Welcome to the About Abundance Financial Planning page. This tells the story behind the company’s founding and the experiences that shaped Abundance Financial Planning into the values-driven, client-first practice it is today.
October 1st, 2000 — the day after our wedding.
Newly married, young, confident, and absolutely convinced I was invincible. We were two kids in love, running on excitement, caffeine, and the belief that life unfolds exactly the way you sketch it in your early twenties. I had big plans, big goals, and big dollar signs in my eyes. Back then, ambition felt effortless, and the future felt like something we could muscle into place.
After interviewing with a handful of major investment firms, I actually had my pick. I jumped straight into the industry, convinced I was stepping into the perfect version of adulthood. In my mind, success was simple: work hard, rise fast, build wealth, live the dream. I genuinely believed I understood money, purpose, and the path ahead.
Of course, life had a very different curriculum prepared for me—one I never could’ve imagined with that newlywed grin and a full tank of naive confidence.
Less than a year later, life delivered a lesson I never saw coming. At 24, I was diagnosed with what doctors said was a 99% chance of cancer. The world I thought I understood—the future I believed I could control—shifted in an instant.
Two major surgeries followed. Complications from one of them led to a late-night ER visit where I was told a reality I wouldn’t forget: if I hadn’t come in, it’s likely I wouldn’t have awoken. Nothing humbles you faster than hearing that in your mid-twenties.
Everything I thought I knew about success suddenly felt paper-thin. The metrics I chased—career titles, income targets, the straight-line plan—none of it held up against a moment like that. My understanding of wealth cracked wide open, and for the first time, I started to see the difference between chasing more and living aligned with what actually matters.
A few years later, I was asked to share that experience at a statewide summit for the American Cancer Society. Words can’t fully express how sharply those moments changed my life and perspective—this video does a far better job.
Coming out the other side of that experience, everything looked different. Economics may define life as the allocation of scarce resources—but facing my own mortality taught me something deeper: the most valuable resources aren’t money or time, but alignment, purpose, and the people you share them with.
As Julie started chiropractic school, our world shifted again. I moved into a role with a large insurance brokerage, helping clients with both investments and insurance planning. Around that time, I began volunteering with Special Olympics. What started as a way to give back quickly became something much more meaningful.
When Julie and I faced the uncertainty of where her future practice would be—and realized how difficult it would be for both of us to start businesses at the same time—that volunteer role grew into a full-time position. It offered stability when we needed it most, but it also offered something I never expected: a front-row seat to joy, resilience, and genuine human connection.
Those years reshaped my sense of leadership, service, and what it means to support people in a way that truly matters.
After just over five years, I transitioned back into financial advising with another major investment firm. I returned with a clearer sense of purpose—wanting to help families build meaningful, values-aligned financial lives. But it didn’t take long to realize the firm’s priorities had very little to do with that mission.
It became clear almost immediately that the company’s goals were centered on their bottom line—not my clients’ financial success. Sales quotas to push the latest stock, expensive variable annuities, or the firm’s high-cost fee-based money management programs weren’t the answer. They weren’t planning tools. They were revenue tools.
I knew I needed to go in a different direction—to become a true fiduciary, legally and ethically required to do what’s best for the investor. (If you want a clear explanation of what a fiduciary is, this overview is helpful.)
So I made a clean break. I walked away from my securities and insurance licenses and established my own Registered Investment Advisory firm with the state. It was the only way to build a practice where the priorities finally shifted to the person sitting across from me.
The purpose behind Abundance Financial Planning—and the reason this About Abundance Financial Planning page exists—is rooted in everything I learned through those early experiences. Before our first daughter was born, I knew it was time to build something that reflected everything I had learned—the hard lessons, the unexpected detours, and a deeper understanding of what real wealth truly is.
I didn’t want a practice defined by products, quotas, or corporate agendas. I wanted one rooted in clarity, honesty, education, and alignment. That became Abundance Financial Planning.
A firm built on the belief that financial advice should support the life you want to live—not a company’s sales targets. A place where planning isn’t about accumulating more for the sake of more, but about aligning your money with your values, your purpose, and the experiences that matter most.
As a CFP® professional, I follow the CFP Board’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct, which require fiduciary duty, ongoing education, and always acting in each client’s best interest. You can learn more about these professional standards through the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards.
Those early years—full of confidence, disruption, growth, and realignment—shaped the mission I carry forward every day through Abundance: to help individuals and families plan well, live in alignment, and ultimately, live in abundance.
Doing what’s right for clients—always—rather than what’s best for sales targets.
Cutting through the noise and focusing on clear, practical next steps.
Making sure you understand the “why” behind every decision so you can move forward with confidence.
Aligning money with your values so life feels full—at home, at work, and in your community.
Outside of financial planning, life revolves around family, homeschooling, and community— the same intentional values I help clients plan toward.
Planning for tomorrow. Living fully today.
Life isn’t meant to be lived on autopilot.
A well-aligned plan doesn’t just prepare you for the future—it lets you live more fully today.
Whether you’re just getting started or looking to refine your current plan, Abundance Financial Planning helps you find clarity and confidence—without the sales pressure
