Money skills, before
they cost you a lifetime.
Michael West Financials helps teens and young adults learn to budget, save, and prepare to invest — in plain English, at their own pace. One-on-one coaching, free comprehensive guides, no jargon, no sales pitch.
Coaching that starts where you are.
Three sessions, in any order, designed to compound. Bring a paystub, a question, or just curiosity — we'll work from there.
Build a budget
Walk through real expenses together and leave with a budget you'll actually keep — not a spreadsheet that dies in two weeks.
Ways to save
Take that budget further. Where to park cash, how high-yield savings actually works, and the difference between saving and hoarding.
Prepare to invest
What investing actually is, the vehicles available to you, and how to find the right resources when you're ready to put dollars to work.
Slow-cooked advice in a fast-food world.
Plain English
Every term gets defined. No assumed knowledge.
Judgment-free
Bring your real numbers. We've seen worse.
No sales pitch
We don't sell products or take commissions.
Long horizon
Habits compound. So does the work we do together.
Comprehensive, no fluff.
Long-form, plain-English breakdowns of the retirement accounts most people meet at their first real job — and most people misunderstand for years.
Guide to 401(k)
A plain-English guide to 401(k) plans: traditional vs. Roth, contribution limits, employer matching, withdrawals, and what to do when you change jobs.
Read the guide → Guide · 10 min readGuide to IRA
Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE, and Rollover IRAs in plain English — what each is for, who can contribute, and how taxes play out over decades.
Read the guide →Bring a question.
Leave with a plan.
Sessions are friendly, judgment-free, and built around what you actually need. Send a quick message about what you'd like to cover and we'll find a time that works.