Today we’d like to introduce you to Frank Shields.
Frank, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My passion for personal finance began with my first career opportunity after graduating from college as a Social Insurance Specialist with the Social Security Administration. While with the agency, I was responsible for determining benefit eligibility in the areas of Retirement, Survivors, Health Insurance, and Supplemental Security Income for my clients. On a daily basis, I saw firsthand how having financial resources or a lack thereof, can enhance or impede a person’s ability to live their best life. It was this experience that inspired me to become a financial planner.
As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and a CERTIFIED STUDENT LOAN PROFESSIONAL™, and I am leveraging my varied finance experience to help my clients achieve financial security, peace of mind, and the freedom to live their best life! My philosophy is that objective and ethical financial advice should be accessible to everyone who seeks it.
I earned a Master of Business Administration with a Finance Concentration from Prairie View A&M University, and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Computer Information Systems from the University of Houston-Downtown. I also earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER(TM) Educational Program Graduate Certificate from Rice University, and I am a member of the Financial Planning Association, the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors, and the Fee-Only Network. I am also a member of the XY Planning Network, a leading organization of fee-only financial advisors who specialize in helping Gen X and Gen Y clients.
I am a native Houstonian and I currently live in Northeast Houston with my wife Leah. When time permits, I enjoy learning how to play acoustic guitar, spending time with family and friends, and listening to live music in off-the-beaten path eateries and venues.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has been a challenging road. There is a saying that people grow from other people and projects. Future Map Financial started as an idea and a desire to make objective financial advice accessible to everyone who seeks it, irrespective of a person’s investible assets. Transforming my idea into a sustainable thriving business has been and continues to be my most challenging experience to date. Ironically, it has also been the most rewarding. Making the transition from employee to entrepreneur requires a significant mindset shift, which I underestimated when I began this journey. Daily as a business owner, I am presented with a set of challenges, opportunities, and a multitude of competing responsibilities that I must efficiently manage to ensure the success of my business. My entrepreneurial journey has reiterated the importance of discipline, persistence, and continuous effort. I have a profound respect for all entrepreneurs who decide to take the leap of faith for the opportunity to control their own destiny and pursue their passion.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I officially launched Future Map Financial on February 22, 2018. Future Map Financial is an independent fee-only registered investment advisory firm that offers Student Loan Repayment Consulting, Holistic Financial Planning, and Investment Management services. As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and a CERTIFIED STUDENT LOAN PROFESSIONAL™, I specialize in helping student loan borrowers, both locally and nationally, create and implement the optimal student loan repayment strategy for their personal and financial needs. Although student loans are my technical specialty, having student loan debt is not a requirement to utilitze my services.
I see myself not only as my client’s financial planner but as their strategic partner. Helping my clients maximize their potential for meeting life goals by delivering objective financial advice that integrates both their personal and financial circumstances is what I am most proud of and passionate about!
Education plays a pivotal role in a person’s ability to secure their financial future and knowledge is power. I utilize my personal finance blog FRANKly SPEAKING to deliver simple, actionable, and timely tips help to individuals better manage their personal finances. Also, my Professional’s Guide to Paying Off Student Loans eBook is a free resource for student loan borrowers, that explains what Income-Driven Repayment Plans are, how they work, and how to determine which one may be right for them. Readers can access both my personal finance blog and Professional’s Guide to Paying Off Student Loans eBook at FutureMapFinancial.com.
Future Map Financial is unique in that it is the only independent fee-only registered investment advisory firm in Houston that specializes in helping student loans borrowers. The fact that Future Map Financial is black-owned and not affiliated with a broker-dealer, wirehouse or insurance company adds to its uniqueness. This independence provides me with the freedom to do what’s in the best interest of my clients, a fiduciary standard of care that I adhere to. Moreover, I primarily meet with my clients virtually using a secure video conferencing software, so my clients do not need to leave the comfort of their home or office for our partnership to thrive! As the founder of Future Map Financial, I believe that financial security is achievable for everyone, regardless of income or investible assets. Future Map Financial is financial planning-centric and there are no required minimum asset levels to utilize my services.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Houston is a great city for Future Map Financial as a financial planning firm with a student loan technical niche for a variety of reasons, including the number of institutions of higher learning in the area, and the diversity of its economy and citizenry. Virtual client meetings expand Future Map Financial’s ability to reach prospective clients and serve existing clients in geographical areas beyond the boundaries of Houston, TX and the surrounding areas. If someone was looking for a city to launch a business, Houston, TX deserves strong consideration.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://futuremapfinancial.com/
- Phone: 8327869636
- Email: frank@futuremapfinancial.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/futuremapfinancial
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/futuremapfinancial/
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-shields/
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