Ashley Quamme
Financial Behavior Specialist / Therapist / Speaker / Wife / Mom
My Education
I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the great Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. I left my heart there and headed down the mountain to Valdosta State University to pursue a Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy. Along with my Master’s degree, I have also completed a graduate certificate in Financial Therapy from Kansas State University. Because education is not enough and I love to torture myself, I obtained my Certified Financial Behavior Specialist® designation and Certified Financial Therapist-Practitioner designation.
My Experience
As a couple’s therapist and practice owner for well over a decade, I have had a front row seat to understanding what makes relationships work. Along the way, I’ve been afforded may opportunities to teach couples, supervise practitioners, and now consult advisors on the relational skills required for being in a healthy relationship. My practice, The Wealthy Marriage, serves as the clinical space for couples and individuals who want to explore and improve their relationship with money, themselves, and their partner.
My Personal Life
I am married to my college sweetheart who pursued his passion of becoming a CFP® . The synergy we’ve shared over client scenarios has significantly influenced me. Together we have 2 precious kiddos who we enjoy being active in their respective sports and extracurriculars. When I’m not playing mom, coach, or taxi driver, I love being in my garden, singing and dancing, as well as time on the lake as a family. As we enter into the tween and teen phases, our hope is to make core memories centered around travel, laughter, and good food.
My why story
Being a couples therapist means that I hear a lot about money, money management practices, and financial planning. At the root of many financial issues are emotions, biases, problematic thinking patterns, and beliefs. Left unchecked, these modes for operating can wreak havoc on our lives and the lives of your clients. Maybe you already know this though.
My pivot into consulting for financial planners was sparked by an interaction with a client. The client was working with me through deeply entrenched family issues around money. During one session, the client shared with me a conversation they had had with their financial advisor. I imagine it was a similar scenario that maybe you have also experienced. Client comes in, on the agenda of things to be discussed is the client’s spending and withdraw rate, you make a recommendation (again for the 5 time) that if they continue on this path, giving and spending, they will be left with…nothing. My client was upset. They shared with me how the advisor seemed so uncaring lacking the understanding of how hard their situation is, and presented the information in a way that felt like the client needed to choose between themselves and their adult children. My thoughts immediately went to my husband.
As the wife of a CFP®, I know how much advisors care about their clients. I hear the frustration and agony over clients not heeding advice or the helplessness that comes with not being in control of their client’s actions. I imagined my client’s advisor feeling this way which was likely behind how he responded. Unintentionally, his response backfired. Instead of creating change, it pushed them away feeling dismissed. I wondered how often this happened with other advisors; where in an attempt to show care and create change, advisors inadvertently rupture the client-advisor relationship. I knew I could help.
I knew that if I could take what I know about emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and relationships in the clinical space and teach advisors about communication, self-bias, and their client’s money mindset I could truly make an impact for the firm, the client, but ultimately for the advisor themself. Having the right tools, support, and confidence helps you to show up in the way that your clients need. Serving as your trusted partner in this way is an honor and privilege.