Five years ago today, my business Leverage Financial Advisory, officially opened its doors. It’s been a roller-coaster ride of a journey, and I’d like to share some history with you alongside the chart of the S&P 500 below that goes back to 2017.

I have always been good with money. I had a business professor in college who would say, “Money is a sixth sense” - and that made total sense to me, but when I looked around the room some students always seemed a little spooked.

As I went into the work world after graduation I began honing my personal finance skills. I created my own process for saving, investing, tracking, and growing my net worth. I always knew I wanted to be a financial advisor, but in my 20’s I didn’t feel ready. Who was going to listen to a kid with no money tell them what to do with their money? Nobody. So I put my time in. I sacrificed. I invested every dollar I could in the stock market and in real estate. I asked a million questions to every successful person I came across. And when I entered my 30’s, it began to pay off.

That old quote, “Money is a sixth sense” - always stuck with me. As I matured I realized that not everyone feels that way, or has that sense, and they need help. It was around that time that some co-workers and close friends began asking me for help organizing their finances, and I loved it. I showed them the process I had created years ago that had worked well for me, and they were able to implement something similar that could work for them. That’s when the lightbulb went off, and when I began the long journey of creating Leverage Financial Advisory.

Today, I am incredibly grateful to be doing something I am truly passionate about. Thank you to all of my loyal clients and supporters, and a special thank you to my beautiful wife, who has sacrificed tremendously to help me turn this idea into a reality - I couldn’t do it without any of you.

My Favorite Chart

If you asked me to choose one chart, this is it. It comes from personal finance writer Grant Sabatier, and in my opinion, it’s perfect. It hits on every phase of life, for all ages and stages. Nothing needs to be added, and nothing should be taken away.

Identify your current level. Identify the level where you want to be, and create a plan to get there. It’s that easy, and that hard - such is life.

Thank you for reading!

Brian Bond, CMT