In this interview, financial professional Debbie Peterson discusses the pervasive money myths that hold people back and explains how she helps clients secure a stronger financial future by making better use of assets they already possess. She describes her unconventional career path—marrying right out of high school, forgoing a college degree, and pursuing independent study—to become a pioneer in a male‑dominated industry. Rejecting traditional banking norms, she developed a “treasure hunt” workbook that guides clients to uncover hidden resources and make informed decisions. Peterson emphasizes the importance of confidence and resilience when starting a business, especially for women, and shares her satisfaction in empowering female entrepreneurs who defy discouraging voices. A brief anecdote from a second speaker highlights the personal impact of Peterson’s work. The conversation underscores client‑centric relationships, innovative resource identification, and the drive to break gender barriers in finance.
Chapters
Well, our topic today are the money myths that people have stuck in their head. I help people have a more secure financial future, and we do that by making better use of the things that they already have. I've been called a pioneer. I never thought I was very creative, and people kept telling me I was creative about money. When I'm interested in something, I find out how to learn about it. And I didn't go to college. I got married right out of high school. But I took a lot of independent study courses on different things that I wanted to learn. There really were not a lot of women doing what I was doing. And if they were, they did live in New York City, and they were in some high-rise somewhere, you know, looking very official. see I don't dress like a banker. I'd had a lot of bosses over me that were just there because they were the man who reported to the next man, and I'm like, I'm not gonna do this anymore. But I wanted to get out of having people tell me what the right thing to do for the client was when it wasn't the right thing. I did a lot of research and figured out how I could make things into resources that weren't typically thought to resources, and I got very good at it. We're very close with our clients.
Got a new kitchen. She got me a new kitchen that to this day I still walk in, in the dark at 5:30 when I get up to get the 9th grader out the door. I still turn the light on and look at that kitchen and go, oh, I love you. I do. I love walking into that room. It's— and I would have never gotten it without this woman.
We have everybody fill out a workbook It asks you all kinds of things. We call it a treasure hunt. We're looking for things that you have that you may not be aware of how they work and whether you need them or don't need them. And I just love it when they say, oh, I'm so happy you helped me. You know, I didn't know how to figure that out on my own. You have to be confident that this is really what you want to do because there's a lot of people who will tell you that it's not a good idea. To start your own business. You have to be prepared that not everybody is going to see your vision the way you do. It is a male-dominated industry, and I feel very fortunate that I've been in it for over 40 years and been able to make a difference in a lot of ways. These are women who have struck out on their own. They've not listened to the people who say, don't be brave enough to do that, and they're about making a difference. And so it's meant a great deal to me. It really has.
