Christine Mills is a financial advisor and has nearly 20 years’ experience in the financial services industry. She enjoys helping clients realize their financial goals whether it's retiring with dignity or saving for college or any goal in between. Christine also works with privately held business owners and their families to effectively create succession plans that maximizes their financial potential while addressing the various needs of concerned parties.

Christine hosts the podcast, The Veranda Entrepreneur Podcast, where she interviews creative women entrepreneurs.

Christine Mills is a lifelong learner and has a Master of Business Administration from Babson College, Master of Arts in Education from University of Saint Joseph, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Florida A&M University.

She holds the following registrations: Investment Advisor Representative (Series 66 the Uniform Combined State Law Examination), Series 7 Securities Representative Exam and the Life Variable Annuity Insurance Agent.

She is an active volunteer in her local community and church. Christine lives with husband of nearly 20 years, two active children and their standard schnauzer in Boca Raton, FL. She enjoys traveling, reading, spinning classes and spending quality time with her family and friends.

HERE ARE 3 TIPS TO HELP YOU ON YOUR ROAD TO SELF-EMPOWERMENT

1. Talking about money is paramount to your financial success
2. Discover your money mindset and how it impacts your money decisions
3. Seek support for your financial freedom

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CURIOUS TO FIND OUT WAYS ON HOW YOU CAN TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE AND START YOUR OWN JOURNEY TO RECOVERY?

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If you'd like to move from self-loathing to self-love, as Beverly did, stay tuned for today's episode that is Sure to help you take on the world. And now here is Beverly. Enjoy the show.

Most women struggle with their self image and self confidence. Her self expression provides knowledge, support, and insight to help women on their life journey to self-empowerment on the inside and out, so they can confidently and successfully take on the world. Today I have these questions for you to think about.

Do you understand your finances? Do you feel good about your financial future? Do you have financial goals? Well, my guess today is Christine Mills and she's going to talk with me today about why women should empower themselves with their financial future. If you want to empower your financial future, be on top of your finances and empower yourself, then listen to our conversations.

Christine is a financial advisor and has nearly 20 years experience in the financial services industry. She enjoys helping clients realize their financial goals, whether it's retiring with dignity, saving for college, or any goal in between. Christine also works with privately held business owners and their families to effectively create succession plans that maximize their financial potential while addressing the various needs of concerned parties.

Christine Alton hosts the podcast, the Veranda Entrepreneur Podcast, where she interviews creative women entrepreneurs. She's a lifelong learner and has an MBA from Babson College, an MA from University of St. Joseph's, and a BS in Business Management from Florida a and m University.

Wow, what a lifelong learning.

She holds the following registrations, investment advisor representative. Series 66 Series seven Securities Exam and the Life Variable Annuity Insurance Agent. She is an active volunteer in her local community and church. Christine lives with her husband of nearly 20 years, two active children and their standard snoozer in Bocato in Florida coming safely out of the hurricane.

Thank goodness she enjoys traveling, reading. Spending classes and spending quality time with her family and friends. Hi Christine. Thank you so much for being my guest today. It's so good to have you here.

Can you tell me and the audience a little bit about your own personal journey to empowerment?

My siblings the oldest one was 14 years old and they came here and started a new life. The challenge was that during that time, so many people are leaving the country due to political issues and they were only able to take $50 per person. Wow. So they were able to take their life and start all over again and create a business for people ministry, and they're able to raise all of us, and we all graduated with at least a masters in our.

And when I think of the journey that they had, it shaped who I am and I feel because of education was always a big part of our lives and being able to work hard and provide as well as give back to community, I felt in a way that's a big part of who I am. And that was my self-discovery. Wow, what

That they could do that with $50 in their pocket. It really shows how dedication can triumph in so many ways. Yeah. So can you tell me what a financial advisor does?

And I liked and I, that was my image for many years. And so a financial advisor is, and they. Wear these really fancy suits. But a financial advisor really goes through life with their customer. We help them with their financial goals and make sure they make wise decisions along the way. When I drink of just the very past 20 years of my own life, there are so many things that's happened.

That a financial advisor would've been such a benefit to me. I got married, I had children. We've mourned, loss of loved ones. Parents have aged. We've gone through sicknesses. We've gotten gotten degrees. We've bought a home. A financial advisor is a person who helps you through all those stages.

It's a lot more than just investing for retirement, although that is a part of what we do, but we really help you through different life stages. So when I meet with someone, the most important thing I would like to ask a client or prospect, what is most important to you? What are your goals? What keeps you up at night?

What are you thinking about that you don't really talk to anyone? And that really gives the root of what's going on. You know, some clients, their biggest concern are their elderly parents, or another concern is rising inflation. How am I going to get ahead with the rising cost of gas and be able to pay for college education?

Right? Or even saving enough. So these are questions you're meeting with your financial advisor. And you're going through it. Sometimes I might meet someone and they say, Hey, I just started a new job and I may be in that position for a year before I could start retirement. What can I do? Or should I buy right now?

Or should I keep my home? So those are all decisions we talk about and it, again, it's much more than just that final retirement, right, which is a party puzzle, but there's so much to our lives. Absolutely.

Are there any specific things regarding financial goals, financial empowerment, that are particular and unique to divorced and widowed women?

Large part is just to figure out where all the finances are, and I find that could be a problem. Your spouse may have been the person who was in control of this the finances. Gotcha. So you really have to know like all the accounts, the actual costs of your living expense, a true cost, and getting around that, making sure that your names aren't certain accounts and if there are any accounts out there that you don't know about.

So the biggest thing is to get an inventory of your financial standing and also to look to see how are you going to. After that time in your life, whether it's divorce or Witt, him. Gotcha. And I, I, I find that sometimes we may make decisions based on like a home. I've seen women want to stay in the home that they might not be able to afford.

So having that honest conversation with yourself. About things that may seem important, but really not as important as you think they are.

I think that financial advisors is very important to make sure that they really understand your needs, your unique needs. Everyone is different. Right now I'm in my daughter's room. She plays basketball. That's a big part of who I am right now. I'm a mother, I'm a mother of young kids. And it's, it's very active time in our lives and, but 10 years from now, we might be in a totally different situation.

Yes. So it's, it's, and I'm also part of the sandwich generation in that my dad is turning 85 in December and I'm really thankful to be around to see. But at the same time, I'm raising a 10 year old son, so I have elderly parents and I also have children that I'm raising. So when you're meeting with your financial advisor or potential financial advisor, you really want to make sure that they understand your individual needs, not just what they think your needs are and projecting that onto you.

And when you're looking for a financial advisor, do your homework and also interview. Just because you meet the first person doesn't mean that's necessarily the person you want to go with. Make a lesson if that's the person for you, and I think that's very helpful.

So why did you start your podcast and what were the biggest lessons you've learned from it?

Someone who does picnics on the beach for different celebrations, as well as an upcoming interview with, with Christie and Lemo, who's the founder of Deval Studios, which I'm really excited about. And all of these entrepreneurs, I found that they're very persistent about their goals and that's what kept them through different stages of their company.

They were also flexible with what the success looked like, and they were able to adapt. And I also found that with a lot of the entrepreneurs I have interviewed. They may not know all the steps, but they're willing to work through problems and figure things out. And I think even just like in whatever in industry you are, I think that's a trait that's really valuable to just figure things out along the way.

I, I teach my client, my, my children that all the time, you may not know everything, but just try to take a couple. And learn along the way. And I find that even with finance is, it's very important that you may not know all the steps, but to educate yourself and just always find ways to learn more.

Absolutely. Well, this is a great time for us to take a quick break. Everyone. Please stay tuned and we'll be back in a moment when Christine will share with us her three actionable steps to help you find financial empowerment. We'll be right back. Hi, beautiful Beverly Price here again. Thank you for listening to my podcast.

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Now let's get back to the show, and I'm back now with Christine Mills financial advisor. Christine, to follow up on what we've been saying so far, what three actionable steps would you give to the women in our audience to try to empower their financial futures?

Take actionable steps, take an inventory of your life. I think it's important to see what your assets are, line them up and just make an inventory in all your debt. And I, that sounds daunting, but I think that's very helpful. Sometimes we have a number in our head and it's not really the. Look at all the bills that you owe, your credit card debt, your mortgage student loans, and work through those numbers.

Make sure that your beneficiaries are in order on even on your accounts at the bank. That seems like it's so simple, but it could be disastrous. God, for forbid, if anything were to happen to you. So just take an inventory of everything. Number two, educate yourself. There are so many great material books, podcasts that you could learn and start where you are.

Where you are is pretty much just learning how to pay off debt. Start with that if where you are just trying to figure out what's the difference between the stock and the etf. Start with that. I think right now there's so much information, but I think it's important to take baby steps along the way. And thirdly, find.

Whether it's a financial advisor or a support group to help you through wherever you are, I think that's very helpful. So again, if you are just trying to pay off debt, find the support group to help you with that. If you're trying to learn how to invest or try to find a financial advisor with that, or even a support group,

And I was at the funeral home and they asked me to make payment and said they just take it out of the insurance policy. And they came back with this very long face and they. Sorry, you're not the beneficiary, and if it wouldn't have been for the generosity and the kindness of his previous wife, then I wouldn't have received that money at all to cover the cost of the funeral.

So I am living proof that if you're divorced in particular, make sure you change the beneficiaries on your life insurance policies, so it's so important. And account. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.

Very

I'm not giving that power to anyone else. I'm giving it to myself. It's my responsibility to make sure that I know where all my assets are, as well as my liabilities, and I know where I'm going with it. I find that's a lot of peace in that when you are making purchasing decisions, when you are making life decisions.

You know exactly what your net worth is. You know how much money you owe, how much money's coming in, and you need to have a seat at the table, whether you're in a happy marriage or you're by yourself or you're going through a divorce. It's very important that you have a seat at the table for your finances.

Right, and I just wanted to add another caveat is that now we're going to holiday season. It's so important to have those convers. In a MultiGen, multi-generational way with our family members about money where, you know, has everyone gotten a will taken care of? Mm-hmm. , what's your hopes and desires for your, your loved ones and what responsibilities do they have?

I think this is a great time to talk about money during the holidays. It doesn't seem like it, but. You know, I, I will really hope that no one who's listening, God forbid anything, were to happen with their loved ones. You have these surprise announcements because there wasn't a conversation.

And I find that when I embrace what makes me unique, I feel like I'm stepping into another level of. And my hope is that everyone finds out what makes 'em unique and not shy away from, and also just embrace who they are. And I, I feel like there's nothing like it.

It's very important. There are very few times when everyone's around the table. And just start with, Hey I, I'm starting to learn to speak more about money. Why is one Money lesson you'll wanna pass on to each other? Start with that. Whoa. And see what people say. You know, if you have someone who's in their eighties around the table, and there's someone that's five years old, that's such a powerful conversation to have.

There's so many things we've learned along the way. It's just to pass it on to the next generation.

To get to where Christine describes, we need strength, dedication, and desire. I believe that we need both outside and inside strength to come together to make our empowerment journey complete. Thank you for being with Christine and me on this episode of her Self-expression. I hope you can see the direct connection between your relationship with money and empowerment.

I love connecting you with incredible women that can provide actionable steps for you to take on your journey. You can find our podcast through links at Apple, Spotify and more so please download and review this episode of her self-expression. And share it with your friends so we can bring you even more interesting topics and impactful guests.

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