Building a Life of Purpose Through Finance

GREG
PIERCE

Managing Partner

The Finance Coach, LLC

In a world where nearly 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck and financial anxiety weighs heavily on millions, one thing is clear: we’re facing a financial literacy crisis. Yet amidst all the noise, some voices rise with clarity, wisdom, and real solutions. Greg Pierce is one of those voices—a seasoned educator, financial coach, and lifelong advocate for helping students and professionals take control of their money and their future. Today, Greg serves as a Ramsey Preferred Financial Coach with Ramsey Solutions, LLC. Through on-line lessons and his website www.thefincoach.com, Greg guides individuals, professionals, and families worldwide through life-changing principles of corporate and personal finance like Dave Ramsey’s 7 Baby Steps to winning with money. But his impact goes far beyond spreadsheets and budgets. After a remarkable 38-year teaching career at Penn State University, where he earned the title of Associate Teaching Professor Emeritus of Finance, Greg continues to influence lives through a rare blend of experience, empathy, and practical wisdom. His journey includes everything from leading finance departments in the tech sector to pioneering hightechnology classroom innovations at scale—like integrating Samsung Flip “magic boards” in 700+ student lecture halls to boost student engagement and participation. Whether it’s mentoring Schreyer Honors College students at Penn State to develop over 100 realworld strategic business plans for real, live startup CEOs or designing early web infrastructures for emerging ventures, his approach is always rooted in purpose and empowerment . What truly sets Greg apart is his gift for translating complex financial ideas into simple real-life, real – world breakthroughs. With heart, humor, and hardearned insight, he helps people to not just manage money—but to master it. TradeFlock interviewed Greg Pierce to explore his story, strategies, and passion for lifelong financial transformation.

How has your corporate finance background shaped your personal financial coaching?

I often say the best financial education I ever received was at Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. of Trexlertown, PA—not in a classroom but in the daily grind of developing budgets, forecasts, strategic plans, capital appropriation requests, and M&A analyses. I worked shoulder-to-shoulder with top-tier financial analysts who graduated from the top-tier finance programs in the country like Wharton, Harvard, NYU, and more. That’s where I truly learned what great corporate finance looks like. As I tell my Penn State students every semester:

I’m teaching you the Air Products corporate finance way here in the classroom

That industry experience shaped how I taught my Introduction to Corporate Finance courses—practical, real, and battle-tested. Now, in personal finance coaching, especially with the Ramsey approach, I still draw from that corporate finance toolbox. Concepts like the Time Value of Money and the very Powerful Rule of 72 may not be in Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University curriculum, but they’re powerful truths I can’t leave out. My corporate background—and the mistakes I’ve made along the way—help me coach with a mix of hard-earned wisdom and real-world clarity. Those experiences are valuable assets in my new personal finance coaching career.

What’s the most unconventional financial advice you’ve given that truly changed a client’s life?

The look on a client’s face when I say, “Cut up your credit cards,” during a Financial Peace University class session never gets old. That’s a very tough thing to do—but as a Ramsey coach, I’ve seen lives transformed when people ditch debt completely—even the so-called smart kind. It feels radical at first. They ask, “How will I ever rent a car or build credit?” But then the lightbulb goes off. Using debit cards, paying cash for cars, and saving with intentionality becomes a game-changer. What starts as counterintuitive ends up being the most freeing advice they’ve ever followed, and there is no better feeling than being free from that monthly mortgage burden! In my most recent class—with just four adult professionals from Wyoming, California, New Jersey, and North Carolina— we helped them pay off over $16,000 in non-mortgage debt with gazelle-like intensity, cut up three credit cards via, what Dave Ramsey likes to call, “a plasectomy”, saved over $8,000 in emergency funds, and advanced to Baby Step 2 in all four cases—in just nine weeks.

If you could add an eighth Baby Step to the Ramsey plan, what would it be?

If I could sneak in a Baby Step 8—with Dave’s blessing, of course—it would be: “Study crypto and invest extremely carefully.” Once the mortgage and student loans are paid, children’s college funds are set up, emergency funds are fully funded, and retirement accounts are set, then—and only then—start nibbling, not diving. Just small, strategic investments with money you’re prepared to lose. Even registered advisors are starting to support small crypto positions (2%-5% of total portfolios). Personally, crypto has been my best-performing investment class—better than real estate, stocks, or bonds to date. My personal registered investment advisor at WealthKare, LLC is now exploring crypto ETFs and blockchain-focused funds. The only key to achieving this is to stay informed, stay cautious, and never stop learning.

Tell Us About Your New Mission: Teaching NIL Student-Athletes?

In retirement, I’ve discovered a new mission & passion: educating young NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) studentathletes in the ways of finance. Many of these athletes face life-changing wealth at a very young age, yet they’re not yet equipped to manage it. They’re simultaneously full-time students, athletes and CEOs—sometimes even running million-dollar enterprises before graduation. Don’t believe me? Google Olivia “Livvy” Dunne, a Louisiana State University gymnast and social media powerhouse, to understand what she is managing very successfully as a Division 1 student-athlete. I’m now focused on teaching NIL student-athletes the fundamentals of personal/behavioral finance and corporate/business finance. A solid foundation today can lead to lifelong financial health—and freedom. As Dave Ramsey likes to say in his Baby Step 7 of his Financial Peace University curriculum, “Live like no one else now, so you can live and give like no one else later in life.” Words of wisdom.

What sets your approach apart from traditional financial advisors?

I’ve always seen myself more as a financial coach than a financial advisor—probably because I’ve spent years coaching my brother, son, and daughter in everything from Little League Baseball and AAU Basketball to high school baseball and basketball and Penn State University baseball. That same coaching energy drives how I teach personal finance. I’m not a CFA or CFP—I’m an accredited Ramsey Preferred Financial Coach (RPC), and that title fits me just fine. Traditional financial advisors focus on managing assets. I focus on helping people change their fundamental financial behaviors. There’s a big difference. As I often remind my clients:

This isn’t financial advice —it’s financial coaching

That means we’re not just talking about money —we’re building habits, setting goals, and creating a game plan for lifelong financial peace. It’s the same mindset I brought to the baseball field and basketball courts: meet people where they are, set big goals, and coach them to where they want to be.

How do you adapt your coaching style to trends like crypto, digital payments, and fintech?

I tell people upfront that I love the technical aspects of crypto, but I treat crypto like a trip to the casino: set a limit, expect to lose it, and walk away without regret. As a Ramsey coach, I stick to the fundamentals. As Dave puts it: “Don’t bet your retirement on hype.” Crypto and NFTs are high-risk gambles—not sound strategies. In Financial Peace University, we barely touch on crypto: one page, five minutes. But with my finance students at Penn State, I know they’re curious. So I suggest:

Do your homework —100 hours of research before one dollar goes into crypto

Understand the technology, study the volatility and utility of each token, and never invest more than you’re willing to lose. Technology changes fast—discipline doesn’t. I even share crypto and financial insights from influencers I follow daily— Michael Saylor, Anthony Pompliano, Coach JV on X, Raoul Pal, Howard Lutnick, Cathie Wood, Zach Rector, Freddy Krueger, and many others to help my students put their hundred hours in.

What financial trend today is overhyped, underhyped, or dangerous?

I’ve seen more people afraid of AI than debt —which says a lot. The fear? Overhyped. The potential? Underplayed. AI won’t replace finance pros any time soon—it’ll make them sharper, faster, and more efficient. I encourage everyone to use AI at work every single day as I do and verify everything. Verify your AI work with a fine-toothed comb—and make AI your ally. As for crypto—it’s not just for tech bros. Blockchain is quietly revolutionizing global finance. The real danger? Dismissing it before you understand it. Another trend I preach daily to my students is: never stop learning. I live that mantra myself. Eight years after I started studying crypto, I’m now learning decentralized finance (DeFi), liquidity pools (LPs), and building my own “bank,” if you will. And studying to become a Decentralized Finance Master. Traditional finance—aka tradfi—is out. DeFi (aka Decentralized Finance) is in.