From CFO to Freedom: How I Built Unchained Plans to Redefine Travel Finance
Lisa BaumanShare
I used to manage billion-dollar budgets — and still forgot to use my Amex credits.
That’s when it hit me: I’d spent years building freedom for everyone but myself.
For decades, I was the calm in the chaos of corporate finance. As a CFO and VP for companies like BrandSafway, Certus Energy Solutions, and Transplace, I built systems that helped businesses grow steadily and sustainably. But somewhere between board meetings and quarterly reports, I started to wonder — what would happen if I took those same principles and applied them to real life?
What if the same logic that kept companies thriving could help us travel more freely — without dipping into savings or overcomplicating things?
That question became Unchained Plans.
And the answer became something I now call the Points Portfolio — your personal Freedom Fund.
When a CFO Starts Asking About Points
I didn’t start out as a “travel hacker.” I started as a strategist.
When I first looked into points and miles, I didn’t see a game to play — I saw a system hiding in plain sight. Points could behave like investments: quiet, steady, and compounding if managed with intention.
But the advice out there? Chaos.
Track a dozen cards. Chase every bonus. Learn loopholes that expire faster than your next latte.
It wasn’t built for people like us — thoughtful, busy, practical adults who don’t want another spreadsheet running their life.
So, I took what I knew best — financial modeling, strategic frameworks, and the calm that comes from having a plan — and built something better:
A way to make points part of your financial life, not a distraction from it.
Lisa Logic: You don’t need to chase points. You just need to plan them.
From Boardroom Budgets to Freedom Funds
Unchained Plans was born from the same framework I used in corporate finance — simplified for real life.
Financially Sound – built on proven financial logic, not influencer trends.
Strategic by Design – structured to run quietly in the background.
Longevity-Focused – protects your savings while funding meaningful experiences.
Practical and Real – made for people who don’t have time to “hack” travel.
That framework became the Points Portfolio — a personal system that helps you treat your points like an asset. You don’t chase them; you grow them. You don’t panic-book; you plan ahead.
The result? Your travel starts running on strategy, not stress.
Why It Clicks with Gen X
For most of us in Gen X (and the early Boomers who travel like us), this isn’t about collecting status or chasing luxury. It’s about freedom — the calm kind that comes from knowing your trips are already paid for.
We don’t want more hustle. We want systems that quietly work so we can focus on what matters — celebrating milestones, visiting our kids, taking that long-promised trip with friends.
That’s the heart of Unchained Plans.
No hype. No jargon. Just practical clarity that fits your real life.
Or as I like to put it:
You don’t need another system. You need one that runs itself.
The Unchained Plans Difference
There’s no shortage of travel blogs out there, but Unchained Plans isn’t one of them.
It’s not about “travel hacking.” It’s about financial strategy for travel freedom — built on real-world experience and calm confidence.
I’ve spent decades designing systems that stand the test of time — now I teach you how to use the same logic to make travel part of your financial plan.
Every framework I share is grounded in what I call Lisa Logic — proven methods, clear steps, and no extra noise.
How the Points Portfolio Works
Think of it as your travel 401(k). You set it up once, it grows quietly, and when the time comes — your trip’s already covered.
Here’s what it looks like in practice:
- Audit your current points, cards, and travel goals.
- Align your earning strategy with how you actually live.
- Redeem strategically for real-life trips, not theoretical “best values.”
- Automate it — so you don’t have to think about it every month.
Your Points Portfolio grows quietly while you live your life.
And when freedom calls, your system is ready.
The Bigger Picture: Sustainable Freedom
Unchained Plans isn’t about saving every dollar or chasing every deal.
It’s about building a sustainable sense of freedom — where your financial stability and your travel dreams support each other.
Because freedom doesn’t come from spontaneity.
It comes from systems that make spontaneity possible.
FAQs
1. Who am I?
I’m Lisa Bauman — a former CFO who turned financial frameworks into personal freedom systems. I built Unchained Plans to help real adults make travel part of their life plan.
2. What’s a Points Portfolio?
It’s your Freedom Fund — a structured, low-effort way to earn and use rewards that align with your goals.
3. Is this only for frequent travelers?
Not at all. It’s for anyone who wants travel to feel effortless — whether that’s one big trip a year or a few smaller escapes.
4. How’s this different from travel hacking?
Travel hacking chases bonuses. A Points Portfolio builds value. It’s calm, strategic, and built to last.
5. Where do you start?
Right on the Points Portfolio page. I’ll walk you through how to start building your own Freedom Fund.
The Unchained Future
After years in corporate finance, I stopped optimizing spreadsheets and started optimizing life.
Now, instead of tracking budgets, I track bucket-list trips.
Instead of forecasting profits, I plan freedom.
Because financial success isn’t just about your balance sheet — it’s about life balance.
And with Unchained Plans, that balance leads straight to the kind of freedom you can feel — the kind that’s already paid for.
👉 Start your Points Portfolio today — your future trips are already earning themselves.