On a recent episode of the Unleash Your True Value™ podcast, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Anne Johnston, founder and managing director of Created, a boutique wealth advisory. Anne has sparked a movement called Finance is Beautiful, blending financial education with creativity and personal empowerment. In an engaging discussion, we covered Anne’s unique approach to making finance approachable.
Q: What inspired you to write a rock song about finances?
A: My inspiration for the rock song, Finance is Beautiful, emerged from my desire to reframe how people perceive finance. Traditionally seen as overwhelming, confusing, or even boring, I wanted to transform this perception into something playful and empowering.
I was at a writing retreat with my guitar, preparing for a cover band show. As I thought about writing an essay on finance, I realized it would be far more engaging to write a song instead. I wrote a song for each of the most common financial challenges I had encountered, aiming to make finance inviting and understandable through music. This creative approach has become a powerful tool for encouraging financial clarity and empowerment.
Q: Why do you think finances are beautiful?
A: Finance is a tool to bring dreams to life. When we combine the technical aspects with the human side of money, we can create empowering and inspiring financial plans. These are the three key elements in the vision:
- Clarity: Making financial information visually and conceptually clear to empower decision-making.
- Approachability: Removing complex jargon and replacing it with engaging, two-way conversations focused on the client’s personal goals.
- Beauty: Viewing wealth as a multi-dimensional experience of freedom and fulfillment, rather than just a numerical target.
Q: If people thought finances were beautiful, how would that change their relationship with money?
A: Imagine if financial planning were about creating a vivid picture of your desired life rather than chasing an ever-moving number. By making finances beautiful, individuals would feel more in control and engaged with their financial decisions. They would view money as a tool for personal growth rather than a source of stress and they would develop healthier, more empowering relationships with wealth and success. When financial planning is infused with creativity and personal meaning, it becomes a source of inspiration rather than intimidation.
About Anne Johnston and her work
Anne Johnston is the founder and managing director of Created, a boutique wealth advisory that blends technical financial expertise with the human side of money. Named one of Forbes’ Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors and among Los Angeles Business Journal’s most influential wealth managers, Anne has dedicated her career to empowering individuals through financial clarity and creativity.
Anne’s Finance is Beautiful Movement extends beyond her advisory work. She has written rock songs about financial empowerment, combining music and money education in a way that challenges traditional industry norms. Her TED Talk, which features her performing one of these songs, exemplifies her unique approach to financial education.
Here are the first verse lyrics to Anne’s song, Finance is Beautiful. Click here to listen to the full track in her Spotify playlist.
Finance is Beautiful by Anne B. Johnston (Anne Bollin on Spotify)
Lyrics to the first verse:
Have you ever felt that finance is overwhelming
Just too scary to be compelling
A new era is here
Fresh story without fear
And it’s time to move on
Time to feel strong
Finance is beautiful
Finance is beautiful
Add a little color to my spreadsheet baby
Make it a picture so I can see
Add a little color to my spreadsheet baby
I’m in command of my money