By the time she reached middle school, Kimberly Watkins was aware of which bills her parents had neglected to settle by the hue of the statement in the envelope.

“There was always this veil of intrigue surrounding finances, so the only method to uncover information was to play a little detective,” she recounted. “I would simply sift through the mail and read things, and when the envelopes were pink, I realized we were in dire circumstances.”

Although finances were seldom mentioned in Watkins’ home, she understood early on that her mother was a spender and her father was a saver. That became a catalyst for much discord and disputes.

Years later, the pattern reemerged early in Watkins’ own marriage. Both she and her spouse, Daniel, were employed in good positions, yet somehow, there was perpetually an insufficiency of funds. Marital tension followed.

“It was death by $5 here, $10 there, like leaks in a boat,” she reflected.

The pivotal moment occurred during a discussion in a parking lot outside an OfficeMax, of all places.

“I said, ‘Daniel, when we got married, you claimed you didn’t believe in divorce. Do you still hold that belief?’” Watkins said. “And he replied, ‘I don’t know.’ Realizing that he had shifted his stance on something so significant in such a brief period, I thought, ‘Something’s amiss here.’”

By the time Watkins returned to their apartment later that day, her marriage and career took a sudden turn.

“Before I even opened the door, I declared, ‘I want tranquility in my home,’” she said. “I was fed up with the fighting.”

The couple promptly enrolled in financial education programs and subsequently began instructing one. They cleared their bills and escaped debt, leading to an improvement in their marriage.

Motivated, Watkins pursued her doctorate, graduating in 2018 with a degree in financial planning from the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, where she now holds a position as an assistant professor. By this time, she and her husband had welcomed twins, Harper and Mason.

Her dissertation explored the quality of parental relationships and its connection to financial well-being, influenced by her personal experiences as a daughter, spouse, and new mother.

“Becoming a mother did influence my research at that stage since I was focusing more on parenting materials than academic journals,” she explained.

Watkins currently incorporates her personal story into the capstone course she teaches in financial planning for both undergraduate and graduate students, where students create a comprehensive financial plan for actual clients.

“I share a lot of my experiences,” she chuckled, “because while you may certainly know the proper way to manage money, you might also grapple with your own financial challenges. Guess what? So do your educators. So do the financial planners. Hence, I normalize the fact that we all face struggles in some manner, but there are ways to navigate through it. We also engage in discussions about financial issues in relationships as it is the primary issue that arises for couples.”

Watkins’ research has primarily centered on the financial well-being of marginalized groups, but she has also developed an interest in neurodivergence since her ADHD diagnosis as an adult.

“I’m keen on discovering what we can implement to ensure that neurodiverse individuals can excel in this field,” she stated.

Although the inclination might be to reflect on her family’s initial financial difficulties with remorse, Watkins expressed that ultimately, she appreciates the insights gained throughout her journey.

“All those narratives are experiences that enable me to connect with individuals and to maintain this work as humanized as possible,” she concluded.

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