financial adulting
Everything you need to know and do to be a financially confident and competent adult.
I was more of a financial 🌪 than a financial adult for the beginning of my adult life. And I studied finance at Wharton and worked in prestigious finance jobs.
You may think that becoming a financial adult should start when we first move out on our own or get our first job. That would be nice but the truth is, for most of us (but really… almost all of us), financial adulting starts a whole lot later. And that’s okay!
I’m here to help. If you:
Then you’ve come to the right place. I get it.
What I found from my own experience and helping thousands of others is that becoming a confident and competent financial adult isn’t about a 180 degree overnight transformation.
It’s about taking consistent small manageable steps that add up to real results.
And by real results I don’t just mean seeing your bank and 401(k) balances increase (even though 🎉 that will happen!).
I also mean feeling confident in your financial plans, understanding what’s happening with your money, and having peace of mind that you can have and experience what you want in life.
Because that’s the whole point of having money - to live the life we want.
The Financial Adulting Course is a 20-week online program that takes you through everything you need to know and do to be a confident and competent financial adult. It’s a no judgment, no shame zone, and I walk you through each step.
what you’ll walk away with:
+ A spending plan that allows you to save for your goals without giving up the things you love
+ An easy system for tracking your spending and saving each month (along with fun and easy hacks to keep you motivated and on track!)
+ A roadmap for each savings goal - like how to calculate your rainy day fund and grow it automatically
+ Strategies to make the holidays, travel and other bigger expenses stress-free financially
+ Everything you’d want to know about your 401(k) - from how much to contribute to how to invest it
+ Investing basics so you can make your money grow
+ A system to use credit cards responsibly as well as how to maximize those perks!
+ A plan to pay down your debt (if applicable)
+ Know your net worth and a fun way to track your progress building wealth
+ A plan to earn more: a year-round system for tracking and negotiating your worth at work
+ The ins and outs of your credit score (most importantly, how to increase your credit score)
+ Insurance 101 - what types you want to have
what you get and how it works:
Get started on your new money journey today. Enroll in the Financial Adulting Course and get lifetime access video classes taught by Ashley and accompanying resources, tools and calculators.
Why me?
Since I started the Fiscal Femme in 2012, I’ve helped thousands of people feel financially confident, achieve some major financial goals and destress their money. I’ve given workshops and keynotes at companies like Google, LinkedIn, and Bacardi and my work has been featured in CNBC, Forbes, Glamour, and The New York Times.
My first book, The 30-Day Money Cleanse, was named Best Business Book of the Year (so far!) and Publishers’ Weekly called it a “cheery and easy-to-follow guide” for “developing good financial habits and dealing fearlessly with personal finances.”
But I think the most telling of all is what people who have worked with me and taken my programs are saying:
“I cannot speak highly enough of the the Financial Adulting class. I learned more than I imagined I would, about every aspect of finances, from how to truly account for my spending, to how to pay off and manage debt, to how to actually live a life with savings and careful financial awareness, while also allowing room for life’s pleasures. They key is that they are truly worth it to me. I feel incredibly empowered to turn my financial life around and am so grateful to Ashley for the step by step methods putting me on a path to financial freedom.”
“Working with Ashley was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I had been meaning to speak to a money coach for a while, but was worried it would be a judgmental situation given my habits. Ashley never made me feel guilty, and instead helped me hone in what truly made me happy, and in turn, helped me spend money on those things and not waste it on others. I am happy to say that since the program stopped, I have stuck to the plan we created, and I have more in savings than I ever had before. I am forever grateful for Ashley and what she instilled in me.”
“Working with Ashley was literally the BEST investment I have made thus far in my life. She is such a joy to work with and very very gentle! I feel completely safe in working with her because let’s be honest sharing all your finances can be a bit scary! I now have the understanding of finances and how to make money truly work for me and my life and I don’t have any fear or anxiety around money anymore. I am excited to say that very shortly I will have paid down all my credit cards, have stopped being in the paycheck to paycheck scenario that plagued me for so long and I have started my first high interest savings account! All this plus a solid plan within 3 months of working with Ashley.”
“I honestly thought I would never be able to save a dime with New York City’s expensive lifestyle and with most of my money going back into my company. I was able to learn little things like creating a “Happiness Allocation” for things I wanted or needed. I urge you all to take her program. With Ashley’s help I am on track to save over $2,000.”
“Working with Ashley has been one of the most eye-opening experiences. With her help I have learned I am deserving and able to create a life built on balance; and that my debt should not define me. Her courses have given me a new outlook on so much more than just my financial well-being, and I have finally found my confidence when it comes to talking about money. The feeling of being able to pay down my debt AND save money is indescribable and I cannot thank you enough for encouraging and supporting me through this journey! I saved $800 during the 30 days and am set to have all my debt paid off in four months. ”
Course Curriculum
Class #1 - The Money Flows
Understand your inflows (income)
What’s a W-4 and how to fill it out
A paycheck calculator (how much of your income do you actually keep?)
Uncover your deep-seated money beliefs
learn to use our budgeting spreadsheet
Start and keep a money journal
Class #2 - Create Your Happiness Allocation (spending plan)
Map out your expenses
Create a budget for the next year
Use strategies to decrease your spending without giving up your lifestyle
Test out some expenses you may be ready to let go of
Class #3 - Pay Yourself First
Calculate how much you want to have in your rainy day fund
Set aside money for your rainy day fund
Open a HYSA for your rainy day fund
Pay yourself first (start meaningfully saving)
Create sinking funds to smooth out larger expenses
Test out and utilize frugal joys
Understand your financial opportunity cost
Adjust your spending plan accordingly
Class #4 - 401(k), Benefits & More!
Find your money “why”
Everything you need to know to set up your 401(k)
Understand how much you want to save to retire (and what that means for your contributions now)
Automate your retirement and other investments
Research and choose your investments
Protect yourself with renters or homeowners insurance
Everything you need to know about other types of insurance
Class #5 - Credit Card 101 & Student Loans
Take inventory of your debt
Create a sustainable and manageable plan to pay down debt
Update your budget to reflect this new plan
Track your debt pay down progress to stay motivated
Bonus Class: Student loans demystified
Class #6 - Money Goals, Parties & Games
How to prioritize your money goals - what comes first?
The most important ritual - Money Parties
Play the money game
Track and negotiate your worth
Update your budgeting spreadsheet
Track your progress and staying motivated going forward
Bonus Class - Increase Your Credit Score
What makes up your credit score?
What’s your credit report and how to check it for errors
Strategies to increase your credit score
Maximize your credit card perks
Negotiate away any credit card fees
Hi, I’m Ashley.
Confession: I really struggled with managing my money for a long time, even though I worked as an investment banker and had a finance degree!
Yep. Back in the day, I was working in the financial space, crunching numbers and dealing with budgets on a daily basis. And I was making a great salary, too.
Sounds like the beginning of a millennial fairytale-come-true, right?
Wrong.
While you’d think someone with a degree in finance and multiple years in the financial trenches would know a thing (or 20) about managing money, at the end of the day–aka the end of my investment banking stint–I didn’t have anything to show for it.
I justified my overspending by telling myself I was working so hard, I deserved to splurge! What’s a margarita here or a mimosa there?
Unfortunately, those margaritas and mimosas do add up. And despite all my experience, I didn’t actually know how to make smart money decisions for my own life.
The bright side? I knew my relationship with money needed a MAJOR change if it was ever going to work.
Flash forward to today: I’m the founder and CEO of the Fiscal Femme, as well as an an author, money coach, and feminist who is on a mission to end inequality through financial well-being. I’ve read more books on money than I care to count and have helped thousands of people transform their financial wellness.
FAQ
WHY SHOULD I SPEND MONEY TO SAVE MONEY?
This is my favorite question and believe me, I get the irony. First, when we pay for something, we’re invested. We show up fully and we get results. I saw this when I raised prices on my first course. The participants’ results skyrocketed. They were saving hundreds more and that made the value of the course increase exponentially - for them.
I’m also a big believer in investing in experts to save us time, money and added stress. By setting up the systems and strategies provided in this course, you will make up the money thousands of times over via decreases in spending and increases in investments and income. Not to mention the more subjective benefits like happiness, peace of mind and reduced shame and guilt.
I’VE GOT A FULL LIFE. WHAT’S THE TIME COMMITMENT?
To get the best results, I recommend a time commitment of an hour and a half per week. You can break up that hour and a half however you’d like.
CAN I RETAKE THE COURSE?
Yes, you have lifetime unlimited access to the program.
WHERE DO I TAKE THE COURSE?
Everything is available in the online course portal. You’ll get a unique login to access it as soon as you purchase the course.
CAN I TAKE THE COURSE ON MY OWN SCHEDULE?
Yes! You get to create your own schedule because it’s all online. You can access the course anytime and anywhere, and you’ll do it at your own pace.
DO YOU OFFER REFUNDS?
Yes, I’m so confident in this program that if you take the classes, do the exercises (and send me the completed work) within the 20 week timeline, and are not happy with your results, I’ll give you a 100% refund.
DO YOU OFFER PAYMENT PLANS?
Yes! I would hate for someone not to get access to this program and system because of money. I’ve outlined a four month payment plan to help.
You can get access for 1 payment of $447 OR 4 payments of $135.
Start your Financial Adulting journey today! Get lifetime access to the course and all of the other amazing resources.
100% Money Back Guarantee.
I'm so confident in the Financial Adulting Course that your satisfaction is guaranteed. If you follow my suggestions, complete all of the classes and exercises, and you don't see results, contact us within the first four months and we'll refund you. That's how confident we are that this program will work for you!