Michael & Lisa Chaffin
Alpharetta, GA
Former Occupation: Fitness Management

Carving Out Their Own Path

Michael and Lisa Chaffin of Alpharetta, GA, thought they were in the driver’s seat of their future until they realized they weren’t fully prepared for how to handle life’s unexpected turns. That’s until they found Primerica, where they were educated on making better financial choices and given a map for a brighter financial future. Along the way, they also discovered an opportunity to carve out their own career path that put them in control. Today, the couple blissfully work side by side, building a family legacy.

A Promising Start

Fresh out of college in 2001, Michael and Lisa moved to Florida from their home state of Maine where they’d met as college freshmen. Ready to build their life together, they both landed jobs in their prospective fields using the degrees they’d earned. For Lisa, that was education, and for Michael, it was exercise science. They considered themselves smart go-getters with great attitudes who believed the key to a happy and successful life was the traditional path: go to college, earn a degree, and get a good job with a nice salary and then work your way up the ladder.

The couple settled in Orlando where Lisa excelled at teaching school. She taught second grade and physical education – even earning Teacher of the Year for her school district during her tenure. Likewise, Michael shined as he climbed up the ladder at his fitness industry job, earning recognition after recognition for everything from personal trainer of the year to fitness manager of the year.

Checking All the Boxes

Recognizing the importance of planning for the unknown and saving for retirement, Michael ensured he was contributing to the 401(k) offered through his job, in addition to making some investments in real estate. He even took out a 20-year term life insurance policy at the age of 26, offered to him by a client he knew through his corporate job.

Combined with Lisa’s retirement she paid into through the school system, the couple thought they were doing everything right, while still making time to enjoy football season, concerts, and occasional travel, and be present parents for their children, Tyler and Tia. Reality told a different story, however, and it would be at least a decade before they would discover the flaws in their plans.

When the Great Recession of 2008 hit, the Chaffins fell on hard times, losing income from their real estate investments and accruing debt due to lost wages. As a result, they were forced to sell their investment property and their primary residence to settle their debts.

Michael’s company was sold to another fitness company in 2012, and his new employer relocated him to Atlanta. The family moved to Georgia, where Lisa continued teaching. In 2014, Michael took a massive pay cut to change jobs, where he hoped he could climb the corporate ladder again. Afterall, it was all he knew to do to get ahead, and he knew he could excel if given the opportunity to prove himself. “I was always chasing money or the next promotion in the corporate world,” Michael recalls. “I thought I was following the way to get ahead in life, but I had just sold out to the corporate dream.”

A Wake Up Call

It was through Michael’s new job that he met Scott Godfrey, a Primerica Representative, and the son of a client at one of Michael’s fitness clubs. Scott started conducting financial education seminars for trainers at the gym and in September of 2015, he came to the Chaffins’ home and sat down with them to review their finances. At that meeting, Scott rolled over Michael’s 401(k), went over their retirement goals, and helped them secure a better life insurance plan. “We had the right insurance but the wrong company,” laughs Michael. “I had been sold a 20-year term insurance policy when I was 26. It would have cost me $23,000 to renew!”

For Lisa, the financial education component of that initial meeting blew her away. “It was so simple,” she remembers. “Having been a teacher as long as I was, this material was always so confusing to me. I could never understand it before. But when Scott came to our house, he really helped us understand.”

The Chaffins were so impressed with Primerica’s unique blend of education and tailored solutions, they became Primerica clients that night.

The Right Opportunity Presents Itself

The following year, Lisa decided to switch careers and took a sales job where she could chase her passion for design. She had just started her new career when Michael was terminated from his job in August of 2016. When Michael called Scott about his 401(k), Scott invited Michael to a Primerica event that was happening that very day.

“The first words out of Scott’s mouth during that pivotal conversation were ‘What are you doing today?’,” recalls Michael, who had not been considering a career change. “It was truly a God moment. When you’re freaked out and stressed out it’s easy to miss the signs. I was too stubborn to see it, but I would have kept trading time for money and wasting our talent.”

It didn’t take long before Michael was intrigued with the opportunity and began attending Primerica events with Scott and his other teammates – and Lisa started to take note.

A turning point came after Michael attended a Primerica Convention in 2017. He returned home from that event recharged and passionate, sharing what he learned with Lisa, who was equally excited. A week after the Convention, the company that terminated Michael offered him his job back complete with a handsome salary, only he decided to pass. He and Lisa were on board to focus on building their Primerica career. She started attending events, got licensed and started working part-time, and in 2018, she quit her sales job and joined Michael full-time in the business.

“As soon as I started plugging in, I saw my value here,” Lisa remembers. “I saw an opportunity for us to have a business partnership. The goodness and bigness of Primerica did its work on our hearts.”

Educating Others on How to Get Ahead

Today, the Chaffins are fueled by how the principles of Primerica’s How Money WorksTM book have transformed their personal financial situation, from learning about the importance of paying themselves first to staying out of debt. They have big goals and big dreams for their family and for their business, and they’re committed to educating others on how to get ahead in life.

“Most households are crazy divided around money – not just around making money but agreeing on how to manage it,” says Michael. “We are united about it – and it all started with our early jobs and money problems.” Adds Lisa: “Everybody needs what we do! It’s heartbreaking for those who don’t allow us to sit down with them and educate them.”