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Roots of Personal Finance Member Spotlight: Nicole Hagood

"Over the past year or two, my husband and I have built up a lot of debt and did not communicate well when it came to finances. I needed something that would help me do more than just making sure the bills were being paid..." Meet Nicole Hagood, a full-time Director with Pure Romance. Nicole, and her husband, BJ, like many married couples struggled with finances. But Roots of Personal Finance helped her pay off almost $7,000 of debt!

While paying down their debt, Nicole and BJ were able to better their financial communication. "I really learned and was given the confidence to open up the communication about our finances. I make sure everything gets paid on time, but the stress of also figuring out how to accomplish that on my own without my husband understanding the plan was really breaking down our marriage."

In addition to their success with eliminating debt, Nicole and BJ have saved $2,000 for emergencies and personal savings. It wasn't easy though as Nicole was a Dr. Pepper addict. She was spending $2 to $3 (and sometimes more) everyday feeding her addiction. With the help of Roots, Nicole is now caffeine-free and has more money in the bank!

Nicole's best piece of financial advice: "Fail to plan, plan to fail. That's really what the budget comes down to, in my opinion. If you aren't planning on how you are going to spend your money, how can you really be successful or know you are successful at spending or saving?"