Find a Financial Life Coach Suited to You
If you’re seeking a financial life coach, you may select from among the NFEC’s national network of highly-qualified coaches who are certified and trained to help you meet your goals and are registered Certified Personal Financial Wellness Consultants. These coaches have proven that they meet rigorous industry standards and feel passionate about guiding others toward secure financial futures. The NFEC’s team of qualified financial life coaches have a primary goal of providing education, support, and accountability to guide people toward improving their personal finances. The coach’s role is to analyze clients’ current financial situations, define their goals and needs, and prioritize objectives and action steps that move them toward financial health.
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Financial Life Coach Standards and Qualifications
Nowadays just about anyone can call themselves a financial life coach. To become a financial life coach – no training is required. NFEC coaches – by comparison – meet strict standards for education, experience, and background to ensure that your financial situation stays secure. The NFEC team of certified financial life coaches must pass educational and implementation criteria demonstrating their knowledge and positive client outcomes. The NFEC adapted its standards from four industries: financial/consumer protection; psychology/counseling; financial education/education; and consulting/coaching. They used these guidelines because financial life coaching requires dealing with money, which evokes strong feelings in people. The coach must uncover each person’s unique needs and objectives and offer guidance, support, education, and accountability to help the person achieve financial wellness.

What an Average Financial Life Coach Provides
What will you get from the average financial life coach? We did a search using the terms ‘financial life coaching’ and ‘financial life counseling’ and turned up 137 websites in the top 50 Google results. From among those 137, 26 had clearly listed package and pricing information on their sites where we could readily find it. Talk time was the most common offering, generally by phone (some had email options). Providing educational resources (i.e. coursework, training) was the next most common feature, followed by written personal financial plans (a few with re-reporting). In contrast, the NFEC offers a comprehensive selection of services that their financial life coaches offer, as shown in the infographic.

1) Needs, Goals & Plan
During Phase 1, your financial life coach will meet with you to discover and analyze your full financial profile. The coach will take a look at your entire situation including banking, credit, assets and liabilities, and insurance coverage. Then you’ll be given a detailed, step-by-step priority plan with support and accountability to accomplish each milestone.


2) Education, Guide, Replan
Phase 2 consists of regular meetings and education with your financial life coach. Gaining access to high-quality financial education materials and personal life training will help you develop skills to reach your predetermined financial goals. It’s crucial to keep all your information up-to-date, so you can recognize your achievements and your coach can make data-driven suggestions of changes to your personal finance plan across time.
3) Continued Support, Accountability
Phase 3 occurs after your initial needs have been met and the key areas for planning and building a strong financial foundation have been addressed. Now your financial life coach can move into a role that mainly focuses on maintenance. That is, the life coach simply gives you education and resources when you need them; and keeps you aware of any changes to the financial markets that might affect your situation.
Access to Niche Financial Industry Experts
In the last phase, your financial life coach can offer the next level of support by connecting you with specific expertise that aligns with your life stage. NFEC consultants are available to work with you in their expert fields. For example, if you’re choosing a retirement plan, your life coach can match you with a retirement expert to help guide your selection. These industry experts are 100% independent, so you will never be subjected to a sales or marketing pitch.