The Millennial Money Woman (Fiona)

Paying off debt is not an easy task. It takes conviction, a strong "why", a plan, a budget and LOTS of encouragement. And as a coach, I've seen that one of the best ways for our students to stay motivated is to hear other people's stories, listen to their struggles and live vicariously through their wins.

This is the whole reason I started this "Journey To Debt-Freedom" series. I wanted to curate a reservoir of personal stories that will help you "find your own story" and keep marching forward toward your personal finance goals and ultimately to debt-freedom and beyond. 

Along those lines, if you have a "debt-free" or "on-my-way-to debt-free" story, I'd love to share yours with our audience. It's always such a gift to our subscribers and fans to hear your particular story AND will help you, especially if you have a a blog/platform/YouTube channel you want to promote (although that's not at all necessary).

Next up in our "Journey To Debt-Freedom" series, meet Fiona, The Millennial Money Woman!

Introduce yourself, Fiona

My name is The Millennial Money Woman (aka Fiona), I'm from the Miami, FL area and I've been pouring my heart and soul into my personal financial blog - The Millennial Money Woman.

A quick bit of my background:

• The pandemic was the best thing that happened to me -- I realized my life's purpose: Helping millennials and young professionals take control of their financial future by founding The Millennial Money Woman.

• I hold a CFP (Certified Financial Planner – which is the equivalent to a financial ninja).

• I have a Master's degree in Personal Financial Planning.

• I have co-founded a community non-profit to help young professionals improve financial literacy.

I hope that my story will be of value and hopefully inspire your viewers to take the first step toward financial freedom (and arguably, that first step is typically the most difficult).

Looking for a way to get started on your own debt-free journey? Check out my: 

 “Debt-Elimination Quick-Start Guide”. This free resource will have ALL the tools, forms and printables you’ll need while moving through this 30 day challenge.

What was "the moment" you decided, "enough is enough" and what actions did you take or resources did you use to get the process started?

I actually have a story that I would like to share about someone I helped successfully pay off $29,000 in credit card debt in less than 1 year.

One of the biggest factors in helping her get there was addressing the behavioral aspect that is needed (i.e. discipline) to pay off debt and actually stick with that plan.

Debt Amount: $29,000

Debt Type: Credit Card Debt

Debt Reason: Medical Condition

Debt Pay-down: Less than 1 year

Looking for a ways to live more frugally and address your debt? Check out my: 100 Frugal Ways To Save Money And Get Out Of Debt.

What was your "why"? What kept you going when you wanted to quit? How did you stay motivated?

The Why:

Understanding that a prince charming was not going to come and help out with the financial debt; plus realizing that today is the best day to start making a better tomorrow.

The Motivation: Having an accountability partner who always checked in to see if progress was actually made.

Describe your "belief system" about money and (if/how) has it changed? Maybe even talk about how you were brought up to think about money and how that changed as you progressed through the process.

I personally was brought up to never talk about money - and addressing money matters even within the family was sort of a "taboo" topic. We just never spoke about it, period.

As I paid my way through college, buying my first car (working likely 100 hour plus weeks) and helping others through my non-profit financial literacy program pay off debt, I realized that the reason why so many people feel uncomfortable with money matters is because they 1) Don't learn about it from an early age, and 2) In many ways, money is still considered taboo (so it's never discussed).

As I have gone through my journey in life - I've realized that understanding the basic money concepts is likely one of the most important things someone can do to help themselves and their families achieve their financial goals.

What have been the biggest/toughest sacrifices you've made in your personal finance/debt-elimination process?

Me personally: -

- Working 100+ hour weeks during college, until I was about age 25

- Giving up family time, friend time

- Never "living" like the millennials typically want to live - No fancy stuff

- Shower at my work's showers instead of at home to save money on the hot water bill!

Describe how it feels or how it feels to be "on your way" to total debt-freedom. 

The only debt I personally have left is my mortgage. And I do not plan to pay this off fast because I just refinanced and I'm making a higher return in the stock market than I would simply paying off my mortgage faster.

In that case (aside from my mortgage), I feel free. I feel like I have control of my life - and I want to help spread the word of what it means to be debt free to millennials, young professionals and other young women just embarking on this journey.

I also want to share my success stories of helping others achieve a debt free future. If I can do it - and if the people I helped can do it, so can anyone.

This “$1000 In 30 Days Challenge and Resource Pack” is designed to help you find, cut and/or earn $1000 inside of 30 days so that you can: pay off debt with it, save it or invest it.

Here's the free downloadable/printable PDF.

What are some pieces of advice you would give to someone who's ready to get serious about tackling their finances?

Pieces of advice:

1) Develop a budget to track your income and expenses

2) Figure out which expenses are discretionary

3) Use all discretionary expenses and pay those down for the highest interest debt first.

4) Once the highest interest debt is paid off - then start paying down the next highest interest debt, and so on.

I hope that my story will be of value and hopefully inspire your viewers to take the first step toward financial freedom (and arguably, that first step is typically the most difficult).

Where can we find you (website, social media, etc.)?

https://themillennialmoneywoman.com/  

Call To Action

Now that you've heard Fiona's story, maybe you're ready to take a closer look at a "framework" to start your own "journey to debt freedom". And, if you’ve hung out on this platform for any length of time, you’ll know I’m all about helping you to take action. And here are two very easy next steps to keep you moving in the right direction:

1. Download our free PDF guide that goes along with this series: “Debt-Elimination Quick-Start Guide”. This has a very comprehensive and dedicated video on establishing your “why”.
2. Head over to YouTube and start with the “Day 0” video. You can totally binge-watch the whole series if you want. That “first pass” will give you an idea of where you are and what it’s going to take for you to get to the next level with your own personal situation. And again, starting with your “why” is the absolute most important step.

I want for you to capitalize on any and all emotional momentum you’ve gotten from this piece of content by committing two just getting started by completing those two actions I mentioned above. If you’ve done that, congratulations, you’ve started! Now just follow the breadcrumbs and please let me know what’s helpful and what you might need more detail around.

What To Do After That

After you complete the "quick start", maybe you'll be ready to take a closer look at a "framework" to continue your own "journey to debt freedom". So, I want to offer you another completely free resource that will help you map out your money with even more confidence.

Ready to get total control over your money? Introducing My FREE 8 Steps To Erase Debt Guide

These are the steps I personally followed to obliterate $43,000+ of debt in 2.5 years. 

Maybe your number is bigger, maybe it’s smaller. Either way the principles are the same and I want you to have them.

1. Stop All Retirement Investing (Until Step 4)
2. Build A Budget
3. Starter Emergency Fund of $1000
4. Eliminate Debts Smallest To Largest (a.k.a The Debt Snowball)
5. Full Emergency Fund of 3-6+ Months’ Expenses
6. Invest A Minimum of 15% Income Into Retirement Accounts (and increase savings rate to 50%+ if possible)
7. College Funding (if applicable)
8. Pay Off The Home Mortgage
9. Build Wealth, Serve, Be Ridiculously Generous And Go FI (Financial Independence)!

I’ve created a simple, easy to follow “8 Steps To Erase Debt” guide that you can use as your foundation as you navigate the absolute annihilation of your debt forever. 

Here are some additional options to help you accomplish your personal finance goals:

1. Check out our YouTube Channel for "how to" video guides.
2. Join our Zero Debt Tribe Community on Facebook, a group of friendly, like-minded personal finance enthusiasts, budgeting nerds, debt-eliminators and “FI-ers” who are there to help each other succeed? Click here to request to join for support and encouragement!
3. Our library of Free Products & Printables.

What do you need help with the most right now?

And finally, I want to encourage you and challenge you to get started in this process. You can do this by downloading this blogpost as your guide. The downloadable pdf contains all the printable forms and instructions you need to get this process started.

So, I’d LOVE to hear from you. The biggest compliment you can give me as your coach is to share your progress and your takeaways in the comments below.

I wish you nothing but great success in your personal finance endeavors and please let me know how I can help you accomplish your goals.

To your freedom,

Brad

Your Virtual Money Coach

[email protected]

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