need personal support?

Money Strategy Session

Meet with me one on one (or one on two, if you'd like to meet with a partner) to look at your overall financial situation and goals, then work together to strategize your next steps. This will help you get organized, consider your goals, and determine specific action steps to help you achieve those goals. Then I'll follow up with you to make sure you actually took action! This is for one, 1-hour Strategy Session, which will be held virtually (or in person if you're in the Corvallis area).

Not currently enrolling clients, message me if you're interested!
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Does this sound familiar?

You feel insecure and overwhelmed about finances because no one ever taught you about money.
You want to take control of your finances and feel confident that you can achieve your goals.
You're ready to face your fears and conquer money, so you can intentionally save, spend, and invest money in line with your values and goals.
You hope to eventually gain "time freedom" or the ability to spend your time however you want, rather than working to survive.

You can take control of your financial situation and use money to achieve your goals!

But it's so hard to know where to start and who you can trust. You've probably heard a bunch of random financial advice on social media, but it's often confusing or shaming or tells you exactly what you should do (without knowing anything about you!). 
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I get it!

I didn't know where to start either.

I've always been intentional with my money, using it to enjoy my life. But I just didn't know how to grow my money for the long-run. As you can see from my investing chart, in 2015 I only had $500 invested! I was terrified to invest and didn't know where to go for reliable information. I knew that my partner and I wanted time freedom, we wanted to have meaningful experiences with our children, and we wanted to retire early. But we had no idea how to get there. 

But I figured it out, and I reached my first investing goal! And so can you.

Meet mICHELLE

Michelle Onaka

Hi, I'm Michelle. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Master of Science in Education. In my part-time day job, I am a TRIO SSS academic counselor at Oregon State University, helping first-generation and Pell-eligible college students get their college degrees. I love to talk to students about the overall picture, and then get into the nitty gritty details to help them troubleshoot and strategize. I also teach a 2-credit college course called TRIO SSS - Planning Your Financial Future to help our TRIO SSS students prepare for their financial lives after college. I created Intentional Money Life to help people build their financial education, apply it to themselves, and intentionally create a life that they LOVE. 

Follow me on social media to see my visuals and 2-5 minute videos about all sorts of financial topics! 
Patrick Jones - Course author
Are you ready to start tackling your financial situation?

Together, we can get a big picture view of your situation and then come up with next steps for you to take to work towards your goals. I'll be there to ask you the questions that you need to consider, and to answer your questions as you have them.

If you want to start getting serious about your finances, sign up today!

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Frequently asked questions

What is a Money Strategy Session? How do I know if I need one?

A Money Strategy Session is an opportunity to take an overall view of your current financial situation, and your goals, and what kinds of changes you might need to make to reach those goals. It's also an opportunity to ask the financial questions you've been considering, and get resources that might help you in your personal situation.

You need this if you have an idea of where you want to go, but you're not sure if you're on that path or not. Or if you are on the path, but want someone else to look at your situation and make sure you haven't missed anything. You also need this if money is confusing and overwhelming and you want to take steps to improve your financial situation but you honestly don't know where to start!

What if 1 hour isn't long enough?

At the end of our meeting we'll discuss next steps. If you'd like to schedule more one on one meetings, or if you might be a good fit for my Level Up Your Finances program, we'll discuss that at that time.

What if I already know that I need more (structure or time) than just one meeting?

Great! Both my Level Up Your Finances program and Money Goals Clarity mini-course include more structure as well as the app-based asynchronous financial coaching.

Level Up Your Finances would be a great choice for someone who's ready to dive into investing and taxes and really just thinking through most pieces of your future financial life so that you can be intentional with your money.

If you aren't quite ready for that, but need a little more structure to help you learn more about yourself and your goals, consider my Money Goals Clarity mini-course instead.

If you aren't interested in a course or program, but just want more time for financial coaching, we can work together to determine what length of time you'd like and get something set up at the end of our first meeting (so go ahead and purchase this for now).

Will we meet live?

Yes! Either remotely or in-person (if you're in Corvallis and prefer that). 

Will you blame or shame me? Will you tell me what to do?

I strongly believe in social justice and in understanding the impact of systems of oppression. I do not shame and blame people for their situations, and I will never try to tell you what you should do. I believe you need reliable information and support in making sure you understand that information and any potential ramifications of your decisions, and then you should feel confident making your own decisions. 

Everyone is trying to sell me something, how do I know that I can trust you?

Besides being paid for my time, I will not make money when you invest, or reduce your spending, or file your taxes, or buy insurance, or whatever steps you choose to take based on our coaching. I have no incentive to give you bad information. It may be that a next step recommended for you is one of my programs or courses, but I will not recommend that if that's not what's best for you. And if I do recommend it, I'll explain exactly why I think this next step is a good choice for you, and what you might choose to do instead. I don't believe in pressuring people, and I want you to feel empowered and not pushed around.

Note that I am not a licensed financial professional and the information I provide is for educational purposes only and not given as advice. If you'd like to see some of my work, check out my blog, such as this post where I explain why you really want to avoid fees when investing.

Do you have another question that I didn't answer?

Feel free to send me an email with any other questions at Michelle@intentionalmoneylife.com. I'd be happy to either respond via email, or get on the phone and answer any questions you have!
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Let's do this!

The sooner you tackle your financial situation the better. For instance, compound interest will make your money will grow over time. The more time you have, the more it can grow!

So if you really want to create a better life for yourself both now and in the future, now is the time to get started. Waiting could cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars!
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