Your clients’ budgets absorbed increases they never saw coming this year. A healthcare premium that jumped several hundred dollars per month. Utility bills up $50 at peak usage. Return-to-office mandates that added childcare costs, gas expenses, and convenience spending they didn't budget for. Buy now, pay later options at grocery checkouts, not just for wants but for food.
When your clients sit down with you, they're financially stressed. And they're also cautiously pessimistic, worried about what's next, and hoping they can just stay stable. This is the reality of financial coaching in 2026, and it's why the gap between need and demand matters more than most coaches want to admit.
This episode looks at being a financial coach in 2026 from three perspectives.
- First, the concrete ways rising costs are squeezing your clients' household budgets right now.
- Second, the role you play in cutting through their worry with clarity and steadying energy instead of more information.
- And third, how all of this shapes your business strategy, your messaging, and the way you position your work when clients aren't buying on "maybe this could help."
If you've wondered why your ideal clients aren't reaching out even when they clearly need help, or if you've felt the tension between knowing coaches are needed and watching people hesitate to hire you, this episode will help you see what's actually happening and how to meet this moment with courage and strategic clarity.
Links & Resources:
Key Takeaways:
- People need financial coaches more than ever, but need doesn't equal demand. Just because someone is struggling doesn't mean they're actively seeking your solution. And that means that how you talk about your work matters more than ever.
- Healthcare premiums increased significantly for many families in 2026. When you combine that with utility rate hikes and return-to-office costs, clients are absorbing hundreds of dollars in monthly budget increases they didn't plan for.
- Shift from selling to steadying. Right now, people aren't buying on "maybe this could help." They're saying yes when the outcome is crystal clear and the commitment feels manageable.
- One in four Americans now uses buy now, pay later for groceries. This isn't about luxuries anymore. It's a signal of how tight household cashflow has become, and it's creating unnecessary chaos in people's budgets.
- Return-to-office mandates don't just increase commute costs. They ripple into childcare, eating out, work clothes, and spending more for convenience because flexibility at home disappears.
- 75% of our own small business vendors raised their rates in 2025. Business owners are navigating the same financial squeeze as clients, which means your financial coaching mind is your greatest asset in running your business strategically.
- Being a financial coach in 2026 takes courage. You need to speak sincerely and clearly about how you help people, make faster business decisions, and lead by example in uncertain times.
