Edith Reed AFC® – Personal Finance Coach

Edith is a Personal Finance Coach with Denver’s Financial Empowerment Centers and has 15 years of financial coaching & leadership experience.

She is passionate about helping individuals realize their strengths, gain knowledge, and build confidence to reach their personal and financial goals. She enjoys working with diverse populations and is experienced in working with untapped communities, communities of color, and military families.

In addition to being an Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC®), Edith holds corresponding coaching credentials. She adheres to the proven coaching model that supports clients’ self-efficacy, strengths and supports them in identifying their personal goals, values and motivations that lead to lasting change.

Edith is excited to serve the Denver community through integrated partnerships and collaborative relationships like Bank On Denver.

Mariette Candelon – Personal Finance Coach

I joined mpowered as a Personal Finance coach in March 2017. I feel so fortunate to be able to be part of the organization’s mission and help individuals and families on the path towards financial self-sufficiency. I look forward to providing them with support, knowledge and resources available so that as they are accomplishing their financial goals, they can write their own personal story. The financial and personal journey are intertwined, and it is together that we embark upon it. Besides living and working in France, I have had the chance to be an educator for 7 years in Vietnam. I have continued in the education field in the US with DPS, before transitioning into the finance industry with Fidelity Investments. These combined experiences naturally led me to this current role, and it is such an exceptional opportunity to be able to utilize these skills at mpowered. This organization is unique because it provides and nurtures a work environment where compassion, self-care and tolerance are words and values that not only we use and implement daily with the people we support, but that we experience ourselves as members who are part of a wonderful team.

Yannek Smith – Bilingual Personal Finance Coach

Yannek Smith has been a Financial Coach & Counselor since early 2017, first working for the former Colorado nonprofit Mpowered (2017-2020) and then, in March 2021, moving on to Denver’s Office of Financial Empowerment and Protection (OFEP).

At OFEP, Yannek has built up the Office’s youth-focused financial empowerment programs across diverse City Agency and Nonprofit partners, taking on curriculum creation, class facilitation, partner outreach, and program management for a broad range of youth programs that focus on employment, financial equity, violence prevention, and mentorship for teenagers and young adults. In addition to working closely with a large variety of youth-focused organizations, Yannek has a long history of working with client in small business programs, human services, and housing-focused organizations, among other areas. He offers Personal Financial Coaching sessions in English, Spanish, and (occasionally) French. Yannek also retains a Credit as an Asset Master Trainer certification and expertise and experience in the area of credit and credit building. He is passionate about serving his community and a big proponent of economic mobility and financial equity for all Coloradans.

What to bring to your first appointment:

To make the most of your appointment, bring the following information if you have it:

• Most recent paystub
• Award letters for any public benefits you are receiving including unemployment
• Monthly expenses – how much do you spend on rent, utilities, cell phone, transportation, food, child care and any other regular expenses?
• Debt –how much do you owe in credit cards, student loans, car payments, mortgage or other loans or credit

During your first appointment:

Each appointment is unique based on your circumstances, but during your first appointment you can expect to:

• Learn more about the financial coaching and how it can work for you
• Sign a confidentiality agreement that authorizes how information you share may be used
• Provide information on your monthly income, expenses, debt, employment and how use financial products and services
• Sign an authorization to pull your credit report and it will be reviewed with you.
• Discuss your expectations for coaching – what do you want to get out of the appointment and coaching, overall
• Discuss and prioritize your financial goals and challenges
• Receive referrals to other agencies, experts or resources you may need
• Identify specific action steps you will take
• Set your next appointment with your coach

After your first appointment:

• Complete a customer satisfaction survey that will be emailed to you following your appointment.
• Work on completing your action steps with support from your coach who’ll help you monitor your specific goals, objectives and outcomes to provide accountability and to help you achieve tangible results.
• Continue meeting with your coach.

Financial coaching works if you are willing to make some changes in how you manage your money.  Even small changes can make a big difference. Since the Denver Financial Empowerment Center opened in 2013, we have served over 6,100 clients who have reduced their overall debt load by $4 million and developed over $2 million in new savings. Read how financial coaching has changed lives.