Phone A Friend
A Phone A Friend chat will help give you clarity about your financial situation.
After seven years of blogging, creating a podcast, emailing thousands of people and talking to so many people in person, I have found that sometimes, just sometimes, some people are sick of scrolling websites, Instagram and YouTube for information or asking questions via email and they just want to actually talk to someone, one on one, about money. Someone without a sales pitch, without a course or product to sell and with the only agenda being to see you get it clear in your own head how to work through your personal finance issues.
That is why I offer the opportunity to ‘Phone A Friend’, that is, ME!
Often, I find that people have a gut instinct for what they think they should be doing financially, but when they seek assurance or opinion from their friends and whanau, they find that there is either no one that they feel comfortable enough to talk about their financial life with or the feedback they get is contrary to what their gut instinct is telling them.
Case in point is the 24-year old I spoke with who felt that the right thing to do for her would be to pay off her student loan faster, however, a family member suggested that she shouldn’t bother. But she knew she wanted to travel and live internationally at some point, and she knew that in time, this loan would hold her back.
Some have experienced a substantial life change and have been forced by circumstance to take over their finances, and they are confused about how to do this. They have created a plan, but are just unsure if it’s the right thing to be doing and just want someone to chat to who is not directly involved in their situation. Fresh eyes, if you will.
Others started out life with a simple way of handling money, but over the years, they have tacked on layers and layers of complication until they reach a tipping point where none of their finances work or make sense to them anymore, and they just want to talk about how to simplify their life and money.
Some are blessed with success, with great careers and great incomes, but they can’t hold onto their money, and they can’t work out why. They can run a successful business, but they can’t emulate that at home with their own personal finances. Talking with someone like myself helps them sort through where they think they are going wrong and how they can transform their relationship with their own money.
I am privileged enough to have people email me with questions about their money and life, but sometimes actually speaking to someone can be far more helpful, so if you feel the need to have a talk about things, then please book a time to chat via video call.
I’ve always offered this phone a friend service, and I charge a fee of $110 just to cover my time, so if you feel this could be beneficial, then feel free to arrange a time to korero. Most people tell me that the changes they made to their personal finances as a result of our chat cover my fee ten times over.
Now, I more than most understand that not everyone has $110 to spare, so please don’t worry, you can still email me with any questions and I’ll always respond with my helpful and friendly thoughts as I’ve been doing for years now. But if you can’t quite get the answers you are looking for from my blog or from emails that we exchange, then I’m happy to have a chat via video.
Also, just to be completely transparent, I’m not a financial advisor - never have been, never will be - so I can’t give you specific financial advice, nor would I try. But, you know what? Most people are not asking me in that sort of detail, they are just wanting to know where to start, how to see the wood for the trees, how to save their cents, so their dollars save themselves and just have a blunt discussion about money where no question is off-limits. And sometimes, having a person who is completely removed from your social circle gives you a refreshing take on things to help you answer your questions.
If you have been reading my blog long enough and have listened to my podcasts, you will hopefully understand that I just want to HELP people be better with money. I’m not trying to sell anything apart from an hour of my time. I’m just trying to help people get clarity with the direction they want to head in with their personal finances, and I just know, from all the people I’ve been fortunate enough to speak with, having a chat helps. It just does!
“Finally, I got brave enough to book a ‘Phone A Friend’ call with Ruth. I don’t know what I was nervous about because she soon put us at ease. Within a very short time, we got down to business, and Ruth pointed out some blindingly obvious things that could make our lives a whole lot better, pretty quickly, if we wanted. We knew she was right, but it wasn’t really on our radar. She just seemed to pull back the curtain a bit, so we could really see the whole picture. I am grateful to Ruth for her honesty and refreshing, friendly manner. We would definitely recommend a chat with Ruth to anyone, no matter what your age or situation you are in.”
“I was not sure what I was going to get out of the talk, but I knew I needed to talk to someone after reading so much. I am really glad I booked a chat with Ruth as I got a lot more out of it than I expected, and it has really got me focused on the steps I need to take to achieve the financial peace of mind I am after. Ruth was easy to talk to, answered my questions on the areas I was confused about, and also provided some simple steps to follow, which was what I needed to get going. She also followed up with an email with more information and links to what we had talked about. Totally worth it. Thanks.”
“We needed to sanity check our plans and thoughts after a change in circumstances, and I wanted to informally discuss options (rather than formally meet with a financial advisor etc) but not with friends or family members, so when I saw Ruth’s phone-a-friend service, it was a perfect fit. Ruth is easy (and fun!) to talk with, and asked lots of pertinent questions to help clarify where we want to be and what actions we should take to get there. I’ve got a wee list of homework to get on with, but I’m no longer paralysed to act. Straight after our phone call, I changed my KiwiSaver fund to growth and progressed some long overdue admin with an old share portfolio.”
“Talking to Ruth about our financial situation was so valuable and easy to do! She is a ‘salt of the earth’ person with excellent knowledge and resources to share. We left feeling we had a clearer financial roadmap going forward, with our questions answered, and resources to learn more along the journey.”
“I found Ruth easy to talk with. She built rapport, listened, and acknowledged what I’d said and where I was coming from. We also discussed a product, PocketSmith, she is affiliated with that I had some queries and questions about. Ruth explained her point of view and how she came to use this product and why. She also followed up with PocketSmith directly to ask for more information that she then sent on to me. Ruth shared some of her background as needed that was relevant to my situation, which showed me another perspective. I recommend Ruth, a valuable resource, to confidentially discuss your money matters with, who gives useful suggestions and advice worth considering.”
Please book a time if you would like to have a chat. By clicking the button below you will be taken to my calendar booking link.