Hi, my name is Chris.  I am the Founder and Chief Financial Coach of Square One Financial Coaching.  I want to take just a few moments and share my story with you... 

In 2018, I was on the verge of financial ruin.  In a matter of just 24 hours, my vehicle got repossessed, I lost my job, and was at risk of being evicted from my home.  If I am honest, this was the culmination of a lifetime of poor financial decisions.  It was 100% my fault.  For the next few months, my family and I were virtually homeless- living in a cramped camper trailer (that leaked, didn’t have power, or heat) on a family member’s property and then sleeping on a friend’s couch.  Being unable to find full time work, all my debts went to collections, the vehicle repossession hit my credit report, and the car that I had bought for $500 wouldn’t pass the required emissions testing for registration.  My situation was dark.  To make matters worse, our friend decided we had overstayed our welcome and gave us 30 days to move.  With almost no money to our name and our credit in shambles, we had to take out a payday loan just to afford the money we had to pay upfront to secure housing.  Did I mention that I still needed a vehicle that I could legally drive?!  With a rather sizable downpayment (essentially entire weeks’ pay), I was able to get approved for a vehicle loan at a whopping 29.6% interest rate!  Somehow, we made it all happen…  It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t comfortable, and it wasn’t easy.  The worst part of it all was that I had to work two jobs just so we would have enough money to afford groceries and gas after all these payments.

               Fast forward to 2020…  We were managing to keep our heads above water- just barely.  We had zero savings.  We had zero extra money.  Our diet was limited to whatever was the cheapest food we could find.  Christmas gifts came from the dollar store.  To add to the situation, my wife became pregnant with our daughter!  It was at that moment that I knew something had to change.  We could not keep living the way I was raised…  I couldn’t have three other lives depending on my ability to just barely survive.  Oh…  I almost forgot…  COVID!  So, I knuckled down, I came up with a plan, and I committed to stick to it- no matter how difficult it was.

               Today in 2024, I find myself for the first time in my life with a credit score above 650, very minimal credit card debt, zero collections, a low debt-to-income ratio, I have investments, and I am saving to buy a home!  At times it still seems like it is taking a long time to get there and sometimes it is still REALLY hard to stick to my plan.  But, I remind myself that I didn’t end up in my old situation overnight, so it’s not going to get fixed overnight either.  Every short-term goal I have set I have met.  I am continuing to meet my goals.  If I am honest about it, the goals are getting a little easier to obtain.  Did I mention that I was able to meet all these goals on a salary of less than $50,000, having high rent payments, and supporting a family of four? 

               Because I have done all of this for myself and my family, I know I can help you do it too!  With my help, it will be easier for you to do it.  You won’t have to go through figuring it out, getting it wrong, and making it worse before it gets better the same way I did.  Now, that doesn’t mean it will be easy.  That doesn’t mean you won’t hit stumbling blocks along the way.  But, with me in your corner, you can take these small setbacks in stride.  You will have the encouragement to push through.  You will have the support to get you back on track!