FACEBOOK GROUP

Financial Coaches Community 

Garrett created the group so coaches could have a space to ask questions and support each other. The “Units” section has some of the most asked questions and helpful content from the FB group in one place. In the “Files” section, fellow group members have shared some pretty cool resources! 

CERTIFICATIONS

Certifications are primarily aimed at either teaching you about the knowledge side of what you need, or the emotional/behavior component of being a successful coach.

AFCPE® 

One of the more well-known financial coaching/counseling certification organizations is the AFCPE - a non-profit that focuses on financial counseling, coaching and education. 

AFC (Accredited Financial Counselor). Garrett and Amelie have this certification and would recommend it for those who want to make sure they know the personal finance knowledge is solid. It also provides a decent introduction to financial counseling and the foundational communication skills needed.

CFP Board

CFP® (Certified Financial Planner®). By far the most recognized certification for financial planning and financial advising, the CFP® program would be for those who want to go beyond financial coaching into areas such as investing, retirement planning, estate planning, tax planning, and more. A founding business partner in FCN, Joshua Escante Troesh, is a CFP® and a big believer in the certification.

Financial Therapy Association

CFT™ certification “provides education and training that learners can use to apply research and evidence-based therapeutic techniques to help clients, advance the field of financial therapy, and engage with other practitioners. CFT™ provides the level of knowledge and skills to compliment the learner’s discipline.”

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS 

• AFCPE® - We are members but receive no compensation if you become one too. FCN Members (FCN Biz' DIY, FCN Biz'-in-a-Box and MoneyCoach Network) receive a discount on AFCPE membership!
• Financial Therapy Association - We are not members but have heard good things about the organization and understand the importance of helping clients with the emotional and behavioral issues they face.

CONFERENCES

• AFCPE Symposium - An annual conference hosted by the AFCPE® that focuses on financial concepts and research, plus networking and community-building opportunities. Designed for financial counseling experts or those with experience (not just financial coaches).
• FinCon - A conference for money creator businesses, such as financial writers, bloggers, coaches and podcasters. Garrett went twice and really enjoyed it, and met some very influential people in his coaching life, including Michael Kitces and Sarah Li Cain (Garrett's former podcast co-host!). Each year there are more financial coaching related topics, and we expect the same to continue.

ARTICLES 

• What Financial Coaching Is and How To Start Your Own Firm - by Garrett Philbin
• What Is Financial Coaching - by Todd Triesler, a gentleman who has turned financial coaching into a scalable business...check out his site if you’re interested in good examples of free guides/content and group trainings.
• Is Financial Coaching Breaking the Law – by Joshua Escalante Troesh, a CFP, financial advisor, and Tenured Professor. Oh…and my business partner in FCN…forgot that.

BOOKS

For clients

• The Soul of Money - Lynn Twist
• The Psychology of Money - Morgan Housel
• Atomic Habits - James Clear
• Your Money or Your Life - Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez
• You Are A Badass At Making Money - Jen Sincero
• Money Magic: Unleashing Your True Potential for Prosperity and Fulfillment - Deborah Price
• Money Therapy: Using the Eight Money Types to Create Wealth and Prosperity - Deborah Price
• The Millionaire Next Door - Thomas Stanley

For coaches

• Financial Counseling - Dorothy B. Durband, Ryan H. Law, and Angela K. Mazzolini (no link because it’s very expensive new - look for used copies; it’s included as part of the AFC study materials)
• Facilitating Financial Health - Brad Klontz
• Loaded - Sarah Newcomb
• The Prosperous Coach - Steve Chandler, Rich Litvin (not specific to Financial Coaches but a great ready)

SOFTWARE

If you want to know why we recommend the following list of software, check out our two podcast episodes on our top software recommendations – Part 1 and Part 2.

Calendar schedulers

• Calendly
• Acuity

Website

• Financial Coaches Network offers a sales-based, customizable website template plus hosting
• Squarespace
• Wix 

Accounting

• QuickBooks Online

CRM

• Dubsado
• Wealthbox

Tools/Apps to use with clients

• Monarch Money (budgeting)
• YNAB (budgeting)
• Qube Money (budgeting/banking)
• EveryDollar (budgeting; no coach view)
• Tiller (Google Sheets/Excel based budgeting)
• Groove (financial habit building, money mindset)
• AnnualCreditReport.com (free credit report)
• undebt.it (debt management/planning)
• Vertex42 (debt payoff spreadsheets)
• PowerPay (debt reduction tool)
• Many more are available, depending on your needs and preferences!

Payment processors

• AdvicePay – A compliant payment processor specifically designed for financial professionals offers recurring invoicing for $10 to $50 per month ('Essential' included in FCN Biz' DIY; 'Professional' included in FCN Biz'-in-a-Box and MoneyCoach Network)
 

Document Signing

• AdvicePay & FCN Biz' DIY – Document signing and management is integrated for free into AdvicePay Professional, which is included with a discount in FCN Biz' DIY and for free as part of FCN Biz'-in-a-Box
• DropBox Sign
• DocuSign

Document Storage

• DropBox
• OneDrive

MARKETING

Financial Coaches Network

• FCN Crash Course – A high-level overview of minimally viable marketing
• FCN Biz' DIY – A step-by-step guide to gaining clients (and more)
• FCN Business-in-a-Box and MoneyCoach Network – Pre-designed and turn-key marketing programs for coaches
• Financial Coach Finder (coming soon) – a client-facing directory of certified financial professionals where the majority of your fees go toward running the platform and marketing coaches to the public

Podcast Episodes: How to Get Your First Few Clients

• Episode #112 – How to Choose a Niche
• Episode #114 – Paid vs Free Promotion Opportunities
• Episode #132 – Does cold messaging work?
• Throwback webinar  – Best methods for new coaches to find clients

Email Marketing Tools

(no real preferences here, just some options)

• MailChimp (free)
• ConvertKit (paid)
• Active Campaign
• Drip

Design Software

• Canva

In-Person Networking 

(These are simply places to start looking, not to be taken as the be-all-end-all)

• BNI (Business Networking International)
• Your local Chamber of Commerce
• Organizations/groups affiliated with your target market

Founders