Find a Financial Fitness Coach
A financial fitness coach who has received certification through the NFEC has proven that he or she has met the highest industry standards and provides guidance and education to help you meet your personal finance goals. The NFEC’s team of certified financial fitness coaches – Certified Personal Financial Wellness Consultants – have demonstrated passion for assisting others to work toward improving their financial situations. How? By providing personalized training lessons and accountability, all with a vested interest in your success.
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Financial Fitness Coach Qualifications and Standards
Anybody can describe him or herself as a financial fitness coach. But if you choose a coach certified by the NFEC, you can rest assured that your coach meets top standards and has fiduciary responsibility to you. That means you can trust them to act in your best interests. Earning the NFEC Financial Coach credential means your financial fitness coach has undergone a deep background check, completed hundreds of hours of educational credits, and passed a rigorous test. NFEC-certified coaches also must conduct initial coaching under supervision and meet implementation and performance criteria. The NFEC’s standards were developed using benchmarks from 1) financial and consumer protection, 2) counseling psychology, 3) education/financial education, and 4) consulting/coaching. We adopted these stringent criteria because a financial fitness coach must help clients with their personal finances – an emotionally charged subject that requires high-level guidance, education, and support.
What the Average Financial Fitness Coach Offers
While most financial fitness coaches will simply talk with you, a financial fitness coach certified through the NFEC provides a broad scope of services geared toward helping you get your personal finances on track. We conducted a search to determine what the average coach provides, using the search phrases ‘financial counseling’ and ‘financial coaching.’ We found 137 websites in the top 50 on Google. Out of the 137, 26 had package and pricing data clearly available on the pages. Financial fitness coaches on all the 26 sites offered direct contact (phone and/or email). Eight provided educational resources like courses or training; only a few designed personal finance plans for clients, with a couple offering follow-up plans or reports. For comparison, the comprehensive deliverables offered by NFEC-certified coaches is shown below.
Step 1: Planning Process
An example of the first phase can be found in Sam’s case. Sam’s financial fitness coach met with him and spent time getting to know his full financial profile. That included reviewing Sam’s credit, assets, income streams, liabilities, and insurance policies. Then the coach gave Sam a Personal Financial Plan Report documenting and prioritizing Sam’s recommended action steps. So out of this in-depth financial review, Sam got guidance and support toward reaching his lifestyle goals and improving his financial health.
Step 2: Educational Guidance
Now that Sam’s financial fitness coach understood his current position and future goals, the coach worked with Sam via regularly scheduled Consultation and Education meetings. During the meetings Sam received education, strategy, planning, and training. Gradually Sam began to strengthen his ability to make informed financial decisions on his own. This process included up-to-date assessments of Sam’s progress; the coach gave Sam updated reports ongoing to shape his financial planning over time and recognize his goal achievements.
Step 3: Ongoing Support
After the coach had aided him to meet his immediate needs, Sam had a clear plan to build a strong financial foundation and selected to have quarterly online financial coaching sessions. Now Sam’s financial fitness coach could stand aside in more of a maintenance capacity, just providing Sam with ongoing education and resources as needed and giving him reminders about important dates and deadlines.
Connection with Niche Financial Industry Experts
NFEC certified financial fitness coaches have access to specialized expertise when you reach critical life junctures, for example, purchasing a home or planning for retirement. Your local coach can connect you with a member of the NFEC’s team with the expert knowledge to address your specific need. These experts are industry leaders who are completely independent, so they will never attempt to sell you anything.
