Rooks Writes: How I Became a Finance Coach and How We Can Help You

In this regular column, founder of Future Balance, Chris Rooks, will provide his thoughts and insights about the financial coaching world, current affairs, as well as whatever tickles his fancy! In his first blog post, Chris tells you a bit about himself and about what Future Balance can offer to you...

My name is Chris Rooks and I am a Finance Coach. That statement is something that gives me a lot of satisfaction and enormous pride for it's a role that is rewarding in so many ways. I'm reluctant to call it a job due to the fact it is something that is hugely enjoyable to undertake.

You see for 12 years I worked as a contractor within the world of Project Management at various companies.  It was something I fell into, rather than being a profession I chose and as the years went by, became a means to an end rather than a career path I wanted to follow.  As a result I was becoming more and more disillusioned until I made the decision I needed to find a role and career I was passionate about but at that point I wasn't sure what that was!

I wrote down a list of my strengths and my hobbies which immediately ruled a few things out (at 35 I decided I might just have missed the boat on being a Professional Footballer!  That, as well as my terrible footballing ability!).  But one strength that jumped off the page was my enjoyment of working with money & finances especially helping friends & family out when it came to such matters.  Additionally working with finances & budgets was the part of project management I enjoyed the most during those 12 years!  I began looking to see if a role such as this existed and when I stumbled across the role of Finance Coach I knew that was it.

It's a difficult feeling to describe but having spent nearly 20 years looking for a career I wanted to follow, when I found out about Financial Coaching it was like an epiphany and I knew instantly that was the path I was going to take.  I did lots of research to lay the foundations for my career change which ultimately led to the formation of Future Balance.  I also completed Simone Gnessen's absolutely superb Wise Monkey Financial Coaching Practitioner training, as well as a number of other coaching courses, to feel confident I was ready to take those first steps into being a professional Finance Coach.

And here I am!  That is my story that sees me to where I am now with Future Balance.  Which leads me into what we offer and how we can help.

Back in 2015 University College London conducted a survey in which they discovered people would rather talk about their sex life with total strangers than talk about their finances!  It is a common theme that has cropped up in various surveys over the last few years - discussing our finances for some reason is considered a very taboo subject.  Additionally research from Equifax showed that 42% of adults in the UK have suffered from stress or anxiety caused by their finances.  Personally it saddens me that this is the case, and that so many people feel they are struggling but for some unknown reason feel they have to suffer this alone.

This is where Future Balance comes in.  We want to help people feel more empowered and confident with their finances by coaching them and teaching them strategies to take control of their money.  We offer them a secure and completely confidential environment to discuss their situation and any obstacles they feel they have with regards to their personal and/or professional finances.  And we help them to understand and work towards achieving not just their financial goals, but their life goals as well.  

If you want to know more, we offer a completely free, no obligation, phone consultation where we like to give you more details about what we do and also to understand a bit more about you and what you would like to achieve from financial coaching.  You can get yourself booked onto an initial consultation by heading to the Contact Us page and filling in your details.  As I say, this is completely free and if you don't want to proceed any further then we thank you for your time, and leave you in peace.  So what have you got to lose?

If you do decide to go ahead with a full consultation then as a start-up initiative we are offering a 25% discount on our usual prices for any consultations booked before 30th September 2018.  Not only that but you'll also go into a draw to win £200 of Amazon vouchers.

Sometimes just talking to someone can make the world of difference.  A hopeless situation suddenly doesn't seem so bad. The 'worst thing that could possibly happen' suddenly becomes an opportunity.  We want everyone to feel that relief from unburdening themselves and understanding that there is always a solution, and we can help you put plans in place to achieve that solution with step-by-step goals to get you there.

So with that I hope to be working with many of you in the future, helping you to find that confidence to take control of your finances, achieve your goals and feel happier in your life.  I have achieved one of my goals of becoming a Finance Coach by taking small steps towards it, until before I knew it I was where I wanted to be.  I really hope all of you can achieve your goals with us too.

Until next time.

For more information on what Future Balance can offer, please visit the website, call 01793 731141 or email [email protected]