She WILL retire early and she's claiming it

Welcome back to #WCW! We have met a lot of super women with some amazing powers and up next is Erin. Erin has often been referred to as “the kid whisper” for her power to connect with children. This power is so strong that she left a career in engineering to be a middle school math teacher. That was 18 years ago and she has never looked back. 

Erin is a lifelong Chicagoan and is the oldest of three girls. She lost her mother to breast cancer as a young adult and moved back home to help take care of her youngest sister who was born when she was a senior in high school. By keeping her promise to her mom, Erin learned what it was like to be a parent and has a very close relationship with her sisters.

“Before, I was very passive about money. I worried about not having enough but I never sat down and spent time with my money to make it work for me.”

It was social media that brought together Erin and Bernadette. While scrolling through Instagram Erin saw a post from Bernadette that really struck a chord. She started following her and then took the plunge and set up a phone call. She now considers Bernadette her money therapist and a cherished friend. 

Erin is a recent graduate of Bernadette’s 90 Day Program and has joined Chief FIRE Officer

with the goal of financial independence. “The biggest change I’ve seen is thinking about money in terms of net worth. Since I’ve focused on net worth, I’ve paid off all of my credit card debt and I’m tackling my student loans. Before, I was very passive about money. I worried about not having enough but I never sat down and spent time with my money to make it work for me.” Make no mistake, Erin’s money is working hard. She has increased her net worth by more than 100K and will be debt free this year!

By working the CRUSH system Erin is dreaming big. And by big, we mean an early retirement. “Bernadette helped me figure out my retirement number.  It’s not as daunting as I initially thought. I once thought that I needed to work until 65 because I needed a pension to retire, and now, I plan to retire from my nine to five while I’m still young-ish. I’m still pinching myself. This doesn’t feel real.”

“Bernadette helped me figure out my retirement number.  It’s not as daunting as I initially thought. I once thought that I needed to work until 65 because I needed a pension to retire, and now, I plan to retire from my nine to five while I’m still young-ish. I’m still pinching myself. This doesn’t feel real.”

Having goals and tracking are critical in the Bernadette system. She continually emphasizes knowing your net worth and where you need to be to meet your goals. She also gives her clients tools to track all that stuff, making it SO much easier than endless spreadsheets and ledgers. “I’m amazed that she has gotten me to love using an app to develop a monthly budget. I am both more organized and less stressed about money. I enjoy tracking my net worth and making strategic decisions for my money instead of just spending or not spending and hoping for the best.” 

Erin now sees the big picture when it comes to money and wants to pay it forward to the young people in her life. “I want to train my nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews, to view money the way that I now do as a result of my time with Bernadette. This is the best inheritance I could leave for them.”

To learn more about Bernadette and become part of her posse, visit https://www.crushyourmoneygoals.com/. We’ll see you back here next week with another bad ass doing totally amazing things!