Spotlight Series: Honeygo Financial - Mind Over Money, Connecting Financial Health & Mental Wellness
This month's spotlight features Chris Yeagle, owner of Honeygo Financial. Financial health plays a significant role in our overall mental well-being. While money itself may not directly buy happiness, financial stability and security can greatly impact our mental health in several ways. Some of those include: stress reduction, relationship dynamics, access to resources and future planning. Taking steps to improve financial literacy, reduce debt, and build savings can contribute to greater peace of mind, resilience, and overall mental wellness.
1. How did you get started with your business/career?
My career in financial services officially started in 2017 when I obtained my securities license and began working as a financial advisor. Before that, I had spent more than a decade in commercial construction assisting architects and contractors with building design and cost estimating.
Working on big construction projects was exciting, but over time a growing desire to help people with their finances began to outweigh my enjoyment of influencing the design of buildings. The advisory profession appealed to me because it offered the opportunity to work with people in a direct and practical way that could make a real difference in their lives. It also offered a path towards self-employment, which was a personal goal of mine that arose from a desire to have more control over how I spent my work hours.
With these things in mind, I started taking steps to change careers. I applied for and was accepted into a Master of Finance program offered through Loyola University, where I primarily studied portfolio analysis and investment management. I joined Merrill Lynch after graduation and obtained my securities license shortly thereafter. My initial work at the firm focused on helping clients select investments for their portfolios. As I gained more experience, my role expanded to include the development of retirement and college savings plans for clients and their families.
Educating people about their investment options and creating plans to help them achieve their financial goals was as rewarding as I had hoped it would be when I first embarked on my career change. Several years and some additional steps later, an opportunity to form my own investment advisory firm presented itself and I jumped at the prospect. With the help of the XY Planning Network, I established Honeygo Financial and realized my goal of becoming a self-employed financial advisor.
2. What are you passionate about when it comes to your clients?
I am passionate about helping my clients succeed financially because it creates opportunities in life and leads to greater peace of mind. I guide the people I work with toward financial success by taking them through a process that helps them make better decisions with their money.
My process starts by creating an easy win for my clients: we get their financial house in order. After that, I help them to define for themselves what success looks like, and then together, we develop a plan that outlines how they can achieve their goals. Following this, I work with my clients to implement the plan we created. If their circumstances or goals change along the way, we adapt and make adjustments. As clients move through this process, their financial situation improves and they begin to enjoy the kind of success that I am passionate about them experiencing.
3. What are your specialties?
My specialty is creating financial plans and managing investments for aspiring career changers and entrepreneurs. I consider the work I do for this group to be my specialty because my own experiences make me especially familiar with their needs.
I think a lot of people work jobs that aren’t a good fit for them because they get comfortable with their income and the routine their work offers. Then their responsibilities increase, they buy homes, they get married, and they have children. The natural flow of life makes it hard for most to fathom making a change, but that is exactly what they want because they dream of doing something different.
The basis of the work that I do is what you would expect from a financial advisor: I help clients plan for retirement, save for their children’s education, identify and protect against risks, evaluate major purchase decisions, and minimize taxes. However, all of this is done in the context of helping the people I serve to create a financial path for themselves that will make their desired career change possible.
4. How does your work provide relief/insight or other benefits to your clientele?
A common refrain I have heard throughout my advisory career is that my work lessens the stress and anxious feelings my clients have concerning money. These feelings are pretty common regardless of how much someone earns or how much they have saved and invested. This is especially true for someone contemplating a career change.
I think these feelings are rooted in uncertainty. Laws change, markets are constantly in flux, and life is unpredictable. Uncertainty about personal finance and money management is reasonable because the issues surrounding these topics are complex and navigating them well can be as difficult as it is important.
Through my work, I educate my clients so that they understand the impact these things have on their goals and then we plan accordingly. Once a client grasps how these issues affect them, the process of creating a plan often brings them a sense of empowerment and control over money. This has a way of minimizing the negative feelings they experience and often brings on a sense of confidence about the future.
5. Anything else you would like to share? (Programs, classes, special info, etc?)
I invite anyone who has questions about my firm or the services I offer to reach out to me. I love meeting new people and welcome the chance to serve anyone looking for help managing their finances. To get started, I offer free introductory meetings in person or via video conference. These meetings can be scheduled by calling my office or by directly booking an appointment through my website www.honeygofinancial.com.
Honeygo Financial Services, LLC is a registered investment advisor offering advisory services in the State of Maryland and in other jurisdictions where exempted. Information contained herein should not be considered a solicitation to buy, an offer to sell, or a recommendation in any jurisdiction where such offer, solicitation, or recommendation would be unlawful or unauthorized.
