Appreciation: Lessons I Learned by Watching My Dad
I think a lot about how parents watch their children, yet we often overlook how much children learn by watching their parents. I had the opportunity to watch my dad—who is a Certified Financial Planner—and the lessons he lived out have shaped my life in ways that continue to influence my own family and the families we serve.
Growing Up Inside a Financial Household
From a very young age, I spent time where my dad spent time. When I was a baby, I went with him to Rotary meetings and ended up being passed around the circle. When I was born, he even placed a baby announcement in the local Paradise newspaper. Paradise is a small town where everyone knows everyone, and that announcement included my picture with a headline calling me a “future financial advisor.” He didn’t know whether that would ever be true, but here I am today doing exactly that.
That early sense of community and connection built part of the foundation of how I view families and finances.
Learning That Life Is About More Than Today
My dad always thought ahead. He understood the present, but his mind lived in the future, and I absorbed that. It shaped how I look at life and how I think about planning. If tomorrow matters—and it does—then thinking about tomorrow today matters too.
One of my earliest memories is learning about money when I was three or four years old and started receiving an allowance. My allowance was a dollar, but he didn’t hand me a dollar bill. He took coins from the bathroom counter and walked me through how that single dollar broke down.
The first ten cents went to tithing. The next ten cents went to savings. The following ten cents taught me about taxes—something we deal with on every dollar we earn. That left seventy cents for me to decide how to use. His message was clear: a dollar is not a dollar once you account for the realities built into life. Those early lessons taught me perspective, structure, and appreciation for planning.
Appreciation, Stewardship, and Realistic Expectations
Giving, saving, and understanding obligations were values planted early. They continue to shape the way I serve families. Helping people think ahead is not about amassing eight-figure revenues or collecting clients. It’s about understanding the DNA of a family—who they are, how they make decisions, what they want their future to look like, and what matters to them.
Many people feel behind at some point, sometimes during the busy years of raising kids or later when retirement edges closer. People often tell me, “I wish I would have started sooner.” Part of what my book A Prosperous Family aims to do is help people begin those conversations earlier—so the future doesn’t arrive as a surprise.
Serving Families as a Central Point of Guidance
In our firm, we strive to be a main point of contact—a kind of quarterback helping families coordinate the many moving parts of their financial world. We don’t do everything, but we know how to help people connect the right pieces. One of the first questions we ask new families is whether they have a will or trust. We’re not attorneys and don’t draft those documents, but because those tools can play a meaningful role in structuring a family’s long-term plans, we talk about them with everyone and direct people to the right professionals when needed.
I see this as part of helping families think ahead. People sometimes avoid these topics because they don’t want to think about loss, but the conversation is really about caring for those who stay. It’s about easing stress, honoring values, and building clarity.
Real Questions, Real Life, Real Decisions
Because of the trust built over time, clients regularly reach out with day-to-day decisions—“We’re thinking about a boat,” or “We’re considering a second house.” They’re not asking whether they can or can’t do something. They’re asking for perspective—how to think about it, how it might fit, how it could be approached.
My dad taught me something I’ve never forgotten: we don’t try to tell people what they can’t do; we try to help them understand how they might accomplish what they want in a thoughtful way. Whether it’s a boat, a vacation home, or anything else, the conversation is about how to explore possibilities rather than shutting them down.
Continuing a Legacy of Influence
All of these experiences—watching my dad, learning his rhythms, seeing how he approached life and people—became the foundation of chapter two in my book. These are the stories that shaped me, and I share them because they continue to shape the way I serve families today.