We Look Forward to Meeting You!

Your love and money story matters to us.

It holds where you have been, where you are, and where you desire to go.

THE SHORT VERSION:

Hi I am Ed Coambs the founder of Healthy Love and Money

With both formal education and personal experience in resolving conflicts, managing finances, developing emotional intimacy, and understanding family systems, I’m an informed and empathetic guide along your love and money journey. My goal is to help couples uncover and understand the roots underlying their financial conflicts and move toward financial intimacy.

Financial Planning + Financial Therapy + Couples Counseling = Healthy Love and Money.

The Slightly Longer Version

Founder - Therapy-Informed Financial Planning

I have over 20 years of experience working with individuals, couples, and families experiencing a wide range of money-related distress. I started from the ground up teaching in several different church-based financial programs. While I learned a lot, I was left with more and bigger questions about people and money.

So, I went back to school. I earned an MBA with a concentration in corporate finance and earned my designation as a Certified Financial Planner. At the same time, I was working at Vanguard Mutual Funds with clients across the wealth spectrum. These experiences gave me exposure to understanding investing and working with people around their investments. I felt like I understood how money worked but had no real formal training or understanding of how individuals, couples, and families worked. What did I do? I went back to school again and this time I earned a master’s degree in Marriage and Family therapy. This training filled many gaps in my understanding of how people worked.

To close the gap and conduct original research between financial planning and counseling, I earned a third master's degree in Financial Planning from Kansas State University. In this program, I examined the relationship between attachment styles and financial well-being.

Working as a couples therapist taught me a lot about the universal and unique experience of life in a family. I am no stranger to the wide range of trauma that happens both in the family and outside the family. It comes from thousands of hours of sitting with couples and helping couples along the healing and restoration path. I have learned the power of empathy and connection to change the way couples see themselves and each other and the way they approach their shared financial life.

Along the way, I’ve become a thought leader in Financial Therapy, a professional field that blends personal finance and therapy to effect positive, lasting change for clients. I’ve helped a team of professionals develop the designation Certified Financial Therapist—I™, which ensures the highest quality of care to those interested in receiving Financial Therapy.

Now I have the distinct honor of working with all the technical and nitty-gritty details of a couple's financial life as well as the psychological and relational dynamics of the couples that shape how they experience and use money in their lives.

The end goal is what I like to call financial intimacy. The ability of a couple to grow closer together and feel safer and more fully understood about the meaning and role of money in their lives.

The financial planning process is a powerful and meaningful way for couples to connect all the pieces.

How Therapy & Financial Planning Have Helped Me:

Financial planning first helped me understand how money works and how I could grow financial security for myself and my family over time. It laid a foundation for me that 25 years later has grown into a meaningful level of financial security and wealth. It started with investing $300 a month and has grown and changed over time into much more.

This financial journey has been marked by many of my own issues, including relationship conflict, my trauma history, major depression and anxiety, and other difficult-to-manage family dynamics I had no idea how to navigate. Fortunately, through years of therapy and personal self-help work, I am proud of the family we have created and the wealth we now manage.

On A Personal Note:

My wife and I have been married since 2006. We enjoy our three boys and their many different activities. We also spend a good amount of time with our parents, enjoying family meals and trips.

When I have alone time, I love to ride my mountain bike in Charlotte or Western North Carolina.

My favorite drink at a coffee shop is a Chai Latte. Fun fact: I have never drank a cup of coffee in my entire life, even though coffee shops are my favorite place to write.

The Short Version:

Hi I am Dr. Christine Hargrove

I love helping all people, including those living with neurodiversity, to navigate their money.

It has been an amazing journey up to this point, and it just keeps getting better each year as I bring together more knowledge and skills to the work I do in financial therapy with clients.

Seeing people go from disappointment and embarrassment to empowerment and confidence around their finances lights me up.

The Slightly Longer Version

Head of Financial Therapy

I am a financial therapist dedicated to promoting couples’ relational and financial well-being.

In my role at Healthy Love and Money, I offer financial therapy to couples, helping them navigate the complexities of financial decision-making while fostering healthier relationships with one another and their finances. I am especially familiar with the relational and financial dynamics of a neurodiverse household. My approach is compassionate and collaborative, ensuring that each partner feels heard and supported. I know from experience how transformative it can be to have a place to sort through thoughts, feelings, and behavior patterns with a trained professional.

I often hear the question, “What does financial therapy help with, and how do I know if it would help us?” My response is, “If your life would be better if you could think or feel differently about money, communicate better with your partner or family, or change your money-related behaviors, financial therapy might be a fit for you.” Many people who find financial therapy have unsuccessfully tried to find financial or mental health professionals who can help them resolve their issues. As a financial therapist, I recognize that couples’ relational health and financial well-being are intertwined, and I understand how to help couples navigate a path forward together.

I earned a doctorate from the University of Georgia, master’s degrees from Harvard University and Friends University, and a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University, meaning I bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to my practice. My clinical training and research focus on three areas: couples, financial therapy, and ADHD. (And yes, these topics often overlap!) My insights have been featured in publications such as USA Today, NerdWallet, and the Journal of Financial Service Professionals, and I regularly present at national, international, and virtual conferences. Finally, I promote financial and relational well-being for all through my volunteer work with the Financial Therapy Association.

On A Personal Note:

Outside of my professional role, I am a mother of four and have been married nearly two decades. My hobbies include: reading, researching, spending time with friends and family, and adding to my playlist of songs my kids must know before they move out.

The Short Version:

Hi I am Mary Lou Daly,

My love for helping people with money has spanned over 30 years.

Professionally, I have helped people as an accountant and financial planner. It is amazing to see our industry grow and change, recognizing the human side of money more and more.

It's so much more than just the numbers and a good financial plan. As important as they are, without a healthy sense of self-worth, the money part doesn't work so well.

The Slightly Longer Version:

Head of Financial Planning

As a financial planner, I love partnering with people in the financial planning process, helping them gain clarity on the role and meaning of money in their lives, and then making wise financial decisions.

With over three decades of experience in the financial industry, I bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to working with clients with diverse wealth experiences. I began my career at Price Waterhouse's tax department while I earned my Master's in Professional Accounting (Tax Concentration) from the University of Hartford. Later, I established Daly Financial Books, an individual income tax practice that serves various clients, including solo CPA practitioners.

Prior to joining Healthy Love and Money, I spent 13 years at Bragg Financial Advisors as Director of Financial Planning, a Client Advisor, and a Leadership Team member, where I provided comprehensive financial services, including retirement, estate, investment, tax, and financial planning.

My father, a Presbyterian minister, and my mother, a teacher, inspired my passion for helping individuals and couples with their finances. These foundational experiences drive my commitment to financial literacy education and financial therapy.

My personal and professional experiences have helped me see that working on our personal self-worth with a therapist can positively impact our relationships with family and money.

There are many experiences that have shaped my personal and professional perspectives, the one that means the most to me was helping my parents navigate retirement and estate planning, showing me the path to financial success and giving me the skills needed to help others experience that as well.

Life Long Learning:

I graduated from Davidson College with a BA in Economics (1988), I continued on in my learning and earned my North Carolina CPA designation (1989) and CFP® certification (2011). I maintain active membership in the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants. As my interests have grown and expanded, I have added training from The Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education (AFCPE). I am excited to continue learning at the University of Georgia’s Graduate Certificate in Behavioral Financial Planning and Financial Therapy program beginning in January 2025.

The Value of Financial Planning & Therapy In My Own Life:

I would not be where I am today if it weren’t for working with a financial planner and a therapist. As a CPA and CFP®, many would assume I have the financial planning part down pat; however, when working with my own money, I continue to bump up against my history and stories that have led me to believe untruths about myself and my money. I continue to struggle with knowing that I am enough and that I have set aside enough for us to live in during retirement. I will continue to work on myself, in hopes that I can have more understanding when working with others.

On A Personal Note:

I have been married to Michael for over 30 years and I am the proud mother of two sons. Michael Gray, a Wake Forest and University of Pennsylvania graduate, who works at Irrational Labs, a behavioral research think tank studying how to make people happier, healthier, and wealthier and Tyler, a University of Richmond and University of South Carolina graduate, serves as a mental health professional with Evans Counseling and Consulting. Michael Gray is married to Ahmaya, a UNC-Chapel Hill Doctor of Pharmacy graduate. We are so excited to welcome their first child and our first grandchild in February 2025.

In my free time, I love reading, practicing yoga, and participating in outdoor activities, including cycling, hiking, and paddle boarding. Even when not working, I explore my interest in behavioral finance and the intersection of lifestyle choices and cognitive health. At all times I'm joined by my "therapy" dog Nala, a 20 lb Bernedoodle.

Unlocking Your Money Story

Every week, we spend time with our clients, listening to their money stories.

Each one is unique and shares common themes.

When we share our financial stories and are heard for their deepest meaning with empathy and compassion, we are free to make financial decisions that are in line with our most closely held values.

Whether you are receiving financial planning, financial therapy, or investment management, what we decide to do comes from the stories we tell ourselves.