19 Comments
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Sarah H.'s avatar

Great post as always! I was surprised to read that you started out in academic publishing - quite a world away from co-founding a financial planning firm! I'd be super interested to read about how you not only made that jump, but how your own financial decisions and your thought process behind them led you to a path of entrepreneurship. Just a thought to consider maybe for a future post :)

Ally Jane Ayers's avatar

Here's a little hint at what's coming in the book: https://www.brooklynfi.com/blog/howtobecomeacfp

Sarah H.'s avatar

Awesome, thank you! Looking forward to reading it next fall when you turn the tables on the start of your career and do a full 360!

Brian's avatar

Great post. One of my favorite ways to improve my personal finances is to increase income while also maintaining awareness of expenses.

I write about retirement, personal development, and professional business topics with unique insights for 50-somethings.

Les R's avatar

Without savings, you're playing defense. With savings, you're playing offense. A well-phrased fundamental truth!

Sarah's avatar

I love your work, thank you.

Jordan Michael's avatar

This article spoke to me DIRECTLY. Thank you.

Ally Jane Ayers's avatar

Sometimes you gotta pour your heart out and hope people find it helpful I guess?

Jordan Michael's avatar

You used to be a music journalist?

I highly recommend that you read my Substack, subscribe, and share. Thank you so much.

Jodi Innerfield's avatar

Um....WOW. All amazing advice!!!

Barbara J. Isenberg's avatar

" ... all that work did keep me in motion. And once I was moving, luck had something to work with." This is such a brilliant mindset.

Toujours Vin Curieux's avatar

"Stop waiting for someone to hand you your next step. Apply anyway. Pitch anyway. Save anyway. Just do something." This, 100%. And thank you for sharing the career moves you wish you made earlier; these are so helpful and inspiring. I too share some of those same regrets, like wishing I had been a better saver earlier, and that I had been more strategic about free work. Thanks for the encouragement to keep up the momentum! -Carissa

Ally Jane Ayers's avatar

Thanks Carissa. I like to think of it as minimizing regrets as much as possible.

Deidre Woollard's avatar

I love that line of giving luck something to work with. Rejection, or now more commonly no response at all, is just part of life. Sure, we all wish we had been a savvier person when we were young, but that's not what being young is for. Being young is for taking chances and learning resilience which you did every step of the way.

Ally Jane Ayers's avatar

Absolutely! I just wish I'd kept some of those people's numbers and emails :)

Bob DeRosa's avatar

Amazing post! I love how it's applicable in so many ways to pretty much any kind of career. I've been a professional screenwriter for 20+ years and so much of my career has been planting seeds that may lead to nothing. I've had a handful of meaningful yeses in my career. One yes paid me more money than all the other yeses combined. And that yes wasn't any more work or faith than any of the no's. It was just the moment when luck finally lined up with my work and it paid off. Thanks so much for sharing, love your work.

Ally Jane Ayers's avatar

Thanks Bob! Luck and hard work are a dynamic duo!

zozo's avatar

Ooft. At 34 these things are so true! I’m experiencing a career something at the moment - transformation? Pause? Reprioritization? - and I too am wishing I kept the emails and the phone numbers. And built relationships more on behalf of me instead of the business I worked for!