Financial Architects - July 2021

Financial Architects - July 2021

JULY 2021

www.financialarch.com

888-466-5453

SUMMER AT THE ‘HOWESTEAD’ FAI Finance Professional Thomas Howe’s Favorite Ways to Unwind

The Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays because it means spending a week at the “Howestead” — my family’s tongue-in-cheek name for our home on the shore of Big Lake in Gaylord. When I’m here

This year, our Fourth of July vacation is going to be even more exciting, because it’s my oldest son Tim Jr.’s one-year wedding anniversary. He and his wife, Jacqueline, got married at the Howestead last summer, and it was beautiful despite all of the pandemic

in Farmington Hills, I’m usually hard at work at Financial Architects helping our clients organize their finances with our signature financial model or mentoring younger advisors and showing them the ropes. But much as I enjoy it, my work is still work! The Howestead is where I do my best relaxing. Every day of our family vacation, I wake up early and swim across Big Lake and back while my wife, Marybeth, and our three dogs sleep in. Later on, our four kids, their partners, and their three dogs join the fun. (Yes, the Howestead is a bit of a dog haven!) We spend the week waterskiing, golfing, and skimming the water on jet skis and pontoon boats. Sometimes when the sun goes down, we even fry perch and french fries out back, then clean our plates with our fingers while the food is hot. It’s a nice break from the everyday grind.

fuss with the guest list. They had a ceremony at our neighbor’s house because she has thousands of beautiful flowers, then walked next door to our place. We pitched a tent, served dinner, and treated the guests to a bourbon bar. It was exquisite. It’s always nice to leave the real world behind and head north, but it’s equally nice to return to the office. I love the process of taking a client’s messy finances and distilling them into 30 cohesive one-year plans that will guide them to a successful future. These days, mentoring is a big part of my work, too. My No. 1 job is finding new clients — either from the office or the golf course — introducing them to our model, and helping the younger guys lay out the benefits and repercussions of their financial decisions. It’s fulfilling work.

My favorite event of the summer by far is the Big Lake Open, a golf tournament I’ve been running in Gaylord for about 15 years. It’s very competitive, and all of the families in the area show up and compete against each other. We mix up the teams every year so that nobody gets a ringer, and in the last 20-odd years, I’ve only won it twice. My dad and my brothers often show up for the tournament, too. Once, when my dad was 78, he and one of my brothers joined forces with me and Marybeth. She hardly plays golf, but somehow we “ham and egged” it and managed to win the thing!

The closer I get to retirement and a permanent stay at the Howestead, the more fortunate I feel to have found Financial Architects. I’ve been here 10 years now. It’s a phenomenal organization that allows me to have a great work-life balance after 20 years in the automotive industry and another 20 in the insurance business. As cheesy as it sounds, I’m looking forward to spending the rest of my career helping people achieve the kind of financial freedom FAI has allowed me.

Wishing you a prosperous and relaxing summer,

888-466-5453 – Thomas Howe

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