My Journey

 

In the spring of 2022, I learned that Shirley was worried. Her husband had been the financial captain of their family for over 40 years, but his health was declining. Shirely was concerned that something would happen to her husband and the very next day she wouldn’t know how to properly handle their finances. 

 

I met with Shirely, and she conveyed her fears to me. She was smart but embarrassed by her lack of knowledge and intimacy with her family’s finances. She and Roger had been married for over 50 years and he always handled the couple’s finances. As they became more successful financially their financial landscape became more complex. They helped support family and friends as needed and were contributors to numerous charities in their community. Their investment portfolio was also quite sophisticated, with multiple accounts and investment professionals. 

 

Shirely’s concerns were completely justified, and I assured her that I would help. 

 

The timing for me was just right. I had just completed the sale of a public company where I had been an executive and was taking a mini-hiatus. My background was in company turnarounds, so chaos was not foreign to me. I also worked as an executive business coach, giving me experience working with people on a personal basis.

 

I jumped in with Roger and began to learn about their financial landscape. The complexity far exceeded my expectations. There were a ton of moving parts, but over the next two years, I learned everything I could about how Roger approached managing the finances of his family. 

 

Some of the things in place were amazingly thoughtful and yet, others were messy. He was very principled and everyone he touched was appreciative of his generosity. His administrative compliance had fallen off and we had to hire an estate attorney (his previous one has recently passed away) to clean up some of the entities. Unfortunately, he had to pay a penalty. 

 

What I learned from this experience is just how personal money and finances are to people. Not just the amounts, but also people’s view and perspective of money. I also learned about trusts and estate planning. Most importantly, I saw the change in the fear level of Shirley. She is so appreciative of everything that we did and sleeps better knowing that she has an ally should she ever need to step into the financial captain’s seat. 

 

This experience moved me so much that I leaned into it even more. I read every book I could find on the subject and signed up for every professional course. I became a sponge on the topic. 

 

I am not an attorney, nor a financial advisor, not a money manager, or an accountant. I am also not a psychiatrist or a psychologist. I have done business turnarounds, been a public company executive, and run my own company. I've been a business consultant, executive coach, and advised many executives and business owner. My instructors call this current role a financial transitionist and I refer to it as an ally. Regardless of the title, I bring all my experiences and training to the table as I sit in between all these professionals and do what it takes to help my clients turn what can be a scary situation, where finances are a burden, into a more positive situation where the new financial captain takes joy in being a leader in the family.   

 

In this job I see some of the highs and lows of people’s lives. The work often comes at odd hours and without predictability. It is not for everyone, but I love it.