I was surprised by how down to earth the advice was. This wasn’t a slog through 401(k) and capital gains and money market accounts; instead we focused on what has gotten us to where we are financially today: what we learned about money as we grew up, what our assets and liabilities are, and how to get started with a simple budget. It may seem silly to talk about feelings when it comes to finances, but Laura taught me that the two are inextricably linked — and we can’t be successful financially until we know how and why we make the financial decisions we make.