Reflections on Growth, Loss, and Purpose

Jason on the "After Life" Podcast (and a Book Contribution!)

I recently had the privilege of joining Samina Bari on the After Life Podcast to talk about a topic that’s deeply personal to me - navigating the complex financial and administrative challenges after the loss of a spouse. Losing my dad at a young age shaped not only my life, but also the way I approach financial planning for my clients today.

In our conversation, we explore practical steps for managing everything from Social Security benefits to digital assets, and why building a strong support network is critical during such difficult times. It’s about helping families survive and build a foundation for healing and moving forward with clarity for the future.

If you or someone you know is facing this journey, I hope this episode offers clarity, comfort, and actionable guidance. 

For an even deeper dive, Samina has written a book, Don’t Call Me Widow, on this very subject of how to support someone who has lost a spouse.  I am honored to have helped her write the section regarding how to handle the finances in these difficult moments.  Thank you Samina for channeling your own pain into a useful guide for the many others who will face this challenge.  Doug would be proud.

 The podcast episode is also available on YouTube.

Celebrating Growth: A Big Milestone for Our Team

As we wrap up the year and look forward to the holidays, we often talk about the growth of your portfolios and the progress of your financial plans. But today, I want to shift the spotlight to a different kind of growth—the growth of our team.

I am absolutely thrilled to announce that Kimberly, our Wealth Management Analyst, has officially passed the Series 65 exam!

 This exam covers a rigorous curriculum of economic factors, investment vehicle characteristics, client investment recommendations, and laws and regulations. 

What This Means for You

With this license, Kimberly is now a qualified Investment Adviser Representative.

While this technically permits her to provide investment advice, her primary role will remain focused on financial planning support and operations.  I will still be your primary point of contact for any financial planning and investment management advice. However, this new qualification makes her vastly more effective in that seat.

Think of it like a master builder who has also studied architecture. She is still framing the house and pouring the foundation (the operations), but she now possesses a profound understanding of the engineering principles behind the blueprints. When she processes a complex request or prepares a financial plan, she isn't just following instructions—she understands the strategic "why" behind every move.

A Request for Faster Service

With this new qualification, I have a small request that will greatly improve the speed of our communication: Please copy Kimberly on all emails you send to me.

The biggest change is that previously, regulatory rules required her to run many answers by me first—even if she was 100% sure of the answer—simply because the topic fell into the realm of "financial advice." That bottleneck is now gone. As a licensed representative, she can now answer your questions directly, ensuring you get the help you need without the wait.  I will still be in the loop and get back to you when it is better for me to do so. This is just one example of how Kimberly’s new superpowers will benefit everyone.

A Well-Deserved Pat on the Back

I want to publicly express my appreciation for everything Kimberly does. Her attention to detail, her patience, and her genuine care for our clients are what make her such a standout member of the TerraFirma family. Seeing her channel that same dedication into her professional development is inspiring.

Please join me in congratulating Kimberly on this fantastic achievement! We are excited to see her shine in this expanded capacity as we head into the new year.

What This All Means to Me

Seeing Kimberly hit this milestone made me reflect on my own beginnings. I am quick to admit that I am one of the fortunate ones who found a deeply meaningful life path early on.

 I was only 21 when my journey into financial planning began.  It was 2006 and I had just left the world of residential mortgages as the real estate industry was falling apart.  Since that fateful day when I decided to take my skills and knowledge to help people improve their financial outcomes, my life has been on a path of purpose and meaning.

Even after all this time, I find that financial planning is one of those things that is hard to describe but what often is written on the label are things like: “Holistic financial planning to create a roadmap of where you are and where you want to be.” or “A 360-degree view of your financial life to plan for everything ahead.”  While all of these things are accurate, they feel a little corporate and sterile - like something a marketing person who has never been a financial planner dreamed up.  No offense to marketing people, but for me, it goes much deeper than that.

Many people came to me because they initially had some specific pain point that they were trying to solve: Are we on track for retirement? How can we generate the income that we need? How can we provide financial stability for our family? 

For me, solving those issues was the easy part.  All of the training, textbooks, courses, certifications, exams and various ongoing education combined with the experience of personally working on over a thousand of financial plans prepared me well for that. 

The hard part came when life happened.  

There was nothing in the books about what to do when someone loses a spouse.  It was hard to ignore the fear of the unknown when facing a layoff of the primary breadwinner.  None of my licenses prepared me for a global pandemic that forced us to totally change how we lived our lives.  Divorce, major illness, lawsuits, business partner betrayals - the list goes on.  

Throughout my years, I have been there through many setbacks that show up unexpectedly in our lives. But all of this was an opportunity for us to rely on each other and to go back to the financial plan as a place of safety and guidance.

By tackling these challenges head on and meeting you emotionally, I chose the harder path.  But truthfully, it is the more rewarding path.  Without being there for you through the low points, I feel that I don’t deserve the right to help you celebrate your achievements.  It is being there through the pain that helps me understand just how important these milestones are. 

I love the photos of your grandchildren and once in a lifetime trips - it helps me visualize what all this is for.  It is fun to be your cheerleader to encourage you when you’re on the right path.  There is so much pride when I can see your clouds of uncertainty give way to clarity and peace. Helping you to find more fulfillment in your life enriches mine far more than I realized it would when I started on this journey.

Finding "Ikigai"

The Japanese concept of Ikigai eloquently describes the elements of how I have found purpose and meaning in what I do for you.  How lucky am I to exist in the middle of this Venn Diagram? For anyone who feels a little lost in their own next chapter, I suggest this as a framework to try and find a better way forward.  There’s a book that describes this in more detail but 90% of it is as simple as what you see below.

So in the spirit of the season, I’d like to show my gratitude and say thank you. 

Your trust in me is not taken for granted; it is what has enabled me to build my own life and have the freedom to shape the future for my family.  I hope to have given you a glimpse into what  this all means to me.  

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your life.  I am so excited for the many years ahead!

Housekeeping Note: January RMD Withdrawals

For those whose monthly withdrawals are calculated based on Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), please note that these amounts will be recalculated in January once the final year-end values are available. This means your January withdrawal will technically remain on the previous schedule. February will be the first month where the withdrawal amount is adjusted to ensure you meet the new RMD requirement for the year.