Heather Emerick's EFM journey is so much like that of Steph and I. She's had jobs on the local economy, volunteered, run her own business, consulted, contracted, and now works a WAE job at FSI itself.

Her story is one of finding optimism where she didn't think she might, and a transformation from being a creature of habit and lover of a particular place to a person who loves the change in variety of life as a diplomatic accompanying partner.

She can "Bloom Wherever She is Planted!"


Heather Emerick is a budget coach and founder of DiploBudgets, a service for ex-pats who want to create a solid financial foundation to help them take advantage of the adventure of living overseas.

As an EFM and mother of three, Heather knows that living overseas comes with tremendous benefits and myriad challenges- money stress shouldn’t be one of them. In 2017, after feeling frustrated and never in control of their finances, Heather discovered YNAB (You Need a Budget), and after some hard work, everything fell into place.

Using YNAB four principles, Heather and her family weathered an ordered departure, traveled during every tour, completed several moves, and bought a house in D.C. without worrying about finances. Through it all, Heather learned tips and tricks for making YNAB work with the ex-pat lifestyle. She’s excited to share her experience with other DiploBudgeters!

When she’s not sharing her love of budgeting, she is an expert talent development consultant specializing in designing, creating, and facilitating engaging learning programs for clients, including Brown University, Dartmouth College, Conservation International, and Sunshower Learning. Heather also serves as an adjunct faculty member for the Foreign Service Institute, the training school for the U.S. Department of State, teaching courses in management and leadership.
Find Diplobudgets at www.DiploBudgets.com