Tap dancing or piano.

 

So I chose the lesser of two evils…

 

 

My Dad would drive me from Maslin Beach to the city every Friday afternoon for piano lessons. And he’d make me practise for 30 minutes every day before school.

 

I hated it!

 

But it taught me discipline.

 

My Dad was also instrumental in getting me started in a programme called Kumon. And it was there we discovered I had an aptitude for numbers — just like my Dad.

 

He’s always been a great steward of money.

 

Still to this day, at the ripe old age of 78, he tracks every dollar that comes in and out by hand. And still sets himself savings goals every year.

 

Ever since I was a kid, 

 

My Dad has also been disciplined with his body — cycling, swimming, lifting weights.

 

There are home videos from back in the day where my Dad is doing the bench press, and then there I was, “Mr Puniverse” as he’d call me (because I was so skinny), with a broomstick in hand, doing the same thing.

 

It’s fair to say I have a lot to thank my Dad for.

 

 

Because his discipline and habits around health and finances clearly rubbed off on me. 

 

And were perhaps the catalyst for the work I now do as a financial coach.

 

Which brings me to what I want to share with you today.

 

 

Your financial health is a combination of two things. 

 

There’s your cash flow – which is your income minus your expenses. And your net worth – your assets minus your liabilities.

 

 

So where does physical fitness fit into this framework? 

 

Well, think of your income like your training, as in exercising or going to the gym.

 

Think of your expenses as your nutrition. 

 

Think of your assets as your muscle mass. 

 

And think of your liabilities (or debt) as your body fat. And just like there’s healthy fat and unhealthy fat – there’s also good debt and bad debt.

 

 

Now the thing with physical fitness is it’s 80% nutrition and 20% training. 

 

But most people have this backwards…

They will spend all their energy on training harder, but then neglect their nutrition, which means all their efforts are either wasted or stored as body fat.

 

 

Now the same is true for finances. 

 

Most people put all their energy into trying to make more money, but they neglect their nutrition, which is their money management. 

 

Which means all their hard efforts end up getting wasted or converted into liabilities, which is body fat, rather than assets, which is muscle mass. 

 

Now, 

 

What is one of the best benefits of having more muscle mass? 

 

 

And the same is true for finances. 

 

The more assets you have, the more money you make, even at rest. 

 

So my role as a financial coach is to help my clients shift their psychology and behaviour around money management, so they can eliminate unwanted debt and convert more of their income into productive assets.

 

 

So how do I do this?

 

Well it’s pretty simple really.

 

Before you go on a health journey you need to have a baseline of where you are. 

 

This can look like stepping on the scales, measuring your waist or auditing your nutrition. 

 

And the same is true for your financial fitness.

 

 

You need to understand what money is coming in vs going out – and if it’s being stored in your asset column or your liability column. 

 

My Financial Fitness Assessment solves this problem, and it’s the first step anyone must take before working with me longer term.  

 

The purpose of this session is to help you gain clarity of your current financial health, and to collaborate together on the best next step for you to take on your financial fitness journey.

 

 

At a high level, 

 

They’re growth-minded small business owners who are great at making money, but not so good at managing it.

 

And the backend of their finances,

 

Well, sometimes it can look a bit like my Dad’s DIY scaffold…

 

 

 

Well, people who serve a similar ideal client, provide a complementary service, and who believe in collaboration over competition.

 

Because most of the problems I solve live in the ‘managing money’ quadrant.

 

 

But while I’m helping my clients set up their financial foundations, I often uncover opportunities in the other three quadrants.

 

So,

 

If you’re someone who helps your clients make more money, multiply their money, or leverage their money — then we potentially have some great synergies to explore.

 

And together,

 

We can help our clients get financially fit — and stay financially fit.

 

 

Your Financial Fitness Guide,