Jesus Follower |Empath |Insights on AI, Retirement, & Wellness |Founder, CEO My Plan Keeper™.
Hi, I'm Carla!
For over 20 years, I guided clients from financial advising to private banking, ultimately specializing in retirement planning and retirement coaching. While helping countless clients build wealth and achieve financial security, I appeared successful by traditional measures.
But as an empath, I couldn't ignore what I saw unfolding over and over again:
- Clients reaching retirement with impressive portfolios but feeling unfulfilled and uncertain about their lives.
- Years of careful planning disrupted by job changes, advisor transitions, or life's unexpected twists—leaving people to start over from scratch, explaining their history and goals to new advisors.
- The emotional toll of realizing that, despite having "enough," something was still missing.
What Numbers Couldn't Show
The stories of countless clients opened my eyes to an uncomfortable truth: the traditional retirement model was failing us all.
Despite dedicating my career to helping others achieve their dreams, I found myself trapped in the same cycle—prioritizing financial metrics over life's precious moments.
The Human Cost
The hardest part of leaving wasn't the career change—it was the relationships. Each client was more than a portfolio; they were stories, dreams, and trusted confidants. One particular client loved bringing travel books to our meetings. I'd encourage him to explore the world, to worry less about his investments and more about living. After I left, I received the devastating news of his suicide. This loss haunts me, but it also reinforced what I already knew: retirement planning isn't just about money, it's about human connection. When your advisor leaves, it's not just a professional departure; it's a broken link in someone's support system.
The Transformation
This revelation didn't just change my career—it transformed my entire approach to helping others build lives worth living.
The New Recipe
Today's retirement recipe is overspiced with numbers and projections. Let's bring balance to the plate with wellbeing, purpose, and joy—the essential ingredients for a life that truly nourishes. And can we enjoy it now and not for dessert?
-Carla
How a Late-Night Chat with AI Changed Everything
In December 2022, my teenage son walked into my home office late at night and said, “Mom, have you heard of ChatGPT?” I hadn’t, but within minutes, I was hooked. Suddenly, I wasn’t just Googling answers—I was talking to a computer and getting responses faster than I could typing google on browser to then google my way around.
That night turned into three sleepless nights. I was up until 3 a.m., exploring the possibilities of AI, and something profound happened. Here I was, a retirement entrepreneur without a deep technical background, but now diving headfirst into a world that felt limitless.
The video might have been produced and augmented by AI.
From Curiosity to Passionate Creator
I’ve always been hands-on—teaching myself marketing, building websites, and mastering ad platforms like Google, Meta, and LinkedIn. But AI? That unlocked a whole new level.
Fast forward a few months, and I was:
- Coding in Microsoft Visual Studio
- Building Grace™, my AI avatar, on Azure
- Experimenting with chatbot platforms and prompt engineering
- Designing automations and testing the latest AI stacks
- Now I can build anything with Claude Code
What started as curiosity became a passion. Today, AI isn’t just a tool, it’s my hobby, my creative playground, and a key driver in my mission to change how we think about retirement and wellness.
Responsible AI with Heart
As exciting as AI is, I believe it must be built responsibly.
That’s why I advocate for:
Ethical AI Development:
Ensuring that technology uplifts humanity and doesn’t exploit it.
Empathetic AI
Designing tools that recognize and respond to human emotions with care.
Emotion Recognition
Creating systems that truly understand people, bridging the gap between tech and humanity.
My approach to AI is guided by faith, compassion, and a belief that technology should always serve a higher purpose.
Changing the Game with Grace™
One of my proudest achievements is creating Grace™, my AI avatar. Not only can she engage and educate, but she also embodies my vision for the future: blending innovation with empathy to deliver real value.
About My Book "Avoid the Panic"
Easy & Proven Strategies for a Resilient Retirement Amid Economic Chaos
In this book, I share insights and strategies from my two decades on Wall Street and my personal journey to help readers turn recessions into opportunities rather than threats
Avoid the Panic teaches the actions that impact your personal economy and how to avoid them and build resilience.
Here are three reasons why you should read Avoid the Panic:
Learn how to build resilience: The book emphasizes that true retirement resilience isn't just about finances. It's about building a holistic foundation that encompasses mental, spiritual, and emotional well-being and this will serve well for anyone regardless of their retirement journey.
Gain wisdom and confidence: Avoid the Panic provides readers with the wisdom and confidence to face economic turmoil with a clear mind, protect their investments, and emerge stronger.
Turn recessions into opportunities: This book offers strategies to navigate the challenges of recessions, from market swings to the fear of losing wealth, and turn them into opportunities for growth.
Why I Do This
As a Jesus follower, I believe in stepping into your calling with courage and conviction. My journey through financial services showed me that retirement planning needed deeper transformation. When I discovered AI's potential to personalize and democratize retirement wellness coaching, I knew I'd found my path forward.
The Future is Bright
Through ethical development and innovative tools like Grace™, I'm creating solutions that make personalized retirement guidance accessible to all. When you combine human wisdom with AI capabilities, the possibilities for transforming retirement wellness are limitless.
©2024 All Rights Reserved/ Made with ❤️ in Florida
Visionary by design, innovator by choice