Rob Bertman, CFA, CFP® Founder – Family Budget Expert Save More. Argue Less. Keep the fun!
Maybe you know the problem but you’re just not sure how to fix it without uprooting your life and family.
Making more money hasn’t seemed to help because your expenses have gone up right with your income.
It’s definitely not as easy as financial gurus say, “Just spend less than you make!”
I’m sure you’ve tried to do better, but the traditional budgeting techniques just haven’t worked.
You’ve tried to create a family budget, but it’s hard to keep up with it because:
It’s stressful knowing we could be doing better and to feel like we’re behind financially. We feel it everyday and every month.
It’s hard to enjoy the things we really want, because we feel like that money should be put to “better use”.
If we could just find a way to have more money left over each month without having to argue about it and without drastically changing everything.
Well…
What if you could easily identify where to cut your spending without giving up the fun stuff so you could:
What if you could fully enjoy that family vacation rather than feeling guilty, like your money should be going to “more important things”?
What if your relationship was free of the money arguments?
A family budget is the #1 key to making this happen, but you need a proven system you can follow that will actually work for you and your family.
Before I had a family, I didn’t really pay much attention to my spending.
I saved a little here and a little there but spent more as I made more with really no plan.
My expenses always hovered around what I was making.
I loved investing and was pretty good at it so my goal was always to grow my wealth that way.
But then we had kids.
We started looking at our annual expenses going up by $15,000 and realized we didn’t have the extra money to cover those new expenses.
So we decided to do what everyone does, try to make a budget.
After putting together many family budgets and trying to find places to cut expenses, we were way short of our goal.
That’s when I realized that for as much as I knew about financial planning and investing, there was a big gap in my understanding of how to create a family budget that we could actually stick to.
So I researched & tested better ways to create budgets for families. Then I implemented it personally, then with clients, and continued to improve until I came up with…
This is the answer to creating a budget that sticks.
It’s a proven process that actually works for families –
To have extra money left over so you can save more and pay off debt faster.
To finally get on the same page and end money fights.
To stay on track in less than 10 minutes per week.
The Family Budget Transformation system provides you with:
My goal is to get you the family budget help you need with a system that meets these three criteria:
After years of researching, implementing and improving, here’s the effective yet simple Family Budget Transformation System:
Before we dive into the numbers, we need to figure out exactly what you want your money to do for you as individuals, as a couple, and as a family.
Talking about money and finances is not always the easiest thing for a couple to do, but Rob made the experience, dare I say, pleasant. – E & D
Next, we’ll want to take a look at your balance sheet, what you own and what you owe.
That way, we can see what buckets need to be filled and how to prioritize it with the extra money left over.
“I used to feel like I was filling up all of these buckets but none of them were getting full. Now I actually can see that I’m making progress…and I paid off 4 credit cards!” – K
“We feel like the money is going to the right places now. We have a clear plan and I don’t feel like I’m stuck going to work just to pay bills.” – G & M
This is the critical step before creating a budget. We need to know where your money is currently going so we know what levers you can pull to cut back.
“I’m now excited to look at my spending and see how well we’re doing this month. I used to dread looking at that.” – D
If there’s one thing that derails a household budget, it’s expenses that seem to come out of nowhere, the irregular expenses. It’s also a challenge to budget with irregular income.
I’m not here to prescribe how you should spend your money. That’s what you’ll figure out.
However, there are things you absolutely should spend money on and others you shouldn’t.
Here’s where the rubber meets the road. We’ll find out the levers you can (and want) to pull to easily cut your spending without giving up the fun and without arguments.
As a couple, we didn’t have to sacrifice our lifestyle. Instead, we grew closer as a couple and make these changes together in order to have a more fruitful lifestyle. – A & B
“I feel like we haven’t had to sacrifice anything to make these changes.”
“It’s reassuring to see that even though I spent money it was still within budget. Now I don’t have to feel guilty about it.”
This would be no good unless you had a plan to keep it in place. This is it right here.
Due in large part to Rob’s guidance and system, two years after we met with him our savings have quadrupled, even while taking on a larger mortgage payment. – Family of 4
“We’ve been trying to fix this for 10+ years, but haven’t been able to actually do it until now.”
“I love it that my credit card balance shows $0 now”
“Not in a million years did I think we would get here. Not that we haven’t tried! I was resigned that it would always be what it is before working together. Not anymore! This has been amazing!”
“If I can get what you’ve taught me, then I know a lot of people can.”
“I’ve been thinking about it for a long time but didn’t know who to reach out to.”
“Just wanted to let you know I paid off my student loans this month. Your system went a long way towards helping me get there and I can’t thank you enough!” – A & J – Family of 3
You now have many options at different price points to get help with your budget.
Each option will give you access to the family budget help you need with varying levels of direct support and guidance.