In the time that I have been living and working within the large and eclectic community of artists and creative professionals in the San Francisco Bay Area I have seen incredible skill, innovation, and brilliance. I am constantly amazed and humbled by what my neighbors and friends are accomplishing. But, I have also witnessed an aversion and lack of confidence in these same brilliant, creative, hard-working people when they turn their focus to their finances. Smartly is a way to take the one-on-one conversations I’ve been having for years with artists about personal finance to a broader audience, so that we can all benefit from our collective knowledge and open dialogue.

So who the heck am I?

My name is Christina Empedocles and I am an artist (www.christinaempedocles.com), designer (www.empedoclesdesign.com), a personal finance blogger, and a Certified Financial Education Instructor! My latest project has been to launch Smartly.Academy. I want to hear your story about money: what works for you, what goals you’ve accomplished, and what you find bewildering. So please join me in this discussion — leave your comments, send me an email — I’d love to hear from you!

Christina Empedocles, MFA, CFEI