#FridayFollow – Making Personal Finance Fun!

At the 2018 AFCPE Symposium, Matt Goren, CFP^® and Michael G. Thomas, AFC^® received the Outstanding Consumer Financial Information award for their podcast, Nothing Funny About Money. Recipients of this award, nominated by their peers, provide innovative consumer information in the field of financial counseling and planning. Nothing Funny About Money (NFAM) is a podcast focused on making personal finance fun. The hosts interview experts in the field and offer their own practical, data-driven advice. This is the first time in AFCPE the history of the AFCPE Awards, that a podcast received this award. Read about this historic moment and what it meant to them.*

*Please note: Michael Thomas was previously featured in our Friday Follow series. This post’s responses are coming from Matt Goren on behalf of NFAM. To read the full post from Michael, please click here.

AFCPE: What inspired you to do this work? 

Matt: Michael and I have been public speakers for over a decade, and we both think personal finance should be more accessible and discussed openly. Our offices looked directly out onto the radio tower – so that probably put an idea into our head. Plus, I used to be a comedy writer and actor.

AFCPE: We can see that! At this year’s Symposium, you were awarded the Outstanding Consumer Financial Information Award for the podcast, “Nothing Funny About Money”! Congratulations! What does receiving this award mean to you? 

Matt: It means we’ve made it! We’ve put very many hours into this show with no real expectation of it going anywhere. So, to win a national award is very encouraging. And, it is humbling to share the stage with some folks who’ve dedicated their lives to the much harder work of coaching people in real financial crises.

AFCPE: What advice would you give to other financial professionals looking to enter this field or to use a creative medium like radio or podcasting to spread this important message?

Matt: Think about your niche. What do you do well? What do you do differently? Focus on your strengths and don’t try to be everything to everyone. And if you’re starting a podcast, think about how you’re going to reach an audience. It can be incredibly time consuming and expensive to compete broadly on social media.

AFCPE: This is amazing advice! What’s next for you both? What has you most excited? 

Matt: Hopefully, the show is picked up on more NPR stations across the country – that’s an exciting work in progress! Until then, we can’t quit our day jobs. Michael is graduating with a Ph.D. in financial planning in Spring, 2019. He will likely continue as a professor in the program, expand his financial counseling efforts, and explore speaking opportunities. I will keep on being a financial education consultant and speaker.

Matt answers the Friday 5:

1. My Why: Someone has to solve this whole “national personal financial crisis.”
2. My Favorite Quote: Do, or do not. There is no “try.”
3. My Hero: I’m gonna say, Jad Abumrad, just to force everyone to look up who that is.
4. My Favorite Personal Finance Resource: kitces.org
5. My Best Advice:
   1. For someone starting the journey to financial well-being: You’re not as stuck as you think you are. What do you want from your life? Answer that, and then work toward that vision little by little every day. 
   2. For a new professional entering the field: Treat your profession like a small business (which, it may already be!). What’s your marketing strategy? Your revenue channels? What’s your 5-year-plan and quarterly goals? And, probably most importantly, who’s on your “board of directors”? 

You can follow the Nothing Funny About Money movement at:

Facebook: Nothing Funny About Money

Instagram: Nothing Funny About Money

Website: www.NothingFunnyAboutMoney.org