Margo Lestz
Head of Communications
Carolina Reinhardt’s story
At Genistar, we are proud to have played a part in helping Carolina change her financial future and turn her life around.
Watch Carolina’s story on this short video
My name is Carolina Reinhardt. I’m a mother of four, and I’m originally from Bolivia. I met my husband in the United States, and we’ve been married 17 years.
Carolina and Genistar
Steve: A few years ago, I was invited to speak at an event. It was just an hour slot, and I went to the coffee break afterwards, and I got chatting to this young lady. We exchanged numbers, and we were just chatting over coffee as you do. And we connected on Facebook, and that was really it.
A few months later, I messaged her on Facebook, and I said, “Hey, how are things going?” And normally when you do that, you expect a response like, “Yeah, fine. How are you?” Well, that’s not the response I got. In fact, the response I got was disastrous. She said, “My life is a mess right now. I’m on medication for depression. I’m struggling. I’m signed off work. I’ve got £23,000 of credit card debt. And my husband and I and our four children have just been evicted from our house. We’re living in a two-bedroom, temporary accommodation flat.
Carolina: I remember my Genistar rep coming and doing the plan for us, while all my boxes were there. And it was amazing. Because not only did she show us financial concepts, but she gave us hope. She showed us that if we would do the right things financially, our lives would change. So when we did our plan, we found out that we were £23,000 in debt. So, on top of struggling financially, I had depression, anxiety, no money, and no home. Finding out, that I had £23,000 of debt, and I had four kids – it was hard. It really hit me.
How Carolina met Steve and Genistar
Steve: It just happened that we had a big event coming up the following week. Just good timing, I guess. So we got Carolina a ticket to that event, and we made sure she had a hotel room to stay in for a couple of nights so she could attend the whole thing. She came along, and she was pretty nervous to start with. And I remember at the end of that event, we had kind of a team breakout session. And she came and gave us a big hug, and with tears streaming down her face. She said, “You’re going to change my life.”
Carolina: When I saw the Financial Game Plan and the guidance and the clarity that if we did what it said on the plan, there was hope. And the future could change. So I decided with my husband, that we were going to apply everything that we learnt. And I joined the mission to empower families to turn their lives around as well.
Steve: So now let’s fast forward to just a few months ago. The same lady is no longer suffering from depression, no longer on medication, no longer in the job that she was signed off from. She has moved into a new house. She has paid £17,000 off of her credit card debt. She now has savings in her bank account and in her children’s bank accounts. And she became a vice president in the company.
Carolina: And it’s all thanks to the financial education we received. So now I am really passionate about going on a mission to empower families with this knowledge, the same knowledge that transformed my life and my husband’s life.
Thank you Genistar!
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The information provided is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Individual circumstances differ and you should consider seeking professional advice before making financial decisions. Please refer to our legal disclaimer for further information.
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