Real People, Real Solutions

We started aurenovitraq because we got tired of watching people struggle with budgets that didn't work in the real world. Our approach is different — we focus on what actually helps families manage money day-to-day.

How We Got Here

Sometimes the best solutions come from the most frustrating problems. Here's how our personal money struggles led to something that actually works.

2019

The Breaking Point

After Henrik's third failed attempt at a "foolproof" budgeting app and Celeste's spreadsheet disaster (lost two months of tracking), we realized something was fundamentally wrong. The tools were fine, but nobody taught us how money actually flows in real life.

2021

The Kitchen Table Experiment

We started meeting with friends every Saturday morning, just talking through their money situations over coffee. No fancy systems, no complex formulas. Just honest conversations about what was and wasn't working. These sessions changed everything.

2023

Word Gets Around

Our Saturday group grew from six people to forty. We started getting calls from colleagues, neighbors, even strangers who heard about our approach. People wanted something practical, not theoretical. Something that worked with their messy, unpredictable lives.

2024

Going Official

We quit trying to make our methods fit existing programs and built our own. aurenovitraq isn't about perfect budgets or complicated systems. It's about understanding your money well enough to make decisions without stress or second-guessing.

What Drives Everything We Do

These aren't corporate values we came up with in a meeting. They're the principles that emerged from years of watching what actually helps people gain confidence with money.

Start Where You Are

We don't ask people to overhaul their entire financial life overnight. Small changes that stick beat big changes that fail. Your current situation isn't something to fix — it's something to understand and work with.

Simple Wins Complex

The best budgeting system is the one you'll actually use next month. We'd rather teach three concepts that become habits than thirty concepts that get forgotten. Complexity is often just confusion wearing a fancy suit.

No Shame, No Judgment

Everyone has money stories that feel embarrassing. We've been there too. Our programs create space for honest conversations because that's where real learning happens. Your financial past doesn't define your financial future.

Results You Can See

Good education should lead to noticeable changes in how you feel about money. Not just what you know, but how confidently you make decisions. We measure success by reduced anxiety and increased clarity.

The People Behind aurenovitraq

We're not financial advisors or certified planners. We're educators who got really good at helping people understand money.

Henrik spent fifteen years watching engineering colleagues make great salaries but struggle with basic budgeting. Celeste saw the same thing in healthcare — intelligent professionals who felt completely lost when it came to personal finance.

What we discovered is that most money problems aren't really math problems. They're clarity problems. People need to understand their patterns, recognize their triggers, and build systems that work with their personality, not against it.

Our programs reflect this insight. We focus less on spreadsheet formulas and more on the thinking processes that help you make smart money decisions consistently.

Henrik Valdez

Education Director

Celeste Thornbury

Program Coordinator

Our Teaching Philosophy

We believe the best financial education happens when people can connect new concepts to their actual life situations. Here's what that looks like in practice.

Real Scenarios

We use actual situations people face, not textbook examples

Individual Focus

Every person's money situation is different, and we honor that

Group discussion about budgeting strategies

Practical Tools

Simple systems that work with busy schedules and real life

Financial planning materials and resources

Ongoing Support

Learning continues long after the formal program ends

The biggest shift we help people make is moving from "I should be better with money" to "I understand how money works in my life." Once you have that understanding, the specific tools and techniques become much more effective. You stop fighting your natural tendencies and start working with them.

Our next program begins in September 2025, and we're already seeing interest from people who want to build real confidence with their finances. If you're tired of budgeting methods that don't stick, we'd love to show you what's possible when you approach money differently.

Learn About Our Programs