Who am I, and where in the world am I?

I am a military spouse, mother to two children — Savannah (7) and James (6) — and cat, Joey. We currently live Germany and love exploring all that Europe has to offer. I grew up in South Carolina, but have lived in many amazing places — Australia as a young child, Spain during college, and (through the many moves with the military) Texas, Hawaii, Colorado, and Kansas.

Why did I choose to become a CFP®?

I became a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ over 10 years ago with the hopes of helping people gain understanding about their finances and feel confident making money decisions. When I left my small town bubble and went to my large state university, I loved meeting people from different backgrounds and from different parts of the state and country. However, I quickly realized that a lot of people felt confused about money. Fortunately, growing up, my dad worked in the insurance industry and taught me a lot about the basics of personal finance. It was in college that I began to recognize what a low priority financial literacy was, and still is, to the curriculums in primary and secondary educational institutions. I wanted to change that. I felt empowered as I gained the education and experience necessary to become a CFP®. Now, I get to use that same information to empower others.

How am I continuing to develop myself?

Expanding my knowledge is a big priority for me. During the pandemic, I decided to ramp up my understanding of tax planning since taxes play a major role when it comes to growing your wealth. I completed a Comprehensive Tax Course and prepared tax returns last year alongside an experienced Enrolled Agent and fellow CFP®.

I also wanted to start showing up better in my personal and professional life. Because behaviors and emotions drive most of our day-to-day decisions, I spent a lot of time understanding these areas for myself. In order to become more present and be more authentic with those around me, in March of last year, I became Dare to Lead™ trained (based on the research of Brené Brown, Ph.D, MSW).

What is the “life” part of my work/life balance?

The Ashley ‘in-real-life’ is a busy mom and the unofficial CEO of the Dixon household. From girl scout cookie delivery, to planning our weekly meals, you can find me being super involved in all of my family’s happenings. Outside of the day-to-day hustle, I love traveling and experiencing new things. I’m an avid beach goer, but also won’t let a winter season pass by without going on a skiing trip. I’m always opting for the outdoors. When I’m not on mom or wife duty, I love reading a good book, taking a girl’s trip, or relaxing with a nice glass of red wine.

What I am most proud of?

I took a two-year sabbatical from my career to raise my babies and learned how to live off of one income. When I reentered the workforce, the majority of my income went to childcare costs, so we continued essentially living on one salary. Now that my kids are in elementary school and the childcare costs are gone, we’re still living off of one income. We save the other to reach our short and long-term goals — like traveling and having new experiences. I’m proud to say that our budget aligns with our family values.

What challenges have I faced that have made me who I am today?

My daughter was born with a hole in her heart and had to have open heart surgery at 7 months old. As a first-time-mom, this was terrifying. I had to learn to really lean on my support system. I knew nothing about medicine and had to google everything the doctor explained to me. Now, being on the flip side, I make sure those I work with understand the confusing financial lingo and strategies we implement so that they don’t feel as confused and lost as I did. Thankfully, everything went smoothly with her surgery and she has no limitations or need for future surgeries. However, I will always help someone understand and plan for the unknowns of the future — no matter how scary or complex they seem.

Shortly after my daughter’s heart surgery my biggest “unknown” happened; my younger brother passed away due to a heart attack. He was only 26 years old. It was completely unexpected and utterly earth shattering for me and my family. The regret from words left unsaid or experiences foregone can be heavy. And, losing him totally shifted my priorities. Trivial things stopped being important. I realigned my time, putting my people and the things that matter most at the center. I started living in a way that left me with no regrets. We only get one chance at this life. So now, as I work with people, I focus less on the financial charts and predictions and more on what it means to be alive — hopes and dreams included. The most rewarding part of being people’s Money Person, is watching them shift their mindsets and start living for today. And, it turns out when you do that, the financial pieces just fall into place.