January has arrived! And with it, gyms around Ann Arbor are filling up, recipe book sales are surging, and conversations around healthy eating—and mental health—are taking center stage. It’s a moment when many of us naturally pause to consider what we want to feel different in the year ahead. And while we often focus on the physical or emotional aspects of “wellness,” there is another essential layer that shapes how we sleep at night, how we plan our futures, and how freely we breathe in the present: financial wellness.
With that in mind, we turned to Charlie Cook, CEO of Coriander Financial Group. Both a CPA and a CFP® with a business degree and a Master of Accounting from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, Cook has worked with families through moments of joy, unexpected transitions, and everything in between. She’s the phone call when a child gets accepted into a different college than planned, the steady hand during market turbulence, the person who can translate complexity into understanding—whether she’s reviewing a tax return line by line or sitting alongside clients in meetings with their estate planning attorney.
“I love being a resource—I love people counting on me,” Cook says. “I want them to not feel overwhelmed. I want to be their first call.”
That desire to help people inspired Cook to found Coriander Financial Group. She wanted to build a firm where she could spend more time with clients, offer more clarity, and support families through every part of their financial lives—helping them truly live in the present while also preparing for the future. Instead of scaling for volume, she chose to design a boutique, high-touch practice that puts depth, transparency, and personalized planning at the center.
Central to her approach, Cook encourages clients to begin the year with a “Financial Wellness Check-In.” This practice, which she embraced herself long before founding her firm, helps clients gain perspective on their financial health in two important ways. First, the goalpost of “what’s enough” shifts over time because it’s often arbitrary, so it’s important to take time to reassess what that looks like in this moment. And second, “life is short and unthinkable things can happen, and it's heartbreaking,” Cook says. “I want to encourage people to live their life now.”
To help you prepare for the year ahead, Cook offers financial advice that feels both calming and empowering, grounded not in prediction, but in preparation:
1. Begin with a plan.
According to Cook, clarity comes from preparation rather than reacting to headlines. “If you do an annual check-in with your finances, you can feel confident in the plan,” she says. Understanding why a plan is structured the way it is becomes an anchor—one that helps families “tune out some of the noise.” She often reminds clients that common benchmarks aren’t always personal; many people “just plow money into their 401k,” unaware they may ultimately leave their children with a significant tax bill and unintentionally limit their own flexibility for retirement, since the majority of those funds can’t be accessed before age 59½ without penalty.
2. Reflect—honestly and without judgment.
Reflection is as essential as strategy. “Reflect on what you've done well… and then reflect on what makes you feel uneasy,” she says. This habit shifts people from avoidance to empowerment, helping them adjust, course-correct, and ultimately “live now…and enjoy now.”
3. Hold yourself accountable.
For Cook, accountability works like any wellness practice—it is strengthened through repetition. Write down your goals, and schedule regular check-ins. “Have something that's measurable,” she says, and “be brutally honest” about where you stand. Accountability, to her, isn’t restrictive; it’s clarifying.
4. Don’t wait to start your taxes.
“Don't wait to start your taxes,” she says, noting that early preparation can reveal opportunities to improve your situation. Many people fear owing, but as she reminds clients, “it's not the worst thing. It means you kept your money…longer.” A refund simply means the IRS held it for you.
5. Be vulnerable with your hopes, fears, and questions.
Above all, Cook believes trust fuels every strong advisor–client relationship. “Ask me this question as many times as you need to ask me this question,” she tells clients. “Be vulnerable with your hopes, fears, questions,” because transparency allows an advisor to truly serve in the moments that matter most. She also offers straightforward guidance when choosing an advisor: “I recommend choosing someone with a CFP® designation because they're required to advise you in your best interest.”
Financial wellness isn’t about perfection. It’s about breathing room, clarity, and the peace that comes from knowing you don’t have to navigate life’s complexities alone. In a world where finance often feels impersonal, Cook offers something refreshingly rare: steadiness, empathy, and genuine care—proving that financial wellness is as much about partnership as it is about planning.
Learn more at corianderfg.com.
“I love being a resource, I love people counting on me...I want to be their first call.”
Financial wellness isn’t about perfection. It’s about breathing room, clarity, and the peace that comes from knowing you don’t have to navigate life’s complexities alone.