“Will I be OK financially?” This is the biggest question my clients ask. I solve this UNCERTAINTY problem with financial education, tools and analysis that lead to FINANCIAL CLARITY. Together we craft an action plan with the vision, resources and accountability you need for lasting transformation and — finally — financial peace of mind.

Hello, I’m Shelly Rees Randall (she/her). I’m a trained financial coach and certified divorce coach who works one-on-one with individuals, offers beach walking sessions, and hosts money meet-ups with my famous sourdough waffles.

I guide people through financial challenges for a living — I'm truly excited to get out of bed each morning to problem-solve around the financial intricacies of divorce. I geek out on the rules. I enjoy sharing my expertise. I educate, inspire and empower my clients to make the most of their life transition and to use it as an opportunity to become more financially savvy from this point onward.

Some coaches come to this profession after extricating themselves from hardship, be it debt or a contentious, expensive divorce. That’s not my path.

I am a divorce coach who has been divorced. On the relationship side, I was married at 25, had one child at 32, and my husband and I simply “grew apart” after 20 years together. Trite but true. No divorce is easy, but mine was easier because our financial picture was clearly understood by both of us, and we waited for emotions to cool before getting down to business.

On the financial side, I’m one of those people who’s generally been “good with” (read: frugal and in touch with) my own money. The importance of living below your means and socking away savings was modeled by my family. So was an adventurous lifestyle funded by financial independence. I am grateful to have learned these lessons early, and I acknowledge the systemic WASP privilege that enabled these choices (a much bigger conversation, but it needs to be said).

I grew up in the coastal Pacific Northwest, but decided to attend a women’s college on the east coast. At Smith College, my neat-and-tidy systems overlaid with my love of boating and maritime culture earned me the nickname “Shipshape Shelly.” I’ve had to be minimalist and organized out of necessity, living aboard boats for months on end and for an entire year in a VW camper van on a North American road trip sabbatical with my then-husband the year I turned 30. (Check out the travel blog.)

Then I became a mother to “The Energizer Bunny Boy.” The challenge of parenting a very active son took my organizational systems to a whole new level. If you are a parent, you’ll know what I mean!

I started formally helping people with their money in my late 30s, when my reputation for detail, organization, and integrity brought me to the attention of an investment advisor in my yoga class who was seeking an assistant. When my son started Kindergarten, I started working in her firm. I discovered that I loved talking with people about their money and learning the ins and outs of the regulations, so I passed the Series 7 and 66 exams to become a financial advisor myself before realizing that profession just wasn’t my calling. My FINRA licenses have now lapsed, so I don’t (and can’t, per regulations) give investment advice.

Needing a numbers outlet, I turned to income tax preparation, volunteering as an AARP Tax Aide for three tax seasons and landing a position at an all-women CPA-led firm where I worked part-time as a small business advisor for seven years. This got me closer to my lifelong intrigue with personal finance and the concepts of how to use your money wisely to buy yourself time, freedom, and a life you love.

After hearing time and time again, “You’re the most organized, got-it-together, financially savvy person I know,” I decided to combine my super powers and launched my financial coaching business in early 2019. I was ready after graduating from the Financial Coach Academy in Fall 2018. In Fall 2021 I trained to become a CDC Certified Divorce Coach® and CDC Certified Transition & Recovery Coach® to support clients in this challenging life transition, after experiencing it myself. I formed Daybreak Solutions LLC in 2022 to hold both my financial coaching and divorce coaching solutions.

UPDATE: In 2025, I am pursuing the Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® (CDFA®) marks, to deepen my expertise and better serve YOU!

I am passionate about helping productive, purposeful people feel the same way about their money, knowing you will love your life more with less money stress. If that sounds like you and your goals, please reach out for an initial conversation about your money or divorce and your money. I’d love to meet you!

Some of my favorite financial / organizing / life-changing books:

• The Simple Path to Wealth: Your Road Map to Financial Independence and a Rich, Free Life & Pathfinders: Extraordinary Stories of People Like You on the Quest for Financial Independence and How to Join Them ~ both by J.L. Collins

• The Art of Money: A Life-Changing Guide to Financial Happiness ~ by Bari Tessler

• It’s Hard to Make a Difference When You Can’t Find Your Keys: The Seven-Step Path to Becoming Truly Organized ~ by Marilyn Paul, Ph.D.

• Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

• Die With Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life ~ by Bill Perkins

• Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals ~ by Oliver Burkeman

The links above are provided for exploratory purposes only and are encouragements to read the books, not necessarily to buy them.

Other options? I maintain a lending library for clients near Port Townsend. Borrow them from your public library. Most libraries offer free access to digital books through Libby or Hoopla. I’ve been buying secondhand books on Abe Books before they were subsumed by Amazon. And for years I swapped (mostly children’s) books through Paperback Swap, which uses a credit system. Don’t forget about browsing Little Free Libraries near you!