PJ Gunter tripled her income after graduate school, and nothing changed. Same debt, same borrowing, same cycle her parents modeled, her dad used to brag his credit was “bad enough to stand up and fight you.” When she sought help, she got caught in a loop. The financial planner sent her to a therapist, and the therapist sent her right back. Neither had the training to address what was actually driving her. She paid off her debts through credit counseling and went right back into debt, because no one had touched the money scripts running underneath. That cycle eventually pushed her toward a master’s in financial planning, the presidency of AFCPE, and a career spent teaching people what she was never taught, that how you feel about money matters more than what you know about it.
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She Tripled Her Income After Grad School and Nothing Changed
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About PJ Gunter:
PJ Gunter, MS, AFC®, is an experienced financial counselor, educator, and financial wellbeing practitioner whose work bridges personal finance, emotional awareness, and personal transformation. She holds master’s degrees in Personal Financial Planning and Human Resources Development and is a former president of the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE).
With extensive experience in financial education, adult learning, career development, and personal financial counseling, PJ has dedicated her career to helping individuals better understand their relationship with money. Her professional background includes work with Naropa University, where she has supported students in exploring meaningful career paths aligned with their personal values and aspirations.
PJ’s approach recognizes that financial wellbeing involves more than financial knowledge. Drawing on her experience with energy psychology, emotional healing, and financial counseling, she explores how deeply rooted beliefs, scarcity thinking, and emotional patterns influence financial decisions. Her work emphasizes self-awareness, personal growth, and helping people move beyond limiting beliefs to create healthier relationships with money.
About Rick Kahler:
Rick Kahler, MSFP, CFP® , CFT™, CeFT® , Certified Internal Financial Systems™ Financial Therapy Practitioner, president of Kahler Financial Group, is a lifelong resident of Rapid City, SD. He began his professional career in 1973 selling and appraising real estate He founded Kahler Financial Group in 1981. He became the first fee-only Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP ® ) in South Dakota in 1983. In 2020 he became one of the first Certified Financial Therapist (CFT™,) in the nation.
His firm, specializes in the integration of investment advising, financial planning, financial coaching, and financial therapy, serving small business and real estate owners, professionals, and retirees, as well as individuals and families.
He served on and chaired the South Dakota Investment Council and served in leadership capacities with the Financial Planning Association and the National Association of Financial Planning Advisors. Kahler is also a nationally renowned speaker and educator. In 2003, National American University recognized Mr. Kahler with the Alumni Distinguished Service Award.
Interested in working with Rick Kahler, MSFP, CFP®, CFT™, CeFT®, Certified Internal Financial Systems™ Financial Therapy Practitioner? Please go to our website, Book a Financial Therapist Appointment and fill out a request for a 30-minute free consultation.
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