Let’s Be Real: Nobody Plans for a Layoff…

Let’s be real: nobody wakes up thinking, “Today feels like a great day to lose my job, or get furloughed.

And in those moments, one question rises to the top:

Are we prepared, or are we just hoping things magically work out?

For over 25 years, I worked for the federal government. Safe, steady, predictable. The kind of job people assume you’ll retire from with a great pension and a fat Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). By the way, a TSP is a retirement savings plan — basically the federal government’s version of a 401(k).

But then the agency started making changes. We were told more changes were coming, but no one could say what they were. Then the buyouts appeared. Could this be a lifeline? And suddenly, I was standing in the middle of a life decision that was way ahead of schedule:

Stay someplace that no longer felt secure… or fast-forward to retirement way ahead of schedule and with less money?

Courageous? Maybe.

Terrifying? Absolutely.

What’s funny is — even before all of this, I was already a licensed insurance broker. I’d been learning how life insurance can do more than protect families after someone passes away. It can help people build wealth while they’re alive. It can create cash flow, and provide a way to participate in the gains of the stock market without losing money when the stock market is down. So my money antennae was already up, but I still hadn’t fully investigated what my financial life looked like if Plan A didn’t happen. At the time, I thought retirement was years — maybe decades — away for me. I didn’t realize how quickly life would ask me to apply what I’d learned.

So when things shifted at work and I had the opportunity to take a buyout, I went into a full-on search mode for reputable financial advisors who could assess my financial position and project whether I could afford to leave my federal career. I met with six financial planners and tried to sift through their assessments and decide what I wanted to believe — and what was actually realistic for me.

Thank God that I landed on my feet with the help of a good Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) and made the right decision for me — a fiduciary who could review my finances, project different retirement scenarios, and give advice based on what was in my best interest. A fiduciary is legally required to put the client’s needs first, which matters, because not every financial professional has to do that.

But something surprising happened.

The more I learned from the experts, the more I realized that I need to know this stuff - in depth.  Even if I chose to work with a financial advisor, I needed to be in the position to know what’s possible, understand the plan and the language, and to ask the right questions. I needed to understand money and the world of money.

How it works.

How it grows.

How to protect it.

That started my journey.  So I dug deeper and I got so excited that I started studying for the Series 65 exam.   That’s the exam that allows someone to become a Registered Investment Adviser Representative (RIA) — which basically means you’re legally allowed to give financial advice for a fee and guide people on investing, financial planning, retirement strategies, and overall money management.  I studied for the exam and I passed!   It’s not a cute little quiz. It’s challenging but it also opened my eyes to how much I didn’t know and how there is a real gap when it comes to financial literacy for a lot of us.

And then I started immersing myself in financial books by financial experts and was intrigued by strategies and mindsets that affect our financial and life choices.

And that’s what this space is — sharing my journey and sharing knowledge. They say the best way to retain knowledge is to share it with others.

So I’m sharing my journey — the knowledge I’ve gained, the strategies I’m using, and the financial concepts that aren’t just for the privileged few, but available to all of us. Just real conversations about money, with an eye toward helping others build financial literacy. Because money touches everything — our choices, our peace, our future.

If you’ve ever opened your banking app, taken a deep breath, and whispered, “Lord, please…”

If you know you should be putting money away but have no clue where…

If you’re worried about your retirement or whether you’ll ever feel financially secure…

You are not alone. In fact, 27% of U.S. adults have no emergency savings at all (Bankrate, 2025) — that’s about 1 in 4 people. But here’s the good news: you have the power to change that. Your financial future is something you can build, shape, and reinvent.

It’s never about where you start. It begins with a mental shift and intention — and the rest can be learned. So be encouraged — and challenge yourself to learn more about finance and financial concepts, and take small steps at whatever pace feels right for you. Just don’t stay in the same place if that’s not where you want to be. And if you don’t have any money or even a job right now, try to carve out a little time to plan for when you do.

Let’s make money make sense — one concept at a time.

I’m glad you’re here.