You’re earning a solid income. Maybe you have some investments from your bank or an advisor, but you’re questioning how well they’re performing. You have a home or plans to buy one, but aren’t sure about timing, mortgages, or managing debt. You’re starting to think about preparing for retirement and you’d like to understand how to make good decisions like whether to pay down debt, save, or invest. You receive company benefits and a pension, but don’t know if they’ve been set up correctly.
Your intuition tells you that you’re leaving serious money on the table. You are right.
You want to become more strategic now. You’re ready to optimize all of your financial activities so they meet your goals and maximize the opportunities right in front of you.
You want to learn honest financial education and take ownership of your money, particularly investing, without the pressure of buying fancy products you aren’t even sure are good for you. Yet you don’t need a formal financial planner yet, and you’re wary of trusting financial ‘sales professionals’.
Where do you start?!
It’s time to take matters into your own hands.
The Pre-Financial Plan
The Pre-Financial Plan meets a combination of very real needs that I haven’t seen serviced in the offerings of most financial experts. Many people want impartial, easy to understand financial education and effective action plans, minus the sales pitch. After working in the industry for 12 years, I see my role as an advocate. I want you to know that you don’t have to give your power (or money) away, and you can trust your instincts when something is off.
I don’t sell any products or manage assets. I teach you how they really work so you are empowered to make up your own mind. You’ll learn the truth about credit, debt, savings, spending, and investing and retirement planning – the financial planning essentials.
First we’ll create your savings plan, budget, and debt elimination strategy. I’ll review your current investments to see how we can improve results and help you create your new DIY or robo-advisor passive index investing portfolio that reduces risk while greatly minimizing costs.
Working with many clients, it’s not unusual to find they’ve been sold very expensive (and often overly risky) mutual funds. Easy to use alternatives can save you up to 90% in fees, which translates into a 6 figure difference by the time you retire!
Finally, I’ll analyze your company benefits and provide specific recommendations to optimize matches, contributions, and plans so you aren’t leaving free money on the sidelines, or over-contributing where there’s no benefit.
The Pre-Financial Plan is the bridge that takes you from financial dissatisfaction to self-sufficiency. Of course, as your assets increase and your needs become more complex, you may want to work with a certified financial planner in the future. You’ll have the knowledge, experience, and confidence to create a rewarding and effective partnership.
See how I saved a client $392,468
This program includes:
Impartial investing and retirement planning education
Creation of your budget
Setting up your automatic savings plan
Creation of your debt elimination plan
Creation of your investment portfolio
Vital knowledge and skills that will easily save you up to 6 figures over your financial lifetime
Your Investment & Benefits analysis and recommendations report
5 live, online coaching sessions (5 x 1hr)
Two x 15 minute check in calls @ 30 and 90 days post plan implementation
Your copy of Investing 101
100% money-back guarantee (see below)
This program includes:
Impartial investing and retirement planning education
Creation of your budget
Setting up your automatic savings plan
Creation of your debt elimination plan
Creation of your investment portfolio
Your Investment & Benefits analysis and recommendations report
5 live, online coaching sessions (5 x 1hr)
Two x 15 minute check in calls @ 30 and 90 days post plan implementation
Your copy of Investing 101
Vital knowledge and skills that will easily save you up to 6 figures over your financial lifetime
100% money-back guarantee (see below)
How the program works:
Step 1: Complete my Financial Snapshot and Pleasure Spending Ranker
Review your spending, saving, debt, investments and assets to calculate your monthly cash flow and net worth. Complete my Pleasure Spending Ranker exercise as the foundation to create a budget in alignment with your joy, not restriction.
Step 2: Private coaching sessions
We’ll meet online 5 times to cover investor education and retirement planning fundamentals, and to create your savings plan, budget, debt elimination strategy, and investment portfolio. You’ll learn how to make sound financial decisions by understanding principles of timing, risk, reward, and goal-setting and set your short and long term financial goals.
Step 3: Implement your plans
Go time! You’ll receive step-by-step instructions to set up your plans, including customized reports analyzing opportunities to improve your company benefits, pension, and investments. You can download a sample client report here.
Step 4: Check ins 30 & 90 days out
To ensure your success, we’ll have two 15 minute live calls to see how you’re doing. It’s an opportunity to tweak things and ask any questions you may have.
The elephant in the room – overpriced investing
The #1 thing I most want you to know is this – there is NO reason to buy expensive mutual funds!
Take two funds with identical holdings. This chart shows the huge difference in your pocket based only on the fees of the fund.
The blue line tracks the results of the mutual fund sold by financial institutions, while the orange line represents the exchange traded fund, which you can easily buy online yourself.
The mutual fund has an MER (total fee) of 2.2%, while the exchange traded fund charges 0.55% (this is actually rather high. I don’t recommend anything higher than 0.3%, and ideally, less than 0.2%).
Assume you make a $10,000 investment once in each fund and simply leave it to grow. After 55 years you would have:
Mutual fund: $135,984.
Exchange traded fund: $342,281.
Why give away $206,297?
A correct (impartial) financial education can easily save you up to 6 figures over your financial lifetime, and help you avoid major pitfalls and traps in the financial industry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this Financial Planning?
This program teaches you comprehensive financial education including the basics of financial planning theory, and then creates a simplified plan to meet your needs. While there is overlap with formal financial planning, notable exclusions are ongoing investment management, insurance, taxation, and estate planning. The Pre-Financial Plan is ideal for the person wanting to create a solid foundation with money by understanding financial concepts as the base, and who does not yet have complex financial needs (for example high net worth or multiple business or family considerations).
How do sessions work?
60 minute online sessions take place in the comfort and privacy of your own home. Choose your favourite video platform like Skype, FaceTime, Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts, etc. I am located in Toronto, Canada (EST timezone) and offer a flexible schedule including 3 evenings per week and Saturdays to service your timezone.
Coaching is most successful when scheduled weekly, although you may wish to meet more or less frequently. For your convenience, you can book sessions online and up to two months in advance.
Are you a Financial Advisor or Financial Planner?
No I am not. Although I have passed the national securities exam which would give me the eligibility to provide licensed financial advice in a sales role (in Canada), my focus is on education, which is impartial, and international. In my experience, most people need to create a solid financial foundation before seeking licensed advice. My goal is to provide you with factual knowledge and show you how to align it with your integrity and values as a heart-centered person. I don’t sell any financial products. I teach you the truth about them so you can make informed, confident decisions.
What I provide is not considered ‘licensed advice’. That said, it’s important to understand what this term means. Legally, it implies the recommendation (selling) of financial products such as securities or insurance, and that requires individual licences. Since I do not sell any products, no licence is required. The advice industry is complicated. I recommend educating yourself so that you are informed. You can read more about that in an article I wrote for beginners here.
When it comes to things like debt, credit, saving, or spending no licence is required to sell any product, and therefore it isn’t considered financial advice at all! It’s ‘financial education’. Investing is a little different. Advice means a financial professional recommends specific products for you to consider buying. I provide in depth explanations of how investing works, including review and analysis of different products, and instructions for you to easily select them yourself. This is considered financial education.
Is this program only for Canadians?
Although I am Canadian, my focus is global. I work with clients in many countries and across several continents, including Canada, USA, Mexico, Europe, and Australia. Personally, I have lived in both Canada and Australia, and am highly familiar with the financial laws in both countries, as I am with the USA. If you live in another country, feel free to get in touch to explore how I can serve you.
I'm already in debt. I can't afford this!
All change in life starts with making the commitment to do something different. To shift stagnant energy, sometimes we need to jump first, and the parachute will appear. Although it feels scary, a spending decision to change your relationship with money is an investment in you and your future.
After working with many clients who have turned their finances around, I’m confident that the ROI for your future will be many, many times more than your investment. I help my clients stop the patterns that caused the debt in the first place. They’re finally able to save, spend consciously, get out of debt, and invest for the future. They heal the emotional pain that their subconscious has associated with money so it no longer owns them. They are free to receive the abundance that is their birthright.
I’ve observed that almost everyone who moved forward felt a mixture of fear, resistance, and nervousness, but also excitement. It’s like the subconscious knows that serious change is coming and has a bit of a tantrum! This often means you are ready to make the leap. Ultimately, only you know what your inner voice is telling you.
You might also qualify for my advocacy program. I reserve one private coaching space per month for a client who earns under $35,000 CAD annually. The cost is $25 for 3 coaching sessions and includes full support. Contact me to learn more about this initiative.
WHICH IS BEST FOR ME? THIS PROGRAM, HAPPY WALLET, OR INDIVIDUAL SESSIONS?
Happy Wallet is ideal for the person just starting out on their journey with money. It provides financial education and basic plans covering the more foundational activities such as budgeting, saving, and debt. It does not include investing, which is a more advanced topic.
The Pre-Financial Plan is suited to the person wanting to build on this foundation by adding investments, retirement planning, and company benefits/pension optimization. It includes everything in the Happy Wallet.
From here, you may feel entirely comfortable managing your finances yourself. Or, in the future as your assets grow and your needs become more complex, you may want to work with a certified financial planner. You’ll have the knowledge, experience, and confidence to enjoy a rewarding and effective partnership.
If you only require some of this support, individual sessions may be the best option for you. I can create an itinerary that precisely meets your needs. Get in touch via the Contact page and let’s connect to discuss how I can support you.
“When I met Danielle my relationship with money was already good – my financial situation was stable and comfortable. My request was to find ways to make it better. She became the cruise director on a call to action to take charge of everything.
Danielle helped me put my income, expenses, spending, and investing under a microscope to find places where I was losing, wasting, or spending money unwisely. After some fine-tuning I was able to save a good chunk of money every month (4 figures) that was on a cycle of repetitive payment without end. We made changes to my investments, getting rid of risky, pricey mutual funds in place of low cost exchange traded funds. I’m on track to save a healthy 6 figures from fees alone by the time I retire.
Danielle’s strength is her ability to take in the big picture and break down the how step by step, so you keep more of your money and use it wisely. She also understands that for some people this is a taboo subject covered in shame and ego. She won’t ever make you feel foolish for the situation you may have found yourself in. She will empower you with insight, knowledge, and confidence if you let her in and allow her to look under the hood.
The cost of Danielle’s sessions has already paid for itself over and over again from money saved and money earned. Don’t think of it as an expense, but an investment.”
“Within 2 months, I had 2 new sources of income, and I’m now saving over $1000 a month, which I’ve never done in my life! Danielle’s sessions are seriously worth their weight in gold. She has helped clear my negative beliefs about money. Danielle is not only one of the brightest shining lights out there, she is extremely professional, diligent, and supportive. I love this lady and could not recommend her more highly.”
“I was really overwhelmed by my finances and had a lot of shame and guilt about being in debt. I was NEVER someone who was able to save money!
I’m so much less stressed about money now. I have a conscious system for managing my finances and I know how to stay on track with my financial goals moving forward. I feel empowered and at ease when something pops up because I know what needs to be done, without the guilt and shame I used to feel.
I really see the long-term value in paying myself first every paycheck, and have found a balance between spending for pleasure and saving for my future. Both can feel good!
I have real clarity on what steps I need to take to pay off my debt gradually, without feeling guilty or beating myself up. I’ve already paid off 2 cards within 6 months of us working together and will have a loan soon to consolidate my debt with lower interest, saving me a ton of money!
I would have not known how to confidently go about this without your guidance and insight. Thank you for your warmth and compassion. You really gave me the space and encouragement I needed to let go of my guilt about my finances. Money can bring out the worst in us, but I felt totally safe and supported by you.”
“If I have not told you how much your financial coaching has helped me, now I will!
With your debt coaching, we already paid off one credit card over $3k and are on our way to clearing the other card. We are vacationing abroad in a couple of days without touching our credit card. We closed all stagnant subscriptions to magazines, tv, gym, tutorials, and irrelevant services. Amazingly, instead of feeling squeezed tight, my husband and I feel empowered, on top of our game, and vibrant.”
This program includes:
√ Five private, live coaching sessions
√ Two check ins at 3o and 90 day post-plan implementation
√ Easy to use tools to create your budget and eliminate your debt
√ Your personal savings plan, budget, and debt elimination strategy – worth thousands in saved money and interest that you won’t pay
√ Your personalized Investment and Benefits analysis and recommendation report
√ The creation of a new low fee, reduced risk investment portfolio – worth up to 6 figures in savings!
√ Your Investing 101 Guide
√ Finally, lasting confidence and peace of mind when it comes to your money and finances.
Your investment:
$1500 CAD
Payment plans are available.
PLUS… it’s entirely risk-free.
Your investment is RISK-FREE. If I don’t find at least $1500 in saved money for you, I’ll refund your purchase.
To find out if this program is right for you, book your free consultation today.
