The Story Behind
Financial Wellness Navigators
I did not grow up with financial advantages. I grew up with something better — the drive to figure it out anyway.
That resourcefulness became the foundation of everything I do. Today I partner with organizations building financial wellness programs and guide individuals who are ready to take control of their financial future — because I have been on both sides of that journey and I know what it actually takes to get there.
Where It Started
I was four years old in a grocery store checkout line with my single mother and three siblings. She paid with food stamps. I still remember the cashier’s look — the judgment, the shame. What I remember most is what my mother did next. She made everything feel okay. That moment planted a seed. The word for it is dignity. It has driven everything I have built since.
The Moment Everything Clicked
Years later I was three classes from completing my MBA in Southern California when I had a wake-up call. I was paying $3,600 a year at Starbucks while ignoring the connection between my financial behaviors and my mental health. So I did what any reasonable person would do — I dropped out of the MBA and switched to an MA in Human Behavior. I always joke that I made my mother very proud. That decision in the early 2000s changed everything.
Putting It Into Action
I became an Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC®) and a certified Social Security work incentives and public benefits specialist, managed a network of 4,500+ professionals, trained thousands of staff nationwide, counseled hundreds of individuals and families, and led a disability-focused initiative recognized in a U.S. Presidential budget briefing to Congress.
That body of work led to the creation of the N.A.V.I.G.A.T.E. Toward Financial Wellness curriculum — trauma-informed, dignity-focused, and built to help organizations open shame-free conversations about money.
This combination of lived experience, national leadership, and certified expertise allows me to be your trusted navigator in building a realistic financial plan and navigating public benefit programs.
About Michael
Michael Roush, M.A., AFC®, CPWIC is a nationally recognized expert in disability-inclusive financial wellness with 25+ years of national leadership. He brings rare combination of deep technical expertise and lived experience as a person with a disability and a child of poverty who achieved financial wellness.
Michael has trained thousands of professionals nationwide, counseled hundreds of individuals and families, and designed financial wellness programs for national banks, government agencies, and major organizations. His work has been recognized at the highest levels — highlighted in a U.S. Presidential budget briefing to Congress.
As founder of Financial Wellness Navigators, Michael serves as a trusted advisor and navigator — helping individuals build financial roadmaps and helping organizations embed financial wellness into their programs.
Credentials: M.A. Human Behavior · AFC® · CPWIC · IRS VITA Certified
Why Financial Wellness Navigators
As a boutique firm you work directly with the experts — no layers, no handoffs.
Individuals and Families
Ready to take control of your financial future and create a financial roadmap and plan through one-on-one counseling.
Organizations
Ready to build financial wellness into your programs through consulting, training, and curriculum development.
Michael R. Roush, MA, AFC®, CPWIC
Managing Director, Financial Wellness Navigators
© 2026 Financial Wellness Navigators. Powered by Wix