Entrepreneur Marcia Smith approaches various aspects of parenthood the same way she would a fledgling business: with lots of planning for the future.
The founder of Life Changing Academy (LCA) set her daughter up for a life of success when she turned 15. First, she bought a new Mercedes Benz in her daughter’s business name and listed it on a car rental platform. Then, she added her daughter to five of her credit cards to help her daughter to start building her personal credit.
Not bad, huh? But there’s more. She uses the profits from renting the car to repay the car loan and invests the rest into an investment portfolio when she turns 18. And, of course, never one to skip the basics, she has also created a college fund that will pay for the education at the college of her choice.
Viral and Inspirational on Facebook
The founder posted this same story on her personal Facebook page, and it quickly went viral, with the top comments mentioning her thoughtful, clever, and strategic actions on behalf of her daughter.
After getting many requests, she started a group where she shared more tips and stories. The group drew more than 40,000 members in under a week. Smith knew that people were hungry for financial advice and success stories but was surprised just how many successful adults were now coming to her for financial advice of all kinds.
It wasn’t long before answering people’s questions and advising on their unique situations became a full-time gig. So, she switched gears from her real estate practice to become a full-time Financial Literacy Coach and opened Life Changing Academy LLC to become a peer-to-peer consultant for those seeking financial health. She also facilitated a network of people with similar goals to inspire each other.
“The American educational system teaches you math, but it doesn’t teach you the most basic financial knowledge most people need to change their life,” Smith shared. “I have a problem with that. It’s not the teachers’ fault, it’s the system’s, so I decided to become a teacher and create a solution to the problem”
The Lessons of Life Changing Academy
Smith quickly points out that the kind of financial freedom she teaches focuses on being literate about your mindset, your money, and having the discipline to make it grow. Sharing knowledge, calculating budget, and embracing a lifetime of learning is how she is making an impact in the lives of regular people.
After all, the world of money is constantly changing: from crypto to robo-investors and beyond, the landscape shifts every few years.
“It’s something to feel excited about, not something to be fearful of,” said Smith. “Just think of each new development as another possible way to increase your net worth.”
Smith welcomes those interested in finance — as well as those who are struggling with managing each paycheck. She says there’s room for everyone at her academy, which offers step-by-step teaching to educate students on financial literacy, credit, starting businesses, buying a home, buying investment properties, analyzing which credit option is best for you, stock investing, adding a charitable component to your portfolio, and building generational wealth.
The courses at the academy are all online, and most lessons can be done in your spare time. In addition, there is a live question-and-answer session each week where enrolled students can ask Smith any question they like.
Despite her success, the founder stays closely involved with each student, ensuring they can keep up and digest the valuable lessons. For those with crazy schedules who can’t make the live sessions, she offers Zoom meetings and regularly checks in to post, comments and direct messages with students through her popular Facebook group.
An Inspiring Presence
Students call her caring, generous with her knowledge, and deeply enthusiastic about the subject matter. Speaking with her, it’s easy to see how much she loves the subject; her eyes light up, and she begins to smile and gesture.
“We all need money to get by and be successful in life,” she said. “So why not learn all you can about how it works, what it can do and, most importantly, how to make it work for you?”
Learning how to best manage, use, and invest our money is not often taught in schools and our parents often don’t know enough to share with us on the essential topic.
About Marcia Smith
Marcia Smith is the Founder of Life Changing Academy, an organization which helps individuals learn how to create, build, and leverage the power of a properly structured business. She has changed the lives of thousands of new and existing business owners, allowing them the freedom to stop trading time for money and start trading time to do what they want to do and not what they have to do. To connect and see how Marcia is changing lives, please visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/lifechangingacademy
