I’ve watched countless entrepreneurs sit across from me, knowing they should address their finances but finding every reason not to.
It’s not laziness.
It’s not lack of discipline.
It’s something deeper.
They already know the script.
Start early.
Invest often.
Save more.
Take risk.
You’re in it for the long haul.
No wonder there’s hesitation.
Because people know how this story usually ends. More money locked away. Less access. Reduced lifestyle today. And a promise that someday it will all be worth it.
It’s worse for business owners. That is precious capital that could build infrastructure, hire A-players, and buy back your time.
So when you already know the sales pitch is going to be sacrifice, delay, and waiting…
Hesitation isn’t weakness. It’s discernment.
What if I told you the entire system is designed to separate you from your liquidity and control? And that there’s a better way forward—one that doesn’t require you to sacrifice your lifestyle today for an uncertain tomorrow?
The System Is Designed to Take Your Money
Most people intuitively understand there is a system in place. A system designed to systematically separate them from their money, their liquidity, and their control.
When something doesn’t feel safe, clear, or trustworthy, the nervous system does exactly what it is designed to do. It creates distance.
Distance may look like procrastination, but it’s more about protection.
Instead of addressing the real issue, the industry doubles down on marketing. Wildly intelligent, subtle marketing. Designed to help us overcome our fears, even if they are firmly rooted in smart suspicion.
More polish.
More credentials.
Leveraging legal terms.
More labels meant to override what people already feel in their gut.
And one of the most effective labels, FIDUCIARY.
The Fiduciary Claim Sounds Perfect (But Is It?)
A fiduciary is a person or organization that is legally and ethically obligated to act in the best interests of another party, putting that party’s interests ahead of their own.
That includes:
- Duty of loyalty with no self-dealing or hidden incentives
- Duty of care with competence and prudence
- Duty of good faith with honesty and fairness
- Duty of disclosure with full transparency
This is what I want for a trustee or executor and would be amazing with all financial professionals too. On paper, this sounds perfect, comforting even.
Moving away from commission-based mutual fund sales is a wonderful step in the right direction. Plenty of money was robbed by loaded funds funneling commissions that would have otherwise been wealth (for the client).
Just one step, but that isn’t enough.
The Fee-Based Model: Guaranteed Fees for Uncertain Outcomes
Most Registered Investment Advisors are paid a percentage fee on assets under management. Typically, around 1 percent annually.
If an advisor manages $1 million, they earn about $10,000 per year.
If they manage $10 million, they earn about $100,000 per year.
Are they doing ten times the work?
Are they creating ten times the value?
No.
The common defense is, “We win when you win.”
But here’s the part that rarely gets discussed.
They don’t return their fee when you lose. They still take money in down years.
You can lose money and still pay them. Thankfully for them, it comes out of your account automatically. If that fee were written as a check each year instead of quietly deducted, it would be very different. Automatic fees reduce accountability. Visibility increases it.
The Performance Numbers They Don’t Advertise
Long-term data paints a very different picture than the marketing narrative.
Over a 10-year period, only about 10 to 15 percent of actively managed funds outperform their benchmark after fees *(see references at the end of this).
In U.S. large-cap equity, that number is closer to 8 to 15 percent.*
Extend the timeline to 20 years and the numbers deteriorate further.
Only about 8 percent of active domestic large-cap funds outperform their index.*
That means there is roughly an 85 to 92 percent chance that an investor paying active management fees would have been better off simply owning the index.
This is not opinion.
It’s math.
So how is your advisor a fiduciary in the face of this evidence? Is that in your best interest? And does it make sense to pay more for a similar product and service with the Assets Under Management model? Nope, not even close. It makes sense for them.
Let me put it this way and ask again: Is charging a guaranteed fee for a uncertain outcome truly acting in the client’s best interest? Is this what you would expect from a fiduciary?
One Percent Doesn’t Sound Like Much (Until You Do the Math)
One percent does not feel substantial. It seems inconsequential. Small even. This type of thinking is dangerous.
Consider real numbers.
A $1,000,000 portfolio growing at 10 percent annually becomes about $2.59 million after 10 years and about $6.73 million after 20 years.
At 9 percent, that same portfolio becomes about $2.37 million after 10 years and about $5.60 million after 20 years.
The difference after 10 years is roughly $226,000.
After 20 years, the difference is more than $1.1 million.
That’s the cost of one percent.
Over a million dollars.
Opportunity cost.
Impact.
Not in theory. In reality.
This is why people feel uneasy even if they can’t articulate why. Their intuition outsmarts the salesmanship and brochures.
Your Procrastination Is Actually Protection
When something feels unsafe, the nervous system looks for distance. Distance looks like delay.
People hesitate because they fear:
- Choosing wrong
- Getting locked into something they do not understand
- Discovering later that they made a costly mistake
Avoidance becomes a form of protection.
Rational. Smart. But without a plan, someone else will sell you theirs.
Everyone else is doing it.
You’ll be so much better off by starting as soon as possible.
You HAVE to prepare for retirement.
You’ve heard the stories. Well-intentioned preachers, teachers, family and friends.
It isn’t enough to be suspect of the system, it’s imperative to know what to do instead.
The Real Problem Isn’t Investing—It’s Fragmentation
Most advisors focus on asset management. This can barely be called financial planning.
They manage money (more like gather assets).
They do not manage clarity.
Important areas are often left disconnected or ignored:
- Cash flow
- Liquidity
- Tax efficiency
- Risk management
When finances feel scattered, incomplete, or misaligned with real life, people stall. Momentum requires coherence.
Clarity Creates Momentum (Not Discipline)
Here’s the good news.
Facing your finances is easier than you think once the fog clears.
Momentum does not come from doing everything.
It comes from doing the first right thing.
One win creates clarity.
Clarity replaces fear.
Action follows naturally.
This is not about perfection.
It’s about progress.
Real Courage Is Telling the Truth
Courage in finance is not about taking more risk.
It’s about telling the truth.
Truth about fees.
Truth about incentives.
Truth about what is working and what is not.
When people feel informed instead of intimidated, empowered instead of sold to, they move forward. Not because they are more disciplined, but because it finally makes sense.
The Simple Path Forward
In today’s world of AI and technology, we created a new system—one where trust could be restored through transparency. AI helps create efficiency, analyze all pieces to find the best deal and pricing. Flat fee for investments, not a percentage or commission.
In this model, progress becomes simple. Not easy, but simple.
Simple because the path forward doesn’t require predicting markets, beating indexes, or outsmarting Wall Street. It’s about finding money first and reducing drag second instead of asking you to lower quality of life and sacrifice.
This isn’t about waiting, risking, and trying to save money by doing everything yourself.
It’s about efficiency. It’s about doing the right things in the right order.
1. Automate Your Savings and Plug Financial Leaks
The fastest way to build momentum isn’t by earning more. It’s by keeping more of what you already make without reducing your quality of life.
Automation removes emotion.
Leak-plugging creates immediate wins.
This is where the 4 I’s come in. A framework designed to boost the bottom line without budgeting or deprivation.
The 4 I’s That Quietly Drain Wealth
These four areas silently siphon cash from most households and businesses:
IRS:
Taxes are usually the largest expense a family or entrepreneur will ever have. Yet most people only think about taxes once a year, after the damage is already done. Proactive tax strategy, entity structure, and timing decisions can often recover cash that is already being lost, legally and ethically.
Interest:
Loan design is either a wealth destroyer or a wealth accelerator. The way you can restructure, reallocate or renegotiate can free up cash flow immediately.
Investments:
We already examined the impact of unnecessary fees and how they create drag. It is also imperative to create downside protection and manage risk.
Insurance:
Overlapping coverage, improperly structured policies, and misunderstanding risk often lead to overpaying for protection while still being exposed. Proper design transfers catastrophic risk and frees capital that would otherwise sit idle.
When these four areas are coordinated, families often experience an immediate increase in cash flow. That first win matters. It replaces fear with confidence. Money in your pocket instead of robbing today for the potential of a better tomorrow. This means you can have both, a better life now and be prepared for the future.
2. Build at Least Six Months of Liquidity
Six months of expenses in accessible capital does more than protect against emergencies. It restores choice.
Liquidity allows you to:
- Handle surprises without panic
- Avoid selling assets at the wrong time
- Make better decisions from a place of calm
People who lack liquidity feel trapped. People with liquidity feel powerful. This is psychological as much as financial.
3. Determine Your Store of Value
Not all money needs to be invested. Some money needs to be stored.
A store of value is capital that preserves purchasing power and provides optionality. The right mix depends on values, risk tolerance, and worldview.
Common stores of value include:
- Cash value structures designed for efficiency and access
- Precious metals like gold and silver
- Digital assets such as Bitcoin for those who understand, and it works for them
The goal is to protect your money from inflation and keep its purchasing power.
4. Focus on Cash Flow, Not Just Net Worth
Net worth looks good on paper.
Cash flow changes life.
Cash flow pays for freedom in real time. It supports lifestyle, opportunity, and peace of mind today, not someday.
Turn Lazy Assets Into Cash-Flowing Assets
Lazy assets sit quietly and hope appreciation does the heavy lifting. Cash-flowing assets contribute now.
This might mean:
- Repositioning capital
- Improving utilization of existing assets
- Converting underperforming holdings into income-producing ones
The goal isn’t complexity. It’s productivity.
Discover Your Investor DNA
Risk isn’t in the investment. It’s in the investor.
When people invest outside their knowledge, values, or temperament, fear follows. Fear leads to bad timing and worse decisions.
Understanding your Investor DNA means aligning investments with:
- What you understand
- What you can influence
- What energizes rather than drains you
This is how you become a better investor without becoming a full-time one.
The Missing Piece: A Family Office Model for Everyone
What makes all of this work isn’t a product.
It’s a system.
Ultra-high-net-worth families do not rely on one advisor. They use a family office. A coordinated team handling tax, legal, investment, insurance, and strategy under one philosophy.
Coordinated.
Communicating.
Comprehensive.
Most entrepreneurs assume this is only for the ultra-wealthy.
It used to be.
Today, this model can be accessed through a virtual or fractional family office. Think of it as a full financial team at a fraction of the cost, because the expertise, frameworks, and systems are shared across families.
Instead of paying for:
- Fragmented advice
- Conflicting strategies
- Repeated learning curves
You leverage:
- Proven frameworks
- Coordinated professionals
- Institutional-level thinking applied personally
This saves time.
This saves money.
This reduces stress.
Most importantly, it restores clarity.
Why This Actually Works
When finances are integrated instead of fragmented, people stop procrastinating. They act.
Not because they are more motivated.
But because the path finally makes sense.
Momentum comes from alignment.
Alignment comes from clarity.
Clarity comes from systems that serve life, not the other way around.
Ready to Stop Procrastinating?
Most people fall into one of two categories.
Underserved and missing pieces or overpaying for fragmented advice.
Without coordination, money slips through the cracks. You deserve better.
This is not traditional financial planning. It’s not solely about choosing an IRA or chasing a number in the future.
It’s about being financially fit, independent, and free. Creating cash flow that supports life today while being prepared for the future.
For those interested, we offer a discovery session and a personalized Report of Findings that’ll show you where money is leaking and how to keep more of what you make.
(Best for business owners with $350k+ in annual income)
Learn more about Multiplier and see if it’s the right fit for your financial future.
To your prosperity,
Garrett
P.S. Want to accelerate your wealth journey?
My next Money Multiplier Masterclass is coming January 27th–29th!
Our last Masterclass was a hit. We got amazing feedback. I had a blast sharing my message with passion. And we even built a fun, collaborative community with VIP members in a private WhatsApp group.
Tickets are on sale now for just $97. Join us, and go from money chaos to financial clarity.
