Cornerstone Financial Coaching

Cornerstone Financial Coaching Financial Coach & Consultant for Busy Professionals and Small Business Finances. Schedule a Free Consultation Below No extreme money diets required!

I'm Christine Peters-Staggs, owner of Cornerstone Financial Coaching & Financial Coach. I offer two service options:

1) I work directly with private clients to create healthy habits and a realistic plan to achieve your financial goals. I help you manage your money with a simple process that allows you to get on track with your money goals AND live the life you want while doing it. Coaching is vir

tual, private and confidential. Schedule a free zoom consultation to decide which coaching option is best for you. https://CornerstoneAppointment.as.me/FreeConsultZoom


2) I also partner with business owners with 5-50 employees to offer a cost effective financial coaching benefit to your employees. This is a huge Win-Win option, and THE most cost effective way to increase productivity, satisfaction and loyalty, while also decreasing turnover and hiring costs. As a former CEO, I also know how difficult the economic environment is for both small business owners AND their employees. Everyone feels stretched financially, and I'm here to help both sides of that equation. To learn more, message me or email: [email protected].

"Penny Wise, Pound Foolish".....I've been saying this a lot lately.I'm seeing small business owners stuck in this loop.T...
05/27/2026

"Penny Wise, Pound Foolish".....

I've been saying this a lot lately.
I'm seeing small business owners stuck in this loop.

The economy is squeezing from both sides: customers buying less, costs going up.

Business finances aren't being actively managed.
The owners know this.
They just don't have the time, energy or desire to dig into it alone.

Yet they've convinced themselves they can't afford an experienced CPA who can spot issues, fix them, and find ways to increase profitability.....all at a reasonable fee.

Here's where I really start to cringe: these same businesses continue to:
✔️ Pay 20-30% interest on company credit cards month after month;
✔️ Travel to industry conferences and professional development seminars; and
✔️ Maintain multiple overlapping subscriptions they haven't logged into for years.

I'm not intending to call anyone out, I just can't unsee it.

Whether it's personal or business finances, our spending reflects our current priorities.

It's truly hard to watch when I know the math isn't mathing.

The future cost of not taking action is almost always higher than the cost of getting some help.

If any of this sounds familiar, I'd love to have a conversation.

You know how your feed starts to look like what you talk about most?Well, mine is full of other "money people" talking a...
05/05/2026

You know how your feed starts to look like what you talk about most?
Well, mine is full of other "money people" talking about money.

I usually scroll right past these, but a couple of weeks ago I actually commented on a post by someone I'll only refer to as 'the guy with the 7 baby steps.'

I was so offended on behalf of the person he was speaking to that I couldn't help myself.

And of course I got dragged by his loyal followers immediately.

Then I got likes.
For days.
And weeks.

From people who were also offended and appreciated that someone said it.

Here's my thing: his big ideas...get out of debt, save more...are fine. Great, even.

But his methods are a crash money diet.
Crash diets work, but not for long because they aren't sustainable.

His advice might be fine for a young person just starting out with some credit card debt and no real obligations.
Go live in a trailer for a year, drive a junker, grind it out. Okay.

But try telling that to a family with teenagers, a mortgage, and real life happening at full speed.
These people aren't going to crash diet their way through that season of life.

Money is not black and white.
Shaming people into extreme behavior doesn't build healthy financial habits; it just makes them feel worse about themselves so they are too embarrassed to ask for help when it is available.

Building habits that you can work with and fit your life will take you so much further.

My inbox is always open if you have questions or want to run a scenario by me.

I sat down to write an obligatory post today and I was boring myself as I wrote it.Trying to hit the right balance of vi...
04/27/2026

I sat down to write an obligatory post today and I was boring myself as I wrote it.

Trying to hit the right balance of visibility, calls to action, and all the rest.

I felt the "ick".

So I'm throwing out the social media "rule book".
I doubt you want to read canned posts any more than I want to write them.

So let's do an 'about me' and what you can expect from my pages:

- I'm a financial professional, yet often wonder why my own finances aren't as easy for me as my clients;

- I was a CEO of a credit union, but spent my fair share of days wondering how I convinced anyone to leave me in charge! (Despite great financials and glowing reviews, imposter syndrome is a real thing);

- I've been a CPA for decades, but don't and won't do tax prep (I do know how to research and strategize though!);

- Money and financials are serious business, but I l try to mix in humor where I can. Life is too short to take ourselves too seriously;

- Most importantly, I started this business 6 years ago and am still wondering where my support staff is at! And trying to remember that I don't get paid to breathe like I did as a salaried executive.

So............
✖️ My videos run too long because I can't say what I want to in 30 seconds;
✖️ I don't post with the correct rhythm for the algorithms so who knows if my posts show up in the feed; and
✖️ I hope that sharing the good, bad and ugly off the cuff will give you a better picture of what it's like to work with me.

Bottom Line: There are SO many people out there that need my help but not many that will admit it until they have a real mess on their hands.
So I will keep trying to get in front of them however I can.

If you ever have questions, my message box is always open.

Whether you filed your completed return or an extension, you may have just paid the IRS more than you were prepared for....
04/16/2026

Whether you filed your completed return or an extension, you may have just paid the IRS more than you were prepared for.

That mean you have an opportunity:
✔️ To understand why you owed more than you expected;
✔️ And to have a plan for 2026 so next April is a breeze.

This is exactly the kind of clarity I provide for my personal finance and small business clients.

If the tax process was stressful this year, please know you're not alone and I'd love to help you find the answers.

Send me a message if you'd like to chat.

Did you know that today is T minus 7 days to send in your 2025 tax payment?If you planned ahead, you are likely unphased...
04/08/2026

Did you know that today is T minus 7 days to send in your 2025 tax payment?

If you planned ahead, you are likely unphased by that statement.
If not, it might cause a little (or a lot) of tension.

If you're scrambling to either find the money to make your payment, or put together the numbers to determine how much you owe, let this be the last year that it comes down to the wire.

I work with my clients to put a process in place so they're not caught off guard.

Setting aside what you expect to owe throughout the year prevents that stress and overwhelm in April.

It also means the numbers are organized and accessible ahead of time for both personal finances and your small business.

If you'd like to get that weight off your shoulders for next year, let's talk.
Learn more at CornerstoneMoneyCoach.com.

A loser times volume is a bigger loser.Selling more doesn't always help the bottom line.When your pricing isn't covering...
03/27/2026

A loser times volume is a bigger loser.

Selling more doesn't always help the bottom line.

When your pricing isn't covering your costs, there's a loss.
Getting more clients with that model costs you more and creates a 'bigger loser'.

I know there are many business owners who are exhausted, fully booked, and barely breaking even.

The problem isn't effort.
It's that there isn't a pricing model that actually works, and the default is simply "more sales are better".

This is a fixable problem.
But you have to dig in and look at the numbers.

Or partner with someone who can help you do that and save you the time, energy and frustration.
🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️

📩 cornerstonemoneycoach.com

Can you believe it's almost the end of Q1 2026? 🤯For many business owners, tax returns are due Monday, March 16. For oth...
03/15/2026

Can you believe it's almost the end of Q1 2026? 🤯

For many business owners, tax returns are due Monday, March 16.
For others, they are due on April 15. 🗓️

But many won't file by these dates.
According to IRS.gov: "nearly 41% of all business entities utilized extensions in 2025".

One of the main reasons for so many extensions is bookkeeping delays.

As a current business owner who also helps other business owners with their financials, the extension option is helpful but doesn't relieve the weight of getting all the pieces in place to finalize the prior year taxes.

The only way to relieve that weight and stress is to dig in and get everything completed so the return can be prepared properly.

If you're in that situation, I’m opening a few short-term engagements for the next month to help business owners get their records in shape for their tax preparer to take over.

Let me know if I can help.

𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗢𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀: 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗿.Last week as I was reviewing year-end fi...
03/10/2026

𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗢𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀: 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗿.

Last week as I was reviewing year-end financials for a client, I knew something was very wrong.

She runs a successful consulting business and has a separate company for her rental real estate properties.

She has a bookkeeper, and a tax firm.
The numbers are categorized in QuickBooks by the bookkeeper and pulled directly by the tax firm.

My eyes were immediately drawn to a large number representing money that had been withdrawn from the consulting company for owner pay and expenses in the other business.

But instead of showing up as expenses or owner pay, it was recorded like a loan as though all of it would eventually be paid back.

This was a six-figure amount equal to ~75% of the consulting company’s annual revenue.

If this hadn't been discovered, the tax firm could have easily prepared her return showing a huge amount of tax owed because many legitimate expenses were missing.

The business owner had no idea this was happening.
Not because she's not savvy.....quite the opposite.

It happened because she hired people to handle her business financial activity and didn't realize there was a gap in who was interpreting the full picture.

Bookkeeping records the transactions.
Tax firms prepare the returns.

But someone still has to step back and interpret what the financial reports are actually saying.

I've been seeing this more often, so I'm now offering a combination of QuickBooks management, financial analysis, and consulting for low volume service businesses.

This allows the owner to keep a small team of professionals, but with someone who understands the full financial picture of the business.

That’s the difference between having financial records… and having financial clarity.




𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵.....𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗧𝗮𝘅 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲!If your return is finished and you owe more than you can comfortably pay next month, th...
03/03/2026

𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵.....𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗧𝗮𝘅 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲!

If your return is finished and you owe more than you can comfortably pay next month, there’s good news and bad news.

Good news: You earned well and kept more of your income throughout the year.

Bad news: You didn’t set aside enough, or your withholding didn’t match your earnings.

This isn’t about failure.

It’s about planning.

Let’s make sure this doesn’t happen again next year.



One of my classic sayings as a credit union leader was:💡“A loser times volume is a bigger loser.”I was reminded of it re...
02/19/2026

One of my classic sayings as a credit union leader was:
💡“A loser times volume is a bigger loser.”

I was reminded of it recently with one of my small business clients.

Their sales were up, but income was not, and they were under constant financial pressure.

They kept saying, “I just need more clients.”

But the numbers told a different story.

Their pricing and outsourcing practices didn't leave them anything to cover the rest of their costs with.

So more business created more work with nothing to show for it.

They didn't need to do more Marketing.
They just needed to bring their pricing and costs into alignment.

Profit isn’t about how much comes in.
It’s about how much stays.

Address

Tampa, FL

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 6pm
Tuesday 9am - 6pm
Wednesday 9am - 6pm
Thursday 9am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 6pm
Saturday 9am - 1pm

Telephone

+18135861165

Website

https://cornerstoneappointment.as.me/FreeConsultZoom

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