Thank you for visiting our website! Please let us know how we can help you take the first or next step in your quest to attain financial freedom, whether it is staying focused in order not to accumulate debt or looking toward building a financially secure future. Let us be your advocate, your coach, and your counselor. My name is Sophia Ephraim, and I am a Dave Ramsey Certified Financial Counselor who received training from The Lampo Group, Inc. in Brentwood, Tennessee.
Before founding Haven Financial Counseling Services, I worked with a major telecommunications company as an Installation Technician for thirteen years. This job involved my working directly with small and medium-sized business owners to help them customize telephone, web conferencing and internet access solutions. My reponsibilities included the building, hard-wiring, installation, testing and turning up of specialized hardware and associated business services. This experience prepared me in important ways by strengthening my problem-solving skills so I could better invest great patience and determination in delivering solid solutions for my clients.
I am certified to counsel in the following areas:
- Developing a personal cash flow plan and budget
- Eliminating personal debt "Debt Snowball"
- Establishing an emergency savings fund
- College planning
- Estate planning (Wills and Trusts)
- Retirement planning/financial independence planning
- Establishing a business cash flow and debt elimination plan
- Dealing with creditors
- Bankruptcy, Forbearances and Foreclosures
After working as a corporate professional for more than two decades, I found that my life was unfulfilling. My desire to have a lot of material things that I did not need had caused me to accumulate an enormous amount of credit card debt with nothing really tangible or worthwhile to show for it. I wanted to be free from debt because I was struggling month after month to keep up payments that I could not afford. I was living from pay check to pay check and spending more than I made.
Several years ago, my pastor, Richard A. Garner, introduced the “Financial Peace University” (FPU) course founded by Dave Ramsey. He explained to the congregation that he was going to be leading a class on financial freedom. He explained the Biblical principle of not owing anyone anything but love. Every Sunday evening for 13 weeks I went to class where my pastor taught us how to achieve financial freedom using the course materials and approaches in Dave Ramsey’s “Financial Peace University” (FPU) course. One of the most important lessons, “Overcoming The Desire to Have Stuff” seemed to be formulated just for me, for that was my biggest issue — STUFF.
As an answer to my prayers, one year and six months after I started the FPU class I became debt free, and I am living a debt free life today! You see, I was able to BEAT DEBT and I am, therefore, no longer a slave to debt. Along this incredible journey I developed a passion for helping others achieve what I had accomplished. I thought living debt-free was unattainable, but I found out that it was attainable with discipline, diligence and persistence. Haven Financial Counseling Services encourages you to take the first step and we will be at your side to assist you in achieving the peace of mind that financial freedom brings.
At Haven Financial Counseling Services we believe that our greatest achievement is not in the amount of money we make, but more in the numbers of lives that will be changed over the course of time. If we can lend a helping hand to others as they walk along the path to financial freedom, then we believe we will abound in spiritual and monetary blessings.
Our mission statement reflects the philosophy to which we are committed:
"Haven Financial Counseling Services provides sound Biblical counseling that will produce changed financial behavior and establish renewed HOPE for families"
And remember:
"Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counselors they are established." Proverbs 15:22