[00:00:00] Hi, I'm Kara. An uplifter to me is someone who motivates and inspires the people around them and also ensures that [00:00:15] they take care of themselves at the same time.

Aransas: Welcome to the Uplifters podcast, where we talk to inspiring purpose driven women about their journeys. She's the courage that. They've inevitably had to tap into along the way [00:00:30] and the ways that they take care of themselves in order to keep doing good work in the world.

Today I am super, super excited to introduce you to Veronica Karras. She's my financial planner. [00:00:45] And it just felt like a gift from the universe that we found her. I started the search the way so many people do, looking at different online aggregators and services. And I saw a lot of people [00:01:00] that. I didn't feel like we're asking the right questions.

And, uh, part of my, my day job is helping companies ask better questions of their customers to really understand what their customers care about and [00:01:15] use the. Strengths and the tools of coaching to provide more value for their customers. And so I was looking for somebody who had that skill set and who was really interested in being a partner and a [00:01:30] guide for us in our own financial journey.

You know, I worked for a company for many years and a lot of things were kind of sorted and taken care of as a result, but going out on my own, I felt like I was in like a whole land of mysteries. and had so much to learn. And so [00:01:45] I did what every one of our guests inevitably tells us to do and found some support.

And like I said, it just felt like a miracle that I found Veronica. So I am excited to introduce her to you [00:02:00] today so that we can all keep learning together. A little about Veronica. She is a certified financial planner. She's a principal at CapTrust, which is an investment research, an advisory firm, but she's also a [00:02:15] coach.

And what really strikes me about Veronica is a. The woman is a learner. Like, I'll post her full bio in the show notes so that you can see what I mean. But trust me, this is what it looks [00:02:30] like to be a lifelong learner and somebody who is on a path to continuous growth. But the other thing that really struck me about Veronica is that she's not just a learner for learning's sake, but that she's deeply and profoundly [00:02:45] curious.

And that's what really drew her to me, and that's what makes me feel so confident working with her. So, Veronica, thank you for being here with us today.

Veronica: Thank you, Aransas. I don't know that I could ever beat that [00:03:00] introduction. I'm glad it's recorded, to be honest, but thank you so much for having me. It's very sweet, and I'm very excited to be here.

Aransas: I want to know your story. How did you end up here?

Veronica: How did I end up here? Oh boy. [00:03:15] Okay. I physically ended up here. I'll say my mom came with her parents and me as refugee immigrants in 1994 from Belarus. We each came here with 40 and two suitcases. And my [00:03:30] mom did not realize America had pillows or bedsheets.

So that's what she brought from Belarus and some pots or dishes, a tea set. Very bizarre. You know, you never know what you could need, but that's it. My grandpa's brother and [00:03:45] his family had already been here since 1986. So we stayed with them for a little bit and then got an apartment in Queens and then eventually in Brooklyn.

When I was growing up, there was a point where the ties between Belarus and this [00:04:00] former Soviet Union Russia were not as strong. And my grandfather was able to bring some money over from Belarus here. He walked into his local bank, met the only Russian speaking advisor there, and the guy sold him nine annuities [00:04:15] across.

a relatively small amount of money. Like it was, it's an absurd thing to do and they were terrible products. And you know, basically my grandfather earned nothing through them. I started working when I was 14 years old. My very first job was at a [00:04:30] Subway sandwich store in Brooklyn. And at some point I've been working for a couple of years.

My grandfather, like. Gave me this big folder. I was like, can you tell me what I have? Because I have no idea. And like somebody told me I should be making money. Doesn't really seem to be [00:04:45] growing. Like, I don't understand any of this. I, of course, because there's no financial literacy in the United States brought it to like a social studies teacher that I knew and liked.

Shout out to Mr. Campbell. If you ever see this. Brought it to a social studies [00:05:00] teacher that I knew and liked and he was kind of like, you know It really just seems like somebody took advantage of your grandfather being you know Old and not understanding English and all that. I got really angry and I wanted to be an attorney Who put bad financial [00:05:15] advisors in jail for quite some time and then my grandfather is a quintessential optimist He literally climbed Mount Everest, so very just, just a warm, optimistic, and everyone can turn around person and [00:05:30] said, maybe there is a side of the financial worlds where you're helping people instead of just dealing with the stuff after the fact.

So I went to college when I started interning, I interned at a life insurance company because I knew [00:05:45] they sold annuity products and I wanted to understand how the sale process happened and what it was. And then I learned about a type of institution called a registered investment advisor, which is a fiduciary.

So the difference between like a [00:06:00] broker dealer, like a big, big, some of the bigger names you would have heard like a Morgan Stanley or Merrill Lynch or JP Morgan Chase and registered investment advisor is that registered investment advisors I have to abide by a fiduciary standard, meaning they have to [00:06:15] do what's in the best interest of their clients, not to sell.

And that's when, for me, that was like the click moment of like, okay, this is the side of the business that does it right. I understand now that there's a difference in [00:06:30] different incentives. And one of the advisors for the insurance company I worked for was starting his own RIA, was trying to split off from that world, kind of joined him.

I spent six years there in 2015, uh, the [00:06:45] Obama administration was trying to pass the Department of Labor fiduciary rule. Like if you oversaw retirement plans, you had to be a fiduciary for it. Fortunately never passed, but it got really, really close to passing. And at that [00:07:00] time, Merrill Lynch was looking to pick up advisors from registered investment advisors to help them meet their obligations.

I did not have a good experience there. I survived eight months and then met my now partners Fred Allen and David who [00:07:15] ran a registered investment advisor I ran right back to register investment advisor land And really just wanted to do the right thing And when I met my partner David Schwartz, he was running around like a madman during the interview [00:07:30] constantly in and out But it was because one of his clients was having some trouble with their son.

Their son was going through some kind of stress that was creating like an unbearable, like depressive episode of some sort. [00:07:45] And David spent the entire time I was there, like three to four hours talking to everybody he knew who was a therapist, psychologist, psychotherapist, anything at all to try and find help.

for this client's son. [00:08:00] And I thought, man, I don't know that I've ever heard anybody call a financial advisor when their kid was having a psychotic break of some sort. But it really sparked in me that like, first of all, he has that level of [00:08:15] trust and that relationship where he's really taking care of his clients.

And that's what I was looking for. So here I am 10 years later, still partnered up with David. And we do it all day long. Uh, clients come to us with anything and everything that touches their lives. And [00:08:30] we take care of our clients like they're family. It's exactly what I wish somebody would have done for my grandfather many, many years ago.

And I always say, if I can save one person, one family from like, The stress of that forgetting the [00:08:45] financial impact of that for one second the stress of that my grandma and grandfather ran a mental Institution in belarus in case you want to know where all the fun family dinners are And he's just a brilliant man, and I saw on an [00:09:00] emotional level What finding out that you've been like?

Bamboozled does to somebody because it feels like you're so smart. How could this happen to you? And I saw the emotional impact. And again, my grandfather had to work until he was [00:09:15] well into his eighties because of financial impacts. It's a whole different thing, but The emotional impact was the part that stayed with me and continues to stay with me in the day to day of what I do, because I know how much, because we don't have financial literacy [00:09:30] in this country, how many people are actually impacted.

And the moment they find out, I know that it is an extremely disheartening experience. Along the way, I've published a couple of books related to financial literacy, because that's, that's the passion [00:09:45] project. I think if you do the thing on both ends, you know, have people grow up being financially literate, get that experience, get that knowledge, and then have people who are doing the right thing in the ways they're giving people advice, you eliminate the [00:10:00] experience.

My family had from existing. And that's the long term goal. It's the other side of put bad financial advisors in jail. It's the, how do you make sure that bad financial advisors. can't operate, can't do the things that [00:10:15] they're doing. I'm

Aransas: so glad you made that link for me because I hadn't made that link.

And it makes perfect sense now that it is, it's really about creating partnerships. So being the financial [00:10:30] planner that you wanted your family to have and that you want everyone to have access to, but also creating that sense of confidence and competence to be able to advocate for yourself. That's really powerful.

Veronica: [00:10:45] Yeah, and I think people really take it for granted when I talk about finances. We also get people who are just come to us and they're like, I know nothing. I just want to hire somebody who's going to take care of everything. And like, while that's like a very nice sentiment, [00:11:00] I actually think the best client is someone who's really educated.

They know exactly what's going on in their mind. Like if I do my job well, you never have to. Your kid never has to go to a social studies teacher and ask them what's going on. [00:11:15] If I do a good job, you become an educated consumer. You become financially literate. You're able to explain it to other people.

Aransas: I think a lot of us shut down with overwhelm when it comes to money.

Why do you think that [00:11:30] is?

Veronica: I think it's the same thing as being overwhelmed by anything else you don't know. The way I think about it is almost like if I don't know how to speak Japanese, and somebody comes to me and just starts [00:11:45] talking Japanese at me, that feeling of like, Oh my god, I don't know what's going on.

I don't understand It's actually the same exact feeling I think i'm picking japanese because it's a complicated language to learn Because for a lot [00:12:00] of people it feels that way and I know that it feels that way and I didn't have like a financial Background actually when I did my undergrad degree What am I graduate degree?

No one taught like financial planning. I had to go and get a separate financial planning degree to learn it, [00:12:15] Which no one is doing like no one unless this is your career of choice is doing There aren't that many financial planners out there There are a lot of financial advisors because that's a securities exam But there are not a lot of financial planners who actually really [00:12:30] understand getting into the weeds of someone's financial life And I think for a lot of people, finances feel like Japanese feels for me.

Yeah. And it's just about like breaking it down and translating it into something that makes sense, whatever that is for that person. [00:12:45]

Aransas: That's so wise. And I think too, there's a lot of fear around money. So I'm curious what you've learned about money mindsets through your work.

Veronica: There's a lot of different ways I could answer that question because [00:13:00] what people learn about money.

Growing up the experience they have with money is really based on their parents experience with money. It's a generational thing Because there's a lot of you know, money doesn't grow on trees or [00:13:15] I grew up really poor So it was like everyone clutched on to all the money that they had There's other people that, like, watch their parents just spend and never heard the word.

Now, like, so much of money psychology is [00:13:30] subconscious, I think. People don't really know how they feel about money until they're directly confronted with it in some way, shape, or form. But broadly speaking, money just makes you more of who you are. More money makes you more of who you really [00:13:45] are And having less money will stretch you in ways you never really thought possible I've been on both ends of the spectrum of like earning nothing and trying to penny pinch and thankfully Creating an abundant situation for my family [00:14:00] And throughout all of it, who you really are, what you really want, what your priorities in life come through.

So like, I always tell someone if I can like, see where their money goes, I can tell them what their priorities are. It's very interesting. [00:14:15] You can say that about a lot of things too, right? You can look at someone's calendar, but You're putting dollars behind it yet. That's meaningful. There's an energetic exchange to it.

And I think that energy shows through and how people spend, whether they're stressed about money [00:14:30] or happy about money or feeling abundant or anything else shows through and in their budget worksheets, so to speak.

Aransas: Yeah, I think you're absolutely right. I also think it's one of the places where we have the most judgment about how [00:14:45] other people do it.

Veronica: Yes, absolutely. People tell me all that. So there's an interesting question that people always ask me, which is like, now that you've seen my budget, like, how is it relative to other people? Like, is this a normal amount [00:15:00] to spend? And it's a funny question, because there is no normal, like everybody, like, as long as you're on track for whatever your goals are, where your money ultimately goes, It's a showcase of your priorities in life, your values and all of that, but it [00:15:15] is not in any way, shape or form my place to be like, yeah, this is normal or this is abnormal.

You know, there is no such thing. Everyone is literally, everyone is different. And there's no good or bad, especially like I grew up very poor [00:15:30] and I had this whole like built up image in my head of like what a wealthy person looks like, acts like, spends their money on you. Everybody, if you think about like a persona, people usually don't include [00:15:45] money, right?

But you should, right? Especially like if you're a business owner or something like that. I always say like if you're describing your ideal customer, describe their relationship with money too, because that will impact their actual consumer behavior, their actual [00:16:00] willingness to spend on whatever services or products you're offering.

But I think so, so, so, so, so, so much of money is subconscious. It just is. And the judgments we carry with it and everything else, it has such [00:16:15] a big role in our lives.

Aransas: Well, and you're somebody in particular who started off at one end of the spectrum and now you've created this really abundant situation as you described it for you and your family.

How has your mindset [00:16:30] shifted consciously or not?

Veronica: So I think I had to let go of a couple of things. And some of this also has to do with age and development and youthfulness. I think when I first started earning [00:16:45] in surplus. What I define as like having money above your immediate needs so money and surplus I was pretty frivolous with it because I didn't really know what my goals were So that's also plays into it.

You know, I always tell [00:17:00] when people ask me about investing and things like that I always talk about like what are your goals first? Because if you don't know what you're moving towards You can't align your resources to help you get there. You're just kind of doing so much stuff, whatever that is good or [00:17:15] bad.

By the way, I was investing some, but I was mostly like kind of having a good time because it was the first time in my life where like money was not a problem. And then, then you get married, you have a family. So it's different and [00:17:30] became a really strong priority of mine that not only do my kids have more opportunities, but at the same time, They have a clear understanding and compassion for people [00:17:45] who don't have money.

And so, what has shifted tremendously in my life really has to do with the fact that previously I had nothing to give. To others, financially speaking, I volunteer time and energy and effort and things [00:18:00] like that. But as my wealth has grown and this goes with, you know, makes you more of who you really are, it's just the philanthropic sort of side, that's a fancy word for I get to give more to other people.

And I want to instill that in [00:18:15] my children in every way possible. And that's become a bigger and bigger priority for me. Growing up, when you grow up and you're not. able to like do take care of some basics along the way. It's hard to [00:18:30] have that shift actually.

Aransas: Yeah. What does that sound like with your kids?

I know you're, you have a newborn, which amazing that you're able to sit here and have a conversation. I feel like I was still just like gazing at my navel at this point, but with your [00:18:45] slightly older son at this young age, how do you reinforce that value with him?

Veronica: We do a lot of giving away. When somebody gives him money, I talk a lot about giving it to other people or to friends.

He's less [00:19:00] fortunate than us. Everyone is a friend. He's two and a half. So everyone is a friend.

Aransas: Same. I'm 49 and a half and everyone is a friend.

Veronica: So, you know, we talk a lot about that. We volunteer and we include [00:19:15] him and you know, I'm very, very much not shy about just being like not everybody has this. Like you're so lucky.

Trying not to make it too much like there's an overweight on that. That's not healthy So it's a balancing [00:19:30] act just like all things in parenting I feel like you're just kind of like, you know, whatever clicks and what works and drives with him He's big on like sharing toys now if somebody next to him doesn't have a little car and he's playing with a little car He'll give a [00:19:45] car and like those are just like the little moments that are like, okay something I'm doing is right.

Hopefully

Aransas: Yeah. And I think just by living it, you know, now that I have a 13 year old and a 15 year old, I get to see the impact of those conversations from when they were [00:20:00] two and three years old. And more and more, I see the evidence that our choices and behaviors become a set of family values that then you get to see reflected.

Now I'm in this [00:20:15] beautiful position of being like, wow, I get to learn how to do that more from them because they learned so much of it from me and then took it to another level and that, that has been super cool. So if we were to look at your budget, what else would we see as your [00:20:30] priorities?

Veronica: Wow, that's a loaded question.

I think for the most part, I value experiences and quality time. It's very interesting. It's a loaded question. You'd also see that I prioritize saving [00:20:45] for rainy day. So this started really early on. I save like chaotically a little bit, but I save 50 percent of everything I make every single year. And I have, since I made 5 and 25 cents an hour [00:21:00] and I save and invest it.

And I am like very, very, very on it. That like, if I don't, Like, I forced myself to make it up. Like, if December is expensive for whatever reason, and I can't meet [00:21:15] my, like, 50 percent for the year, January and February are very lean, so that I can't I make it up for the prior year. I have always lived on half of everything I made.

Aransas: I always say we can't build a map if we don't know where we're going. And [00:21:30] so you are somebody who is constantly defining where you're going so that you have the ability to build those maps. Yeah. So we talk a lot here about personal growth and how we take care of ourselves [00:21:45] while taking care of everyone and everything else, which I hear so much in your story.

What do you see as the intersection between personal growth and financial well being specifically?

Veronica: Yeah. So it's interesting you say that, you know, as you pointed out, [00:22:00] I'm a coach, but I've also done a lot of personal growth and development, mostly with Tony Robbins and got really entrenched in that and happy to be a senior leader going on to trainer with Tony Robbins.

And I support his wealth events at this point. [00:22:15] So it's interesting because I think It's related to our psychology. They're both related to it. So I think the people who take care of themselves from a health perspective Also tend to do it from a financial [00:22:30] perspective.

Aransas: Interesting.

Veronica: There's a really good correlation of people who you have this sort of like mental checklist of care.

You include your finances in that as [00:22:45] well, for lack of a better term. We're in an interesting cultural phase where people think personal care is like massages and nail salons. Which that ties into finances in a very different way, but that's not real personal care. It's like if you can't [00:23:00] handle your day to day, just like get a massage, right?

Aransas: And then feel guilty and fearful about not having enough money and then need another massage.

Veronica: Yeah.

Aransas: Yeah. It's a vicious cycle.

Veronica: For the most part, financial care [00:23:15] Is wrapped into how we care for ourselves and people who Stories about money. A lot of people have stories about money What money means to them what money means to others how they generalize money, right?

So like [00:23:30] I I often ask people when they don't know what their goals are related to their money If you just say like finish the sentence money is You get so many different answers money is greed money is evil But if you really [00:23:45] believe That's, I'm going to pick money is evil because that people tell me that all the time, I have to say.

It's a very common one, money is evil. And that's an interesting one to me because to me, it's just a [00:24:00] resource. It's part of the resources you use your life, right?

Aransas: It's like saying time is evil,

Veronica: right? And so money is evil is interesting because a lot of people will say money is evil will also say you can change that.

Money is. [00:24:15] Working out is whatever it is. And you will find things like, you know, food is evil. That's not really true. Food is just calories, right? It's like what you're eating, right? This is a similar thing. Money is just a resource. You're [00:24:30] creating a story or a definition about it. That's impacting your life and your decisions.

But a lot, so, so many people will literally say money is evil. Really is doesn't have to be [00:24:45] and then I get into a whole philosophical conversation with someone about what in their lives Made them think that or what impacted that when you think about taking care of yourself there's so many different variations to an emergency fund runaway fund as people say [00:25:00] it a rainy day fun, but making sure that like You have options Money just creates options.

If you're someone who has in perpetual debt cycles and you start saving, you now have [00:25:15] options because if you're in a perpetual debt cycle, your only option is to pay it off or go bankrupt. If you start saving, you open additional windows of opportunity for yourself that are not [00:25:30] So draining, they can be positive when you fund your 401k, when you save money, when you start investing, all you're doing is opening windows of opportunities.

It doesn't take a lot. I always say I bought my first house [00:25:45] with 20 a week into the S and P 500 because that's all I could afford to save at the time based on what I made. I just put 20 a week into the S and P 500 and when I was 27 years old, I bought my first house.

Aransas: That's amazing.

Veronica: That's [00:26:00] not a common story these days because there's no financial literacy.

Right. If you know and you can create those opportunities, now money is not evil. Money is whatever you want it to be and mean and create for your own family.

Aransas: If money is [00:26:15] controlling to you, what would it take for it to feel like freedom and putting ourselves in the driver's seat? Because it sounds like a lot of our most harmful money mindsets are victim mindsets.

Veronica: Yeah, that's exactly right. [00:26:30] And it's true of other things in people's lives. I think it correlates. Like a lot of times when people start taking control of their health, they start taking control of their finances, they start taking control of other things in their lives.

Aransas: Mm hmm. I remember [00:26:45] many years ago I was, and we're talking like 15 years ago, doing research for a company I was working with to understand what the top self health books at the time were.

And there was this one that I think was called like Clean Your Sink, Girlfriend. It was extremely popular [00:27:00] at the time and it was a woman who basically said, if you want to regain control of your life, start by taking care of one tiny thing and then everything else will ripple from that. And so her, her thesis was start by wiping down the sink each morning, then start by wiping down the [00:27:15] countertop and then ultimately take care of your body, your mind, your finances, your relationships, putting ourselves in that position of being active and creating the lives that we want instead of sitting back and passively wishing that things were [00:27:30] different.

Veronica: For sure. Yeah. No one's going to come to you with a silver platter and like just deliver money and like investment account and set things up for you and do things the most efficient way you've kind of have to seek it out and learn it. But I also really, really [00:27:45] think whatever people are stressing about their money goes in that direction too.

It's interesting. Right? So if your relationship is suffering, their habits, their money habits that indicate that it's really like, cause. [00:28:00] Show me a budget and I get to like tell you because now you have Distraction comes into place and like hobby different things like that and your money kind of goes in that direction Escapism goes in that direction, right?

There are [00:28:15] however a subset of people that like I've met that like Take pride in the fact that one specific area of their life is great Just one right? You've probably met them too. We're like I think the stereotypical one would be a [00:28:30] health nut in our industry. I do find people who are like Finance nuts, right?

Like everything, their relationships are a disaster. They're not in great health or whatever, but they know their finances and like, that's their like, [00:28:45] moment of pride. It's an interesting psychology. It's like, as long as I've got this one thing, I can sleep well at night.

Aransas: Yeah, it's an interesting point, too, because I've heard you say that you believe in work life integration, not work life balance.

And so [00:29:00] those people sound deeply imbalanced, but also disintegrated.

Veronica: Absolutely. Yeah. Although somebody recently said the word work life harmony to me, and I was like, Ooh, that sounds so nice. I don't know that I've ever felt work life [00:29:15] harmony, but it sounds really good.

Aransas: Yeah, you have really young children.

I think it's especially hard at that point.

Veronica: Yeah, yeah, for sure. The reason I say integration is like, if I'm at work and there's something happening with my kid, my head is [00:29:30] no longer at work. It's whatever's happening with my kid. And if I'm home and I'm hanging out with my kid and my client is going through something, I'm not really with my kid.

I'm with whatever is happening with my client. That's just like the reality of life, I [00:29:45] think. And so this idea that like, because when most people say balance, they're like, okay, I'm going to shut off at six o'clock and I'm going to dedicate these three to four hours and think about nothing else. But my Child and his little toy car.

[00:30:00] I just don't think that's real life. I don't think most people operate that way. I don't even think that's particularly healthy because I think it places guilt and stress on someone who's not really able to do that. Like I'm extremely passionate about my job. [00:30:15] And so like most of the time, my husband would say my phone is an extension of me.

I'm checking 10 o'clock or whatever the case may be. But like After my kids are asleep, if a client emails me and it was 8 30 p. m, I'm going to assume it was important and they want me to [00:30:30] get back to them and they want to know they want some peace of mind. And I'd rather just give them that. And it makes me feel better.

It makes me feel good to do that, which is important too. It's like both things are important. And if, uh, you [00:30:45] know, being able to, in the middle of the workday, if I have a childcare problem, like just lift out. That's what I mean by work life integration is just the reality that like work and life don't usually happen in nine to five, five to [00:31:00] nine increments, you

Aransas: know.

To me, that sounds like work life harmony because at least for me, where it feels really stressful is when they're static on the line. And so if I'm with my kids [00:31:15] and I'm half. Thinking about a problem at work or vice versa, I can't be present for what I'm doing in that moment. And so I think maybe what we're talking about when we say harmony is it's actually being present in [00:31:30] whatever it is.

Veronica: Absolutely. For sure. I agree with that wholeheartedly.

Aransas: So I want to go back to this question of self care a little bit, but on a more personal level, how do you [00:31:45] take care of you as a mom of a young child, a partner, a mom of a newborn, a, somebody who is returning from maternity leave quite soon, or maybe already has, or maybe didn't ever [00:32:00] go.

Never really did. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I kind of felt that, uh,

Veronica: yeah. So it's interesting. I think some days for me, it's as long as like I have my basics covered, I can like function, right? Cup of [00:32:15] coffee, got a shower, you know, I'm good. But I think a lot of it is energy for me, not in terms of like sleep or anything else. I've been a bad sleeper my whole life. But I do think I thrive on just good energy.

[00:32:30] So like, you know, I try to find little cute ways to be energetic with my little ones. My husband and I operate in shifts in full transparency. So I do the morning shift, he does the afternoon shift. I [00:32:45] do the first half of the night, he does the second half of the night. That's our like, Little routine.

Everybody gets a break and my break is working, but c'est la vie. And I like, when I get my little one out of bed in the morning, I play Broadway show hits [00:33:00] because they jazz me up. I have little dance parties with my older one before he goes to bed. We dance around outside in the fields. For me, self care is like whatever like makes my heart smile and like those are the [00:33:15] moments.

I've got Broadway show hits. I've also got 90s rap, but I don't play that for the baby. That's just for me. I am really careful about making sure I drink a lot of water. I [00:33:30] meditate. I have a daily five minute little tiny exercise stretching routine that I do. Mostly it's just creating moments that make my heart smile in the chaos.

And so like when things feel overwhelming, it's Broadway show hits and a dance [00:33:45] party, whatever makes people happy. But just, you know, my husband is one of those people that like he loves and I could tell him makes his heart smile when he like fixes something that's broken in the house or something like that.

And I think creating, helping create those moments for [00:34:00] other people is, is a big thing of mine as well. It's like, if I can figure out what makes someone's heart smile like that. That's everything. And it's just creating more of those moments.

Aransas: More and more of our best selves. Yeah. I was [00:34:15] so struck the first time I heard you say, more money makes you more of who you are.

And I just thought that was one of the most profound and provocative things I'd ever heard. And I certainly see it in you and I feel it in [00:34:30] you. It's really been such a gift for us to work with you because we are savers and we, we're careful and we're thoughtful about our money, but. We needed a partner and we didn't want to do it [00:34:45] alone and we didn't necessarily want to have all these conversations because sometimes those conversations are not comfortable and you and your team have been so wonderful in supporting us to be our best selves.

Veronica: Well, thank you so much. Honestly, if I had a [00:35:00] million clients like you, I'd be the happiest person on earth. It's, it's been a pleasure to work with you and learn your goals and learn about your family and learn what excites you and how we can help you get there like that. Those are my heart [00:35:15] smiling moments.

Aransas: Wow. It means a lot to us, uh, on so many levels and I think you're right, it is a factor of holistic wellbeing and a very core factor to feel safe and secure and to feel not just secure in the [00:35:30] moment, but in the future. And, you know, so much of my work, and I don't, I did not set out to be the courage cultivator.

I did not know that's what I was going to be doing, but it's turned out that's all I want to talk about all day. Uh, [00:35:45] and it gives you so much courage to know that you're safe financially.

Veronica: Yes, yes, it does. That's 100 percent true. I had an early on experience. So when I was at Merrill, I did not have the [00:36:00] financial resources to leave and not have another job.

And I vowed to myself that I would never allow that to happen again in my life. That's what I mean by options. You know, money creates options and people because like the [00:36:15] freedom to know you're not beholden to somewhere. That like drains your soul every single day and there's so many people that are like that they are like Living in jobs or having the experience where they really really hate their day to day and [00:36:30] they can't leave for financial reasons like those are the moments where like Financial literacy just like you know is so so important because if you start that earlier you never have to Have that experience and sometimes you have to learn [00:36:45] lessons the hard way so it's okay, but it's just options, right?

like At the end of the day, you know, if you asked me the question money is, by the way, which is my thing, if um, if I ever get enough courage to ever start a podcast, it would be called [00:37:00] money is blank. And we'd have those conversations every single day.

Aransas: Love that.

Veronica: But it's money is just a way to create more choices every single day.

That's all it is. Having stability, having the money you need to [00:37:15] just, you know, start a business, start a podcast, move to somewhere you want to live, change jobs and have a gap. So many good things in people's lives come from, you know, money and abundance. [00:37:30] And I wish everybody had all the choices for me as a refugee immigrant.

What is coming to America? It's just having more choices. That's all that it is, you know, and creating more, you know, we call it the land of opportunity, [00:37:45] just choices.

Aransas: Yeah. And I think for so many of us, we're stopped by the fact that we haven't done it already.

Veronica: Yeah.

Aransas: And so maybe that's the most important note to leave with is that if somebody out there listening is in a position where they feel like, uh, I [00:38:00] should've, coulda, woulda,

Veronica: we are where we are.

Yeah. It's literally never too late and better late than never, like literally better late than never, because there's going to come a moment where you're like confronted with. For money wise with [00:38:15] what the shoulda coulda woulda is And it's better just to just tackle it as soon as you realize it. There's no emotions or feelings about it I have no judgment for anyone I just want to help people get to where they Want to go and it happens faster than people think it will [00:38:30] like they think it's like Oh, I didn't start saving in my 20s.

I'll never catch up That's not true. It's just not. It's okay. Yeah.

Aransas: You won't if you don't do something about it.

Veronica: Yeah, that's true. That is true.

Aransas: Yes. But [00:38:45] you can absolutely create change.

Veronica: I guess right now, I will. Yeah. Yeah.

Aransas: Yeah. I made some really dumb decisions when I was working for my company in terms of like what to do with stock, but I can't go and undo those.

That happened. And I can only move forward from [00:39:00] where I am now. And so I just think it's so important to remind ourselves of that in every area of our life where we want to create change. And what we need is guides and supports. Literally every episode of our podcast has come back to this one idea in some form or fashion, which [00:39:15] is, You don't have to do it alone, whether it's taking care of your child's rare cancer, or your loss of a loved one, or your finances, or your health, there are so many beautiful sources of support out there to help guide [00:39:30] you and make that journey more fulfilling and easier.

So thank you for being a huge part of our team and making such a difference in our lives. And thank you for coming on to the show.

Veronica: Well, it's my pleasure. Thank you so much for having me, Erances. And I really appreciate everything that you're doing here and you have [00:39:45] a gift for impacting others. So I hope you continue sharing it with the world forever.

And it's an honor and a pleasure to be part of a small part of your very tiny part of your journey.

Aransas: Thank you. It's huge. And for all of you listening, I'll post [00:40:00] lots of information about where you can find Veronica or your own Veronica, as well as links to her books, which are super amazing. And I haven't even asked her this yet, but here I am asking.

We have some extra copies of your book, Veronica. Can we raffle those off to our audience? Yes,

Veronica: [00:40:15] please do. Absolutely. All right.

Aransas: So look forward to a Money Matters by Veronica Karras raffle coming up soon after this episode.

Veronica: Awesome. Well, thank you so much.

Aransas: Thank you for listening to the Uplifters podcast.

[00:40:30] If you're getting a boost from these episodes, please share them with the Uplifters in your life and then we'll Join us in conversation over at TheUpliftersPodcast. com. Head over to Spotify, Apple Podcast, [00:40:45] or wherever you get your podcast, and like, follow, and rate our show. It'll really help us connect with more uplifters, and it'll ensure you never miss one of these beautiful stories.

Mmm. [00:41:00]

Music: Big love painted water, sunshine with rosemary. And I'm dwelling the perplexing, though you find it flexing. Toss a star in half for beer around. Best [00:41:15] love for relish in a new prime land, a tree in springtime dance. With that, all hindsight, bring the sun to twilight. Lift you up. [00:41:30] Lift you up. Lift you up.

Lift you up. [00:41:45] Lift you up. Do you love Lift you up, whoa, lift you [00:42:00] up. Doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo doo doo. Beautiful. I cried. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! It's that little thing you did with your voice. Right, in the pre chorus, right? I [00:42:15] was like, pfft. Ha ha ha ha ha ha. Mommy, stop crying. You're disturbing the peace.

Shh.