Excerpts from the contest: honorable mentions!

While they weren’t our grand winners, some of our coaches brought up moments that were worth sharing. Here are some excerpts from coaches’ blog entries that seemed to be representative of the experiences we see as coaches. Take a look at what your fellow coaches had to say!

Here, a coach gets to the heart of the matter:
Rob S.
“Money does not solve the problem or even create the problem. Money is simply a tool used during our day-to-day lives...As a coach, it is important to share the tools we have available, but it is just important to spend the time listening and coaching or clients on personal habits that impact their financial solution. Habits and ideals must change for lasting financial success.”

Here, a mini-story about habit change:
Elsa D.
“Chloe spent over $150 dollars at Wal-Mart in 1-wk on things she admitted she didn’t really need: snacks so her son won’t cry while shopping, things for her fingernails, on and on. We were on the right track, because Chloe was acknowledging her bad habits. Similarly, the husband went to a check-cashing store every payday because he wanted to see the money he earned. This led to a long explanation about the money he was not seeing, the money he would save if he opened a checking and savings account. I suggested that he deposit his paycheck into a checking account, and save the amount that he'd been spending at the check-casher. For both of them, it did not take a lot of extra effort, but simpsimple, habit-forming tasks that would allow them to save.”

And here, a coach realizes the power of empowerment:
Larry G.

“I was almost finished with the first session, but we hadn’t accomplished enough. Yes, we knew the items on her credit report, and yes, she had an idea of how to get started, but I could still see that this information hadn’t connected with her yet. I wanted to explain to her how important would be down the road when she decided they were stable enough to buy that new car, or go back to school, or even buy a home. But instead of telling her these things that she already knew, I asked her what she intended to do about it.”

Stay tuned for more coaching blog fun!