied I should be in the backlog queue and, in theory, receive the loan during this round. I’ll be thrilled if that happens, but, to tell you the truth, I’m not holding my breath. 

I considered not writing this post because I was worried it would seem too political, but I decided that my frustration with the federal government’s response in helping small businesses and individuals is not political, it is simply practical. Our politicians - both liberal and conservative - love to talk about how much they care about small businesses. They frequently praise small businesses as the backbone of the US economy. And yet, in a time of immense crisis it is not the small businesses who are being saved. Huge corporations are receiving and will receive massive bailouts to stay afloat. Countless restaurants, corner stores and service providers won’t get the help they need and therefore won’t make it. Money is an immensely powerful tool and it is clear to me that those who have the most power to wield it right now (i.e. the federal government) are choosing to back the organizations that already have enough money and power on their own to make a stink if they’re not taken care of. That is not the way the government is supposed to work. “By the people and for the people” wasn’t meant to disclude individuals and it wasn’t meant to disclude small businesses who aren’t able to work the system like the behemoth corporations.

XOXO

Note: This post is part of a series on money emotions and I want your help! I’ll be posting several more installments over the coming months (interspersed with other asked for content). If you have a related question or request, please email me here. 

I spend a lot of time working with clients on their money goals. I host workshops all about money goals and I talk my head off about them on instagram. They’re basically my favorite thing (that’s not true, my favorite thing is cheese and crackers or maybe peanut butter and marshmallows...coronavirus is giving me time to ponder snacks in a whole new, quite childish way).

Money goals are great! Coming up with them helps us figure out the most important things in our lives. If done right, our goals encapsulate our feelings and therefore are really exciting to work towards (i.e. get out of credit card debt so I can use that monthly money to start my new business/go on a trip/upgrade my apartment). Determining the right timeline and action steps helps us stay motivated and accountable, which in turn helps us feel accomplished and proud. And then reaching your goals is cause for a huge celebration! There’s a lot to love. 

But, what about now? What if the pandemic means that your money goals don’t make sense anymore, whether because they don’t feel right or because the action steps or timeline don’t seem possible anymore. 

That’s okay. 

You can do one of two things: 1) Check out your existing goals and modify them or 2) Ignore those old goals and make new ones. Both are valid and you should do whatever feels better to you. Don’t overthink it. 

If you are modifying existing goals…

• Start by finding wherever you wrote those goals down! Maybe they’re in your Google Drive. Maybe they’re tucked away in an old journal under your bed. No judgement here. 

• Read through your goals (not your action steps). Ask yourself: do these still feel right for my life? If they do, great! If not, move on to “If you are creating new goals”. 

• Next, ask yourself if the details of your goals make sense. Given your current situation, does your timeline still work? If not, how can you modify it? Do your action steps still make sense? If not, how can you modify them? 

• If you’re getting stuck or frustrated by trying to figure out those modifications, let me know. For the first time ever, I’m offering single coaching sessions (with a discount for a limited time!) and figuring out how to best update your goals is a perfect use of that service.

• Once you’ve updated your goals, find a prominent place to put them so you’re regularly reminded of what you’re working towards! Try something tucked under a fridge magnet, a sticky-note on your computer, a beautifully decorated piece of paper taped to your mirror or something taped inside your favorite snack cabinet (currently a very prominent place in my home and my heart).

If you are creating new goals…

• Take some time to brainstorm. What do you value most? How do you want your life to feel differently than it does? What are you searching for?

• Next, take time to brainstorm your roadblocks. What is stopping you from achieving the life you brainstormed in step one? What is holding you back? Is it debt? Lack of savings? Income that doesn’t match your needs and wants? 

• Create your goals using the tried and tested SMART system I shared about in December.

• Start creating action plans. Your first try probably won’t get everything you need in it, so I recommend setting aside 2-3 20 minute chunks of time to work on this. These should be spread out over a week or so so you have time to think of new things in between the sessions. I like starting with just a few action items that you know you can do in the next two weeks and then build from there.

• Note: If you are stuck on how to create goals that really work for you or aren’t sure how to make an action plan that keeps you accountable or that has everything you need in it, let me know. 

Regardless of whether you choose to modify existing goals or create new ones from scratch, don’t let yourself forget that this month (and likely this year) will not be normal. Your goals may need to change again and your action plans almost definitely will. That is okay! The important thing isn’t to create a plan that never changes, but to create plans that fit your needs and are flexible enough to pivot when necessary. 

XOXO

Note: This post is part of a series on money emotions and I want your help! I’ll be posting several more installments over the course of the coming months (interspersed with other asked for content). If you have a related question or request, please email me here. 

I’ve spent a lot of time over the last 3 weeks leading virtual workshops on how to deal with money during this time of crisis. During each workshop I remind the attendees to pay attention to their feelings as we move into the nuts and bolts of the session. Our feelings impact how we spend, save and earn. They impact how we manage our money. And, at the best of times, dealing with our money feelings means that we’re working through societal expectations, family pressure and internally ingrained belief systems. That is a LOT. During times of crisis things get even more complicated. We throw on some extra layers of stress, emotional fatigue (and therefore short patience), personal and global uncertainty, and, for many of us, new, unexpected daily money challenges. We now have to ask ourselves a myriad of questions: How do I pay my rent when I just lost all of my income? Is it better to put this on a credit card or keep taking out of savings? Should I get a personal loan? Will I get re-hired? Since I haven’t lost all of my income should I start giving my money away? If so, to whom? Is it possible for me to still start that business I’ve been working on? I could go on and on, but I won’t, because writing out this list at 8:25am on a Monday morning doesn’t seem to be doing good things to my breathing.

I purposefully do not ask workshop attendees to list out all of their worries. That’s a great way to start a stress cycle and, while there are benefits to getting really clear on our worries so we can determine which are real and which are “praying for something bad to happen”, I don’t think a group virtual session with strangers is really the right place for that. At least I’m not emotionally ready to lead that yet. Instead, I ask attendees to do what I’m going to urge you to do: brainstorm how you want to feel during this time of social distancing. Take about a minute or two and write down everything you can think of. Next, take a minute or two and brainstorm how you want to feel after this time of social distancing. 

The answers thus far have been incredibly illuminating: They’ve ranged from “calm”, “centered”, and “empowered” to “not terrified” and “not stir crazy”. The “not” answers are always interesting to me. I see them as a stepping stone. We notice that the phrase without the not is what we are actually feeling right now and that we don’t like it, but we haven’t quite gotten to the point where we can replace the word outright with a more positive one. That’s okay! Just recognizing the importance of “not” can be a big deal. 

I digress. 

After you’ve brainstormed how you want to feel, I recommend that you spend some time looking at your current financial reality (you can use my new, free template to help ground you). Write down a few of your favorite brainstormed feelings on a post-it note and put it somewhere super visible -- maybe on the edge of your laptop or on the desk you’re sitting at (or, let’s be more realistic, on the cat that has now claimed your lap as its permanent place of residence). While you’re checking out the numbers ask yourself the following questions: 

• What is going really well right now? Is it that you’ve maintained at least some of your income? Is it that you were able to negotiate better terms for that loan? That you’ve removed those old subscriptions you don’t use? Slowed your spending?

• What doesn’t feel good? Is it something to do with your income? Your spending? Something that’s been problematic for a while now, but just feels even worse during a pandemic? 

• What can you do right now to help yourself? Can you modify spending habits? Can you apply for unemployment? Reach out to clients with new services that better help them during this time? 

• What do you need help with? Are there things you know aren’t working, but you’re not sure what you can do? Are you feeling lost? If this is the case, please reach out to me. You can set up a free consult call here or email me here. I am always happy to chat and if there’s something I can quickly answer I will. If it’s more complicated, I’ll help you figure out next steps - whether that means working with me or finding different resources. 

Regardless of where you are and where you’re feeling, know that I’m right here with you. I started Verdi because I believe that financial literacy through the lens of kindness, support and acceptance does immense good in this world and in the midst of today’s crisis I believe that more than ever. If you have questions, ask. If you want me to work together, but you’re not sure how, let me know and we’ll figure it out together. 

XOXO

The biggest stimulus bill of all time was passed last week and there is a lot in there. I’m going to go through some of the key provisions that impact personal & business finance today, but I’m not going into anything medical since that is solidly outside of my area of expertise. Believe me, you do not want me to be your doctor. I used to think I wanted to go into medicine (as in for a whole minute my sophomore year of high school), but then I cut my finger while removing brownies from a pan and fainted hard on the kitchen floor. I still have the scar, but I digress...

DIRECT PAYMENTS

Most Americans (anyone who makes less than $75,000/year) will receive $1,200 in direct payments. This is a one-time thing (at least for now) and we’re not exactly sure when the payments will be made. If you’ve done direct deposits with the IRS in the past they’ll use that same info to send you the money. Note: if you haven’t been filing taxes you may have a tough time getting this payment! Make sure to file your 2019 taxes ASAP (and let me know if you need CPA recommendations!). 

UNEMPLOYMENT

Unemployment benefits now include freelancers, gig workers and furloughed employees. This is a huge win for a lot of the Verdi community and I’m really excited about it! They are also extending the time frame so that you can stay on unemployment for longer. I’m keeping an eye out as this area of the law could be expanded or added onto depending on how long “safer at home” lasts. 

SMALL BUSINESS LOANS

If you own a small business and can pledge to not lay off your employees you may qualify for a forgivable business loan! I’m digging into more of the details on this and will share those via instagram.

BAILOUTS 

The Federal Reserve is controlling a $425 billion fund for loans for distressed companies. There is also a separate $75 billion pot for specific industries (i.e. hotels, airlines). There is a lot more oversight in this law (disclosure of recipients, oversight board, no stock buybacks allowed, no companies owned by senior government officials qualify) than in the 2008 Wall Street bailout, but I expect there may not be enough. Similarly with the small business loans, I am still unpacking a lot of this information and will keep sharing via insta. 

XOXO

NOTE:  If you’re feeling the need for more regular money tips and discussion, now is a great time to follow me on instagram! I’m regularly posting (like always), but am upping my tips and resources game. Follow me @verdidaily. 

This is a time of uncertainty for all of us, but there are varying levels of what that looks like. For some people, their income hasn’t changed at all, but their lifestyle and concerns have. For others, they have been laid off or lost their clients and no longer are bringing in any income. I’m somewhere in the middle. I don’t yet know what this time will mean for my business, but I do know that it is too soon to tell. My husband, on the other hand, is in the film industry and there are currently no productions moving forward in L.A.. The show he was about to start, which would have lasted about 8 or 9 months, is delayed at least until the end of next month, but probably longer. I say this in part because I believe that my transparency is crucial in my ability to share and teach about money, but also because I think it is important that you know that this is an uncertain and potentially scary money time for me too. I’m in this with you! 

Below are a few things that we can all do to take care of ourselves and our financial well-being right now. Please read to the end of the newsletter for a few more opportunities to learn and engage on a more one-on-one level!

1. Take care of yourself by making sure your household's immediate needs are met (groceries, household goods, medications), but don't hoard because this hurts our community as a whole. For most people being prepared means making sure you have enough food to be home for at least a week at a time. For some it also will mean having prescriptions filled and plans set for specific appointments or work that absolutely must be done in person. 

2. For those of you whose work is not impacted (i.e. you are still making about the same as before), make sure to up your savings game right now! You probably won’t be spending as much in certain categories (bars, events, clothing) and can divert that money to savings instead. 

3. For those of you who are financially able, make sure to help the organizations and/or people in need as it fits your values. There are a lot of opportunities for helping people directly (reach out to Ashley at DTDT) if that’s your thing. Or think about organizations and small businesses in your community that you especially love or appreciate. P.S. Small businesses LOVE gift cards! These are basically interest free love loans from clients.

4. For those of you whose work is impacted, take a deep breath. This time will pass and there are things in the works at the city, state, and federal governments that should help. I'm working on compiling this info to share as details come out (check the insta!). This is a good time to think through how you want work to look like in the future -- do you want to make changes to be able to weather bigger storms? Do you want to diversify your income? Do you want a different type of work? Talk to me if you're feeling stressed.

5. I’m going to be coming out with a LOT more on this one soon, but here are a few tips for if you don’t have an emergency savings fund, but could really use one right now: 

   1. Call all of the companies that you have regular bills (including your landlord or mortgage company!) with and explain that your financial situation has changed. Ask them if they can either give you an extension or a discount. 

   2. Now is the time to not feel bad about using a credit card. Check out your score on Credit Karma and see if they recommend any cards for you that have a 0% interest signing bonus. If they do and you are rated highly likely to get approved, that’s great! Use that card for the time being. 

   3. Go through your last month of spending and look for subscriptions that you can cancel (you probably don’t need that monthly clothing rental or that gym membership)

   4. Lower your regular contributions to things like retirement, transit or investments. 

   5. File your taxes (if you’ll get a refund!). 

6. If you were already looking to invest in the market or real estate this is a great time! Prices are low on the market and interest rates are basically 0. 

7. You will likely have more introspective time than you usually do. This is a great time to take care of some "housekeeping" things like your taxes (although you can now file in July without fees), your money in general (need help? ask me!), cleaning out that closet you've been avoiding, getting really clear on what you actually need and value vs. what you feel like you are supposed to have, journaling, drawing, cooking...

I know some of that will feel relevant and some probably won't. I want to hear from you so I can be as specific as possible! Please email me or DM me with questions. 

XOXO

I’m sure this is just as strange a time for you as it is for me, and while I don’t feel like I’ve had enough distance (haha) from the experience yet to fully understand the scope or impact, I do feel like I’ve already learned a few key things about myself and my business that are going to serve me way past this particular crisis. 

MYSELF: 

1 - Pregnancy is hard for a lot of reasons, but currently difficult because I know that at least some of my emotions are due to extreme changes happening with my body and with my hormones. Even though these emotions wouldn’t necessarily come up in the same way when I’m not pregnant, they are still real and deserve to be listened to and worked through. 

2 - I like rules (I already knew this, but perhaps not to this extent). Seeing local and state governments create requirements for how we live in this time is comforting. Knowing that no one else is out and about at events and restaurants potentially spreading a virus unknowingly (or, god forbid, knowingly) is comforting. 

3 - I am looking forward to a time of mass introspection. I know it will be difficult and I know our society is not prepared for this. I am terrified of what this means for the most vulnerable in our society and terrified for what this means for the semi-vulnerable. Simultaneously I have hope that society being forced to pull back from itself will give us space to better understand the needs that we have and the needs that those around us have. 

MY BUSINESS:

1 - I’m grateful that Verdi is already purely virtual. Yes, I speak regularly at events and I do occasionally meet a client in person, but the company is prepared and used to the virtual life.

2 - Even though my business structure is prepared for this crisis, the business offerings still need to be modified to better serve my clients and community. I’m really excited about this work because 1) I’m excited to be able to reach more people and help them with their finances during this stressful time and 2) I’ve realized how important it is for Verdi to be able to do more even when things are more calm. 

Expect to see some new things coming down the pipeline very soon: 

• An update to my online budgeting course (lower price, more goodies!!)

• Freebie webinars (topics & times TBD)

• Updates my one-on-one and group coaching services (details coming soon)

In the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions, concerns or silly cat videos (I’m serious).

Stay safe and stay healthy.

XOXO

I’m going to make this short and sweet this week (because let’s be honest, I’m tired). The current news cycle is rough. It is full of unknowns, intense ups and downs, and some pretty ominous predictions.

If you’re feeling stressed and it is creeping into your money life try a few of the following tips:

💸 Put on a timer for 3 minutes and write down all the reasons you are grateful for the money in your life.

💸 Pick one financial goal you have right now. Write down at least 3 things that you can do over the next month to help you reach your goal.

💸 Check out your transactions over the last week and write down the one that makes you feel the most pride and joy.

💸 Journal: How do you currently feel about money in your life? How can you rewrite your money narratives to better serve you and help you reach your goals?

As always, know that I’m here for you. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

XOXO

1. When your last credit card statement landed in your inbox (real or virtual) you…

• A) Trick question! Your credit card payments are on auto-pay and that baby is paid in full. You only check your account for errors or fraudulent charges. Doesn’t everyone?

• B) Deleted it without looking back (or threw it in the recycling bin)

• C) Did nothing. It’s still sitting there gathering real or imaginary dust, but you will open it. You just need to work up your courage. 

2. You’re getting really serious with your boo. They tell you they want to have “the talk.” You know — the money talk. What do you do? 

• A) You very maturely distract them with your wiley ways. Maybe they’ll forget they even brought it up? 

• B) Yes!! You’re all in and ready to show them all of your accounts. You double check your Credit Karma password so you can be sure to share your most up to date credit score too. 

• C) You reluctantly agree, but you’re strategic. You share some of your financial baggage, but not that one credit card you’ve been wishing would just disappear (à la Amber’s makeup credit card debt in Love is Blind)

3. Your mom just asked you about your retirement accounts. You…

• A) Tell her all about your accounts. Yes, accounts. You have one pre-tax and one post-tax and know exactly what you’re invested in. 

• B) You immediately google “What is a retirement account and how do I get one?” 

• C) You remind her that you’re an adult and have it all figured out. You secretly hope that that thing you opened ages ago is still working. 

4. Your car just broke down. What do you do?

• A) Ugh. You’ll have to make some adjustments in your spending, but you know you can handle it. You may have to put some of the expense on your credit card to start. 

• B) You got this! You’ve been adding to your savings account every month for this eventuality. 

• C) Freak out! If your next Coinstar run doesn’t cover this then you’re on your way to having the calf definition of a professional soccer player because you’re about to be walking everywhere. 

5. It’s been a rough day and all you want to do is treat yourself. What do you do?

• A) Check your budget and your wish list first. You’ve been wanting that same pair of shoes for ages and you know you can swing it this month. Buy! 

• B) Hop online and find all…the...SALES! (You get a dress! You get a pair of shoes! You get a swimsuit!) This is the point of a credit card, right? You’ll deal with the consequences later. 

• C) Splurge a little, but hold back on that swimsuit you really want because you’re nervous that you already overspent. You’ll wear the dress with a side of regret instead. 

SCORING: 1. a-2, b-0, c-1; 2. A-0, b-2, c-1; 3. A-2, b-0, c-1; 4. A-1, b-2, c-0; 5. A-2, b-0, c-1

Titanic Steamy (7-10 points)

You and your money know each other well. You’re besties and you totally wouldn’t leave them to drown when there is clearly room on the raft for you both. 

Hot & Cold (4-6 points)

There are good days and there are bad ones, but you’re definitely not ready to put a ring on it. 

What relationship? (0-3 points)

You and your money have been on the outs for a loooong time, maybe forever. It is time for a shot of serious love stat. 

Regardless of your Money Relationship Status (MRS), you probably have some room for improvement. The real question isn’t if we could use some help (we all can), but what kind of help makes the most sense. 

If your MRS is Titanic level, you probably just need some tweaking or help with very specific issues. 

Verdi’s recommendation: Start with research on your own! Want extra help? Find a financial coach who will work with you one-on-one on the specific questions you have (psst...I do this).

If your MRS is Hot & Cold, you probably need help in several areas, but not on everything. Yay! Depending on what you want help with you may want a group coaching option, but if your focus is more limited you may want one-on-one help. 

If your MRS is non-existent you’re ready to inject some love! If you like groups and aren’t too scared of discussing money with others, the Verdi Money Club (or other group coaching) may be a great solution. If the idea of discussing money with others makes you want to puke, go the one-on-one coaching route. 

XOXO

I’ve been thinking a lot about values over the past few weeks. I think it is because the current political climate has been getting under my skin. It feels simultaneously so important and completely unimportant. And, to top it off, I don’t feel particularly inclined to get more involved than I already am (note: I always vote, even in tiny local elections, I often give to campaigns that I feel strongly about, and I regularly call my representatives to give my input on upcoming votes). 

I’m sure I could make a difference in the current political climate if I chose to put more of my energy and money in that sphere, but I don’t feel called to go there. And, if I’m honest, it looks so messy and exhausting that I really would need to feel called in order to get myself involved. 

Instead, I feel like I can make a difference on the same issues I’d focus on in politics outside of that arena. I talk all the time about voting with your wallet as a way to support the organizations and movements you believe in, but I think I need to expand my definition in order to feel like I’m giving my values the focus they deserve.

So, what am I doing? 

First off, the values I am focusing on are: 

1) Environmental sustainability

2) Gender equality

3) Supporting small businesses 

I’m tackling each one a little differently and, for now, starting relatively small so I don’t set myself up for failure. I’ve broken them down below:

• Environmental sustainability

  • I’m reducing my reliance on online shopping and therefore reducing the waste that comes into my house. This means shopping local whenever I can. 

  • I’m working towards reducing waste in my household products. That means that as cleaning products run out I am finding alternative replacements that are better for the environment (Dropps laundry pods, DIY toilet bowl cleaner and replacing a swiffer with a mop).

• Gender equality

  • This is basically the reason I started Verdi! I’m encouraging my clients to focus more on long-term money habits that will improve their own financial standing. I believe that working with more and more people means that eventually these individual improvements will help society as a whole. 

• Supporting local businesses

  • I gave up Amazon Prime a few months ago, which is great for stopping random purchases and for pushing me to shop at smaller companies (and ones with better worker’s rights track records)

  • I accept that I sometimes need to shop online, but I try my hardest to shop local whenever I can. Sometimes that means getting a gift from a local boutique and shipping it myself. That often means that gifts don’t make it quite on time, since for the life of me I cannot make it to UPS with any regularity, but I’ve decided I’m okay with that trade off.

I’d love to hear your voting with your wallet plans! What are you focusing on? What questions do you have?

XOXO

Making financial decisions on your own is hard. Making them as a couple is even more difficult! Below are some question starters to help you and your partner discuss how you’d like to work together financially. As always, please reach out to me if you have any questions! 

• What are your values? (i.e. independence, security, etc.) 

• Do your values overlap with your partner? In what ways? 

• In what ways do they not overlap? May that mean that you should keep some finances separate? 

• Are you comfortable sharing all of your spending habits with your partner? If not, are there certain types of spending that you don’t want to share? 

• Do you know how much debt you have? How much debt your partner has? 

• Do you know how much savings you have? How much savings your partner has? 

• Do you know your credit score? Your partner’s credit score? 

• Do you want to make big financial decisions together (i.e. buying property, going on a trip)? 

• What about small financial decisions? 

• What amount of money spent counts as a “big financial decision”? Do you and your partner agree? 

• Are you good at maintaining systems? What about your partner? (i.e.If you decide on a system for combining some of your finances, will you stick with it?)

• Do you think about your expenses as “our” expenses or “my”/”their” expenses? 

• Do you think about your income as “our” income or “my”/”their” income? 

• I KNOW you don’t want to think about this, but if you were to break up, what do you want to happen with your money? With your partner’s?

XOXO

Politics 2020: The Money Side of Things // Post #4: Pete Buttigieg’s Money POV

Welcome to Verdi’s second deep dive into a Democratic Presidential candidate! Each of these posts will include the following: 1) a quick and dirty fact list about the candidate 2) an analysis on the candidate’s views on key money related issues 3) the Verdi Advising opinion on the candidate. 

Pete Buttigieg Facts:

• From South Bend, Indiana (same place he was mayor of!)

• Background in politics, consulting & military

  • Worked on John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign 

  • Was a consultant at McKinsey & Company (note: there’s been lots of press on this)

  • Serves as fellow at the Truman National Security Project & focuses on Afghanistan & Pakistan

  • Joined the US Navy Reserve in 2009 

• Lost the Indiana state treasurer election in 2010, won the South Bend mayoral election in 2011

• Went to Harvard & Oxford for undergrad 

• Loves Indiana and lives in South Bend

• Mayor Pete is the first openly gay Democratic candidate for President 

• Married to Chasten Glezman who is a teacher (yay!)

• Has two incredible pups: Truman & Buddy. They have an EXCELLENT instagram game. 

Where He Stands On The Economy

Buttigieg is pro-union & anti-crony capitalism. He believes that the wave of automation has hurt our manufacturing jobs and wants to make sure that we bring in other jobs to replace these. He, like Warren and others, support ways to decrease the influence of money in politics. He also supports raising the minimum wage to $15 and offering national paid family leave. 

The Verdi Vote: 👍 (we agree, but want to hear more about how Pete proposes to keep money out of politics.)

Where He Stands On The Cost of Living

HIGHER EDUCATION

Mayor Pete wants to provide free college to those who need it, but not for everyone. He believes that the very rich (those who can already afford college) should still pay so that more federal money can be set aside for those who need the help. In his plan this means 80% of Americans will have their tuition covered. He plans to pay for this by taxing the top 1% of Americans. He also supports loan forgiveness programs for existing debt. That actually might help him as he would be entering office with over $100,000 of student loan debt himself!

He also wants the federal government to pre-fill the majority of the FAFSA (Federal Student Aid) application for students. As a former high school teacher who helped students fill out that monster of an application, I cannot tell you how excited I am that it could come pre-filled. I knew many students who either almost gave up or actually gave up applying for school just because of the FAFSA.

The Verdi Vote: 👍 (fewer student loan debts? Count us in! That being said we want to see more details on the #s...duh)

HEALTH CARE

Unlike Warren and Yang, Pete does not support Medicare for All. Instead, he supports Medicare for All Who Want It. With this policy in place, Americans would be able to opt in to a public health insurance option or choose to remain in the private marketplace. He thinks this middle-of-the-road approach will ensure that everyone has affordable coverage without forcing anyone to change something they like. He says this will cost about $1.5 trillion over 10 years and will be paid for by reversing Trump’s corporate tax cuts. Pete also supports giving the federal government power to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies. Those negotiations (in theory) will also save money which can be used towards Medicare for All Who Want It. 

The Verdi Vote:  👍 (we’re very pro affordable health care and and are hopeful that this middle of the road approach will be more appealing to a national crowd)

Where Verdi Stands on Pete

Overall, we think Pete’s centrist approach could make him a more palatable candidate for the national race (unlike Warren or Bernie who may be too far left for national campaigns), but want to hear more about his tax policy.  

Want to give to the Pete 2020 campaign? Click here.

Have more campaign or money questions? Send me an email or schedule a FREE 15 minute call with me by clicking the button below.

My 2020 Resolutions: How I Made Them & How I’ll Keep Them

I’ve never been great at New Year’s resolutions and, because I don’t like failure, I have traditionally not made any real ones. Instead, I’ve stuck with coming up with goals or feelings or things that I’ll generally (i.e. vague AF) do differently in the new year. For example, last year I proposed I’d be more “calm” and the year before that I’m pretty sure I said I’d “run more.” Totally vague and useless. That approach is wonderful if the goal is to not fail, but pretty terrible if your goal is to make real change in your habits and lifestyle. 

This year I’m approaching things differently. I’m creating real goals, but also making sure that I set myself up for success. Over the last two years I’ve learned a lot about goal setting from my favorite accountability group, Do The Damn Thing, and am using some of those tried and true methods in my resolutions. 

FYI: I think it’s bullshit to wait until the new year to make these types of goals. Annual goals are nice because it feels good to have a clear set of time, but it is more than okay to start these goals on January 6, or March 15, or July 30 or any day of the year. Another fun idea is to pick annual goals that are timebound by your birthday as that is the start of your very own new year. 

Step 1: Brainstorm Goals (5-10 minutes)

This is the most fun part for me. I write down all sorts of things I’d like to do, see, be and experience in the year ahead. I recommend starting with goals from different parts of your life (financial, emotional, physical, work, personal) so you cast a really nice, wide net.

Step 2: Cull the Goals (5 minutes)

Cut the fat. Which goals do you want to achieve badly enough to work on them for the whole year? All of those “well, it’d be nice if…” kind of things don’t make the cut. For example, I originally had run another marathon on my list, but I know I’ll only want to do that if more of my health concerns are figured out. A goal that hinges on the success of another goal isn’t worth having (yet). However, I do believe that every one of us should have at least one money goal each year. 

My 2020 Goals:

1. Launch my podcast! 

2. Determine appropriate strategies to deal with current health concerns (this may or may not include medicines, food, exercise and mindfulness) 

3. Build savings account for future babies!! (get ready for Verdi Jr!)

Step 3: Create an Action Plan (20 minutes)

For each of the goals, create a plan for how you’re going to achieve them by the end of the year. All plans should include strategies, support & markers of success. Please note that my second goal is actually about figuring things out and not about a specific outcome -- that means that I’ll likely continue to work on my health strategies in the years to come, whereas I’ll only launch the podcast once. 

My 2020 Action Plan:

• Launch the Financial Feminists Podcast

  • Strategies: 1) Finalize strategy with producer 2) Schedule guests 3) Create outlines 4) Record 5) Launch! 

  • Support: 1) Work with podcast producer who I found in 2019 2) Join future DTDT group to help me through some of the questions that I know will come up

  • Success: Season 1 is live with a plan for Season 2 (Season 2 also potentially live depending on timing) 

• Determine appropriate strategies to deal with current health concerns (this may or may not include medicines, food, exercise and mindfulness) 

  • Strategies: 1) Go to new PCP (new insurance started Jan 1!!) 2) Finish tests recommended by old doctor 3) Elimination Diet to determine food best practices 4) Continue meditation practice & add in phone reminders to improve consistency 5) Be open to learning from others 

  • Support: Doctors (PCP & specialists), husband & friends 

  • Success: I don’t expect to be cured (the current theory is that I have some sort of autoimmune disease), but I do expect to have better knowledge and strategies that I can use to improve my symptoms. If I have a significantly better understanding of my body, I will feel successful.

• Build savings account for future baby

  • Strategies: Save a minimum of $500/month by increasing household income & decreasing spending on food that doesn’t excite or serve us (i.e. postmating because we forgot to plan ahead, buying lunch out instead of bringing lunch to work) 

  • Support: Husband! We’re on the same page for this goal and will make sure that our progress and challenges are part of our regular money date conversations

  • Success: Right now I’m estimating that I’ll want $10,000 saved by the time I give birth.This will cover some early one-time costs like furniture and a stroller as well as more on-going costs like a nanny. I’m open to that number changing -- either up or down -- as I learn more and my husband and I make more decisions on what we want early life for a baby to look like. 

Step 4: Add in Exit Ramps (10 minutes)

Sometimes the goals we feel really passionate about at one point in our lives become less important later. This could be because our circumstances have changed (i.e. goal is to run a marathon, but then you broke your foot ← that’s happened to me) or because your feelings towards the goal has changed (i.e. goal is to go Keto, but it turns out your body really doesn’t respond well to that diet). That’s why we need exit ramps. Exit ramps aren’t failures -- they are opportunities for us to recognize when something isn’t serving us anymore and times when we can pivot to something that serves us better. 

Here’s mine:

1. Launch my podcast

   1. Exit Ramp: if my support falls through I will work my hardest to find an alternative option, but as I am unable to complete this goal without outside help, I will accept that the podcast may not launch in 2020. 

2. Determine appropriate strategies to deal with current health concerns (this may or may not include medicines, food, exercise and mindfulness) 

   1. Exit Ramp(s): 1) My health dramatically improves without making changes (I doubt this, but it’d be fun) 2) I get pregnant and that changes what I need to focus on health-wise

3. Build savings account for future baby

   1. Exit Ramp: I already covered this in my action plan, but I am open to my goal amount changing depending on future knowledge I gain. 

Not sure you have the support or knowledge you need to reach your money goals this year? I offer two great coaching options: The Verdi Money Club (online group coaching) and Personalized Coaching (on-on-one online coaching). 

Have more Money questions? Send me an email or schedule a FREE 15 minute call with me by clicking the button below.