Kate (Denver, CO)

“My biggest goal was getting out of and STAYING out of debt.

I make good money, but I kept finding myself getting caught in a cycle of overspending and feeling unprepared big purchases or an emergency. I felt like getting a new job and making more money would solve my problems eventually.

But oddly enough, while I was working with Berkeley, I ended up taking a job that paid LESS money (with more upside down the road), AND got into a more expensive mortgage, but with the tools I learned, I was still able to confidently save each month and not overextend myself.

Berkeley taught me how to create a financial system that is trackable, realistic, and user friendly, but also super flexible. I never felt pressured to use it to a T which provided the ability to make it my own and less opportunity to feel like a failure.

I also gained so much awareness over my spending habits, impulse spending tendencies, and how to talk to other people about personal finance without feeling ashamed. I expected the program to be more “facts and figures.” I was not expecting to get touchy feely and therapy session-like, but I now understand how valuable that aspect is to changing spending behavior. 

I was a little anxious about the cost since I felt like I was having a hard time getting ahead as it was, but if you follow the program and create realistic goals, it'll more than pay for itself in 3-6 months. Then you have the rest of your life to recoup those savings and put that money to work for you.”