Jen Aly, Money Coach for Creatives

A brand of Happily Ever Now, Inc.

5 Steps to Leaving the Big Banks for Good

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Racism in the financial industry and what you can do about it

Now that white people’s eyes are open, we see that racism is everywhere.

As a white person, I am imperfectly educating myself about truths and history that have been white-washed, engaging in uncomfortable conversations, and working to acknowledge, own and eradicate racism from within. And I am making choices that support the more just world I am committed to co-creating.

A friend recently brought it to my attention that if you do a search for “interest rates for black people,” you will find startling information that shows significant racism in the financial industry. While shocking on some level, I’m also not surprised, knowing the industry.

This is a multilayered topic with lots of history in which I’m not an expert, and this article is more about one clear thing we can do right now. There are many articles on the topic, including these two I found helpful: “Racial Predatory Loans Fueled U.S. Housing Crisis,” “Many minorities avoid seeking credit due to generations of discrimination.”

The evolution out of the dark ages of a country built on the backs of people of color, is no small task. While educating ourselves and others, protesting, engaging, voting, and donating are important aspects of this evolutionary marathon, the financial industry is one critical piece of the puzzle to dismantle injustice and support progress toward fair financial practices and equal opportunity for all.

Corruption is often revealed when we simply follow the money. After the big bank bail out of 2008, I heard a lot of talk about moving our money out of the big banks. Some of us did. Some of us still haven’t done it yet.

“It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning.” -Henry Ford

You may not want to hear this, but if you bank with one of the big banks, you are feeding the monsters (the level of the monstrosity would be another article).

When we make conscious choices with our money, we redirect the flow of energy and power. This is impact. If you do not want to stay silent, act. Move your money to a credit union or a bank that has fair practices.

When I moved to Asheville, NC seven years ago, I researched financial institution options, searching for something that was aligned with my values.

I joined Self-Help Credit Union, whose tagline is “Economic Opportunity for All.” This organization is affiliated with the Center for Responsible Lending and has been advocating for fair practices for decades. Here’s part of their mission statement: “While our work benefits communities of all kinds, our focus is on those who may be under served by conventional lenders, including people of color, women, rural residents and low-wealth families and communities.” They fight against predatory lending practices and are part of the reason North Carolina doesn’t have those horrible payday advance places. In 2019, 82% of their borrowers were low income, and 63% of borrowers were people of color.

I love banking there and supporting their mission and I no longer have lingering guilt and shame plaguing my relationship with money. Instead, I know my money is in one of the best places it could be, supporting the front line of fair practices in the financial industry.

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality.
To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
― Buckminster Fuller

Think about how much money goes through your account in a year or in 10 years. Now consider the impact of the domino effect if people redirected the flow of their money away from large banks through their banking choices. Reallocating money and power.

We talk about this often with our spending; not buying out of convenience and pricing, but instead from companies with integrity and quality. (I’m still stretching into this one imperfectly. This helps.) Those who hold the money, and the power to lend it to whoever they deem worthy on their own terms, are shaping our economy and our culture to a large degree.

If we all move our money, it could have huge impact.

I know it’s a pain. One friend who is one of the biggest advocates of anti-racism that I know recently confessed that she still uses one of the big banks and that she even tries to hide her card sometimes. The reason she hasn’t switched is because there are a lot of moving parts in the process.

If you feel stressed out by the logistics of the move, do it gradually. It took me a while to figure out how to make the transition work for me.

Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of one way to transition your money from the big banks to the champions of the financial industry.

5 Steps to Leaving a Big Bank for Good

1) Ask your friends where they bank and research alternatives to the big banks. Look for institutions that have fair practices (even act as advocates) and are established enough to have it together in all ways, including on-line banking (because if it’s not practical, it’s not sustainable.) Consider your needs, including geography if it’s relevant to you, and don’t let the slickness of the big banks (no fees) stop you. Although it was a stretch at first, I pay for my business account monthly knowing that it’s going to a good cause and I receive excellent service.

2) Open your account(s) at the new bank institution (with at least the minimum required to open the account(s).)

3) Make a list of all of your auto-pay and deposit transactions. You can do this by looking at a full 30–60 days of transactions. You may be able to do a search for specific types of transactions(e.g. ACH, Credits, Payroll, Dividend, etc.) There may be some that happen quarterly, semi-annual, or annually. Double check for these or leave some money in your account for a few months until you’ve had time to do a full investigation. This process also includes your accounts like Venmo, PayPal, and if you have a business, anything attached to your business like Square, Quickbooks, etc. Take a deep breath and start making a list. You don’t have to do it all at once.

4) Start moving your money and/or deposits over to the new institution as you gradually transition your automated transactions and connected accounts. If you use checks, order them for your new account(s).

5) When you have fully transitioned, move all of your money out of the big bank and close your big bank account(s). Watch your accounts more than usual for a while to make sure things are going smoothly.

Bonus: Once you fall in love with your new institution, when you have stepped into (even in this small way) unity for fair and just practices, tell your friends about it and encourage them to do the same.

Allow your relationship with money to take a deep breath. It just joined the protest.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” ― Margaret Mead

A Fresh Prosperity Practice and Stress Management Tool for Corona Times

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There’s so much going down in the world right now that I can’t keep up.

And, I’m here to offer what I can. Here is a prosperity practice to support stress management.

One of the biggest stressors right now is uncertainty. And with each day, uncertainty seems to be the most consistent thing…with misinformation, contrasting information, and a barrage of intense major developments that influence each of us on some level.

My experience has varied greatly from moment to moment with the days both dragging on and flying by. I’ve been alone most of the time and have had some very deep and dark moments of clearing and ultimately transformation.

Money, income, and business have been among the topics of conversation for many people. These plus health and safety issues hit some deep places in the human psyche, and bring up stuff for many of us. We are living through a significant cultural, spiritual, collective, and personal shift and even a rebirth.

For me, I hit a whole new level of being in touch with the voices in my mind….and ultimately connecting with my heart.

Frankly, the voices can be assholes and there was not enough of the usual distractions to keep me from hearing them.

One night during full “lockdown” I watched a bunch of tv. I was walking into my bedroom afterwards & I realized I felt crappy. When I inquired what about the feeling, I saw that I had been judging myself for watching so much tv. What the heck? Who cares how much tv I watch during a global pandemic?

I gave myself permission to watch tv. To do nothing. To stare out the window. To sit on the earth for as long as I want. To paint crappily. To thrash dance in my living room to obnoxious music to get my feelings out. To eat more potato chips than usual (even non-organic!) To not shower for three days. Yup. I admitted it. Three. Days.

Suddenly, I didn’t feel so stressed out. I was present with myself, giving myself space instead of having a heavy hand on my shoulder, a critical eye constantly judging me. I’m not used to slowing down. I’m used to being busy all of the time. And that pace had its consequences that my body is still recovering from. This period is an opportunity for me to reboot my nervous system, slow down, connect with myself, heal, and to come more from my heart than I ever have.

We all are having different experiences right now. I wonder how many of you are learning big lessons, deepening your connection with yourself, evaluating your values, and evolving your vision for your life.

Sometimes questions help us see what our desires are, what we value. On my “intake” form for new clients, I ask 5 pages of questions and one question, “What would you do if money wasn’t an issue?” is so interesting and revealing. Often times people say they would relax more, read more, do more self-care, and (of course the popular) travel more. Let’s take out the travel option since it’s not an option right now.

If you say you want more free time but you believe you have to wait until some future point when you’re rich to take a break, think again.

Wait for it……free time is FREE.

I get that if you work to make a living, if you take care of others, if you’re dealing with a global pandemic, you have many hours of stuff to do per day.

And you can still give it to yourself. For real.

How much of that “busy” time is spent doing busy work or spinning your wheels anyway? Or doing the things the pressure to “do more” is telling you to do? What’s more important than feeling free? (even in quarantine)

If you don’t stop, rest, play, and give yourself enough space to get into a variety of brain wave states to allow your intuition and some nourishment to come in, you will not feel prosperous….ever. In my early coaching years, I had an entrepreneurial client who was so rich he was trying to decide between buying a private jet and a professional sports team. He was one of the most unhappy people I’ve ever met. It’s never about the money.

You don’t have to wait.
You don’t have to arrive anywhere.
You can do this now.

This is stretching your receiving muscle and your prosperity muscle.

A lot of times, as entrepreneurs, we have so much pressure in our minds to work more and do more. We don’t actually have/take real free time completely because we’re always putting pressure on ourselves. The voice in the back of our minds is saying “You’re not doing enough” or “You should be doing something more important” or some other version of “not enough.”

When those voices are still present or a part of you is judging what you are doing (or not doing), or you think you are actually procrastinating, you are not able to enjoy and be present, to fully choose what you are doing. This takes away from the present moment and we never get a break, much less feel rested.

I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this. But that thing you’re chasing out there in the future by being super busy…..that’s not where prosperity lives. Trust me, a part of me chased it for a long time. And even when you get the carrot, it doesn’t live up to the expectation you had hoped for.

Prosperity is not in a dollar amount. Not getting somewhere you’re not. Not in doing the perfect thing perfectly all the time. It’s simply a practice of being. It’s only found in the present moment.

So, to practice, give yourself a pass for two hours of “Abundant Free Time.” Practice expanding and strengthening your prosperity muscle to RECEIVE by doing this prosperity practice. Do whatever the heck you want for that two hours and see how you feel. You can even schedule it weekly as a powerful prosperity practice and stress management tool.

For me, as soon as I step in to my “Abundant Free Time” I feel a sense of excitement, curiosity, and relief. I feel less anxiety, stress, and overwhelm.

I may do deep breathing, put on music, draw, paint, dance, stare out the window, sit in a random place on the floor just to see what I notice, pick up a book (or 3 and just peruse), reorganize an area, or tend my many plants. Lately during this kind of time, I commit to staying off of social media. I don’t do anything unless I want to (but I let myself write down anything that I want to remember to do later so I can mentally let it go.)

FULLY give yourself 2 hours of “Abundant Free Time” and see what happens. Receive from yourself as a prosperity practice and see how it feels.

LMK how it goes.

Money is an Inner and Outer Game

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Just a few years ago I was a struggling artist, bootstrapping a jewelry business from my living room in West Asheville, North Carolina. I was living on the edge hoping I didn’t buy too many materials,(#firstworldproblems), that the show fee was worth it…that I would be able to pay rent on time.

I know what it’s like to have inconsistent income, to feel unsure of which steps to take, and being frustrated because I believed in my work and just wanted to get it out there.

One of my biggest blocks to making it as a creative was overcoming my resistance to the systems of business, finance, and shifting my mindset about theses systems to make them work for me instead of feeling like they’re against me.

With support, I broke through this block, tripled my income in 3 years, and now coach creatives to thrive in business.

This was a typical display booth for my business for the first few years when I did shows.

We have the power to change the world…and our lives through our work when we see money and business in a new light. When we are empowered with the mindset (internal) and skills (external) to make our vision happen.

I did a TEDx talk last month and the one idea I chose to talk about was this.

If you are open to learning a new way of looking at money and up-leveling your money mindset to make more, check out this program. It was made for creatives and I believe money mindset from familial, cultural, social programing is THE main block to creating more income. And since no one teaches us about money, it’s super helpful to know how to deal with it.

Money Boot Camp is an opportunity to reboot your life, your work, your relationship with money. What would that do for you?

This program runs 3 times per year. I have a payment plan and a few scholarships available, so don’t let “I don’t have the money” stop you…it’s time to stop believing that story.

What are you waiting for?

Reach out. What is your vision? Why is now the time to make it happen?

The Flow of Giving and Receiving

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“Your hand opens and closes, opens and closes. If it were always a fist or always stretched open, you would be paralysed. Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expanding, the two as beautifully balanced and coordinated as birds’ wings.” ~Rumi

hummingbird pecking on purple petaled flower

Receiving and giving is a flow. It’s a valve of receiving and giving you have to keep open. Letting go and giving and giving to yourself by receiving. Asking for help when you need it and receiving.

I have not been feeling well the last couple of days and I’ve had to receive help and ask for help. It’s not easy for me but luckily I have experience with it and have always been the better for asking and for receiving.

Last night my assistant ended up teaching a jewelry making class for me. She came to my house to get the key and I gave her instructions on where everything was and about the class. She’s taught classes before, but not for me. And she attended one of my classes years ago.  I totally trust her and she went and taught the class.

As a result, the students in the class were happy, over half signed up for another class with me later in the month, and she also had the idea to teach a new class that I have not offered before that people are already interested in.  This created multiple win-win-win’s.

All of this wouldn’t have happened unless I asked for help and *received*. So, I got to continue recovering from whatever is going on with my body and binge watch “North and South”, which I highly recommend. (It’s only four episodes.)

The main way I plan financially is a spreadsheet named “In and Out Flow”… actually two spreadsheets, one for business too.

This name is a reminder that it’s a valve that I have to keep open to keep flow moving through. I can’t hoard money and expect to create more, I spend money to make money, to receive to give and give to receive.

This relationship with money is not something most of us have been taught about. Money has been and is one of my greatest teachers. I love sharing about it & business and empowering those who have heartfelt visions to create more in the world for themselves and others.

I call B.S. What do you think of this article about entrepreneurs?

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A colleague posted this article on Facebook this weekend. “Entrepreneurs don’t have a special gene for risk—they come from families with money”

It’s an interesting perspective. But to say, as the title suggests, this is true for all “entrepreneurs” is bullshit. It may be true that people with money who start businesses are likely to have an easier time of it.

Not just because of start up capital, but also because they are more likely to have a money mindset that assumes money’s always there…so then it is.

AND there are plenty of success stories of those of us who have boot strapped businesses with no capital upfront, with hard work, grit, community support, brains, valuable contribution, willingness to grow, creativity, ingenuity, resourcefulness, willingness to learn whatever it takes to embrace business, commitment to succeed, determination, and most of all, willingness to unlearn cultural programming that limits our perceptions of money and business and ourselves.  #longestsentenceever

I have failed in business & filed bankruptcy because of it.

And I have created successful businesses from scratch (with no debt) that have impact and support me fully… more than any professional full-time job ever did.

I believe the biggest block to success in business for those of us who didn’t come from money, is our money mindset and resistance to finance and business and our resentment toward “people with money.”

This is why I focus on supporting creatives in business and money because it’s bullshit that only rich people can succeed in business. If that’s the truth we’re all screwed and the American dream is dead. I’m not saying things haven’t changed in the marketplace, especially with the broadening divergence between “rich” and “poor” but if we give up now… WTH?

I believe that placing solid business skills (including mindset) in the hands of people who do good things, create beautiful, impactful work, and have visions from their heart can change the world and is changing the world.

This is my purpose and I believe in it with all my heart.

I’ve learned from mentors that in true leadership we bring what it is we believe is lacking. We lead with creating/bringing/fueling what we want more of in the world.

I’m holding a container for prosperity for creatives and outside-the-box thinkers who are in business. This is one powerful way to evolve the world in a way that I want to see it become.

It has been my path and my hard-won lessons and I’m here to share them with those who want it.

Speaking of…I’m celebrating my talented client Samantha Shepherd​. On every coaching call, she is totally inspiring me and making quick progress in her business.

A few months ago she did not have a business and now she’s booking clients, has a gorgeous website, is building her impressive portfolio, and is stepping outside her comfort zone every week to put herself out there and it’s paying off with fresh new income…. all while she still has a job.

She started out by doing Money Boot Camp to set the foundation for her mindset and relationship with money a few months ago.

It’s a powerful foundation for new business owners and it’s a major up level in mindset for those who want to make more money in their business. And that work has paid off for Sam.

She’s an example of someone who is designing her own life, and becoming an entrepreneur without anybody else’s money to back her….like almost all of the entrepreneurs I know.

“I was so hesitant to invest in coaching because I’m just starting out. Now only three months in, I see the value in my investment 100%. It’s so helpful to have Jen to walk me through new business territory and to get clear on what to do next. This supportive guidance helps me boil things down to get to what needs to be done next. I don’t get bogged down in fear because in each session I get a fresh spark to go take clear actions. Now I have launched my business and have new paying clients. Things are growing faster than I thought and I feel so good. I feel a new level of confidence because I am making my vision happen.” ~Samantha Shepherd, Iron & Wax Photography

Image may contain: 2 people, people smiling, people standing, beard and outdoor

I’m looking for people like Sam who are ready to make shit happen. If that’s you, schedule a chat with me to see if it’s a fit to work together.

In Prosperity,