Anthony survived his coding bootcamp while working fulltime as a teacher and landed at an established tech company making double the income at $100,000. So many possibilities are now in his mind and he wants to make sure he has a real plan to identify the ones that matter most and avoid making major mistakes. His previous career did not really allow him to do anything than just survive so he knows he needs to catch up. The goals Anthony is considering are paying off his credit card debt, saving for his first home (which previously felt impossible until he started his new tech career), travel internationally every year, and the ability to retire early.
With a serious relationship, trying to constantly level up as a developer, and wanting to rely on an expert’s guidance Anthony reaches out to Level Up Financial Planning and finds the comprehensive Solo Strategy Guide to be perfect for what he was looking for. The next day Anthony meets with Lucas Casarez, CFP® and they review the Level Up Strategy Guide Process, which helped Anthony understand that in a matter of weeks, his whole financial life will be clear and in his control.
In the Values and Possibilities meeting, Anthony’s partner comes up in the conversation when discussing the possibilities for the future and we identify that marriage may be a potential goal soon. They also identify the importance of supporting non-profits that support diversity and inclusion in tech. Anthony also has the first money memory of having to work to buy his own clothes growing up and shares that he feels that he may have to support his parents in their retirement.
In the Getting Organized meeting, Anthony starts to see how all of his financial life can be confined to one convenient portal and is excited to see everything in one spot. Working with Lucas, they begin to set dates and values for Anthony’s expenses, savings, travel goals, and they add a placeholder 2 years out for a wedding goal.
In the Strategy Guide 1.0 Proposal meeting. Before diving in they reflect on the goals and things in life that Anthony shared is the most important to him. Anthony sees that although he has a negative net worth due to student loans and credit cards, he has some meaningful assets, and his net worth is not as bad as he thought. As they discuss the Strengths, Weaknesses, Possibilities, and Threats Anthony is shocked at how accurate the details are. Whoa, something unexpected appears on the screen. Anthony has a 80% chance of reaching all of the key goals outlined. More importantly, he sees that he can increase the probability by saving an additional $300/month OR delaying retirement until age 60. As the meeting wraps up, Anthony is provided recommendations that help create more structure to his savings, a debt repayment plan, insurance recommendations to protect his soon to be spouse, tax strategies that reduce his taxes by $3,000/year, & estate strategy to make sure his assets are transferred to his siblings and partner.
Anthony finds it hard to believe that just a few weeks ago he was filled with stress about how to actually make progress on all of the possibilities he was dreaming of. He now has a clear game plan that allows him to focus on key actions he can take and know that he will confidently be able to work towards and monitor his goals.
Over the next year, Anthony receives a promotion, and then finds new employment that offers stock options, and pays off the last of his credit cards. Anthony begins to start saving for a ring…..