We’re kicking off 2023 with award-winning journalist and the founder and CEO of HerMoney Media , Jean Chatzky! In this episode, Jean shares her journey into journalism and personal finance and discusses the importance of building camaraderie and accountability when talking about money. We learn more about her coaching programs FinanceFixx and InvestingFixx and why she values the AFC. Jean leaves us with great advice that is applicable to personal finance but also for any goals you may be setting...
Jan 03, 2023•25 min•Season 4Ep. 1
In the final episode of this season, Mary and Rachael are joined by AFCPE’s Board President, Michele Godfrey, AFC®. Two weeks ago, we kicked off the 2022 AFCPE Symposium with a trip down memory lane – celebrating where we’ve been and where we’re going as we wrap up celebrations for the #30YearsofAFC. In this episode, we’ll recap some of the highlights from our opening general session, answer your questions about the organization, and share our favorite moments from #AFCPE2022. This episode was l...
Nov 29, 2022•35 min•Season 2Ep. 22
This week, we're speaking with joint #AFCPE2022 keynote speakers from the FINRA foundation: Ritta McLaughlin, the Director of Investor Education Community Outreach & Olivia Valdes, Senior Research Analyst. In this episode, we dive into trends across multiple areas of the market such as the idea of intergenerational wealth and its contribution to massive wealth gaps, and the importance of truly understanding the nuances of the populations we study. Tune in for more impactful, data-driven take...
Nov 08, 2022•39 min•Season 2Ep. 21
In this week’s episode, we sit with Jason Craige Harris, a voice for healing and transformation who works across communities and organizations to promote dignity, belonging, and compassion. Jason is also one of our keynote speakers at the 2022 AFCPE Symposium this November. Jason takes us through the importance of building genuine empathy with others and the need for a Revolution of Compassion. Learn more about what that looks like by tuning in, and attending Jason’s full presentation at #AFCPE2...
Oct 25, 2022•23 min•Season 2Ep. 20
In this week’s episode, we get to know Robin Hauser: an award-winning documentary filmmaker and a keynote speaker at the 2022 AFCPE Symposium. Her film, $avvy, was inspired by her own personal experience with money. It led her to wonder, why do women tend to abdicate major financial decisions to someone else (often the man in their life)? And why is that so dangerous? Our hosts and Robin talk about the power of storytelling and its ability to eliminate shame and increase empathy. We also address...
Oct 11, 2022•22 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Download the transcript here. This week on Real Money, Real Experts, we're back with Ryan Law, CFP®, AFC®, a recognized expert in client communication, student loans, financial counseling, and behavior change. He recently served as President of AFCPE, and in 2021 Ryan received the AFCPE Distinguished Fellow Award! In this episode, Ryan takes us through the current state of federal student loans and what to anticipate in the coming months given the recent updates. He also shares a sneak peek of w...
Sep 27, 2022•22 min•Season 2Ep. 18
In this week's episode of Real Money, Real Experts, our hosts speak with Bill Gustafson, who is a professor emeritus in the Personal Financial Planning Department at Texas Tech University. He has been educating students and conducting research related to personal finance for over 36 years and helped to create what we now know as the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education. Bill takes us back to the very first meeting where AFCPE® was named and dives into the importance of rec...
Sep 13, 2022•25 min•Season 2Ep. 17
This week on Real Money, Real Experts, we are joined by Dorothy "Dottie" Durband, who is known to many as the "Godmother of Financial Counseling." Dottie is the associate dean for academics and faculty and a professor of personal financial planning in the College of Human Sciences at Texas Tech University. She's been an Accredited Financial Counselor for over 20 years and is an esteemed member and mentor in both the AFCPE community and the field of finance as a whole. In our 60th episode, Dottie...
Aug 30, 2022•27 min•Season 2Ep. 17
This week on Real Money, Real Experts we catch up with Dr. Michael G. Thomas, Jr., AFC®. Michael is a lecturer at the University of Georgia, the founder of Modom Financial Solutions, a co-founder of the Financial Behavior Keynote Group, and a member of the AFCPE Board of Directors. Dr. Thomas’ life-long goal is to help underserved communities establish, grow, and sustain their wealth utilizing an intra and inter-family wealth creation process. Michael is a gifted speaker, a natural educator, and...
Aug 16, 2022•47 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Financial planning, financial counseling, and financial therapy are separate but complementary financial services designed to support clients' financial goals and well-being. But how do you know which service you, or your client, needs at any given moment? In this episode, we're joined by two leaders in the financial therapy space, Kristy Archuleta & Sonya Lutter. Kristy and Sonya share their research, knowledge, and experience across financial services to help our listeners answer this ques...
Aug 02, 2022•33 min•Season 2Ep. 15
This week, we're talking all about student loans with Rita Green, Ed.D. AFC®. Rita is an AFCPE board member and new author of How to Survive a Personal Financial Pandemic . In this episode, we dive straight into the Public Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program and all of its requirements, how you may be able to take advantage of the waiver by October, and many more insights on all types of student loans. Regardless of whether you're listening for yourself or learning more for your clientele, R...
Jul 19, 2022•39 min•Season 2Ep. 14
This week we are joined by Dr. Kate Mielitz, AFC®. Kate joined the AFCPE staff in 2022 as the Special Programs Manager, but has been an AFC and a passionate member of the AFCPE community for many years. In this episode, Kate gives our listeners a candid look at how she got to where she is today – we love seeing how all the disparate pieces come together to create change and impact. We talk about the importance of offering personal financial planning students the opportunity to earn the AFC, and ...
Jul 01, 2022•29 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Download the transcript here. On this week’s episode, Mary and Rachael had the privilege to sit down with Accredited Financial Counselor®, Kumiko Love, more widely known as The Budget Mom. Kumiko is as authentic as they come. She openly shares her own money story, what led her to start The Budget Mom, and what she’s learned along the way. We dig into imposter syndrome, the power of community, the importance of niching down (spoiler alert: one person can’t help everyone), and setting boundaries. ...
Jun 21, 2022•40 min•Season 2Ep. 12
This week on Real Money, Real Experts, Mary and Rachael catch up with longtime AFC® and AFCPE® Member, Mike Wood. Mike shares the story of how the AFC became the standard for Personal Financial Managers (PFM) on military bases across the globe. Mike has the heart of a counselor, and we loved hearing about both the rewarding and challenging aspects of his career. As a pillar of the military personal finance community, Mike shares fond memories from past Symposiums, and offers some great insight f...
Jun 07, 2022•29 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Celebrating 30 years of the AFC® means celebrating the incredible impact it has made over the years! This week we had the pleasure to speak with Sarah Bainton Kahn and Pam Fraser, two women who played instrumental roles in the success of the CFPB’s Financial Coaching Initiative, which ran from 2015 to 2019. The initiative provided financial coaching services to veterans as well as individuals and families in economically vulnerable communities and uniquely set a high standard by requiring that a...
May 24, 2022•33 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Today we kick off our mid-season series focused on the 30th Anniversary of the AFC. In this episode, we had the honor to sit down with Heath Carelock, AFC®. Heath is the Program Director for the Financial Empowerment Center at Prince George’s Community College in Maryland. He was also one of the first AFCs to volunteer for our pro bono counseling initiative at the height of the pandemic and remains active in the program today. This episode covers the gamut, offering great insights on reframing o...
May 10, 2022•35 min•Season 2Ep. 9
In this final episode of our Real Money, Real Experts Career Series, we catch up with Rachael Bronstein and Maggie Klokkenga. Tune in as they share their own experiences in starting a private practice and how honing in on your niche can lead to a more successful, fulfilling career. Maggie Klokkenga, CFP®, CPA, and AFC® candidate is a financial coach and the owner of Make a Money Mindshift, a financial coaching and planning firm in central Illinois where she helps individuals and couples to reduc...
Apr 26, 2022•35 min•Season 2Ep. 8
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 ...
Apr 12, 2022•36 min•Season 2Ep. 7
This week, Rachael sits down with longtime AFCPE Member, Janie Bright, AFC®. Janie is a self-described passionate credit union employee who has worked in the industry for nearly 30 years. She began her journey as a Credit Union teller, where she saw firsthand the issues that individuals and families face in relation to their finances. Today, she serves as the Vice President of Financial Inclusion and Community Strategy and shares all that she's learned along the way. In this episode, Janie remin...
Mar 29, 2022•21 min•Season 2Ep. 6
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, AFC®. 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 you...
Mar 15, 2022•37 min•Season 2Ep. 5
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 f...
Mar 01, 2022•27 min•Season 2Ep. 5
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 l...
Feb 15, 2022•39 min•Season 2Ep. 4
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 c...
Jan 26, 2022•27 min•Season 2Ep. 3
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 generat...
Jan 14, 2022•27 min•Season 2Ep. 2
In our first episode of 2022, co-hosts Mary Bell Carlson and Rachael DeLeon give listeners a sneak peek into what’s ahead on the 2022 season of Real Money, Real Experts. We also answer all your pressing questions about the podcast, the organization, and so much more. Whether you’re already a part of the AFCPE community, or are thinking about pursuing the AFC certification, taking an Essentials course, or becoming an AFCPE Member, this episode is for you! Show Notes: 00:23 Introduction 01:18 Welc...
Jan 11, 2022•42 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Before we leap into an exciting new year for the Real Money, Real Experts podcast, we’re taking a moment to look back at some of our favorite episodes from 2021. In this episode, you’ll hear clips from a variety of guests we’ve had on the show this season as we remember the incredible stories, insights, and advice they had to share. From all of us at AFCPE, we extend a huge thank you to everyone who’s tuned in this year! If you're interested in coming on our podcast for season three, check out t...
Dec 21, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Today on Real Money, Real Experts, co-hosts Rebecca Wiggins and Dr. Mary Bell Carlson chat with Rachael DeLeon, AFCPE’s Senior Director of Member Services and Communications and soon-to-be Interim Executive Director. As Rebecca prepares to take the next step in her career, we pause to reflect back on the incredible impact she’s had on AFCPE over the past 16 years, while learning more about Rachael’s involvement and vision for the future. AFCPE is poised for an exciting future with new partnershi...
Dec 07, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 41
On this episode of Real Money, Real Experts, co-hosts Rebecca Wiggins and Dr. Mary Bell Carlson talk with Sarah Li-Cain, finance writer, podcast producer, and host of Beyond the Dollar. As a journalist, Sarah speaks to an incredible variety of people, listening to how money intersects with their physical, mental, and spiritual health. In this episode, Sarah discusses how money affects the human condition and how, as financial counselors, we must work to understand the heart of our clients’ money...
Nov 23, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 40
According to the US Census Bureau, one in five Americans will be aged 65 or older by the end of this decade. Unfortunately, this growing population is also most at risk for financial fraud and exploitation. Today on Real Money, Real Experts, co-hosts Rebecca Wiggins and Dr. Mary Bell Carlson are joined by AFC® Corey Carlisle, Senior Vice President at the American Bankers Association and Executive Director of the ABA Foundation. In this episode, Corey dives into what it means to become a financia...
Nov 09, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 39
What do RVs, sign language, and AFC® certification have in common? They’re all part of the journey for our latest podcast guest, Melissa Mittelstaedt. Melissa is a sign language interpreter, the founder of Money Coach, an AFCPE member, and an AFC candidate. On this episode of Real Money, Real Experts, Melissa dives into creating financial stability despite variable income, creating more accessible financial resources for our deaf and hard of hearing clients, and common advice she gives to women ...
Oct 26, 2021•33 min•Season 1Ep. 38
