Meet our Financial Coaches: William

Wealth is not measured by how much cash you make, but it is measured by how much cash you are able to keep.

That quote is included at the bottom of every email sent by William S. Bolton III. As a Financial Empowerment Coach at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, William works with people on strategies to build their wealth in order to achieve homeownership.

William brings a plethora of experiences to Habitat. He’s worked for companies like Andersen Consulting, Target Financial, and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. He came to work for Twin Cities Habitat’s Mortgage Foreclosure Prevention Program during the height of the foreclosure crisis. He then went on to manage the homebuyer education programming at Urban HomeWorks.

As of June 2017, William’s back for Habitat’s newly redesigned homeownership program, which includes personalized one-on-one financial coaching to meet each homebuyer where they are in their homebuying journey.

“My primary responsibility is to support our clients as they navigate through their paths to homeownership,” William says. “I set expectations, educate, and lead by example. I prepare my clients to meet underwriting guidelines, so they are eligible to make a home purchase.”

William guides clients in preparation for homeownership, working on things like improving credit, saving for the mortgage, and budgeting skills. “The best thing about my work is the long-term impact of receiving good coaching,” William says. William feels the skills people learn through good coaching help them accomplish many other goals in addition to purchasing a home, and it’s great to see those dreams become achievable.

In addition to his work background, William’s personal experiences inform his coaching, too.

“I am from the inner city of Chicago. I know what it’s like to be displaced and/or unstable from having friends living in those conditions.”

Habitat’s mission is closely aligned with William’s personal goals of making sure every low-to-moderate-income person who can’t access a residential lease for any reason can have housing to go to. He dreams of one day owning and operating a “Rapid Re-housing Organization” so that people can quickly find a stable, affordable place to live. In the meantime, he’s helping clients achieve their dreams of homeownership each and every day.

“William brings a sincere passion for working to help homebuyers realize their homeownership goals,” says Marjorie Grevious, Homeowner Development Manager. “He specifically enjoys working to inspire and motivate clients who feel far from fulfilling their dream of being a homeowner. He works two days a week out of our North Minneapolis office inside of the Minneapolis Urban League office to build relationships and create a strong Habitat presence in the community he loves and calls home. William will be a key connector in our growing partnership with Urban Homeworks in the new year, as we work to foster homeownership in the ever-growing community in north Minneapolis.”

Apart from coaching, one of William’s favorite experiences at Habitat was attending Habitat on the Hill advocacy day and learning more about the lobbying process.

“Habitat allowed me to join with other organizations and perform our civic duty,” William says. “And not just talking about the affordable housing issue, but actively participating in processes that help extend policies that support our low-to-moderate income families.”

William is all about making connections—with his coaching clients, fellow Habitat staff members, colleagues in his field. Even outside of work, he enjoys networking and looking for ways to make his work easier. He likes to spend quality time connecting with friends and family, and enjoys “catching a live performance of any kind.”

When asked if there’s anything else he’d like to share, William says this:

Understanding how all things work together for the greater good is a gift that I plan to share with the world.