Heartfelt Returns: Natalie Kime's Journey to Financial Empathy

Natalie Kime is a financial professional and coach who works with individuals, families, and business owners to educate them and help them become financially literate. She is passionate about helping others achieve their financial goals, create a life of their dreams, and leave a legacy behind. Natalie takes pride in removing the emotion that can often be tied to financial conversations. Bringing empathy and heart to her work. Her goal is to ensure that clients never have to make a choice of less than due to their financial situation and they and their loved ones can retire well and live with dignity.

Listen to the full interview here.

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ON THIS EPISODE

[00:00:00] An introduction to Natalie Kime

[00:01:37] Natalie Kime on what she’s most passionate about

[00:04:14] Natalie Kime on her childhood and what got her interested in finance as a career

[00:08:37] Natalie Kime on the defining moment that set her on a path to want to financial freedom

[00:11:30] Natalie Kime on the common concerns people have about their finances

[00:14:53] Natalie Kime on how she helps people get over their blocks to talking about money

[00:20:56] Natalie Kime on how she overcame adversity and got herself on trackfinancially

[00:28:08] Natalie Kime on raising her son as a single mom during the challenging times

[00:33:32] Natalie Kime on starting her business during COVID

[00:38:10] Natalie Kime on the first step to getting your finances in order

[00:39:51] Natalie Kime on advice for older people tackling their finances

[00:43:04] Natalie Kime on it never being too late to get your finances in order

[00:46:19] Natalie Kime on her podcast Nickles and Dimes: Finding Financial Freedom

[00:51:31] Natalie Kime on not charging her clients and not needing a lot of money to start

[00:54:15] Natalie Kime on how people can contact her

[00:55:38] Natalie Kime on her dream for herself and for women

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Passionistas: Hi, we're sisters, Amy and Nancy Harrington, the founders of The Passionistas Project. We've created an inclusive sisterhood where passion driven women come to get support, find their purpose, and feel empowered to transform their lives and change the world. On every episode, we discuss the unique ways in which each woman is following her passions, talk about how she defines success, and explore her path to breaking down the barriers that women too often face.

Today, we're talking with Natalie Kime, a financial professional and coach who works with individuals, families, and business owners to educate them and help them become financially literate. She is passionate about helping others achieve their financial goals, create a life of their dreams, and leave a legacy behind.

Natalie takes pride in removing the emotion that can often be tied to financial conversations. Bringing empathy and heart to her work. Her goal is to ensure that clients never have to make a choice of less than due to their financial situation and they and their loved ones can retire well and live with dignity.

If you're joining us here live, please feel free to drop any comments or questions for Natalie in the chat and we'll do our best to get them answered. So please welcome Natalie Kime.

Natalie: Hello ladies. It's great to be here with you today. Thank you so much.

Passionistas: We're so excited to have you here, Natalie. It's been way too long in the, in the happening of this, so we're glad it's finally happening.

Natalie: Yes.

Passionistas: Natalie, what are you most passionate about?

Natalie: Oh, most passionate about helping other people. And I'm lucky that the work I do allows me to wake up every single day and do that.

Passionistas: So talk about that. What is that work and how does it help people?

Natalie: Yeah, absolutely. So financial education and financial coaching. Financial support. Um, I, I really, you know, I come from a 20 year corporate background in accounting and finance, and I loved what I did. I worked for some great organizations and with some great people throughout my career. And when my son was a senior in high school, I was in between jobs. I was looking for something new in corporate America.

I'd been doing contract work for a while and I came across this business opportunity and I immediately realized two things. The first that this dream I'd always had in the back of my mind to work for myself and build my own business was possible. And number two, it meant Every single day helping people through that work.

And so I started my business five years ago, part time and retired myself from corporate America three years ago, full time. And what I do is I work with individuals to provide a financial education. That's the first, that, that's the foundation and platform for everything that I do is making sure people understand The components of a strong financial plan and what's actually available to them.

Because unfortunately in America, we don't do a good job of educating when it comes to personal finance in our school system. And we usually learn at home, whatever it is, our parents know if they were comfortable about talking about finances. And other than that, we learned from the School of Hard Knocks.

So, if I can help somebody, you know, um, shift in a better direction or move towards their goals, even with something as simple as a budget. It's not always about a client moving forward with a product that I can help them with. It's about giving them more knowledge when it comes to their finances, so they can control their budget, so they can plan for their future.

And, If there's something else they need, I can help them fill that gap.

Passionistas: So let's take a step back. We used, you mentioned, we learn from our childhood experiences about money. So what was your childhood like and when did you first discover this passion of A, money and B, helping people.

Natalie: Yeah. So my childhood, I was a Navy brat. Um, I was born in Hawaii. My dad was stationed there. Uh, we moved to Okinawa when I was six months old and lived there for three years and then back to Hawaii for three more years before he retired. I grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah. Both of my parents families were there. And so we moved back there where we could grow up around aunts and uncles and cousins.

And, um, you know, my parents, Still to this day are not, but have never been wealthy or well to do, but they've always had enough. And even during times when maybe things were a little bit tighter, my brother and I never had to go without. No, we didn't walk around in designer clothes and things like that, but we never went without.

Um, but talking about money was not something my parents actively did, at least around my brother and I. And when I was in high school during home ec, um, we had, it maybe was a week of kind of like planning for the home. And part of that was balancing a checkbook. And so I learned how to balance a checkbook in school.

And when I moved out of my parents house, they said, balance your checkbook and don't get any credit cards. So I did the exact opposite. And in my mid twenties, when I decided to go back to school and finish my, my degree, um, I went to college right out of high school, but I didn't really know what I wanted to do and what I wanted to be.

And so after two years, I quit, but mid twenties, I was looking at going back to school and I wanted to work someplace I could make a difference. And I felt like. When I started my business classes, you know, maybe I could work in accounting and finance and I could make a difference for corporations, right?

Because at that time it was really still, at least for me, the idea that I get a job with a company and I stay there forever. So how can I do something within a company I work at for my whole career that makes a difference? And so it was really just stepping into a position. I don't know that I would call it at that time, my passion per se.

But something that came pretty naturally for me and that I was good at. Um, and then life came along and threw some curve balls in that I think turned that into my passion over time. Um, so yeah, I mean, a great, I had a great childhood. I actually moved with the first company I worked for after graduating in my late twenties to Texas.

That's how I ended up here. I worked for JC Penney's. And, um, I, the crazy thing is when I did move from corporate to my own business, there was so much for me to learn. Because in spite of doing numbers in corporate America, it's different when it comes to our personal finances. I mean, a budget can translate, but that's about it.

And so I still had a lot to learn, but by that time I had been a single mom for 12 years. I had had to dig myself out of being in debt a couple of different times in my mid twenties, like I referenced, and then after my divorce. And so I just was ready to find a way for life to be different for me and for me to create something I could leave for my son someday.

And when I came across this business, I realized I can do what I've been doing in corporate America for big wealthy companies, for average everyday Americans like myself. I can help the single mom. I can help the hardworking family. And, um, with things I didn't, a 20 year corporate career and a degree in finance and accounting, and I didn't know they existed.

So if I didn't know, I knew I could make a big difference for, for people like me. And that's when the, the switch really flipped to that. I can take what I've spent my entire career doing. And actually make a difference for people with it. So,

Passionistas: So what was that kind of defining moment when you personally thought, I need to have a sense of financial freedom and how did you start to work toward that?

Natalie: Yeah, so, um, When I got divorced from my son's dad, I took the majority of the debt in our divorce because I knew it would get paid. However, it also left me walking away with a big burden on top of being a single parent. My son and I lived in Texas. He moved back to Utah. And so it was managing. For the most part, being both mom and dad in a lot of circumstances, not getting consistent child support, paying off that debt.

And then my number one dream I had once that debt was gone was to be able to buy a home by the time my son was a freshman in high school, so that he had a place to call home. He had a place to bring his friends. He had a place to come back to. And it took me until his sophomore year. Um, to buy our house, but that is really during that process is when I finally had put myself in a position.

My credit was great. I was able to buy my house on my own. I had a good savings account and I just thought there's got to be more that I can do with this. But I didn't really know what that was. And so two years later, I went through a huge life shift. The end of a long-term relationship I'd been in that I thought I would be with that person the rest of my life.

And that was in October of 2018, November of 2019. The company I was contracting for told me that they were ending my contract. The end of December that year, instead of the following year. And so I thought, Oh, so I'm going through this hot mess in my personal life and now I'm not going to have a job. And for the first time, I really sat in the mess.

Um, it wasn't so much that my whole life when things got hard, I ran from them, but I stayed busy. I kept moving forward to get through difficult times. Now looking back, knowing what I know, it was. It was a sense of avoidance. And this time I didn't avoid it. I sat in all of that mess and I figured out who I was at a whole new level, what was important to me and how I wanted to be able to leave an impact.

And during that, it was about a five to six month process of major shifts in my life. And in the middle of that, I came across this business opportunity. And so it was the answer as I was discovering. Who I was and what I wanted to do. The answer of how I could do it showed up in the middle of all of that.

Passionistas: Wow. That's an amazing story. So as you're working with clients, what, what are the common concerns that you find people have, as you always say, what keeps them up at night?

Natalie: Yeah. So it's really taxes. Um, Inflation, Debt, Um, Emergency Savings. Do I have money to cover an emergency? And, How am I going to pay for my kid's college?

Um, and then another one of the really big ones, taxes and outliving my money are probably the two number one of everything. Am I going to have enough money to retire and to get me through retirement the way that I want to live in retirement? And so those are probably the top two. I mean, my target market is really the sandwich generation, uh, which is exactly where I'm at.

In some sense, we're still supporting or caring for our own children. And also stepping into roles of support for loved ones or parents who are already in retirement as they age and deal with some of the issues they do. And so those are the top two is how much am I going to have to pay in taxes when I get there?

And is my money going to last long enough? And so the number one question I ask when we first go over those things and I, and I'm sitting with the client is exactly what you said. When it comes to your finances, what keeps you up at night? Because I can share a lot of things with people. I can lead them in a lot of positive directions, but if I know what their pain point is and I can really lead them down a path of resolving that, then I've really made a difference.

And sometimes it's just educating them, them in that area. Sometimes it's building them a budget to help track their numbers better themselves. And sometimes it's putting products in place because they have a gap in their financial plan. But that's where I really find the opportunity to, to make a difference, um, and help people.

Passionistas: You know, one of the things we saw on your Facebook page the other day was this, and this goes back to what you're talking about in terms of your childhood too, um, and all of, you know, our childhood was the same way. We saw you posted that eight in ten women avoid financial conversations because they say talking about money is too personal and uncomfortable. So, it seems like the first barrier we need to get over is even being willing to discuss it.

Natalie: Yeah.

Passionistas: So how do you help people? And I think that's a learned trait by from a lot of us. Our parents were the same way. They never talked about money. Our mom hit a point where she would talk about money only in terms of, I don't know how I'm going to pay your college tuition next week.

And so just all of a sudden money just became associated with being like super stressed out and not being sure how to cover the bills, and I think a lot of that is also depression error, like our parents were depression error generation, so they were always in want or lack or fear of those, that going away again.

So how do you help people kind of strip the emotion out of finance and focus on the reality of having the conversations to begin with?

Natalie: Yeah, I think it's been a lot to learn. I think by nature, I'm really good at connecting with people and building relationships with people, which I do think benefits me in what I do.

But more than that, it's sharing my own story through the process. You know, the initial consultation or one on one meeting that I have with people is really from an education standpoint to just One, find out what is their pain point and then educate them in general on the different things I do. So it's really a, what do I do?

How do I do it? And how can I help them? Conversation, um, from a general kind of the 10, 000 foot level. And then moving into the second appointment is where we get down to the, you know, kitchen table talk, so to speak, of gathering all of their information and, and, and their, their numbers to really take a look at where they are.

But there's two things that go into that in that first appointment. I'm letting them know, this is what the next appointment is going to look like. We're going to dig into your numbers. We're going to look at everything that's coming in and everything that's going out. And what we're trying to identify is, are the holes in your boat, right?

If you were going fishing for the day or just floating across the lake and you have a hole in your boat, it's going to be a less enjoyable day than if you don't, right? So, so that's what I'm looking for, but it's all driven by their goals and their dreams. So leading into that second appointment, I tell them, I need all of your numbers, but more importantly than that, I need to know what your goals and dreams are.

Because every step we take, I'm going to talk a little bit about goals and dreams and how that is intentionally going to be in moving you towards those goals and dreams. And when I say goals and dreams, I'm not talking about what fits within your 50, a year income. I'm talking about those goals and dreams if money was no object.

Now I'm trying to push them to dream gigantic. And yet at that second appointment, a lot of times people still come with goals that fit within the reality of where they are. Because I think, like you said, you know, our parents came from A scarcity mindset. And they also were the last generation that for the most part, there was only one working person in the house.

Our generation is where that's really started to shift and change. And so it wasn't just the lack that they grew up with, but you know, mom usually stayed home and dad provided. And so there was only so much money because of that as well. And so I think that mentality kind of carries into that next appointment and it's okay.

Now I do have people that come with those big audacious dreams and I love those appointments, but I also love when somebody will just come and tell me, What they feel like is realistic right now, because with that, I can build on it. And I know as we move them towards those, all of a sudden, the walls are going to start to come down on how big they allow themselves to dream.

And my goal is to work with somebody until they retire or I retire. And I don't plan on retiring at 65 because I love what I do and I can do it from anywhere. And so even as I step into the life of traveling and doing more things, I want to, if I have an internet connection, I can, I can connect with my clients.

So that's, that's the approach I'm taking to it is I want to know what your goals are. And if I can get somebody to dream even a little bit, it helps to lower those walls. And then the next step is in that. An appointment, it does. Oftentimes there are times it gets emotional and there are times, and that emotional can be on, um, you know, the, the tear side or the embarrassment side.

And it also can be on the anger side. They get frustrated and angry with themselves that they didn't save more. They didn't know more. And that's where I step in and say, look, I'm going to give you permission to feel what you're feeling right now, because I remember what that was like. The first time I went through this.

But here's the thing. I don't care about where you are right now. I don't. I'm not here to judge you. Um, and, and through that, I share my story of moving myself and my nine year old son into a one bedroom apartment. He was old enough to know he shared a room with his mom and I had to get help for Christmas that year.

And I had to get help from a community organization to put groceries, uh, in the cupboard and in the refrigerator at times. I know what that feels like. And I know what it feels like to have to say no to your children. And so if I can be a little vulnerable in sharing where I have not always hit the mark financially.

Sometimes that opens the door up a little bit more for people, but just letting them know, look, it's, I only need to know where you are, so I know the bridge we have to build to get you where you're trying to go. So today is the last time we're going to look backwards and feel any of that because If it takes us two years or 10 years to get where you're trying to go, every step we take is moving forward from here on out.

And so we're going to celebrate those small steps instead of looking back because we can't, we can't do anything to change that. And you certainly shouldn't build your, beat yourself up for things you didn't know along the way. Um, so I guess that was a long answer to say, I really, I opened myself up to show people that I have had to overcome similar things and I'm still not financially independent.

I could not walk away from everything and support my life forever. I still have some catching up to do. And so I'm truly in the trenches with them doing the same work they are, which is what I think uniquely qualifies me to guide them on that journey.

Passionistas: Tell us more about your journey. How did you go from that one room apartment and, and asking for help to the point you're at now?

Natalie: So, uh, it wasn't fun. We lived in, so ironically, In addition to that, about a month before we moved into that one bedroom apartment, I also totaled my car and two other cars. So I was the back car in a rear end accident and that car hit the car in front of them. And so, excuse me, I totaled my car and the car I hit the other car wasn't totaled, but it had some damage.

However, the Friday before, Um, my car insurance was canceled by somebody I had a joint policy with and I didn't know it. So Friday my policy cancels, Monday I get, Sunday I get in an accident and Monday I call and they're like, You don't have insurance. So on top of the struggle I already had, um, I was paying off two cars that I could no longer drive.

And so that first six months we moved into that apartment was tough. I, uh, I, I happened to be out of work at the time and I would walk my son to school and we would walk to, uh, The grocery store, I would have a friend take me on the weekend to the grocery store. And I found another job. It was probably about five or six months in to that timeframe, but I still didn't have a car.

And luckily a good friend of mine, um, had a car that was paid for and ran well. And her husband decided to get a new car. And so they put it on a payment program for me. And so I bought this car from them so I could get back and forth to work. And I mean, it was literally at the bottom. I don't know. I don't know what else could have gone wrong at that point, but, um, I got back to work.

Uh, I actually took a job making 15 an hour. Because that would pay my rent, pay my 100 a month car payment, and help put food on the table. Um, within a year I was able to get a salary position at that company. And I built that salary position almost up to six figures over about a two and a half year timeframe.

And then, When that company unfortunately went under, um, however, through working there, I'd connected with several other companies in the same industry. And so I had an offer waiting for me, um, over the six figure mark. And so it was building back my savings, then buying a more reliable car, um, getting a couple more promotions.

Luckily, it seemed like things kind of fell into place in that next position. So it really is the, when you get to the bottom of the barrel and you feel like you've been slapped in the face and kicked in the knees every single direction possible, the only way up is up from there. And, um, And that's what it was for me.

It was about a, let's see. So my son was nine, almost 10. And just before his 16th birthday, so five years, it was about five, five and a half years. It took me to pay off those two cars, um, be completely out of debt, build my savings back up. And then I, I actually, Was looking. We'd moved from the one bedroom apartment.

We were in the one bedroom apartment for almost two years. Then we moved to a two bedroom apartment with a garage. Y'all a garage, uh, in the same complex. And I remember talking to a friend one day and they said, why are you looking to rent a house? Why don't you just buy a house? You've got to be able to afford to buy a house, but I had this mindset of, oh no, I can't.

I, I'm, I still have a single income, all the things, and they just challenged me to look at it. And when I did, they were right. And so six months later, I was able to buy the home that I'm sitting in now. Um, and even then, you know, there's been that last job loss I was talking about when I came across my company.

I had the house at that time. Now, luckily I had built up. And even better savings that time to kind of bridge that gap. So I didn't have to lean on the credit cards and, and things like that during that timeframe. Um, but even shifting from a six figure corporate America income to being self employed, you know, I saved.

50 percent of my annual income. And I was making about 50 percent of my annual income in my business. So I thought if nothing were to change for a year, I would be okay, but there's no way something can't change an entire year that I'm not going to continue to grow and build. And that's when I took that leap of faith, but doing so put me in a position where I had two important things I wanted to do when I started my business.

My son had joined the military and my parents were getting older. And so I wanted someday to be able to take care of my parents. And I wanted to be able to travel anywhere in the world to see my son where he was stationed if he couldn't come home. And so all of those things led to the point where now my parents live with me.

My son got out of the military almost six months ago and he's home for a little bit of time while he saves up. And So it's come full circle, but it's just been one little step at a time and trusting that I know what to do. And then if I'm doing the right things, the opportunities will come my way and it couldn't get any worse than where it was.

So sometimes even along that route, right? It seems like, wow, you went from basically nothing to everything that you wanted to be able to do. But that's been, my son's about to turn 23. So that was over a 14 year timeframe from then to now. And so I tripped and fell still a few times along the way. Um, by either my own accord or, or because of a job loss or a layoff or something like that.

So there was still some of that in the process, but it was just trusting that if I kept doing enough, the next right thing, if I kept doing the next right thing, then the pieces would come together and patience, because it does take time.

Passionistas: So what are you, what did you hope and what were you trying to teach your son during that time? Because it sounds like you were together through it, through thick and thin together. So what was your, what would you want him to learn?

Natalie: I don't even know that I thought about, for a while at least, that I thought about what I wanted to learn. I just wanted to be able to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table.

Um, and that, that was for about a two year time frame. I just wanted to be able to get by. Um, and then it was, I wanted to be able, like I said, to give him a home. And a place to always be able to come back to. I don't know that I was really thinking long term what lesson do I, honestly, I know I wasn't, I was thinking about all the ways I failed him.

And I remember shortly after, no, shortly before he graduated from high school and went in the military. It was during that big upheaval in my life where I said, I kind of sat in it. Then I got, you know, My contract canceled and I was trying to figure it all out when I came across my business. During that timeframe, I also made the choice to talk to a counselor to work through some of the things I was struggling with.

And I remember having a conversation with her one day and I said, you know, there's so many ways. I feel like I failed my son and, uh, Ooh, you hit me with this one, Amy. Um,

Passionistas: I hit myself too.

Natalie: Um, I said, there are so many ways I feel like I failed my son and she stopped me and said, hold on, your son's about to graduate high school, correct?

And I said, yes. And then she said, And your son has signed his paperwork to join the Marine Corps. Is that correct? And I said, yeah. And she said, maybe it's about time that you start realizing the places you feel like you failed your son are likely the exact things he needed to lead him to where he's at.

And so for the first time, I think that's when I really started to shift and think about what have I been able to give my son and what have I been able to teach my son. I was always coming from a place of lack, what I haven't given him that I wish I could have. And I was suddenly in a place to think about, wow, you know, what did I really provide?

And that, that same school year on senior night, um, at one of the banquets they had for, for his sports. All of the seniors introduced their moms or their parent, you know, they might've been a single, single parent with the dad. And, uh, when my son stood up to introduce me, he put his arm around me and he said, I'm so grateful for my mom because when I was nine, we were almost homeless.

And now we have a house to call our own. And I just want my mom to know how proud I am of her. And so what I realized I taught him was hard work and resilience. And no matter how hard it gets, you just don't stop. Um, but I don't think those were ever things I thought about along the way. They were things, they were the things I got right somehow amidst the mess.

And, uh, I think, you know, it's kind of how it goes with our money too. Sometimes we get some things right and sometimes we don't along the way, along the way. But that was, uh, now my goal is to, my, my son actually got licensed last year when he was home on leave before he got out of the military and it's helping him to create a little side business.

He doesn't want to do what I do full time, at least right now, but it's helping him to create a side business. Um, that can increase some savings for him and give him a cushion that he always has to lean on. And then from my perspective, also continuing to build my financial plan to where I can leave a legacy at some point.

I don't want my son to never have to worry about money. I don't want him to worry too much, but I never, I want him to still, you know, maybe have to go without once in a while and learn the lessons that come with that. But I want him to always have a roof over his head and I want him to, you know, I want my grandkids to know that they can go to college if they want, or they have some seed money to help start a business.

So from a financial perspective, that's the kind of legacy I'm hoping to leave is that, that. They're always have food on the table and a roof over their head, because those are the two things that for a while, I didn't know if we would have, um, and then the opportunity to step out on their own in some way, if that's what they want to do.

Passionistas: Well, that's beautiful. Um, isn't it just an example of that kids learn by not by what you say, by what you do, right?

Natalie: Yeah, exactly.

Passionistas: Yeah. Um, so it sounds too like this, your whole journey with your own business unfolded during the most crazy time we've had in this country in recent years with COVID and a shutdown and ridiculous inflation.

So how has that impacted What you do and what people are worried about and where do they start if they, if they're trying to get back on their feet?

Natalie: So honestly, for my industry, COVID was a blessing and it's probably a little, very unusual to hear that, but two things happened. You know, we will get insurance for our cell phones and we're required to get insurance on our, our mortgages, our homes and our cars.

But we don't, because of a lack of education, we often don't see the importance down the line of getting insurance for ourselves. And COVID changed that. COVID changed that when hundreds and thousands of people who were young and healthy, We're spending days and weeks in the hospital, or maybe not coming out of the hospital.

It raised the importance of life insurance and what that can provide when a loved one is no longer here. And that's that replacement of income and that safety and security. And so for that, For that reason, it changed the way that people look at having that protection in place for themselves and their loved ones.

And the other thing it did is it, it sent us virtual. So, prior to that, we would meet on Zoom. I think we'd been on Zoom for meetings for a few months at that point. And, uh, but it was, uh, It was just, Hey, we can all get on here and look at each other. It was almost like, Hey, we can visually conference call.

We didn't, it wasn't strategic. And so all of a sudden we couldn't go meet at somebody's house or at a coffee shop or at the office or things like that. And so we pivoted. We had started using Zoom, like I said, for our team meetings a few months before and all of a sudden we realized, wait a minute, we can all get our own accounts set up the way we need and actually start meeting with our clients this way.

And so it, it really gave me a whole bunch of my time back because even though my clients were local, I mean, where I live, just to get to the other side of Frisco, which I don't know how, I mean, Frisco has. I don't know what the population is, but it's probably 10 miles across, maybe 15 diagonally from where I live.

It'll take me 30 minutes easily to get across there without traffic. Sometimes it's just grown so much. And so when you had to plan two to maybe even three hours for a single client appointment, and now I can do three client appointments in three hours on zoom, it changed everything. And when COVID first hit, I was still working in corporate America.

And so I was very, very busy. All of a sudden, I got back my lunch hour and I got back my two hours of commute from my job. And so for the first six months, my business really went to a true part time business. And that's when I had a business partner challenge me and say, when are you going to go full time?

And I'm like, what are you talking about? Um, but for me, it really gave me the ability to figure out how to build my business on the side. To the point that I could actually step into it full time without having a huge nest egg of cash sitting in the bank, which would have, you know, I mean, could have taken years till I got to the point that I felt like I was safe to do that.

Um, so yeah, it's, I really, I look at COVID and I, I see it as a blessing because I've been able to reach more people and it took me nationwide because of Zoom. Not only could I continue to meet with clients, but now. I meet with clients from coast to coast. I'm licensed in 22 different states to serve my clients.

And prior to that, I was licensed in Texas and Utah so that when I went back to Utah physically, I could meet with people there. And so it's definitely grown in every aspect, grown my business.

Passionistas: So what, excuse me, what is your number one tip, like somebody who's been avoiding dealing with their finances or just doesn't know where to start?  Like what's step one?

Natalie: Step one would be sit down with a financial professional and have a conversation because oftentimes people will come to me and it's not about they don't have to come to me. You can sit down with a financial professional that you know, um, but it's sit down and see where you really are.

Most of my clients who come to me concerned. A lot of people are actually better off than they think they are. Maybe not in the immediate right now cash they have, but from an overall perspective with a long term financial plan, they're better off than they think they are. And sometimes all it takes is a couple little tweaks about where their money is at to get it to grow and create what they need long term.

And sometimes it's just, Putting together a basic budget to spotlight the areas that they're overspending and eliminating that and creating better habits. that allow them to see they have the ability to start saving and they have more flexibility month to month in their finances than they think. So it, the, the number one thing would be to sit down with a financial professional and really find out where you are.

Passionistas: And I assume that same advice for someone who is perhaps older and not necessarily thriving financially and worried about how they can help themselves and get prepared for retirement. Same thing, look at where you are and go from there, but what, what, what are the steps you take once you've looked at where they are?

Natalie: So then it's, it's identical. Once I've looked at where they are, I know what they have coming in, what they have going out and I know what they have in place already. So let's talk about just the average. If you're an everyday American who works in corporate America, they likely have a 401k and most people are investing in their 401k at least to the level that they get a match from their employer, which I would say, do that.

Take that free money from your employer, but make sure you understand how your 401k plan works. Um, make sure you understand vesting, all the things that come along with that. So if you need help with that, Have a conversation with somebody like me. We can help you look at that, but we'll look at what they have.

They typically have a 401k. Sometimes they may have started a Roth IRA or something like that. Um, and let's just say they're in their mid thirties. So they've got a house and a couple of kiddos. So the first thing I'm looking at is, okay, great. You have a 401k. Do you have protection in place? And what I mean by that is life insurance to replace your income should something happen to you.

And your spouse now has to be responsible a hundred percent for that mortgage, raising those kids, paying for their college, all of that. Well, can they continue to live if you weren't here the way they do today? So it's looking at that. Usually people will have life insurance benefits through their employer.

And that's great. So we look at the amount that is. But based on their situation, that level of protection they need to cover a mortgage, to cover college education, things like that might be higher than what their employer covers. So we'll talk about how can we fill that gap. Um, ideally having, A private life insurance policy that's always going to be there is something I talk to my clients about because having, in my 20 year career, I worked for maybe eight different companies.

Now, some of them I was with for several years and some of them after 2008, I went through five companies in three years because different size companies, they were still adjusting, changing, going out of business, all that stuff themselves. So there was a period of time where I went through several layoffs in a row, but during those layoffs, I had no life insurance.

And it was not something I ever even realized or thought about. So that employer plan is only there as long as you're with that employer, right? So it's looking at what do you already have in place? And then based on your circumstances, what are your most immediate needs? And then now that we know those long term goals you have, how can we build on those things to help you get to that point as well?

So it's, it's kind of stepping through all those things, but it's really looking at what do you have in place? What's, what's the highest priority to plug the hole on and how do we do that?

Passionistas: And is it ever too late to start?

Natalie: Absolutely not. Absolutely not. And I, one of the things too, you know, I talked about how my, um, my target client is really that sandwich generation, right?

So they're between probably 50 and 65, um, maybe 45 and 65, but they're at that point where their kids are getting older. And all of a sudden they're really starting to think about their retirement. And they're like, man, I only got 20 years left. Well, I will say one thing just as direct as I possibly can.

If all you've ever done is saved in your 401k, you need to sit with a financial professional because it will not be enough. No matter how much you've invested in it, it will not be enough to see you all the way through retirement. And so that's when people start really looking at that and thinking, do I have enough?

And so they'll start having some of those conversations, but we have a whole generation that is saying, It's still thriving in retirement because or struggling and thriving or struggling in retirement because the life expectancy. It on average is 85 today. And so you have people that 2008 hit and they couldn't retire like they were planning on because they lost half of what they'd saved in their 401k.

And it takes time for that to grow back. So if they do retire full time, they still had to continue working part time. And then they start having medical issues and nobody ever told them they should have long term care, so they don't. And it's eating up their retirement savings. And so it's. It's never too late because no matter what you prepared for, life has a way of throwing new things at us.

One of those new things is we now live longer than we used to. And for example, my parents, when I said before, just do the next right thing, we don't always know what that is. And sometimes we happen to still do it. The one thing my parents did right is when my brother and I grew up, got married and left.

They didn't sell their house and upgrade. They stayed in that same little house. It was more than enough house for them, but they stayed there. They didn't upgrade that house. And so they bought that house in 1979 for, I think, around 40, 000. Maybe 49, 000, but we sold it two years ago, almost two years ago when we were, when I was moving them here with me for almost 10 times that amount because they'd stay there and that chunk of money and knowing where to put it meant it's in a place that it creates a lifetime income they can't outlive.

And we can access it for the coverage and things my mom and dad both need because they don't have long term care. So it's never too late to have the conversation because something you have in place, there's a possibility for something you have in place to create more than you think it can. If that makes sense.

Passionistas: Totally makes sense. Absolutely. And it's, it's a relief. I can take this. Tell us a little bit about your podcast.

Natalie: Oh, I'm so excited about my podcast. So I've had a radio show for about a year. It's been on hiatus for the last four months. Um, I made a shift, uh, in the brokerage that my company is with. Um, so I shifted from one brokerage to another and that whole transition, I was like, I can't, I can't handle this baby right now.

So I put it on hold. But the crazy thing is, is with this shift, some amazing things have happened in my business. And about a month ago I realized, okay, it's time to bring that back. But I'm actually transitioning to a podcast and it, it should launch, I think, possibly, Late April or early May. Um, but I, I changed the name from, from my radio show too.

It's actually called Nickels and Dimes: Finding Financial Freedom. And it took me a while of, to figure out that name. You guys know, we have a group chat with, with our mastermind ladies and I threw some different ideas in there, but I didn't love any of them. And I first thought nickel and dime, but there was something about it that just, I don't know.

And when I pluralized it, I realized it reminded me of being the little kid. And I was at the grocery store with my mom and dad, and we're walking back out to the car and I find a nickel or a dime on the ground. And then the finding financial freedom is The idea that with every nickel and dime today, they might be 5 and 10 compared to nickels and dimes.

And, you know, back in the seventies when I was little, but every bit of that adds up and can create financial freedom. It's just knowing where to put it and what tools to use. Give you the best, best bang for your buck. And so it's really based on education, sharing information and what's going on in the financial industry, because like any other industry, we change over time.

We grow the products we have get better. Um, And then also I'm excited that I'm going to be bringing in people to have conversations from a client perspective. So clients I've actually worked with, as well as people who are willing to get on, not that we're going to live bear their financial status and their numbers, but possibly even some live conversations of going through that education process for the first time in the hopes that it makes people a little more comfortable talking about it.

And I don't know how those are exactly going to be structured just yet, but I'd love to be able to do that from a live perspective and just show people that it's not as painful as they think to have that conversation. Because once you have it, it's done. Once you have it, it's done. Um, and I talk about that from, from legacy planning or end of life planning.

Those are not fun conversations to have, but every single one of us is going to die at some point. And so the sooner you have that conversation about what your wishes are, and you put the paperwork in place for that, and you have things set up for that, it's the last time you have to ever talk about it.

Um, and so I really learned that lesson with my parents. When my mom got diagnosed with dementia, we, we sat down and started working on putting their trust in place. And through going through those conversations that my brother and I had avoided with our parents for years, I came home and I sat down with my son and I had a conversation and said, this is what I want.

This is what I don't want. And of course he was going in the military. And so he said, this is what I want. And this is what I don't want. And so we made sure we had powers of attorney in place, like all those things. It may seem like a lot, but just getting it done means you can just keep moving forward.

You don't have to think about it and talk. I mean, okay. When I have grandkids, maybe I'll tweak a couple of things, but nothing major. Right. And so it's just having the Those conversations, um, I'm going to hopefully have my dad on a podcast. I did have him on the radio show a few months back, but have my dad on the podcast and, and really kind of pick his brain as being, you know, so what's he in the baby boomer generation.

Um, and I mean, he's 80, how old is my dad? 82. Um, and just kind of have that conversation about, you know, what did you think about money when, when you were stepping into adulthood and what did you learn along the way and raising a family? And so hopefully to have some of those live conversations about what we're really dealing with, and then attach it to finances to take out some of that fear or some of that anxiety around talking about money, because I think the more, the more we talk about it, the quicker we can make changes individually in what we're doing.

Passionistas: Yeah, so smart. So what's the question we're not asking that we should be asking about financial literacy or setting up your finances?

Natalie: Um, there are two questions.

The first is how much does it cost and how much money do I have to have to get started? And so the first question, how much does it cost? Absolutely nothing with me. And there are companies out there with agents like myself that you can sit down with and at no cost, you can get a financial education. You can do, uh, an analysis.

We call it the financial needs analysis, where we really look at all your numbers and get the framework of a plan put together to start working towards. When my clients sit with me, they do not ever pay me directly for my time or my services. If, as part of their plan, I identify some products that they have a need for, when they move forward with those, whenever they do, um, I get paid a commission from the provider, but it does not come out of, if my client puts, say they have an old 401k that they need to roll over to protect it and grow it as part of their retirement plan, that a hundred percent of their money goes into that product.

And then the company pays me out of their own pocket. So even then it does not come out of my client's account. Um, so that's, that's the first answer. It costs you nothing. And if you don't know how to find somebody like that, reach out to me. If I can't help you in your state or connect you with a professional like myself, or if I can't help you in your state, I will connect you with a professional like myself who can.

Um, and the second one, how much money do you need to have? None. I work with the single mom, like I used to be, who didn't have two nickels to rub together to help put together a budget. And even the tiniest plan, if you can save a dollar a week, 5 a week, or 10 a week, you can start. And I promise you that dollar, 5 and 10, All of those will start to accumulate into something that you can actually start to make more of a long term, um, difference with.

But you do not need a quarter of a million dollars or half a million dollars to talk to me and to get my help. And those are the two biggest misconceptions when it comes to having a financial conversation, is that people think it's going to cost a lot and that they've got to have this big chunk of money.

And neither one of those things are true, um, with me. There are some companies like that and there is a purpose behind what they do and why their, their situations are set up like that, but that is not the way it is. If you want help, you can get it.

Passionistas: That is fabulous. And so how can people contact you?

Natalie: So people can follow me on Instagram. That's where I'm the most active. Um, it's under at Natty Kime, N A T T Y — Kime — K I M E. Uh, you can reach me at Natalie@NatalieKimeConsulting.com, um, from an email perspective, but those are probably the two easiest direct ways to reach me and I, I'm happy to set up a 15 minute coffee chat. And just kind of get a little information to make sure that I can guide people in the right direction.

And like I said, I do connect people with other professionals, um, that can help them all the time. I'm not the right fit for everybody, but I know the right fit for everybody. And so if, if I'm not your right fit, I will help you find them. Because I want to make sure that everybody that wants help can get it.

Passionistas: Cool. And, and if you can go into the Passionistas space, um, once this is live or whenever you want and post kind of that information and where people can find you and maybe what states you are licensed in and things like that. That would be awesome because then the women can connect with you, which would be great.

Um, we are reaching the end of our hour, so we have one last two part question, which is, What is your dream for yourself and what is your dream for women?

Natalie: So my dream for myself, I'm going to go tangible with this. I don't do this that often. Um, so I have two big dreams in the next three to five years. I want to buy 10 to 15 acres with a single story ranch house that still has room for my parents if they're still with us.

And also, um, my, my partner's sweet mom, um, hopefully be able to help finally retire her completely. And, uh, I, I want all the dogs. I want to be able to start rescuing dogs. So that's why I want the acreage. And, um, the other, the other piece of that is I want a 1963 Fastback Split Window Cherry Red Corvette.

So those are my two dreams for myself. I don't usually go to the tangible side, but you know what? I dream like everybody else. So those are those two big things. Um, what do I, what do I wish for, for women? To my biggest dream for women is that they understand their finances. You don't have to be the one that's in control of your household finances.

If you have a partner that does that part, but you need to understand them because at the blink of an eye, Your partner could be gone. And if you don't know where all the money is or how it's set up, your ability to truly grieve the way that you deserve to is going to be interrupted by figuring out how to even pay the bills.

So my biggest dream for women is that they have an understanding of how, how money works. And where their money's at and that they play an active role in that. Like I said, you don't have to be the one that pays the bills. You don't have to be the one that balances the accounts, but taking an active role to show up and have those conversations with your partner.

A lot of people think my partner loves doing it, so I'm just going to let them. But most of the time when I have those conversations with partners, that partner says, I wish that they'd sit down with me so I could show them. I wish that they'd ask me questions about it. So they didn't feel like they were just doing it all themselves.

So from a support perspective for your partner, that's important. That would be my biggest dream is that you just, you understand your numbers and you, You take the time with me or somebody else to gain more education that gives you more confidence around that. Because I want women to feel like money is never going to be the thing that stops them or slows them down. Life, life does that enough to us. And it's, it's often out of our control. And I never want to be finances.

As much as in my intro, you said, I want people to live, to never have to choose less than because of their financial situation and live in retirement with dignity. I want people to be able to live every day with dignity on their own terms.

Passionistas: Absolutely. That's fabulous. So, uh, my, my dream, by the way, is the 1963 Corvette as well. It's always been my favorite car, but I want Aqua.

Natalie: Okay.

Passionistas: I did not know that.

Natalie: Yeah.

Passionistas: I love learning something new every day.

Natalie: I love that car. We can find them both and we can get them restored at the same time and then we can race.

Passionistas: All right. Well, now I have to get one in another color. Well, thank you so much. Thank you so much for joining us today. We learned so much. Hopefully everyone else did. And, uh, we love having you in our community and sharing you with all of our sisters. So, um, thanks for joining us and have a great day, everybody. And we'll see you next time.

Natalie: Thank you. It was a pleasure. See y'all soon.

Passionistas: Thanks for listening to The Passionistas Project. Since we're not only business partners, but best friends and real life sisters, we know how unique and truly special our situation is. We know so many solopreneurs, activists, women seeking their purpose and more, who are out there doing it all on their own. They often tell us that they wish they had what we have, so we're creating a space for them and you to join our sisterhood, where trust, acceptance, and support are the cornerstones of our community.

By joining, you become part of our family. We'll give you all of our Sis Tips on building meaningful relationships through the power of sisterhood and all the tools you need to thrive in three key areas. Business growth, personal development, and social impact. You'll learn from our panel of Power Passionistas who are experts on topics like transformational leadership, following your intuition, the power of voting, and so much more.

You can join us virtually and in person at storyteller events and meetups to connect with other members of the community. And you'll be able to participate in our online forums with other like minded women and gender non conforming, non binary people who share your values and goals. Be sure to visit ThePassionistasProject.com to sign up for your free membership to join our worldwide sisterhood of passion driven women who come to get support, find their purpose, and feel empowered to transform their lives and change the world.

We'll be back next week with another Passionista who's defining success on her own terms and breaking down the barriers for herself and women everywhere.

Until then, stay passionate!