William Hatton, CFP®
Financial Planner, Coach, and "Explain It Like I'm Five" Financial Translator
Wealthtender Community Connect helps people discover the best financial advisors for their individual needs through their favorite blogs and podcasts.
Click Here to Learn More
Serving Clients Nationwide
Financial Planner, Coach, and "Explain It Like I'm Five" Financial Translator
Areas of Focus
- Budgeting
- Coaching
- Emergency Savings
- Employee Benefits
- Family and Money
- Federal Student Loan Option Analysis
- Financial Aid Planning
- Financial Life Planning
- Getting out of Debt
- Investing
- Money Psychology
- Other Loan Forgiveness Program Advising
- Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Advising
- Retirement Planning
- Saving
- Setting Up Retirement Accounts
About William Hatton, CFP®
Hello! My name is Billy, owner of Billfold Budget Counseling.I believe that money is not a natural thing. Be it overspending, living paycheck to paycheck, or a low credit score…these money mishaps are actually quite common.
Because of this, I feel that there’s no shame in not understanding personal finance. Heck, when I was studying accounting as an undergrad, I managed to get in over my head with credit card debt. A situation due to a lack of personal finance knowledge. But this overwhelming burden would weigh on my every action, and my not-so-wise decision to ignore the problem only made it worse. I was eventually able to pay off my debt through sheer chance (and lots of part-time work), but I never wanted to feel that level of anxiety again.
However, what was bad for me is often worse for others. In this country, there are haves and have-nots, and money has historically been hoarded by haves: rich, white, powerful men. As a privileged white male, I had the opportunities that lead me to eventually being debt-free. I could see how my challenges were relatively small compared to the structural issues that other folks face. So, I’ve made it my mission to not only provide financial planning, education, and coaching but to have my advice be as accessible as possible. Especially to those who have had dealt with money hardships, but still want to give back to their communities.
That way, you can focus on your mission to make the world a compassionate, diverse, and understanding place.
So if you’re ready to enlist help to tackle your financial burdens (without cliché, condescending advice like “eat less avocado toast” or “don’t buy lattes”), please reach out for a complimentary consultation.
Professional Designations
- CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER ®
Affiliations
-
Fee Only Network
- National Association of Personal Financial Advisors
- XY Planning Network
- National Association of Personal Financial Advisors
Primary Location
14900 Magnolia Blvd Ste 55474 Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
Meeting Options
- Video Conference
- In-Person
- Phone
Compensation Methods
- Fee Only
- Flat Fee
- Hourly Rate
- One-time Financial Plan
- Pro Bono
- Subscription
What to expect in the first meeting
We'll get to know each other and I'll listen to understand your unique circumstances so we can determine the best way to proceed. That could be how best we can work together, but also if I'm a good fit for you. If not, I'll refer you in the right direction.About Billfold Budget Counseling
Many Gen X & Y individuals are dragged down by debt or hampered by poor education regarding money management. Furthermore, the traditional system of financial planning and advice is for older, "High Net Worth" folks with substantial savings. This has resulted in wealth accruing primarily for privileged households and not historically disadvantaged people.Billfold Budget Counseling aims to buck this trend by providing financial coaching and advisory services on a sliding scale for folks who have noticeable cash flow burdens but don't have the assets to work with a traditional advisor.
My services are as follows:
✅ "Spot Check" Financial Translating - If you want to understand your existing benefits, wrap your head around some "newsworthy" item, or just need a second opinion, then this service would work best for you.
I charge $250/hour for up to two hours for this service. If more time is needed, then I recommend my other services instead.
✅ “Sanity Check" Financial Planning - Sometimes folks know what their goals are, but they want to understand how to align their finances to meet it.
If this sounds like your situation, then this is the option for you. After a complimentary session to see if we work well together, we can begin work to develop a financial plan for you and your partner to follow.
With this package, I will meet with you four times to organize your records, gather financial data, and develop a written plan for you to follow. After presenting the plan, we will discuss any revisions you would like to see, and then I will make a "final draft" for you.
Six months after your final draft, we will meet to see how you're doing and offer suggestions on any difficulties you may encounter.
It will usually take a minimum of three hours for this type of engagement, but I cap payment at six hours of work. The total cost will vary depending on the complexity of your financial situation, though. Typically it is no more than $1,500. Fifty percent of the estimated cost will be paid upfront (with a maximum initial payment of $500), and the remainder paid off once the plan is complete.
✅ "Helping Hand" Financial Coaching
Through this model, I will work with you for the entire year to develop a financial plan, and aid you in implementing it as well.
Frankly, money sucks. You wouldn't be the first to avoid dealing with money problems with all your heart and soul. Whatever financial matters may arise throughout our relationship; I will be your chief advisor/counsel/chancellor/grand vizier/etc.
Furthermore, I believe that this level of service is reserved for folks who typically employ the services of a "traditional" financial advisor. Instead, I advise on a sliding scale based on your household income.
For this service, I charge 2% of your household's gross income with a floor of $1,200 annually and a cap of $7,200 annually, paid monthly after our initial complimentary consultation.
You can expect: Development of a financial plan to meet your financial goals. Monthly meetings (either online or in-person) and quarterly "deep dive" appointments. These sessions are usually one hour, while deep dives will typically range from one to three hours. Two hours each month for supplementary contact for any other topics/financial issues to discuss.
Education
California State University, Northridge, Bachelor's degree, Finance, General | College of the Canyons
Hobbies and Interests
- Board Games
- Eating Out
- Hiking
- Relaxing
- Video Games
- Walking
SEC Lookup
View DisclosureWho We Serve
- College Graduates
- Couples
- Educators
- Gen X
- Gen Y / Millennials
- LGBTQ
- Newly Engaged / Newlywed
- Nonprofit Employees
- Parents
- Young Families
Wealthtender® is a trusted, independent financial directory and educational resource governed by our strict Editorial Policy, Integrity Standards, and Terms of Use. While we receive compensation from featured professionals (a natural conflict of interest), we always operate with integrity and transparency to earn your trust. Wealthtender is not a client of these providers. Testimonials may not be representative of other clients’ experiences and do not guarantee future performance or success.
We Want Your Voice to be Heard
Wealthtender exists to help people discover trusted and authentic financial professionals and educators who may be a good fit based on their unique needs and circumstances.
Your honest reviews help people decide which financial professionals and educators may be best suited to their individual needs.
The majority of people trust reviews as much as personal recommendations, so what you write in your review should reflect your own opinion and experience.
Tips for Writing a Helpful Review
Be descriptive. Instead of just saying what you like or dislike, share why. What have you enjoyed most or least about your experience with the provider? Have they helped you overcome a difficult financial challenge or strengthened your knowledge about particular money matters? The more details, the better!
Be honest. Your rating and review should reflect your actual experience.
Stay relevant. Ensure your review is helpful to others by avoiding off-topic discussions or personal opinions not relevant to your direct experience.
Make your review easy to read. Reviews should be readable to others. Use proper grammar, avoid excessive capitalization or punctuation, and be sure to check your spelling.
Be yourself. Don’t post as, or pretend to be, someone else, and do not say you’re associated with a person or organization with which you are not.
Be nice. Don’t write abusive, hateful, threatening, or harassing content. Avoid personal threats, hate speech, obscenities, or inflammatory language.
Respect the privacy of others. Don’t post information that can be used to identify another individual or compromise their privacy.
Report abuse. Thank you for helping us ensure reviews on Wealthtender are helpful to everyone. If you suspect possible violations of our guidelines or believe a review is inappropriate, please email support@wealthtender.com with a link to the provider’s profile, indicating the review in question and the reason you believe it violates our guidelines.
➡️ Are you reviewing a financial advisor? Learn more about Certified Advisor Reviews.
Disclaimers
Wealthtender reserves the right to remove reviews that violate its guidelines and/or regulations issued by the Federal Trade Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, FINRA, and other regulatory agencies. Further, financial advisors are subject to individual firm policies and rules prescribed by federal and state regulators that may result in reviews being removed, not published, or potentially modified upon the documented request submitted by an advisor, compliance officer, or other firm professional to maintain compliance with federal and state regulations.
If you submit a review on Wealthtender, the Federal Trade Commission has issued guidance to ensure you always maintain the right and ability to request reviews be removed from any online review website, including Wealthtender. To request the removal of a review you submitted on Wealthtender, please send an email to support@wealthtender.com using the same email address you utilized when submitting the review. Please include in your email a link to the profile on Wealthtender where your review is published.
In addition to your review being published on Wealthtender, you acknowledge your review may also be published by your financial advisor on their website, social media accounts, and/or profile pages on other directory websites.
The reviews posted on Wealthtender are individual and subjective opinions. The opinions expressed in reviews are those of the reviewer and not of Wealthtender, Inc. Wealthtender does not endorse any of the opinions expressed by reviewers.
Please refer to the Wealthtender terms of service and privacy policy for additional information.
If you have questions or if we can assist with anything at all, please contact us by email at support@wealthtender.com or call us at (512) 540 – 3811.
Thank you for visiting Wealthtender and giving us the opportunity to serve you.
© 2024 Wealthtender, Inc.