Since graduating from the school of hard knocks, Whitney Hansen turned her hobby into her full-time “jobby.” After paying off $33,000 in student debt in just one year, she sought to help others achieve their financial goals by relearning how to be fiscally responsible by living within their means. Whitney will take you through her entrepreneurial journey and provide insights on how she is able to coach her clients to change their financial behaviors for the better. Listen to her inspiring client successes and ideas that you can use to hack your financial life. Enjoy!

Details: 

• 0:00–1:17 Introduction
• 1:18–4:43 Graduating from the school of hard knocks
• 4:44–6:17 Pallet building, snow cone making, burger flipping, nail designing—she’s done it all!
• 6:18–7:45 With money comes freedom and with freedom comes responsibility
• 7:46–9:37 How she built her money coaching business from the ground up
• 9:38–11:21 Debt makes decisions for you
• 11:22–14:39 Not just a hobby, it’s her “jobby” now
• 14:40–17:33 Mission: to educate and to help
• 17:34–20:17 What she’s learned through her podcast
• 20:18–20:51 A word from NGPF
• 20:52–22:53 It all starts with the side hustle
• 22:54–28:27 Tuning into what her clients what to achieve
• 28:28–34:45 Reaching the finish line & the importance of systems
• 34:46–38:46 What she’d teach students about money
• 38:47–39:06 Favorite money quote
• 39:07–40:12 Favorite book to recommend
• 40:13–41:53 Favorite money mistake
• 41:54–43:48 Who she emulates to be
• 43:49–45:13 Conclusion

Resources mentioned:

• Her podcast: The Money Nerds
• Budgeting through Google Sheets
• Book Recommendation: The Power of Habit
• Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx
• Warren Buffett

QUOTES:

• “I started to realize that debt makes decisions for us, and that became very prevalent when I was looking at the monthly payment and the amount of baggage I felt like I was carrying just by having that debt. For me, personally, I didn’t want that lingering around my head.”
• “Be obsessed with your financial goals for a season.”

About the Authors

Danielle Bautista

Danielle is a native of Southern California and a recent graduate from the University of Maine, where she braved the frigid winters—a feat in and of itself—and earned her Bachelor's degree in International Affairs. She has a passion for working with non-profit organizations and serving populations in underprivileged communities. When Danielle isn't writing NGPF blog posts, spearheading various outreach projects, or managing contests and flash surveys, you can find her doing some sort of outdoor activity, learning a new hobby, or cracking what she thinks are witty puns!

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.