The Financial Wisdom That Comes With a Limp

Sometimes the best advice doesn’t come from a boardroom. It comes from the recovery room.

A few weeks ago, I was at University Hospital with Laura—again. Another foot surgery. Another set of stitches. Another quiet moment where we both looked at each other and silently thought, Let this be the last one. She’s a trooper, and thanks to some new meds and two surgeries, she’s on the mend.

And while we were waiting for her post-op check-up, I started thinking—so much of good financial planning is like recovery. It’s slow, deliberate, and it hurts if you wait too long.

Where Experience Meets Empathy

I’ve been doing this financial planning thing for 30 years now. And I’m not just older—I’m better.

Every client I’ve worked with over the years brought their own life chapters to the table: job losses, business wins, divorces, health scares, lottery wins (yes, really), and everything in between. I’ve seen how unpredictable life can be—and how having a plan helps make the unpredictable… manageable.

Like when my son Nathan beat testicular cancer at 18. He’s now ten years cancer-free and thriving at the Canton Symphony Orchestra. Music is his life, and every time I hear him play, I’m reminded that life is precious and planning matters.

A Lifestyle Business for a Lifestyle People Want

Let’s get one thing straight: I’m not retired. I don’t plan to be—not unless I can’t deliver the kind of advice my clients deserve. Until then, I’m your guy.

My business isn’t built around exits. It’s built around living well while guiding others to do the same. That means mornings in Ohio, weekends fishing off the Florida coast, and the freedom to make every meeting count—because I’m not trying to cram 80 hours into a week anymore.

I call it a Lifestyle Practice. It’s not flashy. It’s functional. It lets me prioritize my clients and my family.

“I don’t need more time off—I need more time on what matters.”

The Sermon I Gave Over Pizza and Snapple

Recently, I brought lunch to a local vocational school construction class that’s been working on a project for me. While handing out pizza, I found myself preaching. Not about wood or nails. About money.

Here’s what I told them—and what I’d tell your kids or grandkids, too:

1. Have a savings account. A real one.

Not the kind with $42 in it that’s linked to your checking account. A real emergency fund. Because if life throws a curveball—and it will—you either dip into savings or you go into debt. And if you don’t have the first, you’ll definitely get the second.

2. Credit cards? Treat them like a lit stove.

If you can’t pay off the full balance next month, stop using them. Period. Debt is a slippery slope dressed up in convenience points and cashback promises.

3. Save systematically.

Once a month, or better, every two weeks—set up an automatic investment into a real account. Then leave it alone. Do this alongside whatever retirement plan your employer offers.

Do those three things, and you’re ahead of 90% of your peers. Simple doesn’t mean easy. But it does mean powerful.

What Most Advisors Don’t Tell You

I’ve been in hundreds of living rooms, boardrooms, and Zoom calls. And I can tell you—most people aren’t struggling because they don’t make enough money. They’re struggling because they don’t know what to do when life swerves.

Financial planning isn’t just about rates of return or tax strategies. It’s about building a life that bends without breaking.

That means having flexibility when you get sick. Options when you lose a job. Freedom when an opportunity comes knocking.

It means making choices now that Future You will thank you for.

Action Steps (Before Life Forces Your Hand)

Let’s get practical. Here’s what you can do this week:

Need help with any of that? Schedule a quick intro call. It costs nothing to ask but it might cost you everything not to.

One Last Thing

Laura loves her “sanctuary” back in Ohio. She can’t be away for long. Me? I’d happily stay longer in Florida as long as work allows. But here’s the kicker:

I don’t want to escape from my life. I’ve built a life I don’t need a vacation from.

That’s what I help people do—one conversation, one choice, one financial plan at a time.

If that sounds like the kind of advisor you’d like in your corner, let’s chat. Or if you’re already a client, forward this to someone who needs to hear it.