it’s nice to meet you!
Hi, I'm Srđana — founder of Realign Wealth. Let’s start with my name - I am Croatian, and the unusual “đ” character in my name is pronounced like a “j”. If you are wondering how to pronounce my name, it sounds something like “Sir-Jana”. But don’t sweat it; I am not sensitive to my name being mispronounced. Over the years, I have been advised to take on an Anglicized name, but as someone who values authenticity, I wouldn’t feel like myself. I also think that it kind of makes me stand out a bit, for better or worse. Of course, my wish is that it stands out for the better, and that you remember me not just for my name, but also for the work we may get to do together.
WHAT BRINGS YOU ON THIS PATH?
If you’re reading this, you’re probably looking for financial advice. You may not be sure what that advice looks like, but you have a hunch that it might be time to check in on your personal finances. Maybe you’re not sure how to manage your money, or you might be asking yourself where you should be in life, financially or otherwise. When you look around, everyone seems to have it figured out, or at least that’s how they sound and look like. So, you are a little uncomfortable asking them how they did it, because, well, money it’s not really something we talk about.
LET’S NORMALIZE MONEY DISCOMFORT
Ok maybe the above is not at all why you are here. Maybe you have it all figured out, but you do know that you are looking for someone to “talk money” about. I am trying to bring some humor here because I understand that talking about money is uncomfortable, and so is asking for advice. My goal is to create a safe and comfortable space for my clients to have conversations about money, and help them build better relationships with it.
FILTER OUT THE NOISE
Social media is full of advice that might make you wonder why you aren’t rich already. There is a ton of noise out there that makes us doubt ourselves and question our decisions. I am not an expert of your life, but I do know that there is very rarely “generic” financial advice that fits all. Your feelings about money are your feelings, and nobody else’s. And so are your life and financial goals.
MY APPROACH: LIVING AND RELATING TO MONEY MORE INTENTIONALLY
My approach is to guide you through a journey of discovery of what is important to YOU, and identify ways to get there. This is where Financial Planning meets Life Planning.
When I started my path to becoming a Financial Planner, I first learned the technical skills in the areas of cash flow management, planning for retirement, reading and analyzing tax returns, making insurance recommendations, college planning and estate/legacy considerations. I like numbers because they are factual and, from a financial standpoint, they provide grounding insight into what’s possible at a certain point in time.
But numbers don’t live on their own. Behind financial goals (expressed by numbers) are our dreams, goals and aspirations. This is where Life Planning comes into play. Life planning gives you the time and space to connect with how you truly want to live your life and what you truly care about.
Is there something you’ve always wanted to do but “life just happened” and you’ve set that secret dream aside? Do you often daydream about something you’d really like to do in life, but have to pinch yourself back to reality because “it’s just not possible right now, maybe one day when you retire?”
I am not saying you need to abruptly drop everything you’re doing and pursue all these forgotten dreams, but there is a chance you may not need to wait until you retire to feel alive, or to live more intentionally.
The fear of not having enough money to do the things we like, often comes from not having our priorities in place. What if a deep dive into your life vision freed-up time, space and money for you to live a life that brings you more happiness?
This is the intersection at which I like to work at. We can live our lives today, and still make sure we have enough in retirement. But that doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice everything today, including our wellbeing, just so that one day, 20+ years from now, we may live a good life. We can start living now.
WHY I DO WHAT I DO
I spent a lot of time trying to understand where exactly in the financial industry I belonged, and in 2020 I found Financial Planning. My academic background focused on economics and the corporate and institutional side of finance. I also spent four years working in sustainable finance and impact investing mostly working in research and data analysis.
When the world briefly stopped in 2020 due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, I was working in the travel industry and I realized I would soon have to change careers. I also had the big realization that my own finances were not in a good place, and I decided to dive deep into personal finance. Not having grown up in the United States, I was easily and quickly overwhelmed with the language, jargon, products, services and regulations that exist in the financial services industry. I also quickly understood that I wasn’t the only one, and that many Americans suffered from overwhelm, and lacked understanding of the financial services landscape and how to get financial advice that is suitable for them.
While I often find myself being scared of obstacles, I have come to understand that I actually enjoy overcoming them. The reason I do what I do is because I genuinely like helping people overcome their obstacles. It is also how we get a glimpse of our full potential. We only grow when we are exposed to new experiences and we decide to embrace our fears.
If money and personal finances have been among your obstacles, and if you have been avoiding having uncomfortable conversations around money, this is your invitation to step into that uncomfortable space and start uncovering what is possible for you. I will be here to guide you.
MY CREDENTIALS
Before I was ready to give advice, I had to undergo a rigorous study program and pass the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) exam. I was simultaneously also completing my Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. Both credentials require accumulating a certain number of hours working in roles that qualified me to eventually earn the right to use them. Working in the financial planning industry was not the only contributor to my knowledge and expertise. I had to undergo - and I am still undergoing - a personal transformation when it comes to relating to money and personal finances. Most recently, I completed the Registered Life Planner (RLP) certification with the Kinder Institute of Life Planning. Going through the program has taught me how to relate to the more personal and intimate side of money and how to have those often uncomfortable conversations with clients.