Running my Firm from France, thanks to Financial Planning
DEAR ADVISORS,
When I studied abroad in France during college, I made a promise to myself. One day, I would come back and buy my own little place in France. I didn’t know where, or how to make it happen, I just knew I needed more of the French culture in my life! At the time, I only had a few hundred dollars in the bank, and an irrational adoration of France and the French language. The goal of buying a house, especially in another country, requires a long-term approach to life and money, with lots of financial plan updates along the way.
We haven’t purchased our place yet, but for the first time in 10 years, I made it back to “La France”! My husband, me, and our little puppy Theo are currently spending our 2nd dreamy month in France. We’re successfully running (and growing!) my business remotely and exploring where we want to live as we go! Today I’m sharing a few of the pivotal moments that played the biggest role in getting us here. It’s been a long journey, and there’s no way we could do this on our own!
Building a Career in the USA - My first inclination after graduating was to move to France. I was working part-time as a waitress and part-time scanning papers in my dad’s advisory firm, so it seemed obvious that immigrating to France would get me that much closer to my dream. But, when a full-time, entry-level position became available in my family’s firm, I decided that building a career in something that I would provide a good living. Eventually, working as an advisor could be done working remotely, and provide a better quality of life. So, I took the position, and became a financial advisor.
Getting my Spouse on Board -
When we got engaged, my husband promised to learn “Français” (French!) so we could go to France together one day. Years went by, and he’s still never taken language classes which always irked me! But since being here, he’s picked up “la langue” (the language) really well. He even goes out on his own without me as his language security blanket! He can confidently converse with waiters, and even make friends at the dog park!
For years I felt like his not learning French was a sign that he didn’t buy-into our French future together, but I was wrong. It took coming here together to realize that he’s been with me in this all along the way! I told him at dinner “hier soir” (last night) that he’s finally appreciating the French side of my personality. Of course, he was mildly offended, and retorted that he’s always loved me for who I am… Maybe I should’ve said that I feel like we’re falling in love with France together, which he would whole-heartedly agree “c’est vrai” (it’s true)!
Why we have Renters -
I was adamant about buying a house when we got married, because renting felt like throwing money away, whereas a house at least appreciates in value (usually… over the long run!) We looked at “petits maisons” (small houses) in trendy mid-town Tulsa. However, the MCM house we chose in South Tulsa was 2-3x the size, for the same price, close to our families, and was perfectly designed to rent the two upstairs bedrooms, which share a bathroom! So we closed on the house before we even got married and proceeded to renovate several “chambres” (rooms). I think our first renter, a long-time “amie” (friend), moved in before we did, and we’ve had renters ever since!
I wasn’t prepared for how expensive owning a house would be! I’m so thankful we decided to have renters, because it has covered the expenses of Every. Single. Thing. in the house breaking over the years. Now that we’ve fixed those things, the renters almost cover the mortgage. Now, my long-term planning has paid off! Mwahaha! We have the extra income to live abroad a few months out of the year!
Hiring our family’s 1st Financial Advisor -
A year or two after being married, I was feeling demoralized at how long it was taking to make my French dream come true. It was one of those moments where it felt like I could never make it happen on my own, but maybe someone else, with a different perspective, could help me figure it out. I scoured the internet for a financial advisor who specializes in financial planning for international clients.
She did a financial plan for us and recommended that we break the goal into bite-sized pieces. Since “mon mari" (my husband) had never been to France, she suggested we start with an exploratory trip. This would allow him to see if he liked France, and if I still wanted to live there after not visiting for so many years. That was brilliant advice, and that’s what our goal has been ever since. “Aujourd’hui” (today) is the day we finally achieved it! <insert sigh of relief and appreciation!>
Working with our Current Financial Advisor -
Our advisor today is a close colleague and friend. He has helped me discuss various career decisions, and has been supportive of my launching Ellevate Advisors to pursue my dream of doing financial planning for financial advisors themselves, in a remote, virtual capacity.
For years my husband and I have made specific decisions to finally have remote jobs, enough income to cover our mortgage while abroad, and set up my firm to be 100% virtual. I logistically know we have the money, and we’re on track for “la retraite” (retirement), but it still didn’t feel like we could afford it. In our last meeting with our advisor, I had to ask his permission before I felt like we were really able to go without ruining our financial future. He assured me that we are ready, so we booked the plane tickets!
Running my Firm from France -
One of my biggest concerns about working away from my home office is the internet connection. We’ve been renting AirBNB’s and reached out several times to confirm that the internet would be sufficient for both of us to work on it and be on Zoom calls simultaneously. Internet in Paris was a dream! No issues or hiccups whatsoever! Unfortunately, our apartment in the French Riviera didn’t work out as well. My husband had reactivated one of his old phones and purchased an Orange sim card from Amazon before leaving. That allows us to put on a hotspot where I can connect my phone and “ordinateur” (computer) without using an international phone plan. That’s what we’ve been using for internet and it’s still not perfect. We’ll have to be more selective about our location next time! Other than that, I use a VPN for extra security and haven’t had any issues.
Even though France is 7 hours ahead of Tulsa’s Central Time Zone, I decided to work normal CST business hours. Our days usually look like getting out to do touristy things in “le matin” (the morning), eating lunch in a café, getting home to start work by 3pm, and working till about “minuit” (midnight). I’ve quite enjoyed changing up my daily routine and will probably do it this way every time we travel abroad!
Where do we go from here? I always thought that spending 2 months in France, exploring neighborhoods and villages I knew I’d love, would make it easier to find the place where we belong. I imagined one of those love-at-first-sight moments, where we stumble upon the perfect property, or meet another lovely couple in the neighborhood, and instantly know it’s the place for us. Ha! One of the beautiful things about life is that you never stop becoming someone new. I’ve learned that I like some places in France more than others. I actually learned appreciate the American side of my personality. Now I know that if I’m waiting for that instant connection, I’m going to need to take a few more exploratory trips!
So, we’ll be planning another exploratory France trip soon! This trip was successful because each of us found something we love about France, and a reason to come back! And next year we’ll set up an extra monthly transfer to start saving for a down payment on our French place one day! I hope sharing this helps advisors learn that we’re not making this trip because we’re super rich, but because it’s important to us. If you want to plan for something like this in your financial future, then it might take hiring your own financial advisor to help you make that dream a reality. That’s why we do what we do! Give me a call when you’re ready to secure the future of your family and financial advisory firm!
Warm regards,
Brooklyn
P.S.
At Ellevate Advisors, we believe that advisors deserve to retire too. What does that look like for you, your family, and your business? Let’s figure it out together! Check out our services here, our new products page here, or get to know me on my bio here!