Meet The Record-setting Olympian Who's Now A Certified Financial Planner For Broke Millennials

Here's her playbook for success.

- Elizabeth O'Brien

LAURYN WILLIAMS had plenty of wins during her athletic career. She became the first American woman to earn a medal at both the Summer and Winter Olympics, scoring a gold in the 4 x 100-meter relay in London in 2012 and a silver in the two-woman bobsled in Sochi, Russia, two years later.

Still, she says, her losses were what helped fuel her post- retirement success as the owner of a financial planning firm in Houston. “Being able to gracefully handle loss and dust yourself off is a good skill to have,” says Williams, now 35.

Her resilience has helped her persist through the challenges of building a business from scratch. These include passing the certified financial planner exam and attracting new clients through speeches and other community outreach. Her business, Worth Winning, will turn three in April and has just become profitable.

Williams has carved a niche for herself helping her millennial peers tackle their student debt, adopt sound budgeting practices, and start saving for retirement. “They’re young professionals trying to figure out what ‘adulting’ means,” she says.

Investing for retirement is crucial, Williams says, but before you jump into the stock market, you need to lay a solid financial foundation. Here are her key building blocks for smart money management.

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