FAQ

Q & A –   ABOUT WEALTH STRONG® LIFE SOLUTIONS

 
1. Who is Wealth Strong® Life Solutions and what services do you offer?

Please check the background and information about our founder here. As you progress through the system, you’ll meet more of the Wealth Strong® Life Solutions team as each need arises.

You will also meet our staff, advisors, educators and coaches when attending events put on by FinER Center (the Financial Education Resource Center) and FedEBC (Financial Employee Benefits Center).  These non-profit educational organizations are sponsored by Wealth Strong® Life Solutions.

2. How much does it cost to take advantage of your programs?

Typically people start working with Wealth Strong® Life Solutions after taking advantage of workshops or services provided by FinER Center or FedEBC.

Part of the discussion we have with people who learn advanced strategies and concepts from us is that we ask if a person has not heard of or taken advantage of strategies that may make a phenomenal difference in their financial life, that they use our staff, advisor or experts to provide products and services instead of going back and purchasing those services or products from people who have not provided the education or proprietary programs we provide.  Doing this allows us to continue our non-profit sponsorship and expand our reach beyond the typical financial firm.

We have also arranged for a six month trial of the federal newsletter service, TSP SafetyNET for federal employees working with us.  In addition, we have a special program available for those who currently are working with a money manager and feel they would like not only a second opinion but a 6 month trial of something new — all at a very low monthly price under $30.00 a month.

3. How can you provide services without the big cost of other firms?

Using great technology does cost money but because we work with a diverse base of clients, we are able to keep our firm on solid footing.  Also we attempt to use a structure regarding fees and if necessary commissions which has the companies that provide products to pay us over a long period of time INSTEAD of what typically happens in the financial industry where financial people take big commissions upfront.  Our goal is to provide a suite of powerful services and  tools that are not only appreciated by our clients but they find so useful that they tell others about us.  Through the support of our clients, we continue to grow, to add more team members and expand our programs

4. Is this just another way to sell financial products? What's different about your approach?
NO — we are not about selling you a financial product. Our program focuses around providing people with whatever is needed to become confident in their own ability to secure their financial future. We help you become knowledgeable about how your emotional attachment to the ideas you have about how money works may be helping or hurting you. We work from a place of NON-Judgement — we know when people have a positive relationship with money and understand their true wealth, they start to become more and more comfortable in their ability to control their financial future.  We help you focus on Cash Flow Longevity and help you understand how to make money serve you instead of others. We help you explore what is important for you to get clear on what it all means. We do that with a team of people who either work as a team in serving our clients needs. Our team members work as advocates to make sure you are not bamboozled regarding what financial products or services could do for you.  Our team members come from a place of higher purpose. That makes a big difference in what you will see as you work with us.
5. Wow, that is unique. It sounds like you address the emotional side and the financial side. Exactly how does that work?
We know when it comes to taking action about your financial future, there are many factors that stop people from moving forward.  The key is to help people become an observer of their financial habits.  How often do you act or react with money in ways that don’t serve you? Do you find yourself doing the same thing time and time again but not making progress in your financial life?  Do you find, like millions of Americans and individuals throughout the world, that money runs you, sometimes controlling your life? The key is to get started and take control.  We work to make it easy. Meeting with a Certified Financial Coach™ can help.  Many people tell us working with a Certified Financial Coach™ is a totally different experience from what they expected — maybe it is part of what the coach helps you see – life is not to be endured, it is meant to be enjoyed, and that money is there to serve you vs. you serving it.
6. You think there may be a reason why someone as wealthy as me might work with your group?
There are more reasons than just one.

First, do you have a real sense of the true wealth in your life? We help you live in gratitude for what you already have.

Second, our program helps even the most experienced or sophisticated person see what they may be missing regarding how their assets are working and being managed.

So let’s start with Reason 2 first:
The team at Wealth Strong Life Solutions is dedicated to working with members through an advocacy role. While they have considerable sales background, they are beyond that now. They realize that there is an amazing number of products or services available for any person’s financial track or in any integrated strategy for making money serve someone more effectively. Check out how we work.  We also bring in vetted professionals as consultants who we invite to work with us through the non-profit organizations we sponsor. We don’t start working with you to eventually sell you some product, we work with you inside our vision to create a more secure and sophisticated community of individuals who are empowered in their financial life.

Reason 1:
Some people find that even though they have everything taken care of, but there are days when they just don’t feel satisfied. They might continually seek more — and if that is what you want, we can probably help you.  But typically we find the the “more” probably doesn’t have a lot to do with what money can buy. We find that even if they have plenty of resources for retirement, they may feel something is missing.  We can help you explore that or help you with that “not knowing”. Some people get concerned about what they will do with retirement, if they’ll just fade away because their career defined them or they may be unsure how or if money is serving their life.

If you see yourself defining wealth with how much money you or any other person has, if you look around and feel a bit of discomfort about what’s going on in your life, you may want to see if there is more.  It’s nothing major — you just may be ready for a different experience or a shift of perspective regarding how your wealth relates to you. A Certified Financial Coach™ is trained to work with individuals needing a boost to become empowered in their financial life AND is also trained to work with individuals interested in more.  When a person comes with that “need for more” the Certified Financial Coach™ works both as a coach and as an educational guide to help individuals see if looking at life from a new, expanded position may allow the person to create what is needed to fill the gap. You may just be surprised at what you can learn.

If you are curious about what else a Certified Financial Coach™ can do to help you move to what we call TRUE WEALTH MASTERY, you may want to see what a Certified Financial Coach™ has to offer beyond financial coaching.   The Certified Financial Coach™ professional has proprietary programs that help people move beyond traditional financial coaching.  In that case, they partner with you on a journey using great transformational coaching skills that you can call on anytime.

7. If I don’t want to work with people to coach me, why would I use your services? Working with someone who is a coach is kind of, you know, “touchy-feely”. How would that be of any help to me?
First let us dispel any question about our founder’s commitment to empowering people to be secure in their financial decisions. Wealth Strong® Life Solutions’ work  is NOT about coaching people, it is about empowering people. We start by providing financial tools that are all about how money works. The softer side, which some people want, is available for those who need it.

Wealth Strong® Life Solutions is a company with a high-level mission. Team members agree that they do not like how the investment industry works. There is a lot of talk about being client-centric but in the minds of a salesperson, it just means you always start with a product, then use a way of talking and listening so you hear cues for when to sell people the product. Some of these salespeople use nice language that tells people they are coaches. There’s a significant difference.

However, when you look at the hard money side, our work is different.

The title “Coach” has become popular in our culture for all types of different offerings.  People interested in becoming a professional coach enroll in training programs and complete certifications to gain the skills, credibility and respect in the coaching field. Coaching is not psychotherapy. Financial coaching should never be seen as outside of reality. If you are searching for financial clarity and how your financial resources can serve the rest of the wealth in your life, meeting with a Certified Financial Coach™ can help.

Many people find that no matter how much money they have, they still feel uneasy about their financial future. Certified Financial Coach™ professionals are interested in helping clients not only to understand their financial reality, but to also find a sense of ease and comfort around their relationship with money and the wealth in their life.

8. What about family members in my life who aren’t as sophisticated as I am with money? When they come to me, I just shake my head about what they don’t know. How can I use your services to help me help them?
We haven’t really talked about this before, but what’s great is that in signing up to work with us means you can include family members in meetings. You may also want to sign them up for work with a Certified Financial Coach™ or associates of ours who work in debt counseling. Some people use hours with a Certified Financial Coach™ as a birthday or holiday gift. Regardless, our team is dedicated to helping people move forward and encouraging them to keep going. They learn as they take baby steps — in that way, working with a Certified Financial Coach may be a great first step. They need to start with easy steps to start to discuss and work with money.

Sometimes people don’t want to look at their financial situation because it is just too overwhelming. They are fearful and scared. One of a Certified Financial Coach™ professional’s goals is to help a person become empowered in their relationship with money. They do this through a transformational coaching method and also by using coaching programs and services specifically learned in their training.

The first piece of being strong in your relationship to wealth is “knowing who you are” (your authentic self) where you are standing (your cash flow longevity), what you want (how money is actually serving your true wealth) and knowing how the reality of your current financial situation relates to what you hold dear.  Again helping people see the reality of these issues in a person’s life is part of what defines a true financial coach. It is important to know if the person who person calling him/herself a financial coach is able to have money conversations around these issues. It is what helps a Certified Financial Coach™ stand out.  Anyone can use the title financial coach but only individuals who have attended and passed the rigorous training approved by the CFC-Board of Governors is licensed as a Certified Financial Coach™.

A Certified Financial Coach™ helps individuals stand in financial reality without guilt, blame, shame or being pushed into feeling they need to hurry up and find some product that will answer “the problem”.   What if there is no problem with what the individual is doing but instead there is a need to see things from a different perspective so they can make powerful decisions with money.   Understanding how money does or doesn’t serve an individual is one small step, seeing how to build on the healthy financial actions the individual has already taken, is another.  A Certified Financial Coach is dedicated to coaching individuals in creating and enhancing their sense of personal prosperity.

9. I attended a seminar and the person called himself a financial coach. When I met with him he tried to sell me a financial product. How can I tell if a financial coach is legitimate?
We suggest checking a person’s credentials in two different ways.

  1. Check the credentials of the organization where they received their “coach training”.  Did they go through a formal training program or are they a self-proclaimed financial coach?   If they were trained, ask for the organization’s name and to see the professional’s license or certification. Then, check out the organization on the International Coaching Federation (ICF) website to see if the organization’s coursework is approved for either continuing education or additional coach training through the ICF.  The College for Financial Coaching is listed under Certified Financial Coach™ Services on the ICF website.
  2. The second way is to check out the legitimacy of the person’s credentialing.  Organizations who certify or license coaches keep lists of the coaches who continue to meet the ethical and legal standards required to keep their certification.  Again the ICF holds the standard and benchmarks for coach training.  All Certified Financial Coach™ professionals are trained to ICF standards, are trained by instructors dedicated to meeting and exceeding the educational requirements for ICF coach training hours and are provided additional mentor coaching and experience training to be knowledgeable regarding how to specifically coach in the area of finance.  These licensed professionals are required to abide by both an ICF and a Certified Financial Coach™ code of ethics. The ICF and code of ethics have strict restrictions on how coaches are paid.  We encourage you to check out the credentialing of any Certified Financial Coach through the CFC-Board of Governor’s website www.certifiedfinancialcoach.org.

How will I know if a person is the right Certified Financial Coach™ for me?

During your initial conversations and/or discovery session, together you and your possible coach will identify if working together is an appropriate fit. So before you say “yes”, the coach will provide you a sample of what the coaching experience will be like. Also make sure you check out the coach’s BIO page to learn more about their training and approach in coaching.

10.Your firm is closely related to people who are Certified Financial Coach™ professionals Why that group?
There are many reasons but most of all it is because of the professionalism and credentialing of these professionals. Please see the
What is the difference between a Certified Financial Coach™ and a life coach? What certifications are there and how does all that work?
There are professional standards in the coaching industry. There is a code of ethics, core competencies, accreditation processes and an International Coach Federation (ICF)(industry association) that promotes the advancement of coaches. To learn more about this click here: http://www.coachfederation.org/ICF/
11. I hear a lot about financial coaches, what is the difference between a Certified Financial Coach™ and a person saying he/she is a financial coach?
There are people who don’t understand the difference between coaching and advising and may take on the label of financial coach. They may or may not be trained to know the difference — if they are trained, the question to ask is if they are trained to meet or exceed International Coach Federation Standards and if the hours from their training count for additional credentialing through the ICF.  There is a great difference between COACHING AND ADVISING OR TRYING TO FIX YOU — a real coach knows you are not broken. Coaches completing the required coursework for Certified Financial Coach™ and attaining formal licensing through the CFC-Board of Governors are trained to ICF Standards by instructors who are legendary in the field of coaching.   There is a great difference between the skills of a trained Certified Financial Coach™ professional and a person who is a self-proclaimed financial coach.

What might that difference be?
When a person starts to work with a Certified Financial Coach™, they see something different both in the coaching they receive and in what happens as they are coached.  The coach is not advising them or telling them what to do or how to invest their money.  The coach’s first priority is you – your hopes, your dreams, your ability to see money from a new perspective AND your ability to see that your financial reality does not define you as a person of worth.  They are passionately dedicated to helping you use money as a utility to serve you and the true wealth in your life.

12. Someone one said I needed a financial coach. My question to them was, “WHY?” I handle my money and I am better off than people who ignore their portfolio. I don’t need any help to learn what I need to learn about money, I have everything under control. Point me to resources to find information out for myself — that is my answer to needing a financial coach.
How great! First let’s make sure you know the difference between a coach and an advisor. A coach encourages you to be exactly who you already are with your money. An advisor helps you make changes with your investments. Please realize, there are people very happy with the way they handle their own financial situation. They have a high level of financial literacy. They are proud because they do “money” well, are happy, feel totally in control and know how long their money will last. They may even leave a legacy.  If this is the case, congratulate yourself. You are one of a select few who probably have a good relationship with money. If you also find true joy in life — that is wealth.
13. What happens if I work directly with a member of your firm?
If you are a client of a WSLS advisor or expert, you set up a meeting through our scheduling office. If you are not working with anyone on the WSLS team, our founder, Evonne Ryan, typically gets involved in helping find the right person to match your needs. Our scheduling coordinator will ask you a series of questions and will send that recommendation to our founder who personally reviews each scheduling request.  After that review, the scheduling coordinator will set up your meeting time.

What can I expect if I work with one of the WSLS team members?
Our WSLS Professional team members understand the concepts and value of working with people using a balanced approach – understanding the difference between being a hard numbers person and a coach. They are all committed to being advocates for their clients. They understand the transformational coaching concepts used by Certified Financial Coach™ professionals in our group. They also have high sophistication with specialized proprietary tools that help you move to wealth mastery.  You can expect a WSLS team member to:

  • Be a partner in bringing out the best, the deepest, and the truest in you
  • Provide safety, encouragement and support; an environment in which you can relax and explore while also moving forward with Personal Financial Power.
  • Respect the confidentiality of the agreements made
  • Expand your view of what is possible and promote discovery of new insights
  • Give you input, straight feedback and operate as a sounding board
  • Listen carefully to what you say and ask questions that increase awareness
  • Be an on-going resource for you in accomplishing your intentions
14. You said something about tools a Certified Financial Coach™ may use in addition to the hard money tools. What are those tools and how can they help me?
™If you are interested in learning more about the software and tools used by a Certified Financial Coach™, we suggest you take advantage of the a complimentary session with a coach and ask them to show you. As you take steps to gain Personal Financial Power if you choose, you can work with coaches in a group setting. There are proprietary tools and programs to help you develop an improved relationship with money and how each might be used in a coaching context.
16. What else should I know about working with someone who is a coach?
A Certified Financial Coach™:

  • Helps individuals become empowered in their relationship with money. The focus is on helping people understand how perceptions of money, wealth and prosperity impact their perspective.  While doing this, the coach realizes they themselves are constantly living with their own perspectives and so guard against this influence in their coaching.
  • Helps individuals step back to see the positive and negative consequences of their unconscious judgments on decision-making.
  • Makes it very clear that it is important for you to have base financial literacy skills and during your work with the coach, you will have the opportunity to use programs to gain financial knowledge to understand how what you do has an impact on cash flow longevity.
  • Has access to exclusive tools to help you understand relationships between financial variables in your current life and helps you determine the degree of alignment your current and potential future decisions have with your personal values.
  • Attends rigorous financial coaching skill training including professional coaching core competency training meeting ICF (International Coach Federation) standards.
  • Is grounded and must abide by ethics set up by both the ICF and the CFC-Board of Governors.