Money talk
December 27, 2024
Whether building a nest egg or whittling down debt, diving into our personal finances can feel downright daunting. Here’s how one financial coach in Charlotte says we can manage our money better in 2025.
by Sharon Smith
Bernadette Joy is comfortable talking about something most of us are not: money. Beyond financial expertise, her friendly, encouraging approach makes a challenging topic easier to tackle.
“I still talk about investing. I still talk about emergency funds,” Joy says, pointing to the importance of tried-and-true financial practices. “But I want to frame it in a way to make it more palatable for people to at least give it a shot.”
As a contributing expert to Forbes, CNET and CNBC, Joy has grown a national brand centered around no-shame, realistic financial advice. She moved to Charlotte more than a decade ago and built a business coaching a diverse clientele ranging from high-earners to those climbing out of debt. Her new book, CRUSH Your Money Goals, shares smart money habits in a conversational style that feels like she’s right there coaching you in person.
The book starts with Joy explaining how she paid off $300,000 in debt over three years and leans into her experience as a first-generation Filipina American. There’s empathy, humor and yes, real-life strategy. CRUSH is an acronym for her financial freedom plan.
Joy is pictured with loved ones after receiving her MBA from UNC Chapel Hill in 2016. Photographs courtesy Bernadette Joy.
“Especially for the new year, my advice for people is start with ‘C,’” she says. “C” stands for “curate your accounts.” Joy says organizing and streamlining your accounts will create an uncluttered view of your finances. “People need to visibly, tangibly see what they have,” Joy says, so they can have an accurate picture of their net worth. One app she recommends to manage everything in one place is Monarch Money.
As part of curating, Joy suggests giving every account a meaningful name and distinct purpose. This can be creative. One client named a retirement account “Sippin’ Pina Coladas” to be fun and motivational. Naming an account also helps identify duplicates — saving time and fees. Then, prioritize. Joy says 20% of your money should be directed toward accounts that will produce the most gain.
While Joy could talk about money all day, she wants her clients to talk about finances with the people who matter most. She knows it’s tough to initiate discussions about the transfer of wealth between parents and children, expectations and wishes. “I’m just 39 years old, but in doing that estate plan for myself, it really informed me on what kind of questions to ask my parents.” SP
Bernadette Joy has several speaking engagements and seminars on the calendar in 2025. You can also listen to her podcast, Crush Your Money Goals, wherever you stream podcasts.
