Jess Bingham
Financial Services Professional & Financial Literacy Advocate
Personal Notes
Early in adulthood, I found myself as a stay-at-home mom with two young kids and in the middle of a hairy divorce. While I had my savings, I was not prepared to suddenly be solely responsible for all the bills and expenses that come from a household. Up until that point I had never carried a credit card balance – the first time was the retainer for the divorce attorney. I stopped paying my student loans to cover other bills and racked up debt – my credit and confidence tanked. I vividly remember sitting in my car after being offered a job and pulling out a napkin from my glove compartment to write down some numbers. I just had to get through the next week, and then I’ll figure out the rest. This became my mantra for the next year.
I made a promise to myself and to my children that I would never feel so ill prepared financially again and dove into the world of personal finances. My hunger for learning only grew and I found myself back in school for accounting. Coupling this with a background in Social Work, I developed the philosophy that personal finances are so much more than just the numbers – equally important is the person behind them – their dreams, goals, and behaviors.
A decade later, I am proud to say my credit score is back in the 800’s and I was able to pay off over $30,000 of debt, including my defaulted student loan. As my personal finance journey has grown, so has my ability to create a life that brings me peace and joy. Now remarried, having a plan for our money has allowed my husband to go back to school and to pursue other passions without the looming stress of debt. In fact, we’ve been able to do more on much less money than we ever imagined!
I want to encourage you to have hope that you can create a life where money is a tool for your purpose and passions. The road is not always the prettiest, but with consistency and new habits in place, it can be done.
Bio
Hi! I’m Jess, a financial coach who specializes in using money as a tool to create a life you love – whether that’s running a business, running around the world, or running in the backyard with your kids. I believe successful money management involves the whole person and not just the numbers on a spreadsheet. I take a holistic approach of meeting each client where they are, understanding their vision, and creating a plan that works with their strengths in mind. I focus on sustainable budgets, eliminating debt for good, and creating lasting change through healthy habits to build wealth, and more importantly, the life you want. I originally went to school for Social Work at Western Connecticut State University and later received my A.A.S in Accounting and Finance. I became an NFEC Certified Financial Education Instructor, CFEI® in 2023. Since then, I have successfully helped my clients get out of thousands of dollars of debt and use their money to honor their values for a more fulfilling life. I truly believe it is never too late to rewrite your financial story and with the right guidance and knowledge in place, financial freedom, whatever that may look like to you, is possible. I am fueled by my passion to help others build confidence and experience their own financial success – I am so thankful that I get to do this every single day! In my spare time, I can be found in the gym lifting weights, hiking in the mountains, or wrangling my family together for a game night. I live in the Raleigh area of North Carolina with my amazing husband, 2 awesome kids, and our pack of pets (3 dogs and a cat).
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