Sometimes, no matter how good our intentions are, we could all use a financial expert to give us a little extra guidance and motivation to achieve our goals.

Change the way you think about money.

Lauren Lyons Cole, CFP®

As a financial planner, speaker and writer, Lauren Lyons Cole, CFP® has helped thousands of people change the way they think about money.

Lauren has been featured as a financial expert in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN Money, Oprah.com, Fox Business, U.S. News & World Report, the Huffington Post, and more.

Recently, Lauren appeared on Vh1′s Mob Wives for a financial planning session with one of the cast members. She has also appeared as a guest on Inside Edition, Yahoo! Shine and American Public Media’s Marketplace Money.

Lauren’s no-nonsense approach to money management is more akin to personal training than traditional financial planning. She empowers people to take control of their money by getting organized, spending smarter & earning more. Usually in that order. Though she studied financial planning at New York University, she learned far more about money growing up with a Scottish grandmother and equally thrifty parents.

Born and raised in the Southeast, Lauren currently resides in New York City. An avid traveler, she uses her discretionary income to explore the world—on a budget, of course. She went bungee jumping in New Zealand, but only because she had a 50% off coupon. A Teach for America alum, Lauren still enjoys spending time in the classroom teaching financial literacy workshops across the country. Recently, she spent six months studying Spanish in Colombia and is still trying very hard to correctly pronounce ahorrar, which means to save. Once she masters that, she’d love to teach financial literacy courses in Spanish as well.

If you’d like to learn more about Lauren’s financial seminars and workshops, or to find out if working with a Certified Financial Planner is right for you, send Lauren an email. You can always stay up-to-date on what’s going on with Lauren by signing up for her email newsletter.

–

If you don’t follow your dreams, who will?

Follow Your Dreams: A Note from Lauren

When I was 15, my grandmother landed me my first job. Far from glamorous, I sold hams at the Honey Baked Ham Company during their holiday rush (truth be told, I loved it). That experience taught me the value of a dollar—not to mention the freedom that money provides. It also helped me get out of a $300 speeding ticket a few months later, but that’s a different story.

During my freshman year of college, my dad made me track my expenses so that I could create my first budget. I carried a little blue notebook around with me to record every purchase, no matter how small, and it quickly became a running joke among my friends. But by sophomore year, they started coming to me with financial questions, and thus began my unofficial foray into becoming a financial planner.

After college I bounced between jobs, dabbling in teaching, politics, advocacy, and marketing. I wanted to help people, but none of those avenues felt quite right. That is, until I realized that all the financial advice I was giving my friends could actually be my profession. In 2008 I passed the Certified Financial Planner exam, and took my first job at a financial planning firm. Two weeks later, Lehman Brothers collapsed and the financial crisis was in full swing.

My experience in financial planning has been eventful, to say the least. But making smart decisions with my money has allowed me to do some amazing things, all on my own dime. Like sledding down a snowbank on the continent of Antarctica, sailing through the impossibly gorgeous San Blas Islands, and surfing with sea lions in the Galapagos.

Making smart decisions with my money has allowed me to do some amazing things, all on my own dime. Like sledding down a snowbank on the continent of Antarctica, sailing through the impossibly gorgeous San Blas Islands, and surfing with sea lions in the Galapagos.

I wouldn’t trade my travel adventures for anything—they truly are priceless. But I couldn’t have afforded them if my grandmother hadn’t made me get that job or if my dad hadn’t taught me to budget. I’ve been fortunate. And now, I am lucky enough to pay it forward: empowering thousands of people to live their happiest life. It’s really not as hard as it may seem.

My financial planning philosophy is based on the belief that behind every checkbook and every retirement account is a personal story. We’ve all made mistakes with our finances, but we also have successes and plenty of goals and dreams for the future. That’s what makes financial planning so fulfilling. It’s not just a numbers game. It’s truly about people.

I love what I do. And, seven continents later, I still travel as much as I can.

Que te vaya bien,

—llc