Bobby Cremins, CFA®, CFP®, RMA®, CKA®
Founder, President
Chartered Financial Analyst®
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®
Retirement Management Advisor®
Certified Kingdom Advisor®
- I’m a Christian, a husband, and a father, and these are the three titles I hold most dear
- I’m the founder of Metanoia Financial. I specialize in retirement income planning and do my best work with people in or near retirement
- I’m passionate about helping people align their numbers with their deepest values, which led me to financial planning
- I’m really into healthy eating, and I try not to eat processed foods and added sugars…but I do cheat
- I used to play “real” sports, but now that I’m older, I just play pickleball 😀
The Name
One of the first questions I get is, “what does Metanoia mean?” It’s a powerful concept that truly defines my firm and my personal journey. Metanoia is a Greek word that literally means, “changing one’s mind.” It’s also used to mean “change of heart” or “transformation”. It’s pronounced like paranoia.
About Me: A Familiar Name, A Deeper Story
If you’re from Atlanta and of a certain age, my name might ring a bell. And yes, that’s my dad. For 20 years, he coached basketball at Georgia Tech, and I got to grow up watching a master at his craft. What most people don’t know is that long before he was a coach, he was my first and best financial planning mentor. But his story—and really, my story—doesn’t start on a basketball court.
The Longshoreman's Dream
It starts with my grandfather, Robert Joseph Cremins, in a one-bedroom apartment in the Bronx.
I was lucky enough to know him until I was about 12, a tough man from the old country. He came to America from Ireland with nothing but a willingness to work. He was a longshoreman, hauling cargo on the docks of New York City until his body gave out, then he became an elevator operator. He and my grandmother raised four children in that tiny apartment, fueled by a singular, all-consuming purpose: to give their kids a shot at the American dream he never had.
That sacrifice paid off in a way he probably couldn’t have imagined. My dad, Robert Joseph Cremins II, got what felt like a winning lottery ticket—a basketball scholarship—and it changed the trajectory of our family forever.
A Reluctant Steward
Fast forward a couple of decades. I’m Robert Joseph Cremins III, a psychology major about to graduate from college. I was fascinated by what makes people tick, but if you’d asked me how I was going to turn that into a career, I would’ve given you a blank stare. It was my dad who sat me down. He had lived the American dream that his father had sacrificed for, and he saw how easily that gift could be fumbled. He saw friends and colleagues make a lot of money and have little to show for it.
He told me, “Bobby, building wealth is one thing. Stewarding it from one generation to the next is something else entirely. It’s a huge responsibility.” He basically talked me into this business, not because he wanted me to be a ‘finance guy,’ but because he wanted me to be a steward.
Frankly, I wasn’t sold. I gave the industry a try, but for the first few years, it felt like a job, not a calling. I was good at the technical side, but I felt a bit like an imposter. The industry seemed to be all about accumulation—bigger numbers, bigger portfolios. It felt hollow to me, and I seriously considered walking away.
The Metanoia Moment
That’s when I had my “metanoia.”
Metanoia is a Greek word for a transformative change of heart, a fundamental shift in perspective. For me, it was both a spiritual and professional awakening. As a Christian, my faith was calling me to a life of service and purpose, but my work felt disconnected from that. I was praying for clarity, and it came when I finally connected the dots between my psychology background and the real purpose of financial planning.
I realized that good financial advice is maybe 10% math and 90% psychology. It’s about our relationship with money. It’s about understanding our hopes, our fears, and the often-unspoken stories we tell ourselves about wealth. It’s not about chasing a bigger number; it’s about using the resources we have to live a life aligned with our deepest values. The goal isn’t just to retire with a lot of money, but to retire to a life of meaning and purpose.
Everything clicked into place. I named my firm Metanoia Financial because this transformation is the gift I want to share with my clients. It’s the journey from financial anxiety to financial peace. It’s the freedom to be generous, to take care of your family, to magnify your charitable impact, and to build a legacy that matters. Now that I have a son of my own, Robert Joseph Cremins IV (we call him Risen), this mission feels more important than ever.
Your Personal CFO
And that’s really what my “Personal CFO” service is all about. It’s the culmination of this multi-generational story. It’s built on the work ethic of a longshoreman, the vision of a coach, and the profound belief that your finances are deeply personal and spiritual.
My job is to help you navigate both the spreadsheets and the stories. If any of this resonates with you, I’d be honored to talk.
Why Metanoia Financial Exists
Metanoia Financial exists to help individuals and families create and implement a plan for their financial lives based on sound, timeless, common sense, Biblical principles.
If you’ve made it this far, then perhaps you’re ready to take the next step and schedule a 20 minute call to see if we’re a fit. I look forward to hearing from you!