About Us

Who are you guys?

We are a sprouting new evolution of finance and accounting professionals who want to change the way people look, interact, and talk about their money. It CAN be fun and simple, we promise.

Pictured to the right is our Chief Creative Officer Stacey Powell. She began her career as an auditor in a big four accounting firm, but the day she couldn’t make payroll at the $3 million agency she was overseeing, she realized small businesses need a simpler set of financial tools; ones that provide financial clarity. She founded Creating Answers, an organization dedicated to supporting small businesses and not-for-profits through financial clarity. To achieve this, they look, see and tell the truth about their clients’ finances emphasizing both simple financials and forward focused analytics including cash flow projections, cost analysis, pricing structures and budget management. Her latest endeavors include motivating individuals via the Finance Gym, inspiring others to enjoy their finances through Financial Art events, and through her blog on Forbes website.

Shawna Fitzgerald is our Director of Strategy & Planning and she is the mover and shaker of both Creating Answers and the Finance Gym. At the young age of 20, she left her steady paying job as a Ford Warranty Manager to open her own residential and commercial cleaning business. She quickly grew the company from one residential client to a successful booming business with numerous residential and large commercial clients. After working hard at her business for five years, she realized her passion for it was gone. She decided to obtain her Bachelors Degree in Finance from Sacramento State University and started helping other small business owners at Creating Answers. Her ambition and unwavering tenacity paired with her knowledge and experience will keep the Finance Gym on an upward path to the top.

Are you a Financial Advisor?

No we are not. When it is appropriate, the advice may be to research outside help such as a financial planner, mortgage broker, etc. However, it is a policy that members are encouraged to find 3 referrals from trusted sources and interview them prior to choosing one. We do not funnel boot camp members to specific professionals. We always empower them to educate themselves enough to be ready for professional advice.

What is a Finance Boot Camp?

Each Finance Boot Camp is a group of 6-8 people with similar financial situations. We use a facilitated communications model in each session to focus on a specific financial issue brought to the group by one of the members. Everyone participates in walking the sessions ‘hot seat’ member through a series of fact-based, then feeling-based, and then interpretive questions. By the end of the questioning model, the ‘hot seat’ member often has a much clearer vision of the issue and the resolution, and then they have the opportunity to hear advice from the group and the facilitator, commit to the actions they are going to take, and then get both support and accountability from the group to make movement on their issue.

What’s the cost?

$89/month for individuals, $169 for couples

How long does the boot camp last?

We ask everyone when they sign up to make a six month commitment of 90 minute bi-weekly meetings to ensure group cohesion and stability. At the end of the six month period, we shift to monthly meetings with the goal of creating a cohesive group that will work together over a 2-3 year period; long enough to make a significant impact in their lives.

How do I know if it will work for me?

For a number of years we’ve been working on developing our Finance Boot Camps. We launched 2 years ago, and created this very successful forum that really increases people’s peace of mind and financial clarity. How do we know it works? Well, because we have real life proof. We’ve watched very different people with all types of situations all have life changing results. The model works, and it works well. However, as with many things, you will get out what you put in.

What steps do you take to ensure confidentiality?

Everyone signs a confidentiality waiver and we remind the group at the beginning of each session of the value we all receive from confidentiality. Keeping a safe space for each and every member is a high priority.

If I sign up for your newsletter or any other services, will you share my information?

We never share your information with any other third party and you can opt out of receiving emails from us at any time, no questions asked.