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To kick off Financial Literacy Month, our hosts Rachael DeLeon and Dr. Mary Bell Carlson speak with President and CEO of the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, Laura Levine. Laura shares the ins and outs of her own career journey and provides listeners with ideas on how to get involved with youth financial education and the coalition’s work.

Laura is a fierce advocate for financial education and she is passionate about better equipping our youth with the knowledge they need to thrive. Tune in as she shares resources and actionable steps we can all take to provide the schools in our community with more financial education.

View and Download the Transcript here

Show Notes:
2:20 Laura’s Career Journey to Today
4:50 All about Jump$tart and its history
10:35 Getting involved with the coalition and where to start
14:02 Making a bigger impact with the state coalition
18:18 AFCPE’s impact as a Jump$tart board member
20:26 Getting involved as an organization at the state level
21:41 Current state of financial education in schools
27:59  Laura’s final two cents

Show Note Links:
Email Laura
Jump$tart Website/Instagram/Facebook/Twitter
Laura’s Twitter
Laura’s LinkedIn page
Project Groundswell / Check Your School for Financial Literacy:
Jump$tart State Coalitions
Jump$tart Clearing House
Council for Economic Education’s Survey of the States:
Join the Membership community
AFCPE Connections Fair: Gain Experience. Find a Job. April 28

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In this week’s episode, we’re continuing our Career Series by diving deep into the world of financial coaching and the ups and downs of owning your own business with Josh Escalante Troesh and Garrett Philbin.

Josh and Garrett discuss the importance of community, investing in yourself, as well as detailing the difference between licensure and certification and why they’re relevant. They provide tons of useful resources, and their combined wisdom can really speak to wherever you’re at in your career, making this episode a must-listen!

Both Josh and Garrett are co-founders of Financial Coaches Network, a business incubator/accelerator that supports entrepreneurs in building their businesses. Garrett holds his AFC® Certification, began financial coaching in 2015 and is the founder of a successful financial coaching business and the Financial Coaches Community Facebook group with over 5,000 members. Josh is a CFP and a Tenured Professor specializing in personal finance and entrepreneurship and has been quoted in Forbes, CNBC, Consumer Reports, US News & World Report, and dozens of other media.

Show notes:
01:45 Garrett’s journey to starting a successful financial coaching business
03:47 Josh’s unique start in the business and starting Financial Coaches Network with Garrett
05:34 Garrett’s pivot from the music business to the personal finance space
10:08 What made Garrett decide to earn the AFC?
12:32 All about licensure with Josh
20:16 Is there a need for a standardized definition of financial coaching?
24:44 Garrett’s insights on working in private practice
29:56 The final 2 cents

Show Note Links:

• Garrett’s article on Kitces.com
• Josh’s article on registration
• Financial Coaches Network (FCN)
• Financial Coaches Community Facebook Group
• Josh’s non-profit: Purposeful Finance
• Josh’s LinkedIn
• Garrett’s LinkedIn

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This week, we are joined by Andia Dinesen, Executive Vice President for Communications and Operations for the Association of Military Banks of America (AMBA). As a military spouse, Andia shares her journey to AFC® certification through the FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship Program. She touches on the importance of perseverance and offers great advice for AFCs interested in working on a military installation or for a bank or credit union. She also shares why having trusted partners in financial services is critical to our work as financial professionals.

As a bonus, Andia catches us up on the great resources that AMBA provides – from their Veterans Banking Benefits Program (VBBP), to their collaboration with AFCPE which provides free financial counseling to Veterans, to the financial preparedness kit available to servicemembers (MilDocs) – there are lots of great resources for you to better support the military and Veteran community.

Show Notes:
02:23 How she got started, and how she found the AFC®
04:44 The funny backstory behind her being a military spouse
06:21 Advice to all aspiring Military Spouse Fellows and applicants
08:07 Tips for those interested in working at a banker credit union
10:04 Who else hires AFCs?
15:46 How being an AFCPE member has furthered her career
20:09 All about MILDOCS
22:09 Andia’s final 2 cents

Show Note Links:
Andia’s LinkedIn page
FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship Program
Veterans Benefits Banking Program
Pro Bono Financial Counseling:  For Veterans or for General Public
AMBA – Association of Military Banks of America
MILDOCS

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This week, we very excitedly welcome Karen Richel to the show as we continue our Career Series. Karen is a University of Idaho Extension Associate Professor and the Family Finance Extension educator for ten north Idaho counties. In her work, Karen caters to every age and socioeconomic group with one-on-one financial counseling/coaching sessions, classes, workshops, and simulations.

In the third episode of our Real Money, Real Experts career series, Karen shares how an unexpected “pause” in her life led to a more meaningful life and career. As an avid mentor, Karen offers valuable – and unique – advice, on how being an “octopus” can set you up for career success. Regardless of your career path, she is a wealth of knowledge and resources, making this an episode that’ll leave you uplifted.

Show Notes:

01:58 How Karen got to where she is now
09:37 What she would’ve loved to know before entering the field
16:12 Karen’s amazing experience being an AFCPE® Mentor
18:05 How her AFC® has impacted her work
21:16 All about working in Cooperative Extension
23:51 How to break into this career field
28:07 What type of educational background do you need?
29:22 The transition to virtual learning
32:33 Advice for aspiring mentors and mentees for AFCPE’s MentorConnect program
35:05 Karen’s final 2 Cents

Show Note Links: 

• • Reach out to Karen here
  • Karen’s LinkedIn page
  • University of Idaho Extension  
  • Extension Jobs 
  • Join the Membership community to become a mentor or mentee!
  • “Our Financial Conference” mentioned by Karen

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This week on Real Money, Real Experts, we’re putting co-host Dr. Mary Bell Carlson in the hot seat. In this second episode of our career series, Rachael talks to Mary about her expansive career path in the Government sector. Mary is a wealth of knowledge on the variety of ways AFC professionals can work in financial counseling and education at the local, state, and federal levels, and she offers lots of great resources for our listeners to explore.

Even if you aren’t interested in a government career, Mary’s passion for advocacy is inspiring and she offers great tips for career growth in any field. (Hint – it starts with building strong relationships!) As an AFC® and a CFP®, Mary has a unique perspective on the value of the AFC, making this an episode you don’t want to miss.

Show Notes:
01:48 Mary’s Attraction to this Field
07:33 Why to Pursue Your AFC® and CFP®
10:02 The Intersection of Government Work and AFCPE®
11:37 All About Our Government Relations Task Force
12:49 What Mary Loved About Working in This Sector
15:32 Getting Involved at the Federal Level
19:45 Advice for Those Looking to Pursue Similar Careers
21:23 What She Would’ve Loved to Know Before Entering the Field
22:37 Mary’s 2 Cents

Show Note Links:
Mary’s Linkedin
Chief Financial Mom

Career Resources:

• AFC Certification
• Career Paths
• AFCPE Job Board
• Save the Date: April 25 – 29th: AFCPE Virtual Experience Hour & Internship Fair
• Join the Membership community!
• ​​Cities for Financial Empowerment (CFE)
• National Association of Counties (NACO)
• Treasury’s Financial Literacy & Economic Commission (FLEC)
• Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
• Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC)
• FINRA’s Foundation
• Government Relations Task Force
• Military Essentials Course
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
• Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)
• InFre & Retirement Counseling

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Kicking off the first episode in our new Career Series, “Real Money, Real Experts” co-hosts Dr. Mary Bell Carlson and Rachael DeLeon speak with Marcy Reyes, AFC® about her career in the nonprofit space.

Marcy is the Founder and CEO of The Financial Literacy Youth (or FLY) Initiative, a non-profit organization that provides culturally responsive financial literacy programming to underserved and underrepresented students; empowering youth with the knowledge, skills, and experiences to end generational poverty. Marcy has made her mark in the field by identifying gaps and working to close them – not to mention she is also the first Latina in her state to be an AFC®.

Listen in as she takes us through her journey of starting a nonprofit while sharing her inspiring advice for everyone interested in working in the nonprofit space. Her enthusiasm and passion for this work are contagious, no matter what area of the field you are in!

If you’re doing interesting work in the field and would like to share your stories and expertise, apply to be a guest on Real Money, Real Experts! Fill out the podcast guest application and an AFCPE staff member will contact you if you are selected.

Show Notes:

00:42 Marcy’s Introduction
01:39 Marcy’s Intro to the Field of Finance
03:45 Marcy’s Journey to the Nonprofit Space
06:33 Manifesting the FLY Initiative
07:49 The Impact of the AFC® in Her Work
11:21 Marcy’s Advice for Breaking into the Nonprofit Space
14:42 The Best Part of Marcy’s Job Is…
16:23 What She Would’ve Loved to Know Before Entering the Field
18:49 Potential Expansion of the FLY Initiative
20:30 Marcy’s Final 2 Cents

Show Note Links:
Connect with Marcy on LinkedIn
Visit the FLY Initiative Website
Join AFCPE’s Membership community

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