Why “Count Your Beans” Financial Planning?
Financial Planning for the rest of us.
Mission: Surviving capitalism with you and building Community along the way.
Vision: Success is most meaningful when others climb with me; achievement for its own sake is empty. I have an insatiable need to serve others, to give generously, and to uplift the most vulnerable among us. Selflessness drives me, inspired by my beautiful mom before me. Wealth is not the goal; Impact is.
Core Values: Abundance, Authenticity, Freedom, Generosity, Meaningful Work, Relationships, Service.
Rule #1 in business: Be of service to others!
Who is a Bean Counter?
In Fun & Fancy Free (1947), Mickey, Donald, and Goofy are living in such scarcity that they are forced to split a single bean three ways. Despite living in the richest country on earth, sometimes it feels like this reality is right around the corner. And, sadly, too many among us actually do live this reality.
Many more have been on the brink. Broke college students making ramen and rice to make it through the month; times when Hot Pockets or Pop-Tarts were luxuries. Entrepreneurs who scrimp and “intermittent fast” between completing projects or commissions getting paid.
Maybe you’ve been there, too. Struggling, with barely enough to eat. Maybe just enough to make it through, even if you had to slice a single bean to get there!
Counting Your Beans is about taking stock, setting foundations, making plans, and taking action to make sure you are never again in that place of pure struggle.
Who is a Bean Counter?
A green visor. A paper-printing calculator. A pencil and a pad of paper.
For many, the Bean Counter caricature generates feelings of tedious, soul-sucking, mind-numbing work. They either hate the idea of tabulating numbers and figures, don’t know how, or don’t even want to try, saying, “Math just isn’t my strong suit. Lucky for you, this is the kind of work that I love!
In my free time as a young sailor, I used to draw up color-coded budgets and cash flow projections on paper…just for fun! Those eventually became spreadsheets, and the technology I use now for cash flow projections and financial planning has become smarter than I ever dreamed. You should see what we can do together!
I was, and continue to be, more than just passionate about personal finance. It’s a lifestyle! If “finance” gets your anxiety brain going, rest easy. I’ll be there every step of the way! I’ll do the Bean Counting and, as your guide, make finance work for you.
Who is a Bean Counter?
Ah, Scrooge McDuck. Perhaps one of the most famous Bean Counters of all time.
Watching DuckTales as a kid it never occurred to me that Scrooge could have:
A.) actually factually broken his neck diving headfirst into a pool of gold coins, or
B.) solved homelessness and hunger in all of DuckBurg, benefitting all duck-kind!
All I knew at that young age was that I wanted to have Uncle Scrooge money, to be able to do and buy anything I wanted, above and beyond anything that I would ever need. Scrooge was flawed, but I like to think he would have left a legacy for those he loved. It kind of looks like he’s settling accounts for Huey, Dewey, and Louie, right?
The legacy I want to leave goes beyond inheritances for my nieces and nephews. I want to leave an impact by helping others. I want to help YOU “create wealth for today and generational wealth for tomorrow.”
It is my hope that together, we can do some good in the world. By committing my own “tithe” of 10% from every dollar I earn as a CFP® Professional to an interest-bearing charitable trust, my personal goal is to donate $1,000,000 to charitable organizations before age 65. I hope to inspire others to help their communities, too, so that we all might grow together to reach higher and live more fully.