Michele Rankin, MBA Financial Coaching

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Hertford, NC
Michele Rankin, MBA Financial Coaching

I'm a Certified Finance Coach that can help you reach your personal financial goals. Stress less & achieve more with your money.

Ramsey Solutions Financial Coach Master

06/03/2026

A 529 savings plan is exactly what it sounds like—a dedicated way to save and invest money for future education costs. It’s a tax‑advantaged investment account with several surprisingly flexible features, including:

State-to-state flexibility — Every state offers its own version of a 529 plan, but you’re not locked into using your home state’s plan. You can shop around and choose the option with the lowest fees or best investment choices.

No age restrictions — Contributions and withdrawals aren’t tied to age. If your 30‑year‑old decides to head back to school, the funds can still be used.

Transferable benefits — If one child doesn’t use all the money, you can transfer the remaining balance to another child or even a grandchild.

Non‑education withdrawals — You can use the money for non‑education expenses if you need to. It’s your money. Just keep in mind that taxes and a 10% penalty will apply to the earnings portion.

And starting in 2024, there’s an exciting new perk: beneficiaries can roll over unused 529 funds into a Roth or traditional IRA once the account has been open for 15 years. That means if your child finishes school with money left over—or decides not to attend college at all—they can use those funds to jump‑start their retirement savings.

A 529 plan is a great place to invest money for you or your kids to go to college, but it isn’t for everyone. You shouldn’t invest in a 529 plan if you aren’t financially ready to do so.

Are you ready? Lets talk about that.💸

05/29/2026

Monthly paychecks always seem to trip you up, but its really not a problem. Its all in the planning.

Here’s a good framework to use for splitting your monthly paycheck: Give first (10% of take-home), then save at least 15% of your gross income (this is once you’re debt-free), keep housing at or below 25% of take-home, and assign the rest to essentials and discretionary (in that order).

That savings percentage is an important one! There are three reasons why: emergencies, large planned purchases (car, home down payment, college), and retirement. Every dollar you save should have a job! 😊

Lets create your plan to achieve financial freedom together. Visit my website and schedule a free consultation. New pricing options are availible.

05/26/2026

Prosperity is a behavior, not a paycheck. It’s built through habits like planning, prioritizing, and protecting your resources — not just accumulating them.

Three concepts to think about that are completly in your control regardless of income, and if managed wisely will put you on track to financial success:

Intentional spending — Directing money toward what matters instead of letting impulse or stress decide for you. This is where people discover they don’t need more money; they need more clarity and accountability.

Consistent saving — Not giant, heroic savings, but small, automatic moves that compound over time. Prosperity loves consistency more than intensity.

Smart risk management — Avoiding the traps that drain wealth: debt spirals, lifestyle creep, and lack of emergency buffers.

Where do you think you need help the most? 💸

05/20/2026

If you've worked hard to pay off your debt and you established an emergency fund, your not only prepared for whatever life throws your way, but you are more than ready to start investing in your future.

If you’re new to investing, 15% of your gross income is a great place to start. These days, a lot of people wonder if they’ll ever retire with dignity, but here’s the truth: Just $250 a month invested from age 30 to 65 can grow to $1,232,073. Anyone in America can retire a millionaire. To get there, you just need consistancy and patience. And then sit back an watch the magic of compound interest work for you. An investment pro can help you put together an investment portfolio that is specific to your individual needs.

Message me for a link to find an investor pro near you.

Need a finance coach to get you in the right position to start investing? That would be me! Visit my website and schedule your free consultation today and see if personal financial coaching is right for you.💸

05/18/2026

The rich ruleth over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender.
Proverbs 22:7

Debt puts you and your money in bo***ge to the lender.

There's a huge myth that's fooling a lot of people today. It's the myth that debt is an effective part of their financial plan. The myth that it's normal to make four "easy" buy-now-pay-later payments on a $25 T-shirt. Seriously?

Credit has been marketed to us so effectively that most people think they can't live without it. They think debt is good...even necessary. To top it off, they think anyone who lives without debt must be crazy!

I'm cool with that. When it comes to debt, I don't want to be normal. And I'm in pretty good company, because King Solomon, who knew a lot about money and wealth, felt the same way. In Proverbs 22:7, he was adamant about avoiding debt. Because he understood what so many people today totally miss: Debt enslaves us!

If you feel like debt is enslaving you, don't wait any longer. You can do something about it today. You can actually choose to live without debt. There's great freedom in that decision.

What would it take for you to move toward a lifestyle where you owe nothing to anyone? Just imagine what that would feel like. It can be done. Lets talk about it. Schedule a free consultation today!💸

05/15/2026

Here's the bottom line: Buy Now, Pay Later is debt. It just comes dressed up in friendlier clothes. Before you ever consider using it, ask yourself these questions:

💸Can I actually afford this right now? If the answer is no, BNPL doesn't change that. It just delays the pain — and often makes it worse. Nearly half of BNPL users miss at least one payment, triggering fees that can reach 25% of your balance.

💸Am I being manipulated into spending more? These companies aren't shy about it — Afterpay users spend 40% more, Klarna boosts order sizes by 41%, and Affirm brags about a 60% increase in add-ons. The whole system is engineered to get you to buy more than you planned.

💸What's the real cost? "Interest-free" sounds great until you miss a payment. Some services charge up to 36% interest on longer plans. That $1,000 flight becomes $1,360 by the time it's paid off.

💸Do I have a budget for this? If a purchase doesn't fit your budget, the answer isn't to split it into four payments — it's to either cut spending elsewhere or save up for it. That's delayed gratification, and it's the move that actually builds wealth.

‼️🛑‼️BNPL Is a Debt Trap - 32% of BNPL users had to skip or delay paying a necessary bill just to make an installment payment. That's not budgeting — that's robbing Peter to pay Paul.

The better path: Build a zero-based budget, assign every dollar a job, and save up for what you want. No middleman, no late fees, no regret.

Would you like help building a budget so you can start saving for purchases instead of borrowing for them? Lets do this! Message Me!

05/11/2026

A financial plan — even a simple one — forces you to confront three things:

💸Where your money goes — spending becomes visible instead of mysterious.

💸What you actually want — goals stop being vague wishes and become targets.

💸How you’ll get there — you create a path instead of hoping things work out.

Without that structure, money tends to drift toward convenience, impulse, and habit — not toward freedom or stability.

Lets work together and create a plan that will have you debt free and showing real progress in reaching your goals.

05/02/2026

Break the cycle!

Your financial health is 80% behavior and 20% head knowledge.

I share the knowledge and give you the accountability you need to be successful!

Are you ready?💸

04/26/2026

There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; But a foolish man spendeth it up.
-Proverbs 21:20

This verse draws a distinction between a wise person and a fool. A wise person stores up their valuable resources so they have them in the future if they need them. A fool just uses up their resources as soon as they get them.

But why is this so hard for many of us to do? It all comes down to discipline. It takes discipline to set aside a portion of what you earn to save for larger purchases as well as investing to build future wealth.

Saving money is one of the basic things wise, wealthy people do. Instead of chasing a lot of extravagant toys, they put money aside. Instead of spending every dollar they make, they use the power of compound interest to build wealth for the future. Instead of flaunting their money, they adopt a simpler lifestyle. They live on less than they make-and they don't suffer from it a bit.

When you look at your savings, investments, and retirement accounts, what is your reaction? What changes could you make to create margin in your budget to allow you to save money?

I would like to help you figure this all out.

04/24/2026

Regardless of where you are at in your financial journey, you can use these same steps to establish your savings goal.💸

* Clearly define the goal - What are you saving for?
* Give it a dollar amount
* Set a timeline
* Break it down into a manageable monthly amount
* Separate it from your other money by using a sinking fund
* Automate it and forget it

Remember it's not how much money you make that determines success, it's how you manage it. Take the time to learn good money habits today, so you can enjoy the rewards later.

Address

Hertford, NC

Telephone

+13307055677

Website

https://linktr.ee/michelebarkerrankin, https://www.mrpersonalfinancecoach.com/

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