My Work: Reporting, Analytics, and System Configuration/Maintenance/Troubleshooting for Core HR, Recruitment and Time & Attendance Modules.
My Roots: My roots run deep in the Inner City of Chicago’s Westside. Born and raised in Chicago! I started my HR journey as a student supervisor in my dorm’s dining hall in college!
My Passion: Besides data and processes, I would say sharing financial literacy knowledge/best practices/tools, namely in inner city communities. My ultimate goal is to become a driving force to help others change how they view money to improve their financial health and well-being.
My Hero: I would say, right now, there are several whom I know from growing up. I have great admiration for these women entrepreneurs. This is a goal of mine and being financially savvy is a first step in getting there.
My Favorite Personal Finance Tool/Resource: My budget sheet. Not kidding, this has saved me confusion and provided accountability in so many ways. I feel this is a huge reason I learned to budget. My detail orientedness and passion for data is a perfect mix. My budget sheet has become somewhat of a science to me. I like to run my numbers different ways, make projections and it allows me to plan expenses in advance.
My Advice To Someone Beginning the Journey of Financial Education/Wellness:
The common denominator in your financial health and ability to grow is not how much money you have, or how the markets perform, but how you view money. Your perception of money influences your spending behaviors and consumption habits. You can commit to a financial goal but if your view of money is not aligned with your goal, it will fall short of achieving that goal and discourage you. Know where you are mentally and emotionally with money, decide where you would like to be, identify those thoughts/patterns/behaviors that are toxic to that goal and adjust them accordingly.
My Way of “Meeting People Where They Are”: It boils down to listening how they talk about money vs their situation. When you can get a sense of where they are mentally and emotionally, it will help you identify ways to give feedback or ask follow up questions. I come across my fair share of others looking for answers but they have no solid goals in mind because they don’t even know the right questions to ask themselves. So we start from the basics, what does money mean to them, how have they used it in the past, what are some realistic short term goals or issues they want to address and how can we identify patterns or behaviors that can help them get there.
My Question For Colleagues/Peers: I have been testing financial apps lately and am always on the lookout for new things such as Acorns Investing or Debitize. What digital/online tools or apps do you recommend for those on their financial journey?
Follow me at:
LINKEDIN: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jplatt09
WEBSITE: www.fancyfinance.wordpress.com
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