As I mentioned on the call and in a post a few days ago, I sent out a text to the clients that attended my client appreciation dinner. When I read it, I felt a bit uncomfortable because I see positive feedback about myself. I'm posting it here to force myself to recognize the value I bring to clients and to step out of my comfort zone and let this positive message affirm my value. Hi Michael, You were reading my mind! I have been planning to reach out to you... We enjoyed the evening immensely, thank you. The food, service & atmosphere were lovely. I had a delightful time visiting with your wife... I don't think we've really had a chance to do so in the past--she's very easy to talk to! In terms of the presentation... I really liked how you alternated between dinner courses and slideshow. It kept the evening flowing, gave us a chance to eat leisurely, and removed the distraction that passing dishes usually does. The presentation was a great balance of information and brevity. Very effective. If you were looking for additional content, I would suggest: - Go over the Allianz Tax Summary pages briefly: The income tax brackets, the cap gains tax brackets, the RMD table, and the Medicare table... make the point that managing taxable income AFTER retirement has a huge impact, so tax strategies matter as much as investment strategies. And yes, you can help with that. - Offer more insight to remove the mystery of ATS. I know you've been burned when you shared too much of your strategy, so go with less data and more of your relationship with your clients. 1) Time segments matter for each stage of life: Leading up to retirement / reaching retirement / medicare vs medical insurance / social security start date strategies / legacies & trusts / long-term care. Everyone has different needs at different stages. So how can you build a flexible plan? 2) Time segments ALSO matter for keeping the nest egg growing through market trends. The strategy is NOT unique enough to sell itself. However, you have an advantage over traditional financial advisors. We're all coming to your for our taxes, so point that out. YOU are the key here. YOU are a guru at blending the financial concerns with the tax implications to plan a long-term strategy. Don't underestimate your dual role. The ATS is a solid tool that you've used for many clients, but in the end, it's YOU that we are trusting. This is a strategy that you rely upon, so it's part of the package.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1KRLs5BKoR/?mibextid=wwXIfr Talks about overcoming procrastination….

We’ve been in “Go for No!” mode all month, stretching ourselves to get out there, risk rejection, and build resilience. But of course: The purpose of going for no... is to get to yes. And yesterday, we scored one. Our impossible Q1 goal? Raise €2 million for our MedTech startup. We’ve had plenty of interest. Dozens of investors love what we’re building, but they’ve all been waiting for someone else to go first: “Come back when there’s traction.” “Let us know when others are in.” “You’re clearly onto something, but we don’t want to lead.” Yesterday we met with a professor of interventional cardiology, a respected key opinion leader in our field. After speaking with us, he pulled out his wallet and invested on the spot. Was it €2 million? No. But it was the signal everyone’s been waiting for. And we have a Dutch saying that fits perfectly: “Als één schaap over de dam is, volgen er meer.” (“Once one sheep crosses the dam, more will follow.”) This was our first sheep. The momentum has started. And now we get to go back to every other investor with a new line: “You're not first anymore.” If you’re still chasing your no’s, keep going. They might just be lining you up for your yes. Finish the week strong. 🚀

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A few weeks back, @Toby Thomas shared the idea of choosing a word to define your year. That stuck with me, and I chose FOCUS. It’s been a lens for everything. Today, @Dwayne Van Harberden and I had a deep dive conversation about what that really means, not just in strategy, but in practice, how we stay focused in the chaos of daily life. We talked about: - Managing attention with intention - Saying no to distractions - The discipline of being fully present with the task at hand - How your whole life supports your ability to focus — nutrition, rest, energy And Dwayne dropped a line I’m definitely stealing: “My day starts when I go to bed.” 💥 That’s it. No more treating rest as optional. This all ties directly to the “impossible” Q1 goals I’ve committed to at our MedTech startup, and how I plan to make them inevitable through focused execution: 1. Raise $2M in funding 2. Build and implement our quality management system 3. Complete our feasibility study So thank you again, @Toby Thomas , for planting the seed with that word-of-the-year idea. And thank you @Dwayne Van Harberden for sharing your insights! Would love to hear from others: What’s helped you protect your focus lately? How do you keep your mind in “builder mode”?