What led you to a career in personal finance? And what inspires you to continue doing this work today?

I noticed that the people I was working with in my mental health counseling profession were also struggling with finances. It got me to thinking about ways that I could work with them to address those financial concerns as they were connected to some of the other problems we were working through. I also knew that I wanted to be able to speak from a place of training and not just the things that I have done in my own life. That led me to applying for the FINRA Foundation Fellowship for 2022 and obtaining my AFC®️ designation.

The thing that inspires me to continue this work is the overall satisfaction that I get from being able to assit my clients from a truly holistic posture, integrating my training as a mental health and financial counselor, with my additional training as a certified personal trainer. Seeing the transformation my clients make is something that will never get old for me.

How did you learn about the AFC certification, and why did you decide to pursue the certification?

I learned about the AFC certification back in 2016, when I was wrapping up my training to become a mental health counselor. At the time, I was not looking to put anything additional on my plate, but always knew that I would come back to it eventually. In the beginning of 2022, I was in a place where I knew that I could devote myself to completing the process to become an AFC and applied for the FINRA Foundation Fellowship scholarship.

What have you enjoyed most about the program so far, and/or what would you say to someone considering pursuing the AFC?

I have enjoyed everything about the process. I also got to meet some pretty cool people. The biggest thing I enjoyed was going through Coaching Capabilities with Andi Wrenn. What I would say to anyone considering pursuing the AFC is do it. There is nothing more satisfying than being able to support clients take strides towards financial stability.

Tell us about a project or initiative you are currently working on.

I am currently working on developing some content geared towards increasing awareness of the basics of personal and behavioral finance.

What is the best way to connect with you (social links, etc.)?

LinkedIn is the best way to reach out to me. I am on there as Brandon Shurn, Ph.D., LCPC, LMHC, AFC®️, NCC.