Financial Wellness and the Paths that Led to BrightPlan

For Women’s History Month, BrightPlan thought the best way to honor women is to showcase our own. We are proud to be working side by side with incredible women determined to make a difference in access to financial wellness around the world. The resumes and experience of our team are vast and diverse. How did each of us end up at BrightPlan? Our unique paths to dedicating our time and talents to financial wellness all started somewhere… 

So we asked our team, ‘What is your earliest money memory?’ 

This is what we heard.

Growing up, my family frequently struggled to make ends meet. There was rarely money just for "fun". The earliest "money moment" that immediately comes to my mind is my parents giving me the idea to collect glass bottles and aluminum cans and when the "bounty" was big enough, they would drive me to the local recycle center where I could turn them in for cash. That was cash I got to keep and looked forward to spending on my little treats. Looking back, that memory introduced me to the idea that creativity and sustainability go hand in hand, even in finances!

Elizabeth Klopson, Director of Customer Success

My earliest money memory is from when I was a kid. My dad gave me and my sister $10 to spend at our hometown church picnic. He told us whatever we did not spend, we were able to keep. Rather than playing the carnival games with my friends or buying copious amounts of snacks, I bought a $1 lemonade and pocketed the rest. That $9 helped me buy the coveted Pokemon Gameboy game I had been eyeing.  

Haleigh Albers, Director of Solutions Consulting

My earliest money memory was of asking my Dad for money to go to the roller rink, and my Dad offering to pay me $0.25 for each of his work shirts that I would iron for him.  He helped me figure out how many shirts I’d have to iron to get to my goal, then told me to be careful so I didn’t get burned.  I did get a minor burn and Dad quickly handed me a soda can to hold to cool it off!  Through that experience I learned the importance of staying focused and it taught me to work for the things I wanted and the value of planning and saving for the future!

Heather Sullivan, Director of Revenue Marketing

When I was about 5 years old my dad took the family out to an early dinner at a local pizza place. The restaurant (if you can call it that) was known for its arcade games and featured an ancient but glorious pinball machine that I was determined to play. When I asked my dad for a couple of quarters he handed me a dollar and told me to “split it with your sister”. I happily took the dollar and immediately tore it in half and handed a piece of it to my younger sister. The look on my father’s face morphed from stoic to absolute stun and horror. It was obvious that I’d done something ridiculous but after a short, yet tedious lecture he directed me to then walk up to the cashier, explain myself, convince them to tape it back together and accept it as trade for the quarters I needed to play the game. I learned two things that day, 1. don’t tear a dollar in half, and 2. I should probably go into sales.

Lynsey Schultz - Director of Sales Development and Enablement

My first money memory didn't actually involve any real money, but it turned into a money lesson. My parents used to give us marbles in exchange for chores. Different chores were rewarded with varying amounts of marbles, and the marbles translated to small monetary amounts. We could save up our marbles, and eventually turn them in to our parents in exchange for something we wanted, like a toy. It taught me to work hard and save for what I wanted!

Delaine De Beer, Digital Designer 

When I was in 7th grade, the colored suede Puma sneakers became popular.  All my friends were getting them. I wanted a pair of purple suede Puma's so badly, but they were "expensive".  Truth be told, my parents couldn't really afford to spend money on that type of luxury name brand item. I begged, and finally they agreed that if I did chores around the house, they would pay me an allowance over time and once I got to a certain $, they would pay the rest. I did my chores every week, and each week earned a little bit. It took me months to save. At the time I was so proud of how hard I worked to get my Pumas. Looking back now, I realize my parents could also only save so much per week to buy them. But through that budgeting exercise they taught me a valuable lesson about working and earning, saving early on. 

Rachel Roop, VP of Sales

We are continuously reminded that our greatest strength is our individual experiences. The combination of all of our experiences (and our clients’ experiences) directly influences BrightPlan’s impact on financial wellness at global organizations. Today, we take a moment to honor the women on our team and their unique experiences that lead them here. Thank you for all you do. ❤️