Merrill Lynch Financial Advisor Wendy Baker Kickham

Abby S. _{on Yelp}

Nov 19th, 2010

Moving to a new place is scary enough when you consider leaving everything you're familiar with behind. When you know your rent will double (if not triple!) and other things get more expensive, it makes the situation even more stressful. Before making any major decisions, I figured it best to have someone take a look at my finances.Wendy and i have known each other socially for a few years now and I knew she did something with money, stocks and helping people make more money. That's about it. Don't get me wrong, either, I don't have extra money to be putting into stocks right now. I just wanted someone who doesn't count on his/her fingers (like me!) to make sure that my updated budget seemed reasonable. She was kind enough to meet up with me over coffee and talk through my concerns about "movin' on up" to a bigger city. She busted out her financial calculator and went through all of the expected expenses and even suggested that I start saving more money as a "cash cushion" in case there were any unexpected emergencies far, far away from anyone I know. She also told me that I won't be allowed to buy clothes for awhile, but somehow I just can't stick to that rule. Guess that means I'll be eating hot dogs at home on Friday nights for awhile, huh? :)Really, it's not any financial planner's "job" to go through some sad-looking Excel spreadsheets and help you do basic math to figure out how much rent you'll be able to afford. But it was very kind of Wendy to do so and I appreciate the reassurance that everything is going to be OK. If you do have extra money to invest and want to work with someone who's savvy and trustworthy, give her a call! She'll gladly help you out!