Natalie Bacon grew up thinking she wanted to be a lawyer, but after 4 years in the legal profession she realized she that was not the life she wanted for herself. Deciding to switch careers and become a certified financial planner (as well as a personal finance blogger), Natalie may have taken a major pay cut from her lawyer days, but she is well on her way to making some big money...honey. I also share at the end of this episode that I have just opened a Facebook group for anyone who wants to continue the conversation with other like-minded people. If you want to talk money in a place with no judgement, just encouragement, go to facebook.com/groups/moneylifebalance. Long episode description: As I mentioned to Natalie Bacon during our episode together, her blog The Finance Girl is super empowering. That’s why I just had to reach out to her and get her on my show.  Natalie’s story is pretty unique. She always excelled academically and eventually graduated law school with dreams of making big money as a lawyer. After 4 years in the legal field, she was drowning in debt and ready to quit — job or no job waiting for her on the other side. One of the positive things that did come out of her legal career was the realization that she wanted to focus her energy on personal finance. It was her previous job that helped her switch careers into the financial industry, and she is now only one exam away from becoming a certified financial planner. Along the way, she also discovered that she needed a creative outlet for her new passion, which is where her blog The Finance Girl came in. And just two years later, her blog has become a heavy hitter in the personal finance blogosphere (go Natalie!). Here next big goal is to continue to increase her net worth by building her blog into a full-fledged business. Having tasted the lifestyle she could have had if she had continued practicing law, her aim now is to not just manage her money effectively, but to see how much money she can make by doing different things on the side. The idea of side hustling certainly has become a trend on my podcast, but that’s because it really is such a smart idea. I’ve been able to do so many more things with the extra money I’ve made outside of my full-time job, and I can’t wait to see where Natalie’s efforts will take her in the future. Blog Post Natalie Bacon Wrote About Setting Yourself Up for Success How to Plan Your Best Year Ever Blog Posts on How to Make More Money 8 Legitimate Ways to Make Money From Home How to Make an Extra $1000 per Month Six Strategies to Help You Successfully Negotiate a Pay Raise Want to Be Part of a Community Where It’s Cool to Talk About Money? If you like listening to my podcast, then you’ll definitely want to join my brand new Money. Life. Balance. Facebook group. This group is all about having a safe space, free of judgement, where we can all talk about money, encourage each other to reach our financial goals, and educate each other in areas we’re not pros in yet. I post a new topic to discuss every Monday, so make sure to join now to add your two cents to this week’s conversation. See you in there! Shownotes: jessicamoorhouse.com/39