They are not registered with finra and not licensed. I applied for a job and they asked me to come in two separate times to shadow someone and see if I like the job. It wasn't a good experience. they also send emails for people to get certifications that aren't industry regulated. read more

I have been to the Financial Gym twice for their Wine & Learn events in the past few weeks and recommend this place highly. I'm a young professional, vowed to finally be "good with money" and educate myself on personal finance a few years ago. I stumbled upon the Financial Gym at a different NYC personal finance event. I've been reading many personal finance blogs, books, and listening to various podcasts. I consider myself comfortable and knowledgeable about personal finance now. However, the concept of a physical offline place for this topic is new to me. While researching about the Financial Gym, I tested the waters by going to one of their "Wine & Learn" events. I went to one about Salary Negotiation because it was relevant to what's going on in my life then. I also went to one called "Investing 101" because I wanted to know how the Financial Gym approaches this topic. I recommend both highly to those who are new to the topic. Although I wasn't, I felt really good being in a room of mostly women talking about finances. It felt like a safe space where we can share information. It's crazy to me that it's still taboo to talk about money. Going to the Wine & Learns made me feel like it's ok. I learned a few things too. I also was curious about the founder Shannon's podcast "Martinis and Your Money." I listened to the episodes about why she started the gym, how the gym is structured, why it is important to have a physical space for this topic, and the stories of current financial gym clients. From listening to her podcast and getting to know Shannon, I feel good about trusting the Financial Gym that their hearts are in a good place and that they will have their clients best interest in mind. Go to one of their Wine & Learns and check it out yourself. As for being a monthly member of the gym, it is good for people who: - Feel uncomfortable about money / budgeting / investing / etc on your own but have money goals and need guidance - Like the 1-on-1 feedback and interaction needed to stick to a financial plan - Don't have the time or interest to spend hours researching about personal finance on their own If you fit into this, you should look into it. I did not end up being a monthly member because I feel comfortable doing it on my own. But after learning about their approach to personal finance, I feel good recommending the Financial Gym to friends who need it. read more

The Financial Gym - Investing 101 Wine & Learn session at the Financial Gym - Financial Advising Near Me - New York, New York

I tried out the The Financial Gym in 2018. I loved the idea of having a woman-focused personal finance space, with events and a friendly-environment! I was hesitant to write this review because I want to encourage more awesome companies like this... But the experience I had was so disappointing. 1) You don't get to pick your coach - and when I cancelled my membership I wasn't even offered the option of different one to see if that would be a better fit. 2) Onboarding - I was told to bring my financial documents with me, they didn't even provide a printable or digital spreadsheet to fill out, as someone with many accounts, this was so disorganized. 2) Software - they have their own and it is so lackluster, didn't track debts only the balances in my account and categorizing them. It had so few featuresI might as well have been writing my transactions by hand. 3) My 'Coach' - all of the suggestions felt generic to sign up for digital banking services I already had, and talking through goals that were 'up to me' and just providing standard recommendations of 'emergency savings' aka 6 months pay of your current salary. 4) Cancellation - I emailed their standard info/customer service email to cancel, I was then directed to email my coach, who then directed me to email someone else. Yup. It took 3 separate emails and no phone number to call. (Even then they couldn't cancel my account properly.) 5) They didn't cancel my membership - they then tried to bill me even after I canceled within their terms. I wish I could say that the services here provided more like building better financial habits, or unique guidance. I think their services are probably better suited to people who haven't ever read a personal finance book or articles. I highly recommend YNAB (You Need a Budget) or Tiller as inexpensive ($50/year) personal finance software instead. read more

Fantastic resource! My trainer, Lindsay (Dallas branch) was wonderful and really helped me sort out what percentage of my income to put toward my 401K, while at the same time setting up a some necessities like a new car and vacation fund. I had some medical debt to pay off and she found a way to do that with 0% interest! They can even help with investing and any other financial issue. And bonus, there's monthly events with free wine :) read more

I normally don't write reviews or emails unless I feel very strongly about something but I wanted to take the time out to thank Shannon McLay (CEO of Fingym) for sending out this email to let clients know you will be OOO on a health & wellbeing company retreat to give us enough time to plan around it. Luckily for me I had my meeting with Bridget, yesterday! I respect you as executives for taking care of yourselves and your employees, it's a rare thing to see in C levels being that I was formerly an executive assistant myself to the C suite. I also wanted to thank you for writing your message in such a way that it's relatable to your clients and to also show that side of your "human self" as covid has been a long journey for everyone these past 17 months no matter where you are in the world. I hope you and your employees have a great time at your company retreat and reconnecting in person is always great! I also hope that you will share this positive message with your fingym team and tell each and everyone one of them that they are all ROCKSTARS! I specifically want to give a special shout out to the one and only amazingly brilliant BRIDGET TODD! I can't thank her and your company enough for all of the wonderful things fingym has done for me. I remember when I was struggling to look for a financial advisor because I was to poor to afford one and then I read about the fingym online in 2018 and saw the great ratings about the company and the affordable monthly subscription fee. I immediately signed up and have recommended the company to a lot of family and friends who are also looking to get financially fit (free marketing by word of mouth is the best when your company is doing great, woo hoo!) . Bridget has been there for me from the start, when I was struggling to understand how to get myself out of credit card and student loan debt from my bachelors degree. She always answers my questions thoroughly and is so kind and patient, and explains every single detail to me in laymen's terms to make it easy for me to understand. Bridget helped me get out of $15k credit card debt. I was struggling to figure out how to pay for my MBA program in Amsterdam, NL and scheduled an appointment with Bridget in May 2019, when covid hit as it was the perfect time for a career change and to finally fulfill my dream of getting my MBA in a different country (due to it being cheaper) and wanting to experience a different culture. Bridget helped me calculate what I needed to take out for a masters program loan and next steps. Fast forward one year later, I've graduate from my MBA program and had my meeting with Bridget yesterday as I've managed to lock in a full time job with a company that I worked with during my MBA program. Bridget helped me budget, walked me through the steps and did the actual process with me to consolidate my bachelors federal school loans for a lower interest rate and a cheaper monthly payment, and she also helped me calculate my MBA monthly repayment plan on a 15 year and 10 year repayment plan to help me fully understand my financial well being. I cannot explain how GRATEFUL I am for Bridget, her extensive knowledge in all areas of finance, and for everything she has done for me and countless others. I also wanted to thank Shannon for starting fingym, because without fingym, I wouldn't be financially free(ish) and couldn't have paid off my $15k credit card debt based on Bridget's great advice. It has helped me get financially fit and also helped me plan for my student loans, budgets, taxes, retirement, future, and emergency savings just in case I ever need it. TL;DR: everyone especially Bridget at fingym ROCKS! You're all SUPERSTARS and have made my life so much easier. Thanks for helping me get one step closer to being debt free and assisting me on my journey to getting financially fit! I love you all from the bottom of my heart and don't forget that you're changing millions of peoples lives! Keep doing what you're doing because I couldn't have gotten this far without you all! Have fun reconnecting with one another in person on your company retreat. Stay safe, happy, and healthy! Please remember to take care of yourself just as much as you take care of us, self care is extremely important especially during difficult times like the COVID-19 pandemic we're still living in. With much love and wishing you all the very best, your #1 fan, -Tracey read more

Apparently it has taken me 20 years to recognize that "financial planners" and "financial advisors" do not have your best interest in mind. They will always sell you the best product or service to make them the most commission. It is that simple. If you are not an active advocate for your own financial future, you will be taken advantage of. When I saw the The Financial Gym founder and CEO, Shannon on The Today Show it was almost like she was speaking directly to me. I knew I needed to get my financial life in order, and it was my responsibility to do so. The Financial Gym educates you, and does not push or sell any product, nor are they affiliated with any financial institution, credit card, or bank. They are unbiased and ethical. They make their money on a subscription based model, so there is no incentive for them to mislead or deceive you like other financial institutions. As soon as I had my "financially naked" starter session, where you lay our everything on the table to your "financial coach," it finally clicked for me that The Financial Gym was going to "teach me to fish" instead of blindly "just telling me what to do" for someone else's benefit. I have a masters degree and a professional job, but finance was just not something that I had bothered to learn, so financially speaking, signing up with The Financial Gym was the best fiscally responsible decision I have ever made. Since then, I gifted my own mother a membership, who is entering the retirement phase of her life, and also my 2 best friends memberships for Christmas. To say I am a believer in this company is an understatement. Highly recommended. 5 stars. read more

The Financial Gym - The Financial Gym, first location, in NY - Financial Advising Near Me - New York, New York

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Terrible service. I learned about this group from a women's community-- whose mission is to help thirty something women become more financially empowered. The irony is that Financial Gym has an archaic and confusing cancellation policy, financial "planners" who aren't certified planners (which they try to downplay in the marketing and portrayal of their services), and ostensibly the only service they provide is a budget spreadsheet and a portal by which customers can upload their private financial data. This would have been a two star review - with the tldr being "not useful but not harmful" - but for the archaic and obtuse cancellation policy. Be forwarded there is a mandatory 3 month membership window which you must pay ($~300), but if you want to cancel you should do so before the start of your third month-- in writing. They claim "it's easy to leave!" But the fine print is hidden, the trainers (who... if they're not certified planners I guess they're just your friend who maybe knows something about budgeting?) don't explain how to meet the gym's strict cancellation policies, and they hide your ability to cancel on the website. I tried to cancel a full month before my membership ended and after the customer service rep went AWOL for weeks, I followed back up only to be met by a slew of fake-peppy emails sharing their fine print and saying while they wouldn't honor my cancellation the upside is "you get more time with our trainers!". Overall I am sharing my experience since I think women, and young people, trying to take control of their finances is an important mission. It's just a bummer that Financial Gym preys on it. read more

Financial Gym had a massive, positive effect on our finances, which is why we used them twice. Their service paid for itself many, many times over. They put together a plan for us that wiped out our credit card debt (we both had been carrying CC debt for years), and for the first time enabled us to have an emergency fund set aside. They helped us prioritize what to pay off first, how much to spend paying down loans/debts, how much to save, etc. Re: some of the negative comments below, their membership structure is a tiny bit confusing, but they were very straight-forward explaining it, and we had no problems signing up or cancelling. Both times we signed up for the monthly plan and quit after 3 months, so we paid $450 total for each of those 2 rounds of planning. Customer service in general with both of our trainers was excellent. Quick responses, friendly people. I don't know anything about money-back guarantees, we didn't need any refund from them because we were very happy with their help. Some of their financial trainers are not CFP's, but they disclose that on their website. We had spectacular results despite the fact that our trainers were maybe not CFPs. You do not need to be a CFP to provide the type of (very helpful!) services that they provided to us. Only minor critique is that, the second time we used them, their planning document was more complex and was too long or too detailed, but they were there every step of the way to answer questions, and it wasn't that hard to find the answers we needed. read more

I had a wonderful opportunity to join my friend for a workshop at Financial Gym. The workshop titled "How to plan a picture perfect wedding for less". My friend is newly engaged and I'm helping her plan her wedding. We learned all about the cost that goes into hosting a wedding. We got tips on areas to spend money and where to save. There are cost that we didn't even think of prior to this workshop. We left feeling informed, empowered and inspired! The Financial Gym is like joining a gym personal training for your pockets. Instead of working out you are training in financial fitness. The décor is cool and inspiring. Thank you Bridget you're awesome! Five stars, a definite recommend! read more

The Financial Gym - Financial Advising Near Me - New York, New York

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I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Shannon from the financial gym. Her passion, vision, and commitment to what she has created is truly inspiring. The financial gym educates all walks of life about a more fiscally responsible future with each clients interests at heart. It makes educating yourself about your financial future far less daunting. Worth a visit no matter what your current financial status is! Go meet your Best. Financial. Friend!!!! read more

Georgina has really changed my money awareness, budgeting habits, and future planning, and I am so grateful for it. She's able to talk me through everything from coming up with an ESPP share-selling strategy to saving for an apartment to saving for vacation. All of these things have massively lessened my anxiety around money and spending, and have made me feel on top of my earnings and my plans. In addition to providing sensible, practical advice, she's always there to listen to stressors and anxiety, and provide guidance in a non-judgemental way. The FinGym has filled a large gap in my education around basic financial planning, and Georgina is pretty much singlehandedly responsible for that. Thank you thank you thank you. read more

After my "warm up" call, where a verbal commitment was made to move forward, my contact (Gabby) told me I would be placed on a waiting list for a first appointment. When I had questions about this, she didn't respond for several days. I had not paid yet, thankfully, and decided against using their services. She responded assuring me that I was at the top of the waiting list, but still did not provide any window or estimate. I told her again that I was no longer interested, and she basically said that being overwhelmed with demand spoke well of the company. Nope. Not when your sales department is garbage. read more

The marketing department are liars. They are not clear about the terms and conditions of the money back guarantee. They put it in the fine print and do not disclose any information. They are not clear about there terms. Do not let them fool you. They do not honor their money back guarantee. My adviser hasn't talked to me since August and I started the financial gym in June. She just left me hanging. I didn't think much since they had the money back guarantee. I never used any of their services and they did not help. Come around 6 months right on the dot I ask for money back and they pulled some fine print eligibility bull shit on me. These people don't actually help they just have a good marketing team to fooling you into wasting your money. There are so many free services you can get on the market, and so many blogs to educate yourself. Don't let these people take your money. read more

Yikes.. I spoke with someone who had terrible experience at the financial gym. I actually visited their space, it looks a bit shady with inexperienced people working there. I don't want folks drinking wine while they prepare my paperwork.. I need a professional who looks the part and we can celebrate after the work is done.. I would be very scared to give them information on my monies. I have heard horror stories of inexperienced workers and loss of funds read more

I was drawn to use the Financial Gym, aka F-Gym, because the financial advisors are not compensated based on their investing advice as most financial advisors. Nor are they compensated on any trades I make...as most financial advisors. Been there; done that; and received advice that was beneficial to the financial advisor- not beneficial to me. F-Gym financial advisors cannot tell me exactly which stocks or bonds in which I should select for investing. However, they offer guidance on a strategy blend of investments for a portfolio appropriate for my particular financial situation. I work with an extremely knowledgeable F-Gym financial advisor who has provided excellent guidance and customer service. A great business model for helping non-financial folks navigate financial planning! read more

I recently watched a segment on the Today Show for the Financial Gym and was immediately intrigued. As a young woman in a new career, having a support system of women encouraging a healthy financial life was very important to me. I am so excited to learn more about getting my finances in order with this program. Shannon at the Financial Gym is a true inspiration. read more

I've sat on writing this review for a long time but this is still bothering me a year later and feel the need to let people know about my experience. I joined the gym to get advice on a big financial decision. They market themselves as experts when most of the people that work there are not (as I later found out after losing $60k). At first it felt good to "air out" my financial business but soon after I felt humiliated and got a very bad vibe from the owner Shannon who seemed to get great satisfaction from my shame as she held a glass of wine in her hand. By the way, their company culture is immersed in alcohol - its all over the office and employees drink while meeting with clients and its even expected of them. Maybe it's me but mixing alcohol with making financial decisions is not smart and i should have known better. Turns out their "trainers" are not certified in anything financial (I didn't know that until it was too late). I had multiple discussions with my trainer about my issue and she said that it sounded great and should do it and she would even help me with paperwork etc. Everything seemed fine. It wasn't until months later when I got hit with an enormous tax bill that I realized I made a terrible mistake. I explicitly asked about tax implications and she said that based on what she knew from the paperwork that they were not likely - so I went with her stupid advice and ended up losing $60k from my savings plus a monster tax bill that will take me 5+ years to pay off. My friend also lost money as a result of their bad advice. read more

I was really excited to begin the program. Although I felt like some of the recommendations made in my planning session were a bit generic, I knew that I would benefit from having someone guide me through the process and hold me accountable. I have to say I was completely let down. When I joined, I was told my trainer would reach out every few weeks, and there would be a longer status review after 3 months - after which, you decide whether to keep on with the program or cancel. I had my first session on July 31 2019. I reached out to my trainer to ask a question on August 26 2019 (which she answered) but I never heard a thing after that. Things got really busy over the holidays but the formal review never happened, and when I reached out in January to express my concerns about the lack of communication. There's a 6 month money-back guarantee, and I've requested a refund for the months paid. I still feel that if you receive the support described in the membership, you can definitely be successful with the program. I'm really disappointed in my experience, and hoping this is an anomaly as this service could be a really valuable resource. read more