{"id":2895,"date":"2018-06-15T10:22:29","date_gmt":"2018-06-15T14:22:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.afcpe.org\/?p=2895"},"modified":"2019-04-23T15:44:01","modified_gmt":"2019-04-23T19:44:01","slug":"fridayfollow-the-pursuit-of-happyness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.afcpe.org\/news-and-publications\/blog\/fridayfollow-the-pursuit-of-happyness\/","title":{"rendered":"#FridayFollow \u2013 \u201cThe Pursuit of Happyness\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Stephen Newland is an AFC\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0in the Atlanta, GA area with a passion for helping people set and achieve their financial goals. He started volunteering as a money coach in 2010 and now works full time running the financial education programs at churches in Buckhead & Alpharetta, Georgia.<\/p>

AFCPE:<\/strong>\u00a0When people ask what you do, how do you respond?<\/p>

Stephen:<\/strong>\u00a0My tagline is \u201cIt\u2019s hard to stay on track with money. We\u2019ll help make it easier\u201d. After that I usually say that I help people who want to create a budget, work on paying down debt or build savings.<\/p>

AFCPE:<\/strong>\u00a0What inspired you to enter this field?<\/p>

Stephen:\u00a0<\/strong>My own personal story. I made a lot of financial mistakes because I didn\u2019t know better. I came out of college with $55,000 in student and consumer debt making $42,000 a year. I thought it\u2019d take me forever to pay that off.\u00a0As I started studying personal finance and applying that to my own life I realized I didn\u2019t need to be saddled with debt for 10, 15, 20 years. I paid off my debt in four years and haven\u2019t looked back. I strive to help someone every day to remove some of that same stress that I felt about money.<\/p>

AFCPE:<\/strong>\u00a0Tell us about your podcast, \u201cFind Your Money Path\u201d.<\/p>

Stephen:<\/strong>\u00a0Twice a week, I try to put a quick thought on the audience\u2019s mind just to challenge them or get them thinking about money through a different lens. I interview people in other industries (like insurance, estate planning, even home organizers) and provide motivation and practical tips on how to save money. \u00a0I focus a lot on the emotional and mindset side of money.<\/p>

AFCPE:<\/strong>\u00a0Amazing! We love your creativity and innovation! What\u2019s up next for you? What has you excited?<\/p>

Stephen:<\/strong>\u00a0Thanks so much – that truly means a lot! Currently, I\u2019ve been focusing on working with individual clients, but I am really getting excited about approaching small businesses about ways that they can help their employees through financial counseling. It\u2019s such a worry and distraction to workers all over America and I truly believe financial counseling is the answer! \u00a0Also, there\u2019s an awesome app out there called Olivia AI. It helps its users understand their spending patterns and even suggests ways for them to save money on things like groceries by analyzing when someone grocery shops then checking out sales at stores near where the user shops and lives. It\u2019s pretty awesome!<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Stephen Answers the Friday 5:<\/strong><\/p>

  1. My Why:\u00a0<\/strong>So, few people seem to really feel confident about money and making financial decisions. \u00a0It breaks my heart to see people who continue to work in their 70\u2019s and 80\u2019s when they don\u2019t want to, but it\u2019s out of necessity. \u00a0I want to help my generation drastically reduce the % of people who have to do that. \u00a0<\/li>
  2. My Favorite Quote:\u00a0<\/strong>“When people can’t\u00a0do something<\/strong>\u00a0themselves,\u00a0they want<\/strong>\u00a0to tell you, you can’t\u00a0do it<\/strong>.\u00a0You want something<\/strong>,\u00a0go get it<\/strong>. Period\u201d from the Pursuit of Happyness (The movie)<\/li><\/ol>
    1. My Hero:\u00a0<\/strong>My grandpa. He always led by action and was a man of few words.<\/li><\/ol>
      1. My Favorite Personal Finance Resource:\u00a0<\/strong>Ray Linder\u2019s \u201cmoney personalities<\/a>\u201d. It\u2019s been so eye opening when this concept is introduced!<\/li><\/ol>
        1. My best advice:<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>