Welcome to Truth in Financial Planning! I’m so glad you’re here!
My name is Michael Gauthier, and I’m a Certified Financial Planner™ with almost two decade’s worth of experience helping families and individuals meet their wealth-building goals.
How are you doing with your finances? Are you constantly stressed over money issues? Don’t know where to start? You’re at the right place.
When I was a child, I remember watching my dad start a company in the back room of our house. His company grew from two partners with little money and an idea to a company with offices in the United States and Europe with over 100 employees. I remember my dad telling me, “The harder I work, the luckier I get!”
My dad once gifted me “The Wealthy Barber” by David Chilton, a book that helped shape my financial understanding when I was just 14 years old. I soon came to realize that wealth is not so much about how much money you make, but it’s about what you do with the money you do make.
I met my beautiful wife in high school. We dated throughout college while attending, believe it or not, rival schools. I went to Arizona State while she was a Wildcat at the University of Arizona. To make things more interesting, I played football at ASU while she was a cheerleader, cheering on the field at the same time, for the other team! But don’t worry, everything worked out . . . we got married and now have three beautiful kids!
While still in college, I got a job at a nationally-known Wall Street firm. My last semester in college, I was working full time while taking a full schedule of classes. Boy, did I think I was the big man on campus! I was 22 years old with a salaried job at a Fortune 100 company with healthcare benefits and a 401(k)!
All this took place in the spring of 2000. And, I liked what I saw at the company. Contrary to popular belief, there are some very good and well-intentioned advisors working for large Wall Street firms.
During my 13 years at this company, I was blessed to have built a solid business. The failure rate for employees at this company was very high, and I saw hundreds of people that were hired to be an advisor but were gone in less than a year.
After I had earned my Certified Financial Planner™ designation, which requires extensive financial education coursework and the passing of a massive exam, I refined my practice to focus less on investments and more on planning.
This, my friends, was the beginning of the end of my time at the Wall Street firm. Held back by big business, I was not able to give my clients all the resources and tools they needed to be financially fit. If you’re only paid through the investments you sell, how can you expect to give the best financial advice possible? In my opinion, there was a conflict of interest.
Big business wants their message spread, not yours. And after years of learning from my own personal successes and mistakes, I was ready to proclaim a financial message of my own from the rooftops.
My large paychecks begged me to stay at the company. But I couldn’t take it anymore. I had enough! I was ready to step out on my own.
So, in March of 2013, I left the company and set up my own wealth management company. Strategic Income Group was born, and we were incredibly blessed to have amazing clients follow us to our new company.
Today, I get to sit down with our clients and show them our new capabilities and offerings (and may I say, they have been blown away). Finally, I get to share what I’ve been learning all these years! And now, I get to share some of these same financial principles with you, too.
I also became a contributor to WealthManagement.com’s Advisor Confidence Index (ACI) – a monthly benchmark with an eight-year history that gauges Registered Investment Adviser views on the U.S. economy and the stock market. ACI data is compiled from a survey of 100+ panel members that work at leading RIA firms who are prequalified for their industry experience and assets under management. The ACI is released monthly to the press and is often quoted as a sentiment of advisor confidence. It is my pleasure to participate in the ACI and share my experiences with others.
Today, I’m enjoying a life of financial freedom with my wife, Kristi; my three children, Colton, Brooklyn and Ashlyn. I couldn’t be happier.
My mission is to change your relationship with money. For the first six years of my financial career, I struggled with materialism – I struggled with a love for money. No more. If you’re struggling with a love for money and are afraid that viewing money differently might cause your financial downfall, take heart. Viewing money as a tool that can be used for good rather than as an object of affection can radically change your life in so many positive ways.
Don’t think that working hard on your finances will drain you of time. Despite my financial habits and work ethic, I’m still able to enjoy the great outdoors camping, hiking, fishing, and hunting. I have time to volunteer at my church, give educational financial talks, and get to spend quality time with my family. I’m even training for a marathon! You, too, can live the life you’ve dreamed of while blessing those around you!
Truth in Financial Planning is a financial resource designed with you in mind. It’s a place where you can learn how to be a better steward of the God-given resources under your care. It’s place to build a bright financial future for you and your family. It’s also a place where you can learn to manage your time and efforts to be more efficient at work so that you can enjoy everything else life has to offer.
Not sure where to start? Start here.
Thank you for taking the time to learn a little more about Truth in Financial Planning, and please, if there’s anything we can do to help you, please let us know!