Research Behind Broke-Free Forever How it All Began Pamela has brought her business management expertise, legal-services training, consumer behaviour research and personal experiences as a divorced single-parent trying to provide a good life for her son together to develop Broke-Free Forever. It all started as Pamela spent years developing tools and resources as a mom to teach her son how to manage his newspaper route earning, learn about debt and interest, pay his rent on time, navigate the temptation of payday and consolidation loans, and start investing. Pamela was soon sharing her spreadsheets, tips and worksheets with others, for use within their own families – and with her colleagues for their own use! Pamela witnessed the power money held in her years as a legal assistant working in wills & estates, civil litigation, family law and corporate commercial work. Pamela was responsible for hundreds of thousands of budget dollars as a manager in the corporate world, and struggled financially as a single-earner head-of-household. While studying to earn her Master’s degree in business, Pamela focused on marketing research and consumer behaviour: the study of spending money! After working with her own professional personal-development coaches and financial advisors, and with much prompting from colleagues and family, it was time for Pam to bring all of her research and resources together for the benefit of others. Three years later the (then named) Stop Being Broke 12 week pilot project program was ready for trial. The 2010 Pilot Program Broke-Free Forever was pilot tested through a 12 week trial program in Kelowna, BC, Canada in the Spring of 2010. Twenty-seven households volunteered to participate in the project. They attended a weekend workshop that covered the major concepts in the book, completed questionnaires and surveys, and over the next 12 weeks participated in class-room based sessions and received weekly e-coaching. Some participants also participated in personal one-to-one coaching with Pamela. During and after this 12 week pilot project the participants indicated an increased knowledge of self, finances and behaviour, improved household financial performance and improved personal relationships through increased harmony and goal collaboration. Participants from the consistently reported: decrease anxiety on paydays increased knowledge in areas of self, money and behavior breaking free from living payday-to-payday improved personal financial performance improved future financial outlook improved money-related decisions and behaviours becoming a role-model for friends and family feeling more positive about their current financial position experiencing residual personal benefits: happier, more future-focused, improved relationships Feedback from exit interviews and surveys were incorporated into the final product: the Broke-Free Forever book, the resource web site, the 12 week program blueprint and the weekly e-coaching emails. Read some of the testimonials from Pilot Project Participants. Any Income Level is Relevant Living payday-to-payday is not relevant to just any one income level. In fact, Pamela has found that people can be broke at any income level. Broke-Free Forever is for anyone who feels broke, at any income level.