Corey Beal , CFP
CEO & Director of Joy / Empowering Finance / Portland , Ore .
COREY BEAL HAD PLANNED TO study international law in college , but when she was finished , she found herself needing to pay down college debt . She said she had $ 13 in her checking account in her first month of marriage to her former husband . Her former father-in-law , a Morningstar analyst , said she ought to check out the CFP program .
Through her husband , who was in the military , she became familiar with other people living paycheck to paycheck . They were non-college spouses and “ who were totally dependent on their spouses ’ military income .”
While taking a course for women in finance , she heard a divorced audience member tell an awful story about having no Social Security record after her former husband had claimed the entire earnings record of their work together for his business . This was something that couldn ’ t be reversed .
Beal realized how the lack of financial literacy was hobbling people . The CFP designation looked like a way to “ nerd out ” but also help people , she says . She began coursework in 2008 . After she wended her way through the RIA world , she later felt less satisfaction in a world that was largely homogenous — white , male and affluent — helping people who already had millions of dollars . “ They already had their shit together .”
Being told at her old firm she had to change her hair from purple back to brown was one of the deal-breakers . She had spent some time working in technology company offices and she felt more at home where dogs ran around , people had tattoos and you could hear the musical sounds of the “ f ” word occasionally used .
She left finance for a while to travel the world , trying to figure out what to do , and thought of joining the tech industry and its more laidback culture , but the advisory world beckoned her back and she decided to give her planning another try — and this time she said she wanted to do it her own way .
She wanted a firm where she could work remotely from home and serve a clientele , people with real world financial advice , not just investing advice — and help those underserved : the young and less affluent , the LBGTQ + community ( which she is a part of ), people of color and “ socially progressive tree huggers .” She formed Empowering Finance in 2020 and now charges a flat fee for everybody no matter what their level of wealth .
Justin Green , CFP , MSPFP
Founder & Financial Planner / Assist Financial Planning / Greater Boston Area
JUSTIN GREEN BRINGS HIS LOVE of health , wellness and finance together into his financial planning practice and combines comprehensive financial planning with financial coaching to stand out among his peers .
“ I think what separates me from other advisors is that I don ’ t stop at giving the technical advice because I believe coaching clients on how to execute the advice we give them is a key aspect of the implementation phase ,” he says . “ This is often the human side of financial planning that we hear talked about in the industry .”
He works with young owners of online health and fitness coaching businesses as well as business owners of business and life coaching companies .
“ Because I work with online business owners , I spend a lot of time helping them optimize their business cash flow so they can leverage that to build wealth on their personal side and achieve that financial freedom goal that they ’ re chasing ,” he says .
Green meets his clients online , since only two live in his home state of Massachusetts . Conducting online meetings allows him the flexibility to maintain his lifestyle , which includes going to the gym and raising his 1-year-old daughter with his wife .
He does all his recruiting online through Instagram , where he posts videos giving financial tips and excerpts from his weekly podcast “ Dollars and Dumbbells .” There he speaks with business owners in the online health and fitness coaching space . While the conversations are mostly about business management , Green does include some financial advice .
His path toward financial planning was untraditional as he debated between financial planning or becoming a personal trainer . He earned his bachelor ’ s in sports management at the State University of New York Cortland ( a feat that took him only three years ).
During his tenure , he lost his mother to cancer , which motivated him to learn about finance and planning on his own . After college , he found himself working at a sports apparel store next to Kansas State University . Through the school ’ s online program , he earned his master ’ s in financial planning and his certification .
40 | FINANCIAL ADVISOR MAGAZINE | MAY 2024 WWW . FA-MAG . COM