Clean Up Your Finances in 2017 – Erin Mercer Can Help

Erin Mercer can help you get your act together in 2017.

Erin Mercer new year

By this time of year people are cursing the year that is. “2016 is terrible! I can’t wait for 2017! Next year will be better!”

But you can’t wait for the year to turn for things to start being better. Especially when it comes to personal finance. It doesn’t magically improve because of a flip of a calendar page. You have to do something about it yourself. That can include asking for help. Even if you think you have things pretty much handled, you can step back and realize that to get past that one last hurdle, it’s time to call in a pro. The key is to get organized!

Erin Mercer financial roadmap

Erin Mercer of Financial Revolution in Westlake Village will literally sit with you and go through your personal finances so you can get an accurate picture of what is, which will help you set a goal for what you want, and create a roadmap for how to get there. Based in Agoura Hills, Erin works around your schedule, so if you can’t get to this during business hours, she will come to your home on your time and work with you for as long as it takes. Her secret is that she went through the same thing – from confusion to a plan – and she has a passion for helping others come to the same place. With three young kids and a busy household of her own, Erin knows what most families are going through.

Getting Started

Over the course of two or three weeks, Erin met with me several times and examined my records and expenses to assess our family’s financial situation. She couldn’t do all the work though – I had to gather up our statements and policies and figure out what our expenses are. It was a good exercise because it’s been years since we purchased life insurance, plus I couldn’t remember half the passwords to our online accounts. I was glad to update all of my information so it’s easily accessible when we need it.

Although I have kept very good records and have had our family on a budget for years now, our financial situation is changing. I recently went from 100% freelancing to a regular schedule day job with a regular paycheck. While that might seem like the chaos would be reduced, I’m just not used to it. I thought I could use some help in the planning department, so I agreed to have her take a look.

As thorough as I have been, it is hard for me to be objective about my own spending and planning. I know we don’t set aside enough for college for our boys yet. But, we will need a replacement car pretty soon since both of ours are over 10 years old. I need to replace my computer. I want to go on vacations and visit my family on the East Coast. There are plenty of needs and wants: Erin did a great job of just laying them before me, and making practical suggestions.

Step-by-step Planning

The process went like this: first we met at her office in Westlake Village. She and her partner Daniel walked me through the typical steps that a family will encounter when working with them. Assess the financial situation – debts, income, monthly expenses. Create a Personal Financial Strategy. Point out ways you can save – cut down on restaurant eating, anyone? (Erin has worked with people who didn’t even realize that they were spending thousands every month on eating out, grabbing coffee, and other miscellaneous items that added up, simply because they had not paid attention until then.) Help people consolidate their debt, if necessary. Suggest savings vehicles.

In their work, Erin and her colleagues find that the average family is at least $90,000 in debt, and doesn’t have enough life insurance. The rule of thumb is to buy enough life insurance to cover your salary for 10 years so that your spouse and family will be spared financial trouble if you pass away. Turns out we could use a bump in ours, and Erin was able to recommend a product that could work for us. Because World Financial Group is a brokerage firm associated with Transamerica, they can sell the best product that fits, not just a line of products from one company.

From working with Erin over our several meetings, I realized that one thing was clear overall: her sense of service. Erin wants you to succeed, and she knows how you can, so she is happy to bend over backwards to help you out. She doesn’t pressure you to buy anything, and she barely does any advertising. Her clients come to her via word of mouth and recommendations. Her goal is to be helpful to you no matter what stage of personal financial planning you find yourself in.

Erin Mercer headshot

 

Erin Mercer
831-521-8293
Financial Revolution
World Financial Group
License number # 0k99469