About
Dreaming Tree Personal Finance
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The mission of Dreaming Tree Personal Finance is to help individuals with financial literacy through coaching/consultations and educational resources ultimately allowing them to achieve the end goal of true financial freedom.
My Story
My name is Donald Hutson and I am a Charleston SC native and graduate of Clemson University with a degree in Business Management. I am a husband, and father of 3 beautiful children. Over the course of the last 20 years, I have worked in the fundraising and financial software industry helping Nonprofit Organizations, Higher Education, and K-12 schools utilize technology to raise more money for their mission while streamlining their business office and administrative processes, but my true passion has always been finance. Growing wealth and security for my family while experiencing the world and all it has to offer has become something that I truly enjoy. When I was younger, I was always taught to work hard and save money, but outside of that I had no real direction in school or from my parents on how to make money work for me. As a family of 5, the amount of expenses and unexpected costs that come up from day to day and month to month in our household are infinite. We’ve had to implement a solid financial strategy to allow for peace of mind, asset growth, basic needs, and life fulfillment. I hope to help my clients build a strong financial foundation and improve on basic financial literacy through coaching/consultations and educational resources, while helping to grow a stable financial picture for them and their family.
My Values & Beliefs
Hard Work and Persistence
Coming from a blue collar family, I have always been a believer in hard work and persistence to get what you want. Over the last 2 decades however, I have learned that these admirable traits alone will not secure our financial future. It requires more and that is where I believe I can provide value.
There is a gap in Personal Finance Education
The subject of financial literacy has traditionally not been taught in schools, yet it is vital to the success of every individual and family. It directly impacts our quality of life, our mental and physical health, along with what experiences we can take part in. As of today, over 62% of Americans say they are living paycheck to paycheck. Over 55% don’t have enough to cover a $500 emergency. And only 20% of Americans think they will ever retire. This is a problem.
We've got to take care of our own Financial Wellbeing
Household Debt in America is now the highest ever on record and growing fast. With a high interest, high inflation environment, this is a recipe for disaster for 10’s of millions of people. Even worse, the Federal Government’s debt stands at 33 trillion dollars and rising. The era of free money at 0% rates is over so we need to get our financial house in order. We must focus on what we can do for ourselves to ensure financial stability for us and our family.
My Approach
I have always been a firm believer in the value of a do it yourself mindset, and that is what we are trying to pass along at Dreaming Tree Personal Finance. My goal is to have honest conversations with my clients about their financial wellbeing, their understanding of finances, and what goals they have set for themselves.
One of my favorite quotes is “Know what game you are playing, and avoid taking cues from people playing a different game”. It’s easier than ever to compare ourselves to other people today. Often times this leads us to make decisions that may not be the best for the “game” YOU are playing. We will work to determine what your specific goals, needs, wants are and work to build a plan around that specific to you through coaching, planning, and other educational resources.
