Financial advice from a financial guru in exchange for something bartered? There has to be a catch. This is what I thought when I first heart about The Barter Babes Project so I decided to find out for myself.

Dubious motives? Nope. Shannon Simmons, the creator of this unusual initiative, quit her job in a high-end Toronto wealth management firm to offer her services to women who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford her professional rate. Her goal is to barter with 300 women in 1 year so they can be confident about their financial decisions.

Is the advice legit? Sure is. Simmons, is a Certified Financial Planner and Certified Investment Manager.

It seemed too good to be true. My cynicism convinced me that there must be a hidden cost. There isn't. Women offer her a trade of lessons, an experience, a product (mine was homemade chocolate truffles) as long as it decreases Simmons' discretionary expenses. In exchange, she meets (or Skypes) with women and gives them an hour of her services. If you're like me and don't think you have anything to barter, take a gander at what other Barter Babes have traded or use the "Wish List" on The Barter Babes site to give you idea.

Like most people, I loathe talking about my financial situation so it put me at ease when I was greeted with Simmons' bubbly, energetic personality. In the span of an hour, I had my questions about budgets, investments and my still lingering student debt all answered without the use of scary financial jargon. I had a solid plan to get my financial life back on track by the time I left.

All this in exchange for chocolate truffles.

Writing by Kathryn Meisner. Photo by Kim Yokota in the blogTO Flickr pool.