The Three Core Values of Momentum

These three core values are the foundation of Momentum - why I do what I do

These three core values are why I started Momentum. They impact how I run my business every single day. These three core values are the foundation of what I do and why I do it. (I would even shout them from the rooftops if I could!)

1) Building your financial foundation early in life amplifies your life flexibility for the future.

Paying attention to your personal finances through tracking your spending, organizing your financial accounts into one place, saving for retirement, learning how taxes work and how to read your paystub, and doing so many other smart things with your money are keys to your future success. Doing these things as early as possible will reduce your financial stress and allow you to live the life you want without worrying about money. While it can take some activation energy at first and you might be nervous about checking your bank balance for the first time, it is so worth it. Getting started learning and making money moves as early as you can will only improve your finances even more down the road, giving you that flexibility to afford anything. (This is why I started Momentum - to help you get started!)

2) You CAN learn about money and personal finance and how to make it work for you - don’t let it be intimidating. 

While this rock climbing route might look intimidating, just look how big those hand- and foot-holds are!

Too many clients and prospective clients tell me that they are embarrassed because they feel like they should know more about [insert any personal finance topic here], but they don’t. First of all, it’s completely understandable! It’s not a subject that we all learned in school at all (I didn’t take a single personal finance class until after college - learn about my journey here). We weren’t tested on it, quizzed on it, or taught it in any structured way.

Investing, personal finance, and money in general unfortunately also happens to be one of the most taboo topics in our society to talk about! And when it is discussed, it’s often someone bragging about a recent investment win or someone else using a whole bunch of fancy terms to sound like they know what they are talking about. I’ve found the financial industry to have more than its fair share of bluster and bravado, and so I genuinely want to help change that narrative and explain what’s happening in a personalized way that makes sense to each of my clients.

While I totally understand the feeling, there’s no reason to be embarrassed if you don’t know something (or anything) about personal finance – that’s what I and others like me are here for. You’re learning! (As you learn, I think you’ll be quite pleasantly surprised at how quickly you learn too!)

3) Everyone deserves access to high-quality comprehensive, personalized financial advice - you shouldn't need to already have wealth to get advice on building wealth.

While many (quite amazing) financial advisors charge on AUM (assets under management), this fee model unfortunately excludes quite a large fraction of people from being able to pay for comprehensive financial advice. The AUM fee model means that an advisor will charge an annual percentage fee of all the assets/accounts you put under their management and invest with them; this generally means that a potential client must already have enough money for the advisor to manage to make that percentage fee worth it to the advisor.

The fact that this AUM model excludes so many people from getting good personalized financial advice is frustrating! The AUM model seems to force a chicken or egg question - how do I get advice on how to earn and grow my money without yet having any money? Thankfully many more firms (including Momentum!) now charge a flat monthly fee to still provide the same ongoing financial planning services as AUM firms, and yet democratize and make personalized financial advice an option for so many more people.

Want to see if working together makes sense? Reach out to me at sarah@momentumfinancialcoaching.com or schedule a free intro chat.

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