Mint Introduces Kelly Anderson to the MintLife Team

Hello MintLife readers!

My name is Kelly Anderson and I am very excited to be joining the team here at Mint.com. I’ve been a financial planner for over a decade and am happy to be able to enter the next phase of my career by writing about budgeting, saving money and general financial stuff.

As a financial planner, I’ve helped people get their financial life on track by teaching them how to budget, as well as helping them with retirement planning and investments.

My Story

I’ve been interested in money from a young age. Our parents play a big role in determining our future interactions with money, and that was definitely the case with my dad. He really taught me the value of a dollar. I was the youngest of three and my dad put each of us on a strict budget, as soon as we got our first allowance money.

I clearly remember going to the toy store and wanting to purchase a toy – a plastic horse figurine – that I couldn’t afford. My dad said I couldn’t get it yet, and that I’d have to wait until I’d saved up enough. It took what felt like forever, but I finally had the money to get that horse, and that’s exactly what I did.

Although it was no fun at the time, I’ve really grown to appreciate my dad’s approach to money. Thanks to him, I always think twice before dropping a lot of money on something I don’t really need.

I’ve managed to steer clear of credit card debt, which is something I thank my dad for daily. I’m also a big saver and have been socking money away since I got my first job as a teenager.

College and Career

The money lessons I learned from my dad stuck with me. I ended up majoring in Finance in college, and then went on to earn my masters in finance right after undergrad.

Although I was born and raised in Arizona, my first finance job after school took me to the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia. I’ve been here ever since. Arizona will be always be my home, but I’m happy to stick around in Philly for a long time to come.

Over the past ten years, I’ve learned to love the Eagles, the Phillies, and even the Sixers on occasion. I’ve also developed an appreciation for cheesesteaks and soft pretzels.

Before I had my son, Jacob, my husband, Mike, and I would often go to Pat’s Steaks late at night, then swing by the Center City Pretzel Company late at night for some freshly baked soft pretzels. A fun night out, but something you can only do when you don’t have a toddler at home!

After more than ten years as a financial planner, I’m ready to move on to the next phase – writing about money.

I hope that my experience in the financial field will be helpful to you all as you work through whatever financial issues you have and as you try to figure out how to save, how to budget and how to spend (wisely).

I’d love to hear any ideas or concerns you have about money. Feel free to reach out to me on your social media network of choice: Twitter , Facebook , or Google+ .