Client Exclusive: A Fresh Financial Start for Andrea, a Journalist From NYC

Chasing your dream career in a big city like New York is a classic story trope for a reason – it’s exciting! But with a cost of living as high as NYC’s it’s an adventure that often comes with some steep financial hurdles. 

For Andrea R. — a journalist, editor and musician — those hurdles eventually turned into mounting debt that was spiraling out of control. 

She was juggling student loans, expenses from a difficult breakup, cost of living increases and an unpredictable job market. All this left her struggling just to keep up with minimum payments and then — she lost her job. 

Before Beyond Finance: Overwhelmed by Debt and Uncertainty

As a writer and performer Andrea has always been passionate about her work and confident that New York City was the right place to chase her dreams, but the reality of living in one of the world’s most expensive cities left her constantly on edge.

Instead of focusing fully on growing her career — she spent way too much time just figuring out how to get by, which brought into focus that her money management skills needed sharpening. 

“I was never amazing at managing money, but having to work in an expensive city and pay for school was part of it,” she explained. “I was also in a bad relationship that was a drain on my resources because I had to pay a lot of money to get out of the situation. That, on top of the media being a fairly unstable industry, made it hard to survive.”

As her debt escalated, everyday life began to feel like walking a tightrope.

The slightest setback would be disastrous for me — getting sick, losing a job, etc. My debt would become a bigger burden and obstacle to getting back on track.

Then, the worst happened — she lost her job.

“I knew I couldn’t make the payments, which were untenable already. I needed to do something that was more than just chasing minimums for the rest of my life.”

After Beyond Finance: Breathing Easier and Excited for the Future

After doing plenty of research and reading lots of reviews, Andrea reached out to Beyond Finance.

“The person I talked to was so calm and pleasant. I didn’t feel judged and I felt like he truly just wanted to help me.”

She was relieved that the great reviews she’d read online were backed up by personal and attentive support she’s experienced since joining the program. 

Now that she’s found her footing again, her stress levels have improved and she can focus on other things — like her career and future plans. 

I actually feel like I can breathe more. I can make payments without losing sleep over it. I don’t feel like I’m just chasing minimums anymore.

Looking Ahead: Andrea’s Goals and Advice for Others

One of Andrea’s big takeaways from her experience is that you don’t need to tackle debt on your own. It’s good to ask for help and even though the first few months of the program can feel scary, Beyond Finance is always there to answer questions and address concerns. 

It can feel risky, but they’re here for all your concerns and they make getting rid of debt actually manageable. You don’t need to do it all on your own.

Now that her debt-free life is within reach, Andrea is thinking about what she’d like to do. High on that list is investing for her future and travelling more. 

“When I’m debt-free, I’ll take more trips and invest more.”

Andrea’s story is a familiar one to anyone balancing passion with survival. Ultimately, she didn’t find a quick fix — she found something better, a reliable path forward with Beyond Finance. 

*About this testimonial: Andrea is a real Beyond Finance client who was compensated for sharing her experience. Her savings were calculated by subtracting her program payment from her self-reported payments or tradeline minimums.