Figuring out what to do with our money seemed to be one of those things that you're just supposed to 'know'. It seemed kind of frivolous to hire someone else give us advice on this. But between a baby, the cost of living in San Francisco and some changes with our jobs, we just didn't feel like we had a handle on things anymore. Where the heck was our money going each month and could we afford to stay here?
We decided to hire someone to help us figure that out, and are incredibly grateful that we found Kristin Harad at Vitavie!
Kristin made us feel incredibly comfortable from the moment we met her. We were beating around the bush a bit about our concerns, but she was able to quickly identify and describe the feelings and issues that we were dealing with. She works only with parents of younger children, so we certainly weren't the first ones to come through her door with these challenges. My husband and I both really liked how comfortable she made us feel - we could ask anything, and she gave us clear answers and advice without ever making us feel ignorant or stupid.
The planning process took a month, and aside from gathering up a lot of statements and documents, it was quite easy. She helped us identify our goals and think about what's important to us and what's not. She didn't judge us at all (we eat out a LOT) and amazingly doesn't even believe in setting strict budgets for people, though she did help us save a ton of money with some changes to my husband's employee benefits!
Kristin presented a thick plan that seemed a bit overwhelming at first glance, but she broke everything down into action items and priorities (like getting a will in place ASAP. Whoops!) Plus, she provides several follow up coaching sessions as part of the process, which really helped us to follow through on things despite the craziness of life and parenting. Also, she works on a flat fee and doesn't earn any commissions, so we had 100% confidence that her advice was totally objective.
We feel so much better now that we have a financial plan in place and very strongly recommend working with Kristin!
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