From Debt to Dollars: My Personal Financial Journey as a Certified Financial Counselor

I've always been a saver. The idea of having money has always appealed to me, even before I understood what it did or its potential. My parents did everything they could to give my siblings and me a great life, and I would say they were successful. We had a private school education despite being barely able to afford it. Both of my parents worked, and as soon as my siblings and I were old enough, we did too. College was an expensive private school, but yes, we used loans (with my parents' assistance also).

My college experience is where I truly found a love for money and what it can do. I've always heard that money is evil, and often it is, but when it's used correctly, it's a beautiful thing. I began pushing my friends to invest in the stock market. I wanted them to plan for retirement despite having 40+ years of work ahead of them. "I don't make enough" or "I want to have fun now while I'm in college" were the common responses. Thus fueled the beginning of my journey to become a financial counselor.

Stocks and investing took over my free time. I enjoyed the research and the education I was able to provide myself with online sources. Stocks are not a common hobby because you need to contribute a lot of money to play in the market. Experience was an excellent teacher, and it pushed me to be better with my money in other areas of my life.

After graduating college, I took my degrees and joined the workforce. I love what I do for a living, but I've always known there is more to life than a 9 to 5. After a year of grueling fieldwork, I switched to an easier job that gave me more free time to follow my passions: financial counseling. Dave Ramsey calls it "financial coaching," but I think counseling sounds better.

In a previous blog post, I wrote about what financial counselors do. To summarize that, we help people be better with their money. It's a passion that I've had for over a decade but didn't know this job existed! After completing Dave Ramsey's "Financial Coach Master Training," I enrolled in his "Ramsey Preferred Coach" program, which is where I likely met some of you. After more experience and some great clients, I decided to launch "Soar Financial Counseling" to better consolidate my business and what I do. When people say starting a business is difficult, they aren't lying. I have loved the process and will continue to grow and become a better financial counselor for you all.

As you begin or continue on this journey, remember that the only thing stopping you is yourself. Self-control will become your best friend. Learning your financial strengths and weaknesses will help you better reach your financial goals. If you are unsure if you'd like to work with me, please know that's okay! I encourage everyone to be careful with their money and only invest in financial coaching if it's right for you, and you are ready to commit! I do not want to waste money; helping people better understand their finances is what I like, not collecting money without getting results.

All of that being said, I hope we can work together and make progress. I am always open to criticism and want to continue improving so I can assist more people in creating their dream financial lives. If we haven't spoken yet, feel free to book a consultation! That is the first step in figuring out if financial counseling is something that could benefit you.

Thank you for reading and learning a little more about me! I hope we can work together soon.

-Spencer K. Dunbar

Financial Counselor