Hello, fellow wanderer! And welcome to Upbeat Financial, a financial oasis in a sea of sameness. Amidst waves of jargon, storms of online calculators, and schools of robo advisors, your innate currents have led you here, an island of calm reflection, excitement, and desire to make positive change. Here on the Upbeat Financial Archipelago, we learn to nurture a vibrant financial landscape and cultivate a content, confident, thoughtful Future Financial Self.

There are many places to travel, some of which will seem very familiar – the Isles of Budgeting and Investing, of course. Some might be more unknown – the Isle of Insurance is an unexpected delight, and the Land of Retirement Planning is a crowd favorite. Some places are often entirely new – Bias Bay and Sustainability Sunrise are must-sees. We will explore them all.

Your tour guides are highly trained and skilled in the art of explaining what things are, how they work, and how to get from Point A to Point B in the world of personal finance. But as you’ll soon discover, this is much different than your usual Financial Planning Experience. This is an experience like no other, one where you are expected to be activated, engaged, and ready to explore. One where you might have to travel further and farther than expected to find the rare brand of freedom you seek. One where the destination is worth the journey.

Other Islands of Finance might offer a retreat, a well-worn path where many others have traveled. It seems nice. And Look! You’ll get to retire! You can even put the kids through college! Congrats. Those are no small feats, and you did it. We’ll work towards those destinations as well. But you’ll notice there is another party going on just a bit down the beach. There is something about it that draws you, keeps distracting you from the sugary sweet island beverages and the questionable condescension of this current Island of the Financials gathering.

You take the last swig of your beverage, determinedly set it down, and step towards that blazing, consuming bonfire down the beach. But, now that you’ve begun, you notice, there are a lot of distractions to navigate between here and there - Greed, Forgotten Plans, Ignored Endeavors. Keep going. None of those distractions matter. You must push through. This is something you cannot ignore. Something keeps catching your eye, and if you don’t find out what it is, you will never be able to let it go. It looks faint from this vantage point, maybe even just a trick of the light. What if it’s not as good as you expect?

Remember, you came to Upbeat Financial. Our goal is to get you to that party.

What’s the greatest outcome you can imagine, not just for yourself and your family, but for your community? Your society? If there was something you could do as an individual to lift each and everyone else up, what would it be? And if you could find it, would you commit to following through? That, my fellow wanderer, is what lies ahead. That shining light you can’t ignore is your greatest vision for the betterment of all. It’s your belief that you matter and that the decisions you make today have a lasting impact, potentially for generations to come.

So, how do we get there? How do we get past all those seductive, illusive distractions? How do we get past all the doubt and disbelief? How do we get past all the ignorance? You could just saunter, fancy beverage in hand, and barge on in, unannounced and unconscious. But you’re with the Upbeat Financial Party, and we have respect for ourselves, for the space we are in, for the others our actions impact.

We’re going to have to find our own, unique, and effective way of making it to that party, through curiosity, kindness, and gratitude for the opportunity to be part of this gathering.

You’ll have to be flexible. You’ll have to be open to new ideas. You’ll have to be work through the discomfort of your assumptions being challenged. You’ll have to be ok with learning about your blind spots. Don’t worry. You’re not alone. We’re all in this together, which means we have far more in common with one another than we expect, and that includes the parts that we think our ugly, scary, and unlovable.

What’s the pay off, you ask? What’s in it for you?

Peace. Calm. Trust. Clarity. Collective. Community. You living a future without regrets. A future where you are a giver, where you know you have done good, and where you know you have made the world a better place. A place where, if you want to live simply and just take care of you and your loved ones, that’s just fine. But alongside that, an inner knowing that, through the actions you have taken, the challenges you have faced, the way that you engaged, you have elevated all those whom you have encountered, touched, and expressed gratitude with a calm confidence.

At Upbeat Financial, the journey of financial planning is a journey of transformation. From a place of unknown and scarcity, to a mindset of action and openness via a pathway of cultivated abundance. There will be exuberance and joy, great dreams accomplished. There will also be details and diligence, a commitment to not only plan for all that you want to have happen, but all the things you would prefer to never have to experience.

And through your action, your calm, your clarity, you will, potentially unknowingly, impact everyone you encounter who struggles and suffers in the face of finance. You will know it isn’t easy. You have been there, and, with empathy, you can relate.

So, let’s get to setting the example. Join Upbeat Financial on this journey of cultivating a future for yourself and your community that will be rich in experience, understanding, trust, and informed, consistent action, all aligning with the endeavor to realize your financial hopes and dreams.