As a graduate of the University of Dayton and Indiana University, and after a 40+ year engineering career in aerospace and defense, I was financially ready to retire at age 60. I realized I got there on my own, even after a year of unemployment and several bad corporate retirement plans. I must have done something right, but what exactly was it? We raised children, moved back and forth across the country a few times, bought and sold a few homes, and saved for college, weddings, and retirement, mostly on one income. But I knew I had developed disciplined money management habits by building and then using spreadsheets week in and week out to manage our finances, a process that began 50 years ago, so it was apparent that this habit played a significant role in my success.

As I thought about it, I also realized that my financial journey wasn't a straight line; it required many course corrections along the way. My money management skills didn’t come from my parents or any school, but rather from years of learning and recovering from my mistakes. My journey succeeded because I built good habits and kept learning.

Once I retired, I cleaned up my spreadsheets, captured my habits, the lessons I learned, and the hands-on education I received, and wrote the three-book series What Would Dad Do? My goal with these books is to share my story as an example for others to learn from and become more confident in managing their finances.

Over the years, I observed how others handled their money. I realized people often get into trouble because they fail to assess the risks associated with their financial actions. So, I began approaching financial decisions by identifying risks and how to mitigate them. I settled into a "middle-of-the-road" approach, as I call it: accepting some risk after considering the options and also mitigating the risk as much as possible. But I will also stay risk-averse and more conservative when needed. I apply this middle-of-the-road approach whether buying insurance, planning for retirement, or saving for old age.

I truly believe many can be financially successful if they live within their means, save regularly, invest for a few percent above inflation, minimize and manage debt, keep learning about money, and pay attention and act when needed. So you won't find hot stock picks or alternative investments recommended here; instead, you'll find careful attention to daily money management, asset allocation, diversification, investing expenses, and not ignoring the financial decisions that need to be made.

And while an engineering career made me a numbers guy, I also realized that many people don't work with numbers because they were never shown how. So, I became a big advocate for using spreadsheets to calculate personal finance answers because they force you to stop and consider how the numbers add up and provide an easy way to compare options before making a decision. Once downloaded and set up, you'll use your spreadsheets repeatedly, making it a good money habit. Like exercise, you only get results if you keep at it to stay in shape.

You'll find my practical, unbiased advice and middle-of-the-road approach in my books, tools, and here at A Better Financial Journey.

Mr. Tom at Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

About Me

...and my approach to managing money