Member Success Story: A Bigger House and a Better Marriage

A better marriage, affording a more expensive home, making room for vacations and grandbabies. What do these all have in common? Improving finances through the MSA Financial Wellness program! After just a few consultations with her MSA Money Coach, Trina reaped the benefits of a better budget and financial accountability. Here’s how…

A Better Marriage
Trina entered the MSA program with nothing more than debt and confusion. “I came in with little knowledge of how my finances really are. I was married for 28 years, and a long separation left me in a huge debt, trying to raise 2 teenage boys without child support or any financial support. I recently remarried, and we had not fully gotten our finances figured out, each of us were on our own page.”

Chad, Trina’s Money Coach, focused on bringing Trina and Karl together as a financial team. “Chad helped [us] make a budget…. Chad was always encouraging and upbeat, and never looked down at me [but] gave me the self-confidence to move forward and fix the wrongs of the past. He has been the first person that could get Karl and I on the same page.”

Actually talking through finances, with an unbiased financial professional, helped Trina and Karl keep finances from becoming a conflict in their marriage. It also led them to achieve bigger and better things….

Affording a More Expensive House
Trina came to her consultation and asked, “How would a person really know if they can afford a $900 or $1200 house payment?” By working with Chad, she got an answer, and a pretty good one at that! “Karl and I worked together on a budget and then did a whole month of tracking, and guess what???? We can afford the bigger payment…. We are now looking at the more expensive house in our like list.”

Having a budget showed Trina and Karl what they could really afford, and it turned out that owning their dream home could be a reality. “After looking at the deal a bit closer and working on a post house purchase budget, the more expensive house was cheaper since it didn’t require any remodels.” They were able to make smarter financial decisions because their coach helped them account for financial obligations not only in the purchase of the home, but for life in the home.

Vacations & Grandbabies
Trina and Karl didn’t have to sacrifice their other financial goals for the brand-new home; rather, Coach Chad gave them the tools to have better success. An in-depth view of how much money is earned and how that money is used showed Trina and Karl that they could have the larger payment on the house and, as they put it, “still be able to stuff some money away in the vacation and grandbaby funds!” They now put $200 into their vacation fund each month, and save another $200 for other expenses.

Establishing a budget laid the groundwork for not only a better financial future but a better future as a couple. Needless to say, Trina and Karl are (in their own words) “Budget fans!” You can create your own budget by working with a MSA Money Coach who can help you talk through things and provide worksheets, calculators, and more. Call 888-724-2326 today.