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Michelle Francis

Fee-Only Financial Advisor for Women

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Contact Me
Life Story Financial Michelle Francis
Arvada, CO

Serving Clients Nationwide

Fee-Only Financial Advisor for Women

9 Certified Advisor Reviews™
Rate this Advisor

(720) 307-8901

Website

Areas of Focus

  • Employee Stock Options
  • Investment Management
  • Retirement Planning
  • Setting Up Retirement Accounts
  • Women & Wealth

About Me

Hi, I'm Michelle Francis. I believe open, honest conversations about life and money can lead to overall well-being. I help women and couples in executive leadership and entrepreneurial roles who want an organized financial life and a long-term plan for their own and their family's financial future—so they can worry less and enjoy more. I take a thoughtful but efficient approach to planning and deliver advice that's free from judgment (and jargon)!

📜 We All Have A Story - Here's Mine:

While growing up in Colorado, my parents helped me develop a strong work ethic and sense of financial responsibility. They showed me how to open a checking account, balance my checkbook, and save for the things I wanted, like my first car.​

I spent my early career in telecommunications before being laid off during the dot-com bubble. From there, I decided to switch gears and enter the more people-focused world of PR and marketing. I then launched and ran a successful PR firm and experienced the joys (and challenges!) of entrepreneurship.​

While I loved listening to my PR clients' business stories, I felt like something was missing: their work was only part of what drove them.​ I was ultimately drawn to financial planning because money, in all its forms, is at the heart of our life stories. ​I'm especially passionate about helping other women improve their financial IQ.

😀 How I Spend My Free Time:

I love taking family-friendly vacations and getting outside with my husband and three very active, elementary-school-age children. I also enjoy volunteering, reading psychological thrillers and teaching my kids about money. In fact, I regularly bribe them with extra allowance for doing extra chores!

💗 Interesting Fact About My Family of Five:

Two of my three children have a rare disease called PKU, so I appreciate the emotional and financial struggles of raising children with a chronic disease or special needs.

Affiliations

  • Fee Only Network
  • National Association of Personal Financial Advisors
  • XY Planning Network

Primary Location

Arvada, CO 80007

Video

Meeting Options

  • Video Conference
  • In-Person
  • Phone
Book Intro Call

Compensation Methods

  • Fee Only
  • Flat Fee
  • Hourly Rate
  • Percentage of Assets Managed

What to expect in the first meeting

Before an introductory call with me, I encourage you to watch my intro video and visit my website for an overview about me and my comprehensive financial planning, hourly financial advice and investment management services. It'll also be helpful to identify your top financial concerns so you can share them with me during our call.

Offers Investment Management

Yes

About our Firm

Life Story Financial provides comprehensive and hourly financial planning, retirement planning and investment management to independent women, top female earners and their partners to help them organize, grow and protect their assets through life’s big transitions.

Why My Firm is Focused on Financial Planning for Women:

I experienced both a divorce and a corporate layoff early in my career. This led to a long period of financial instability. To take back control, I had to educate myself about my money to make smarter decisions about my financial future.

I learned how good it felt to gain financial independence instead of staying financially ignorant. That's why empowering women in similar situations is my passion.

I'm honored when clients share their life stories and allow me to guide them to a better future. This rewarding work brings meaning to my life—which is something I want to help my clients find, too.

My services include:

✅ Financial and Retirement Planning

✅ Retirement Income and Tax Planning

✅ Investment Management

✅ Employer Retirement Plans

✅ Hourly Financial Advice

If you're like most people, your financial decisions are informed by your past. That's where my planning process begins, followed by identifying your life goals and reframing how you think about your finances. From there, we'll work together to connect your money to your life and develop a plan of action aligned to what's most important to you.

Education

Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Regis University in Denver, Colo.

Volunteer Experience

Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Two Ponds Preservation Foundation | Member, Jefferson County Women for Good | Member, Arvada Chamber of Commerce | Member, SHE Leads Arvada Chapter

Badges

Languages

  • English

Hobbies and Interests

  • Family
  • Horseback Riding
  • Reading
  • Traveling
  • Volunteering
  • Working Out

SEC Lookup

View Disclosure

FINRA Lookup

View Disclosure

Who We Serve

  • Business Owners
  • Corporate Executives
  • Couples
  • Dual Income Family
  • Gen X
  • Gen Y / Millennials
  • Government Employees
  • Parents
  • Single Women
  • Technology Professionals
  • Widow
  • Women in Transition
  • Women Professionals
  • Women’s Finance

To make Wealthtender free for readers, we earn a nominal monthly fee from financial advisors and firms in exchange for marketing services (including being featured on this profile page), subject to terms of use. This compensation creates a natural conflict of interest when we favor their promotion over others. Wealthtender is not a client of these advisors or firms. Testimonials may not be representative of other clients’ experiences and do not guarantee future performance or success.

Write a Review


By clicking submit, you acknowledge this review is based on your own experience and reflects your genuine opinion. You also agree to our review policy, privacy policy, and terms and conditions, and give this financial advisor permission to publicly display your review on their website.

5 Stars

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™
Jul 19, 2024
Michelle is knowledgeable, professional, and a pleasure to work with. Michelle has been very helpful to us and we wholeheartedly recommend her as a financial advisor.
Relationship to Financial Advisor: Current Client
Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.
Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.
Avatar for Melanie Church
Melanie Church

5 Stars

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™
Jun 29, 2024
In my search to find a financial advisor, not to manage my already established portfolio and assets, but to review my overall financial situation, determine if asset allocation was on track to meet goals, and plan for the coming years before retirement, I found Life Story Financial. Michelle was a pleasure to work with, easy to talk to, provided enough guidance but let the conversation go where it needed, and in the end of our discovery journey, was able to provide comprehensive recommendations that not only covered asset allocation, but also covered insurance, estate planning and more. The plan had real, tangible actions for me to take and easy for me to execute. The plan forward is to touch base once a year for a quick assessment, check for any life changes and adjust where needed. I found her fees to be very reasonable for the comprehensive review, and I can even engage her advice services at an hourly rate, should something come up that I need to discuss. Thank you, Michelle!
Relationship to Financial Advisor: Current Client
Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.
Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.
Avatar for Sheri Birk
Sheri Birk

5 Stars

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™
Jan 17, 2024
My wife and I had saved all of our working lives, but never sat down with anyone to formulate a plan for retirement. As retirement approached, the lack of a plan became more and more unsettling. Fortunately, we got connected with Michelle Francis. Over the course of a few short meetings, she helped identify our priorities and formulated a workable plan to achieve our goals. A solid strategy but with plenty of flexibility if needed. We are now retired and sleeping well knowing we have Michelle guiding us. We would recommend Michelle to anyone needing to have a plan for retirement.
Relationship to Financial Advisor: Current Client
Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.
Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.
Avatar for Todd Ball
Todd Ball

5 Stars

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™
Aug 20, 2023
I have the pleasure of knowing Michelle Francis, and while I haven't personally engaged her services, I can attest to her exceptional character and expertise in the financial realm. Michelle is truly a rare find – someone who not only possesses an in-depth understanding of financial matters but also genuinely cares about the well-being of her clients. She has an innate ability to empathize with the emotional and financial challenges that people go through, which sets her apart. What stands out most about Michelle is her approachability and willingness to educate. She takes the time to explain complex financial concepts in a simple and relatable manner, ensuring that her clients are empowered to make informed decisions. This commitment to transparency and education is a testament to her genuine desire to see her clients succeed.
Relationship to Financial Advisor: This reviewer has never been a client.
Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.
Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.
Avatar for Emily Garcia
Emily Garcia

Michelle has been a great advisor

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™
May 22, 2023
We've never worked with a Financial Advisor before, but Michelle made us feel comfortable from the beginning. She has been very patient with us as we merged numerous retirement accounts and either took care of those she could herself, or walked us through how to make the changes. She has advised us on retirement, life insurance, health insurance, long-term care insurance, and numerous other items. She really gets to know your financial and life goals, and risk tolerance to advise appropriate solutions. We highly recommend her.
Relationship to Financial Advisor: Current Client
Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.
Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.
Avatar for MDT
MDT

Cares about her clients!

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™
May 19, 2023
Michelle has been such a wealth of knowledge for my husband and I in our financial journey. Very thorough in what she does and always has her clients' best interests at heart. Thanks, Michelle!
Relationship to Financial Advisor: Current Client
Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.
Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.
Avatar for Erika
Erika

Michelle is AMAZING!

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™
May 16, 2023
I started working with Michelle a few years ago when I was looking for someone I could trust to help me invest and grow my money. I feel like Michelle really listens to me, cares about what’s going on in my life (not just in regards to my finances) and understands what my financial goals are. I trust Michelle 100% and would highly recommend her to anyone out there looking for a financial planner.
Relationship to Financial Advisor: Current Client
Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.
Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.
Avatar for Terri Burkard
Terri Burkard

Very Knowledgeable

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™
May 16, 2023
I am not the type of person that watches over the market and what it's doing nor do I ever look at my accounts more than once or twice a year. I don't know nor do I want to learn about financial "stuff". Michelle is so good at explaining what she is doing and why with my money. She is able to tell me honestly what went well and what didn't and explains what the market is doing in simple terms so that I understand. She does a fantastic yearly presentation and is available anytime throughout the year for financial assistance on things that come up. She is smart and keeps up to date on the latest and greatest info and options. I feel confident that I am setup for retirement when that day comes. She is also the type of person that doesn't lecture or make you feel bad if you slip up and aren't able to put as much money away or need help getting back on track with a budget. She understands that life happens and that while she enjoys looking at financials and strategizing that not everyone else does. I trust her advice and I recommend her to my all my friends and family.
Relationship to Financial Advisor: Current Client
Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.
Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.
Avatar for Missy
Missy

Thoughtful advice

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™
May 12, 2023
Michelle is not only professionally adept at her assessment and handling of our financial needs, but she listens and remembers our concerns, timing issues, and - yet - remains flexible as life "happens". We enjoy our meetings and have found the outcome of our selection of how and where to place our investments to be productive and fitting. She has excellent customer service with empathy and an appropriate sense of humor. Further, she is technologically adept and patient to assist us through the various online processes. We appreciate her so much!
Relationship to Financial Advisor: Current Client
Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.
Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.
Avatar for anonymous
anonymous
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