Adey Pearce
Online ESL teacher and tutor
Adey Pearce
I have always been curious about investment and wondered how one can do this. Then I heard a few people talking about having made some money with bitcoin and it intrigued me even more. I was super excited for an opportunity to join Financial Peace & Freedom Bootcamp.
I had just resigned my full-time job and had taken a job as an online tutor. I loved my new job, but I realised that I needed to take care of my own retirement and I did need to generate additional income, for the times I would be on vacation, since I no longer got vacation pay.
At first, I was apprehensive, knowing that my mind boggles with any type of math and data. I am much more of a word / feeling / emotive person. Sara started the boot camp off with investigating our own personal financial state. This was something I had never really done before. I was always putting together a budget, but it never worked out… and I just kept trying and doing this with no real benefit. For the first time I had a clear view of where I stood financially and a very clear view of where I could be heading and even be in a few years time.
Sara made things so practical. It was great being able to take a serious and honest look at me, my goals and dreams, AND my finances. I suddenly realised that this boot camp was far more than learning to invest; it was about self-development, self-actualisation and securing an independent future for myself. I was over the moon!
Sara has such vast and deep knowledge about the markets, what to look for and how to follow a strategy that will lead to financial freedom. She knows what she is talking about for sure. She has knowledge, she has understanding, she does not beat about the bush and is upfront about the topic; this may not be for everyone! But if you are going to do this, you must develop you own style and strategy. Sara shares her own experiences, the mistakes she has made, money she has lost, but is sure to let us know that this is OUR journey and we must take the lead.
I have learnt so much. How to do a personal balance sheet, a monthly cash flow sheet and I know why it is important to have a heat map (and you will too!)
One of the most valuable things I learned was that I could be an investor and consumer in my ‘business’ (the companies I invest in). I have learnt financial responsibility and the need to allocate enough money to needs as well as desires and just pleasure. It is all about living and not just surviving. I am not there yet, but I know I can get there.
I have gained sufficient knowledge to investigate a market and decide which companies I would like to invest in. I have enough knowledge to work in guard rails to protect myself against the risk of losing money. And I know that I do not have to know about every single listed company to start off with. Start with what I know and where I spend my time and money; Dollarama, Amazon, Twitter, Second cup etc. I can start my journey there and move forward and outward, as I pave the way to my financial freedom.
I have not made a real investment yet, but I have opened 2 trading accounts and have played around with the ‘play account’ one gets. I have made some ‘play’ money and I am super excited to start for real. What seemed like a lotto dream is now a visible path, one that I can travel on. I am excited about the prospects of my ‘investive’ future and look forward to an adventurous life. Something that was only alive in my dreams.
I cannot say THANK YOU enough. This course has changed my life! It has changed the way I think about money, it has changed how I manage my money, it has given me a new direction and hope, but most of all, confidence to start this new journey. I know I still have much to learn and I am sure I run into many bumps on the way, but I know Sara will there with advice and help.
I have attended many courses before, not in investment by the way. But in the very least, investment, is perceived to be rigid, boring, and overwhelming. Sara has made this course so accessible, practical, and logical, that it was easy to follow. I still need to master the skills and the techniques, (I am not mathematically inclined at all) but I can say, I understand the concepts! LOL.
I have no reservation in recommending this course to anyone who would like to secure an early or sufficient retirement, who has children, or who would like to work part time, or take life easy and live at the cottage for half the year. Sara is honest, she is a successful investor and she shares information, techniques and useful websites, strategies, and sheets that NO other investor / or company will be willing to share with you. Sara wants each of us to succeed as investors.a
Diana Bonilla
Lawyer
Diana Bonilla
When I first came to Canada as an immigrant, I knew nothing about managing my money and growing it. I had a simple financial plan: work hard to earn money, spend it all I want, and then put whatever is left into my savings account. It was when I met Sara that I realized my financial plan cannot take care of my retirement. After taking her Financial Peace & Freedom Bootcamp, I learned how to effectively manage my money, how to truly save, and how to find ways to stop money from leaking from my pocket. I learned to be financially organized, to set meaningful financial goals, and to formulate a real plan to reach them. I became mindful of my spending and disciplined with my budget, buying only what is necessary and indispensable. After this shift in spending perspective, I also learned about investing, the stock market and stocks. The Bootcamp equipped me with valuable skill of examining and evaluating stocks and companies. I learned how to read financial statements and zero in on what really matters. I also learned about managing risks in investing in the stock market.
Before taking the Bootcamp, encountering the words “making money,” “investment,” “passive income,” and “financial freedom” made me feel helpless and hopeless. To me, they were unattainable. I felt that they were only for the educated and wealthy, beyond the reach of an ordinary person like me. After taking the course, I became more confident, not only financially, but also in my abilities and capabilities in life.I felt empowered that I can take charge of my finances and be the captain of my own ship. I realized that I can take on any new challenge that I choose if I put my heart, mind, and body into it. The financial world was alien to me until this Bootcamp; I put my heart, mind, and body into learning and experiencing it. As a result, I have become more money savvy and an investment junkie. I have started to use the perspective of an investor in everything I spend money on. I have become more disciplined and wise in using money. Now, it has become possible for me to make my money work for me and for me to be free from the shackles of working for money. The Bootcamp is enlightening, empowering, and liberating.
After the training and experience I got from the course, I became confident in managing my family’s retirement savings. I transferred our investments from professionally managed accounts to our own self-directed accounts. Two months after I bought my first stocks, I have earned approximately USD$1,700. I have managed to increase my retirement savings by USD$1,000 and my husband’s by USD$700 in just two months! Making our money work for us felt great and amazing. It felt empowering and emancipating. It was truly inspiring to realize before my very eyes that it can be done, that I can do it, and that I did it!
I recommend Sara’s Bootcamp to anyone. It is indispensable knowledge, training, and experience for everyone to be able to provide for their future and retirement. The Bootcamp is the product of all of Sara’s knowledge, experience, and expertise distilled in a compact, comprehensive, and easy-to-understand course for a fraction of the price of other programs of the same values (if any). Her gift in educating people has equipped her with the rare ability to make complicated things simple to understand. She is able to see things from a beginner’s perspective, which then helps her adjust her approach and methods to suit the learner’s level. Finally, Sara walks the talk. You will see what she teaches modelled in her life, in her attitude, in every financial decision she makes, in her discipline.
Take this course. If not for the money, do it for the fact that this Bootcamp will empower you to take on any challenge. It will equip you with the confidence that you can make it.
Olena K.
Revenue Auditor
Olena K.
I have been working as an auditor for the same company for the last 13 years, and I felt like a prisoner without escape. My attempts to change the jobs were unsuccessful. My attempt to work two jobs ended up with a big disappointment and the biggest tax owing year. The Financial Boot Camp came along as an answer to my multiple financial struggles. It changed my life!
Sara is an excellent teacher. She always finds ways to deliver a complicated subject in the simplest and most useful way. As an experienced accountant, I can tell that Sara’s single module in the Bootcamp explained entire courses in Accounting 1 and 2 that I learnt in the college. I love how the Bootcamp was structured and delivered — simple, personal, and practical. Each module carries an additional exercise to help me think deeper and evaluate personal goals and reasons for being an investor. These completely transformed my limiting mindset about money and investment.
Big thanks to Sara for all her hard work with genuine intention to help me and other investors in training in our Bootcamp. I learnt to see my life in a different light that I would never see on my own.
All the knowledge I received from the Bootcamp is valuable and can be used in everyday life over and over.
The content of this course is so impactful that it really changed the way I think and the way I do things. I have become much more conscious as a consumer. Now, when I go shopping, I put my investor hat on and look at those items in a different light. It is liberating and empowering.
The Bootcamp empowered me to trust myself and to trust my instincts. Sara’s Financial Boot Camp is such a valuable tool for everyday use and a huge asset for anyone and for those who have zero investment background. You would be surprised at how much you would know when you complete the Bootcamp. If you have the chance to take the Financial Freedom Bootcamp, do not wait another day.
Diana Miret
Former VP of Project Management
Diana Miret
The Financial Peace & Freedom Bootcamp is an amazing and rich class. Pun intended. Sara has put together a complete and detailed training package designed to take you from the basics of financial matters, such as family budgeting to the development of a financial “dream” of financial freedom. She equips you with tools to understand markets and stocks and their role in the economic landscape of North America. She boils down a complicated subject and makes it understandable and reachable to the “average” person. Sara earns her stripes as an educator in this class
Besides Sara’s mastery of the subject matter, she practices what she teaches. She speaks from experience not just theory. By following her training I too saw positive results. She encourages her students to create a “virtual” portfolio of stocks which we choose based on her education. When I applied my learning and made my selections, my stock portfolio consistently trended in the positive direction applying the principles of stock diversification and asset allocation. Clearly I have learned some valuable skills.
I would recommend this course to anyone interested in money and how to invest it. This course would also be of interest to people who want their money to work for them rather than they work for the money. I myself feel more money savvy and well on my way to becoming an educated investor.
As a coach myself, I spend money on self-development regularly. This course is VERY good value for the money. Everyone should take this course regardless of career or vocation. Money is an essential part of human life, whether we like it or not, and we should learn how to handle money well.
Sue Boonsue
PhD Geologist
Sue Boonsue, PhD
In this Financial Peace & Freedom Bootcamp, I have learned to understand myself and how to achieve financial freedom. Dr. Sara Savalaxs showed me investment strategies that transformed my money mindset and perception about financial theory. I have previously dismissed financial knowledge as I viewed it to be complicated and intense. The Bootcamp turned what I had viewed as a complicated topic into simple and easy steps to follow. She made the huge topic of financial literacy and investment into bite size.
Sara was an intuitive coach and educator in every step of the way. She was active and involved throughout the course, and she took the time to follow up with her investors in training to ensure that we understood the concepts. I have learned a lot about investment’s options, allocation, and company valuation. The private one-on-one Q&A was so engaged, genuinely supportive, and accountable. The content is designed to reprogram our money mindset and develop our ability to attract wealth. The Financial Peace & Freedom Bootcamp has changed the way I look at the risks and benefits of investing. It helped me to understand how to improve my financial status for my retirement life.
Thank you to the Financial Peace & Freedom Bootcamp, especially to Dr. Sara Savalaxs!
Mary-Ann
Librarian
Mary-Ann
I have an advantage to doing the boot camp in that I knew Sara before it began and have had the privilege of being coached by her in the past.
As I spent more time with her during the Financial Peace & Freedom Bootcamp, I also realized how vast her knowledge and experience is. Her high-quality investment education applied for over 10 years allows me to put my confidence in her to help me become not only what I need to be financially, but also what I want to be for myself and especially my family.
The most impacting quality that I can attest to is that doing the course has given me COURAGE to deal with my fears, desires and wants and to develop a steady financial footing. She walks alongside me to show me a path that is successful – a path she has personally walked and continues to live. I see the day to day success of the fruits of her labor.
The training and discipline I gain during the Bootcamp is something I am now passing onto my three teenage sons to set them up for future success. She takes a personal interest in the well-being of her students, and even though we are in a group it is almost as though she is only teaching me because she sees each person’s journey as an individual one pertaining to their life path.
For years I knew I should face the reality of where my finances were at – the good and the bad – and I was finally able to tackle that mountain. Now in the space of a few hours I can look back over my month’s spending and break it down quickly – a task I avoided vehemently for many years.
She is giving me the tools to build my own solid financial portfolio, but using basic building blocks that are very easy to ignore. Step by step she lays a good practical and solid foundation to build for a strong financial future. I have no doubt that I will go from strength to strength as I continue to practice what I am learning and have learnt.
The Bootcamp with Sara as a coach and a trainer is priceless as its impact is in my life and will forever be.
Before taking this course, I was the kind of person who would try to steer the conversation away from anything close to financial freedom or investing. As a widow with three teenage boys, I was afraid because of my lack of knowledge, I felt embarrassed as my credit card debt was growing, and I felt limited by my earning potential as I only related it back to how much I could earn at work and the needs of my family.
The most important result I have achieved is a financial discipline. I have taken stock of every dollar I have and owe. It has given me a respect for the power of money and an appreciation for how I can make that work for me and my family in positive ways that can benefit all around me.
Financially I shifted my spending from take out, to groceries and cooking at home. I arrived at a point where junk food is no longer my default. Rather, I am striving to cook more, train my kids to cook more and to eat way, way better. This past week I have forgone any take out the whole week in my home – the first consecutive 5 days in almost 9 years!
I would recommend anybody take the course, no matter who you are or what age you are, teen or years into retirement… widow as I am or teenager as I am raising. The initial part of the course would be excellent for teenagers as it grants a solid understanding of how money works in the society they live in. Had I had this training at that age, I would be way better off now as I approach 50! For anyone wishing to invest, for sure the Financial Peace & Freedom Bootcamp will certainly put you on a great path!
My biggest recommendation would be for women who have little to no confidence in managing money – truly managing money no matter how big or how small. Women who depend on their husband to manage the family finances – this is for you. You may even do better that he does because you will have the backing of the sound financial teachings that Sara distilled, condensed and made easy from the world most respected investors like Warren Buffet, Ben Graham and many others.
For me, what is definitely possible is that I will grow the money I have by making sound decisions based on what I have learnt and am learning. Because I know where I stand financially dollar for dollar, I am able to take calculated financial risks whereas before I would be half-hearted or afraid.
Through this boot camp, I now have a group of women supporting me, encouraging me, and most of all a wonderfully knowledgeable and authentic educator, Dr. Sara. Thank you so much for this amazing experience!
Grace Abboud
Work at one of the Big Bank, Canada
Grace Abboud
I’ve learned that I’ve been ignorant and irresponsible about my finances. And if I don’t change my ways and take the right actions, I may end up being in debt down the road.
The Bootcamp’s team is very dedicated, amazing, and loving. I now have an insight on how I can improve my finances with a few simple actions for immediate results. After Module 3, I gained clarity through the net worth and cash flow exercise and reclaimed over $20,000. Without that amount I would be in big red ink by the end of 2018.
What changed in my life is that I realized I’m in a better position than what I thought & was afraid of. I also changed some negative attitudes toward my finances and applied positive attitudes that I learned from the Bootcamp. I’m more hopeful that I can definitely achieve some of my goals, if not all of them.
Very thankful to be a part of the Financial Peace & Freedom Bootcamp
Denise Stewart
Attorney
Denise Stewart
Before I met Sara, I had no idea about personal finance. I was a happy-go-lucky spendthrift whose life was a vicious cycle consisting of working, collecting my pay, spending all of it and then waiting for the next paycheck. Worse, my husband was the same! So our little family basically lived paycheck by paycheck, without any savings, investments or emergency funds.
Then I met Sara. She educated me on personal finance and, consequently, helped change our lives. First, she taught me how to save in varying forms. For instance, she showed me how to take advantage of quality groceries at cheaper prices by buying from stores that price match. I have never saved this much from groceries in my life.
Then, she enlightened me on investing, an erstwhile terrifying topic for me. She understood my apprehension and disabused me of my unfounded beliefs about investing. She introduced me to index funds, ETFs and tax-free savings accounts, and encouraged me to invest this way even if I have minimal investment knowledge and experience. Needless to say, I heeded her advice.
Furthermore, she made me understand why entrusting our money with financial advisors is not wise considering the high and hidden fees and charges they collect and the inherent conflict of monetary interest in the arrangement. When I, impressed by her brilliance, enthusiastically asked her to invest my money, she declined, explaining that it is necessary for me to be educated first on the matter before asking anyone to manage my investments. She is a firm believer of financial knowledge for any person. She is a financial coach whose goal is NOT to earn money from you but to empower you over your finances and enable you to astutely manage them.
Sara’s everyday life exemplifies her financial principles. I see her advice in action and teachings applied in every aspect of her life. Indeed, Sara is everything anyone could ever ask for in an educator — brilliant, highly educated, passionate, broad-minded, widely experienced, engaging, and a good listener. Not only these, she has a gift not every teacher possesses – she inspires people to change and aim for the better. I am proud to have been inspired and financially equipped by her and The Bootcamp. Thank you Sara from the depths of my heart!
Ping Qiu
Lead Consultant, Large Size Engineering Firm, Toronto
Ping Qiu
It is Sara’s coaching that makes me realize the value of myself and approach to reaching my goals in my life. Sara is passionate, analytical, direct-to-the-point, and friendly. I have known Sara for more than decades. Sara has transformed herself to a top advisor, a coach, and a life-time friend.
Iryna Boyko
Client Services Coordinator
Iryna Boyko
I met Sara during a challenging period of my life. I had been laid-off. I wanted to understand myself better, to have a clear plan on what would my next step be, what path to choose and how to be just a happier person.
I remember the first time I came to Sara. I felt so sorry for myself; I could not stop crying, and I was full of doubts in my skills and abilities. I was also worried about money, and it was also part of the issues stopping me from going forward.
Sara helped me tremendously. Step by step, she showed me how to appreciate and sincerely love who I am. She showed me how many positive qualities I have and what kind of person I really am. To say the truth, I have never experienced this feeling towards myself. It was almost like a revelation.
Sara showed me the qualities of my personality and proved that I can pursue the career I want; she showed me how I can achieve my financial goals. She helped me get clear on my financial goals. She helped me gain confidence to get to my money goal and remove all my pain of worry. She helped me develop an action plan that I can implement and feel right about.
From session to session, she built more and more confidence in me andtaught me how to deal with conflict situations.
It is difficult to explain, but today I feel myself as a different person. Definitely I am happier, and definitely I am more confident in my abilities. I have a clear plan towards my future career and money. But the most important is that I truly appreciate and love myself. This is an incredible warm feeling, absolutely new for me.