A Coach’s Approach to Financial Planning

Long before becoming a financial advisor, I was a football coach. Football had been part of my life since I was eight, from playing running back at Middlebury College to a coaching career spanning more than two decades—including 16 years at Western Connecticut State University, 10 as head coach, and three seasons as defensive coordinator at Bowdoin College.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but coaching taught me many of the principles that now shape my approach to financial planning.

Have a Plan

In football, preparation was everything. We studied opponents, developed game plans and, just as importantly, prepared for the unexpected.

Financial planning works the same way. We begin by understanding where you are and where you want to go, then develop a financial game plan around those goals.

But a good plan also considers the “what ifs.”

What if your income changes? Markets decline? Your family faces an unexpected event? Your priorities change?

A plan shouldn’t depend on everything going according to plan.

We Don’t Predict. We Prepare.

As a coach, I could study every minute of an opponent’s film and still not know exactly what would happen on game day.

Financial planning is similar. We can’t predict markets, interest rates, tax laws or life’s surprises. What we can do is prepare.

That means looking beyond investments to consider cash flow, emergency savings, insurance protection, long-term goals and potential disruptions.

The objective isn’t to predict the future. It’s to be prepared for it.

Every Person Is Different

Coaching taught me that no two players are alike. They have different personalities, abilities, backgrounds and goals.

Financial planning is no different.

I don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. I want to understand what matters to you, what you’re trying to accomplish, what concerns you and how you think about money.

My role isn’t simply to tell you what to do. It’s to help you understand your choices, evaluate the consequences and make decisions that support your goals.

Goals Need Accountability

As a coach, I learned that setting a goal is easy. Following through is harder.

Financial goals require the same discipline. Whether you’re building an emergency fund, protecting your family, buying a home, investing consistently, saving for college or preparing for retirement, progress comes from making good decisions consistently over time.

One phrase I repeated throughout my coaching career still applies:

Hard work works.

Make Decisions for the Right Reasons

Recruiting taught me an important lesson: people should make decisions because something is right for them—not simply because someone gave them a good sales pitch.

I believe the same is true with financial decisions.

My job is to educate you, provide advice and professional perspective, help you understand your options and challenge you when I believe you may be heading in the wrong direction.

But ultimately, you should understand what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.

Leadership Means Listening

Becoming a head coach at 32 taught me that leadership starts with listening.

Before making a judgment, I learned to understand the whole story. That lesson continues to influence how I work today.

Before offering advice, I want to understand.

Still Coaching

My coaching career eventually led me to financial services, and in many ways, I realized I was still coaching.

The field was different, but the responsibilities were familiar:

Listen. Teach. Prepare. Develop a plan. Set goals. Consider what could go wrong. Hold people accountable. Adjust when circumstances change. Help people make good decisions for the right reasons.

For more than two decades, I helped young men prepare for what came next.

Today, I have the privilege of helping individuals and families do the same with their financial lives.

The game changed. The responsibility didn’t.