I was fired at 63— nearly broke at an age
when most people would have give up.
Just six years later, I was safely a millionaire.
I realized then that wealth isn’t about when you start; it’s about the direction you’re heading. Whether you’re 25, 35, or 65, the path to freedom remains the same. The simple One-Page Wealth Compass PDF provides the clarity you need to build real financial independence. Now get the exact one-page PDF I still use today to navigate my wealth journey when you join my newsletter.
FREE Now get the exact one-page PDF I still use today to navigate my wealth journey when you join my newsletter.
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Hitting Rock Bottom at 63
Why Getting Fired and Nearly Going Broke Changed Everything
The elevator doors closed behind me for the last time on a late Tuesday afternoon. Eighteen years reduced to a cardboard box. “Effective immediately.”
Two words that shattered everything I thought I knew about security, loyalty, and my place in the world. I’d heard those words in movies and read them in news articles about other people’s lives. I never imagined they’d be spoken to me in the familiar conference room where I’d celebrated important team wins and participated in countless meetings for nearly two decades.
The senior manager’s voice seemed distant and muffled as he continued with the standard script—turning in my office keys, my company computer, and my company car. But all I could think of was, “Is this really happening?” Eighteen years of early mornings, late nights, missed family dinners, and weekend emails. Gone.
THE COMPASS
The Wealth Compass — One Page. One Direction.
A single page I still use today to guide every major financial decision.
The Wealth Compass is the page you want when clarity matters most.
Instead of more rules, spreadsheets, or strategies, it helps you see where you are, what truly matters, and how to decide what comes next.
It isn’t a system.
It isn’t a course.
It isn’t a checklist.
It’s one page — when simplicity is what you really need.
What’s on the One-Page Wealth Compass
- 9 financial “trail markers” that show where you really stand
- 5 guiding principles behind every money decision
- A way to spot misalignment early
- A framework that works at any age or stage
Free when you join my newsletter
Age-Defying Financial Freedom
How I Rebuilt My Future at 63 (And How You Can, Too)
“They whispered I was finished when I got fired at 63—just two years from being broke. But I wasn’t done yet.”
I thought I’d done everything right. But when I was fired after 18 years, the math hit hard: even if I drained all my savings and retirement, I’d be broke by 65.
So, out of necessity, I built a simple One-Page Wealth Compass — and it worked.
Inside the Book You'll Discover:
- How a janitor with only a high school diploma and a modest paycheck retired with over $8 million, while one in four doctors, many earning 10X as much, end up with only six figures.
- The 7-Step Wealth Accelerator that turned a tiny nest egg into seven figures, achieving in under six years what most take 30 years or more.
- The average NBA player earns $10 million a year, yet 60% go broke within five years of retirement. Meanwhile, a basketball-loving carpenter quietly became a multimillionaire on an average income. How does this happen?
- Ordinary employees can build more wealth than many business owners—without the stress, risk, or 80-hour weeks
- The Smart Protection Fund – how a simple twist on the old emergency fund can safely 10X your financial reserves.
- Set-It-and-Forget-It Wealth: Why doing nothing beat every strategy I tried for 40 years
Getting fired at 63 was the worst day of my life — until it became the best. Six years later, I had the freedom I’d fought 40 years to find. The compass that got me there is now yours.
NOT DONE YET
Hard-Won Insights on Wealth and Financial Defiance
They said I was finished at 63. I was just getting started. Dig into the stories and strategies that turned my worst-case scenario into a seven-figure future.
January 8th, 2026
How Getting the 9 Trail Marker Sequence Wrong Can Cost You $468,082.74
Many people wonder whether they should invest before building a full emergency fund, or wait until they feel financially safe. Getting that order wrong can be staggeringly expensive.
Most people think financial success is about discipline and patience.
But often, it comes down to something far simpler and far more costly: getting the sequence wrong.A common piece of advice says you should fully fund a 3–6 month emergency fund before you start investing. It sounds responsible. Even many financial experts repeat it.
But that single sequencing mistake can quietly cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Let’s look at how.
Ron’s Story
Ron is 25 years old and works as an accountant. He recently paid off all his consumer debt, including student loans, and was starting fresh.
Following the Trail Marker sequence, Ron moved into Trail Marker #4: Wealth Accumulation.
He began investing 15% of his $6,000 monthly income—$900 per month—into a Roth IRA and his employer’s 401(k). Anything beyond his Roth contribution and employer match went into a low-cost total market index fund in a taxable brokerage account.
At the same time, Ron already had his Starter 3% Protection Fund in place (Trail Marker #2), so he began building his Smart Protection Fund while investing.
He didn’t delay investing until his emergency fund was “fully funded.” He built protection and growth together.
The Math Most People Miss
If Ron had delayed investing for just one year while saving a 3–6 month emergency fund—as many experts recommend—here’s what it would have cost him.
$900 per month invested
10% annual return
12 months of contributions
That single missed year would have grown to:
$11,376.48 invested at age 25
Left untouched for 40 years
= $468,082.74 by age 65
Nearly half a million dollars—lost simply by getting the order wrong.
And that’s not the whole story. Ron’s employer matched 6% of his income, and he used the Roth option. Missing that first year meant forfeiting employer contributions and decades of tax-free growth. Realistically, the total loss could exceed half a million dollars.
“But What About Emergencies?”
That’s exactly why sequence matters.
Ron wasn’t reckless. He had a 3% starter protection fund in place before investing and continued building his Smart Protection Fund as his investments compounded.
This isn’t about ignoring risk.
It’s about avoiding unnecessary opportunity loss.
The Bottom Line
This is how people unknowingly lose massive amounts of future wealth, by following good advice in the wrong order.
The Trail Marker sequence exists for a reason. Done correctly, it balances protection and growth so your money starts working as early and efficiently as possible.
Clear direction beats misdirected speed every time.
If you’d like the full explanation of all nine Trail Markers, and the reasoning behind the sequence, the complete framework is laid out in my book, The One-Page Wealth Compass.
How Getting the 9 Trail Marker Sequence Wrong Can Cost You $468,082.74 Many people wonder whether they should invest before building a...
January 7th, 2026
I’ve been failing for a long time.
Failed early in our marriage, my job required me to write business memos. I could speak well, I could hold a room, present ideas, and connect with people—but writing? Writing was a different story. Anyone reading my documents needed both patience and a translator.
One day Mary, who had consulted as a technical writing expert for a major Swedish corporation, read one of my drafts and said gently, “You can’t send this the way it’s written.”
She wasn’t being cruel, just honest.
She took my document and rewrote it. Same ideas, same message, but suddenly everything was clear. It felt like hearing your own voice played back and realizing it sounds nothing like you thought.
From then on, she edited everything I wrote.
And I studied her changes the way Eliza Doolittle studied pronunciation—slowly, painfully, but determined.
Little by little, my writing transformed.
I’ll never forget sitting in a meeting with an Ivy League MBA consultant. We were deciding who should draft a key document, and he said:
“David should write it. His ideas are always so clearly articulated.”
For a moment, I felt proud.
Then I remembered: he wasn’t complimenting me—he was complimenting Mary. I felt like an imposter.
Because honestly, I was.
But I didn’t quit.
I practiced.
I learned.
I failed forward.
And eventually, the day came.
I handed Mary a complex document. Later, she returned it to me with no markings.
A little frustrated, I said, ‘Honey, you need to edit this document. I need to send it out first thing in the morning. We don’t have much time.”
“No edits,” she said. “It’s excellent.”
“Are you kidding?” I said cautiously.
Then I could tell by her expression she was serious.
That was my Eliza Doolittle ballroom moment, the moment when the world finally sees the capability you always hoped was inside you.
I didn’t become a different person.
I simply learned how to communicate the person I had always been.
So why am I telling you all this?
Because writing wasn’t the only area where I failed early and often.
I failed at money.
I failed at two businesses.
I failed as an employee.
I failed trying to learn to play the piano.
I failed at spelling and still do regularly.
Honestly, if failure had a loyalty program, I’d have earned Platinum status.
But every failure taught me something (except spelling).
Every attempt added a little clarity.
And over time, the lessons started to form a pattern.
A simple framework.
A “compass.”
Something that helped me just like Mary’s editing did— showing me where I stood, what needed fixing, and what the next step was.
That framework eventually became my One-Page Wealth Compass—
the same tool that helped me go from financially lost to financially free.
It wasn’t genius.
It wasn’t luck.
It wasn’t a gift from the success fairy.
It was the same process that transformed my writing:
Repeat.
Refine.
Correct.
Grow.
Failure wasn’t holding me back.
Failure was my teacher.
And if you’ve stumbled financially, fallen off track, or felt stuck…
you’re not behind.
You’re just in training.
If this makes sense to you, I have a suggestion. I regularly share short, practical posts to help people who either got a late start, or want to get an early start, turn discouraging money stories into hopeful ones. You’re welcome to keep reading along and use any tools and tips you find helpful.
And if you ever feel ready for something more structured, my book, OnePage Wealth Compass, expands in a simple, stepbystep way on the same ideas I used to rebuild after failing financially—going from nearly broke at 63 to a secure sevenfigure portfolio by 69. It’s there as a resource if you need a clearer path or want to safely accelerate your journey.
David
I’ve been failing for a long time. Failed early in our marriage, my job required me to write business memos. I could...
January 2nd, 2026
“Clear direction beats misdirected speed every time.” In my book, One Page Wealth Compass, I share this principle because we often focus on the Hare’s speed, forgetting that his lack of focus left him lost in the weeds. The Tortoise didn’t win just because he was slow; he won because he never had to recalibrate his direction.
Your One Page Wealth Compass is your unfair advantage—it ensures that every step you take, no matter the pace, is moving you closer to the finish line while everyone else is sprinting in circles.
“Clear direction beats misdirected speed every time.”
In my book, One Page Wealth Compass, I share this principle because we often focus on the Hare’s speed. We forget that his lack of focus left him lost in the weeds.
The Tortoise didn’t win just because he was slow. He won because he never had to recalibrate his direction.
Your One Page Wealth Compass is your unfair advantage. It ensures that every step you take, no matter the pace, is moving you closer to the finish line—while everyone else is sprinting in circles.
“Clear direction beats misdirected speed every time.” In my book, One Page Wealth Compass, I share this principle because we often focus...
December 31st, 2025
Lost in the Financial Woods? Your Compass Starts Here.
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute dropped volunteers into a dense German forest with one simple task: walk in a straight line to reach the edge. They were confident, capable people who trusted their sense of direction.
But as soon as the sun disappeared behind clouds, something remarkable happened. Even though participants were absolutely convinced they were walking straight, GPS trackers revealed they were actually wandering in circles, sometimes looping right back to where they started. Without a clear point of reference, even the most confident hikers drifted off course with every step
The same thing commonly happens with money.
You work hard. You make what seem like smart decisions. You save when you can and spend responsibly. But without a reliable compass to guide your financial choices, you can end up walking in circles for decades without being aware of it.
You might actually get frustratingly close to financial security, only to make one wrong turn that leads you right back into the financial wilderness. I know because I lived it—and I have the financial scars to prove it.
The Day My Financial World Collapsed
At age 63, I knew my retirement prospects were shaky, but I thought I had six more years to fix it. Then life hit me with a devastating blow that shattered my financial future. That’s when I realized I’d been walking in financial circles my entire adult life, just like those people in the German forest.
What I Discovered When Failure Wasn’t an Option
This book exists because I refused to accept that starting at 63 meant certain failure. When I was fired with barely two years of savings, traditional wisdom would say it was too late. But desperation is a powerful teacher. With no margin for error, I consumed over twenty books, countless podcasts, and endless research—this wasn’t a hobby, this was survival. I had to figure out what actually worked versus what sounded good but failed in practice.
What I discovered changed everything: the principles that took me from nearly broke at 63 to financially free at 69 aren’t complex. They’re just buried under an avalanche of conflicting advice, hidden fees, and well-meaning “helpers” whose interests don’t always align with yours.
I wrote this book for one reason: to save you from wasting 20 or 30 or even 40 years like I did.
If I can build financial freedom starting dangerously late, imagine what you can do with more time. This isn’t theory from an ivory tower—it’s a battle-tested compass forged in the desperation of someone who had to get it right or lose everything.
The principles inside these pages work at any income level or any age and adapt to any starting point.
What You’ll Discover:
⦁ The 7-Step Wealth Accelerator that turned a tiny nest egg into seven figures in under six years—achieving what most take 30 years or more.
⦁ The True Retirement Countdown: Stop guessing. Discover the single number that instantly tells you if you can retire today.
⦁ End the Wall Street Tax. Invest like a pro and stop letting hidden fees steal your financial future.
⦁ Set It and Forget It Wealth: Build a fully automated evergreen portfolio that requires less than 30 minutes per month to manage and outperform the “experts”.
Here’s What Makes This Different
I’m not going to promise you’ll retire a millionaire by age 30 (though some of you might). I’m not going to sell you on complicated strategies that only work in theory. And I’m definitely not going to pretend that building wealth is effortless.
What I will show you is something far more valuable: a simple, reliable compass that keeps you moving toward financial freedom, no matter what storms hit your life.
The goal of this book is to help you achieve Financial Freedom. To me, that means having enough passive income to cover your living expenses without requiring a paycheck. This isn’t about becoming a billionaire or living lavishly; it’s about having choices and security—the freedom to live life on your own terms.
Because here’s the truth those lost hikers discovered—and a lesson I learned late that saved me when others said it was too late, having the right direction matters more than how fast you’re moving.
This approach works no matter your career, whether you’re an employee, an intrapreneur, an entrepreneur, or already retired.
You don’t have to keep wandering in financial circles. The compass that guided me out of the financial wilderness is right here in your hands. Whether you are just starting out or looking to sharpen your strategy, a clear map makes all the difference.
Join my newsletter to download the one-page PDF I use to stay on track. Let’s find your way to financial freedom, one clear step at a time.
Lost in the Financial Woods? Your Compass Starts Here. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute dropped volunteers into a dense German forest...
December 17th, 2025
How Getting Fired at 63 Triggered a Career Change and Financial Freedom at 69
Two words shattered everything I thought I knew about career security and financial freedom at 69. The elevator doors closed behind me for the last time on a late Tuesday afternoon. Eighteen years reduced to a cardboard box. “Effective immediately.” income
Two words that shattered everything I thought I knew about security, loyalty, and my place in the world. I’d heard those words in movies and read them in news articles about other people’s lives. I never imagined they’d be spoken to me in the familiar conference room where I’d celebrated important team wins and participated in countless meetings for nearly two decades and enjoyed financial freedom at 69.
The senior manager’s voice seemed distant and muffled as he continued with the standard script—turning in my office keys, my company computer, and my company car. But all I could think of was, “Is this really happening?” Eighteen years of early mornings, late nights, missed family dinners, and weekend emails. Gone.
I mindlessly pulled personal items from drawers I’d organized many times before: a water bottle, family photos, a framed recognition certificate that suddenly felt like a cruel joke, and my son’s crayon drawing from third grade —the one where he’d drawn me in a suit with a big smile, labeled “My Dad the Important Man.” Important. Right.
It was a hot Phoenix day as I fumbled to open the car door holding a cardboard box. The weight of the box felt like nothing. The weight of what it represented crushed me. As the heat poured out of my car I thought, “How did that even happen?”
My thoughts soon shifted to survival. The math was brutally unforgiving—at sixty-three, I was on track to be broke by 65. Our savings wouldn’t last a full year. After that, nothing.
No pension. No backup plan. If we raided our 401K that might give us a little more than a year. I’d planned to work seven more years, not because I loved the job, but because I had to. Now salary, car, benefits – gone! My world imploded in a fifteen-minute meeting that began with pleasant small talk about a recent corporate dinner.
Mary would be starting dinner soon, completely unaware that our comfortable middle-class life had just imploded. How do you tell your wife of thirty years that the man she trusted to provide for her had failed?
She did nothing to deserve this except believe in me. It’s hard to express the regret that was consuming me at that moment.
After four decades of work, even the thought of being dependent on government assistance or charity was something I couldn’t allow in my mind. This was a financial freefall unfolding before my eyes.
income
The Pink Slip That Became an Unexpected Beginning
But here’s what I couldn’t have known sitting in that scorching car: that devastating day would become the greatest gift of my career. My 18 years there were good—the company treated me very well, and not only do I have no resentment, I’m deeply grateful.
Because that crisis that felt like an ending became the beginning of our journey to financial freedom, leading to an amazing seven-figure portfolio by age 69—something I never thought possible.
What surprised me most was discovering that 69 wasn’t the end of our wealth journey—it became the launch pad where our portfolio growth really took off, defying everything I’d been told about aging and money.
What I Mean by Wealth
This isn’t a story about getting lucky or becoming a billionaire. It’s about getting desperate enough to finally learn that financial freedom —having enough passive income to be comfortable enough to make work optional—is possible at any age when you follow the right principles.
Approaching my Financial Cliff
My wife, Mary, had been a stay-at-home mom for most of our marriage. We had a young adult son still living at home. Telling her I’d been fired was like admitting I’d failed not just in my career, but as the man she’d trusted to take care of us.
When I finally arrived home and explained to her what had happened, her support was unwavering, but I could see the deep worry that she just couldn’t hide in her eyes.
We both knew the harsh truth: replacing my substantial income and benefits at my age would be a monumental challenge. The thought of going back into the corporate grind, working for someone else after so many years, felt suffocating. Mentally, I was ready to leave that life behind, but financially, we were in no position to do so.
The numbers painted a devastating picture.
I kept asking myself: “I had 40 years to build wealth—what happened?” What was I thinking? Where had I been going?” At this late date I now understand I was wandering in circles financially for 40 long years. Do you know how embarrassing that is to admit to myself, let alone put in print?
The Job Hunt – A Dead End
Despite the knot of dread in my stomach, I knew I had to find a job. I forced myself to apply, sending out resume after resume. The response was underwhelming. A few phone interviews, but never a follow-up. I remember one hiring manager, who sounded quite young, mentioned my almost two decades of corporate leadership but her tone seemed different.
She simply said, “We’re looking for someone with a fresh perspective. How would you bring that to our team?” It seemed like she meant, “Is that even possible?” It stung, it felt like my hard-won experience was more of a liability.
I could feel their disinterest, the unspoken question: Why would we hire you at 63-years-old when we could get someone half your age, willing to work for half the salary? To be honest, I think we both had the same level of interest in them hiring me. My feeling of desperation grew with each new week. It felt like I was walking a financial tightrope in a gale-force wind.
Sleepless Nights and Grocery Store Anxiety Income
Sleep, usually my sanctuary, became a battlefield of worry. I remember waking up in the middle of the night, my mind racing: No income. Bills coming in fast. What happens when the money runs out? What if we become homeless? While that leap to homelessness might seem extreme, my fear was all too real.
The depth of my unemployment hit me hardest on a midweek grocery trip with Mary. There was a good sale and she asked for some help getting what we needed. The store was one of those no-frills discount places I don’t think I’d ever set foot in before. Women with their children filled every aisle—not a single businessman in sight. It was a Wednesday morning, and I knew every other man my age was at work. I felt completely out of place, like I was wearing a sign that screamed “unemployed failure.”
I was the provider who now couldn’t provide. The successful executive was reduced to… this. Whatever “this” was. The shame was suffocating. My career wasn’t just ending—it was ending in complete, humiliating disaster. I wanted to do something, anything, to regain control, to prove I wasn’t the helpless failure I felt like at that moment. But there was nothing to do except stand there, drowning in the reality of how far I’d fallen.
A Glimmer of Hope
After about a month of pointless job applications, I knew I was spinning my wheels. The only thing moving fast was our shrinking cash reserves. Then a risky thought cautiously surfaced: What if I started my own business?
I’d been avoiding this thought for weeks, but desperation has a way of forcing clarity. The traditional job market had made it clear: at 63, I wasn’t what they wanted. Maybe it was time to stop asking for permission and start creating my own opportunity.
Memories of my painful past business failures flooded my mind: crushing debt, years of struggle, the humbling return to employee life. But this time, something was different. I had learned hard and painful lessons I will never forget.
Those entrepreneurial failures had burned four non-negotiable rules into my memory – my personal uncompromising laws for any future business venture:
No physical products – I previously sold physical products and I realized my personal true strength was in selling intangible products.
No staff to manage – a support staff is great but I did not want one I was responsible to recruit and manage, not my strength! I’m a doer not a supervisor.
No debt – with my failed business I went deeply in debt that took years to pay off. No more business debt ever.
Consistent repeat sales – I previously sold products that people bought very infrequently, so I had little to no repeat sales. I realized frequent repeat sales were important to me.
This wasn’t a list of nice to haves; it was a battle-hardened blueprint for success, tailored specifically for me. With this clear direction, I was able to refocus and slowly begin to pick up the pieces of my shattered optimism.
I finally felt a flicker of hope, a fragile belief that I might have a fighting chance. Despite the dire circumstances—maybe even because of them—I felt like that general from the Battle of the Bulge who said, “They’ve got us surrounded—the poor bastards!”
I reached out to my network, exploring opportunities both within and beyond my current industry. Eventually, I came across an independent sales agent role, straight commission.
It ticked every single box: intangible products, no staff, no financial investment required, and excellent repeat sales potential. The product line was solid, something I genuinely believed helped businesses and their customers in an important way. Even though I had never done this type of work before, it felt right, despite my uncertainty of a 100% commission-based income.
Throughout my career, I’ve heard countless people complain about their jobs and pay—I was one of them. But I’ve come to believe people have significant control over both if they make up their minds to take control, despite how scary it may seem.
The important thing is to identify the skills that people are willing to pay good money for. These are the skills that solve critical problems or deliver tangible value people desperately need.
When I talked to Mary about it she was unwavering in her support, I took the leap.
The Long, Hard Climb
The first six months felt like swimming upstream in concrete—a grueling blur of cold calls, constant rejections, and zero commissions to show for it. I was so naive and it showed. I remember when a prospect asked for marketing materials to review I realized I forgot to bring them with me. “What salesperson doesn’t bring marketing materials?” I thought, walking back to my car. If I were actually an employee, I would have fired me.
I quickly realized this local market was built on decades-old relationships, and I was the complete outsider trying to break in. “I’ve worked with my agent for years—I’m not switching,” became the phrase I heard daily.
Then I discovered getting even a few clients was only half the battle because then things got even more intense—competing reps immediately swarmed them, trying to steal them back. It was a junkyard dog fight, and I was definitely the Chihuahua—after eighteen years in a respected corporate position, I was completely out of my element, with my 64th birthday tightening like a vice around my options.
Within a month, I landed my first small client. The sign-up process was confusing, clunky, but it happened. Fortunately at this point I was remembering to bring the contract with me. I was immensely grateful for having an actual client. I quickly discovered that acquiring clients was excruciatingly slow, a relentless cycle of rejection and repeat visits.
To make matters worse, I didn’t earn a dime until a client’s customer purchased a product, another slow, uncertain process. Over half the clients I signed up never sold a single product, meaning all that effort yielded nothing. It was the most difficult business I had ever tried.
Mary saw my struggle, but she also saw my deep commitment. One day, she decided to jump in, first driving me to prospects, then handling the administrative tasks that bogged me down.
Her involvement was great, it freed me to focus on sales, marketing, and client training. With Mary’s help, my daily number of cold calls shot up. A wonderful bonus was the time we spent together, talking, laughing, strategizing. Our complementary skills made us a powerful, two-person team.
Still, even with Mary’s help, earning commissions remained a tedious grinding, uphill battle. Many of the reps I competed against were half my age with twice the stamina—probably eager to put that old man out of business before he even got started.
Being kicked when you’re down
Just when I thought things couldn’t get worse, some competing reps (fortunately not most) started to tell my clients and prospects that they heard the company I was representing was struggling and going out of business, which was a complete lie. Now I had the extra challenge of convincing people of the truth.
But as I struggled through those dark months, I kept thinking about a conversation that would prove pivotal.
Cory’s Regret
I thought of my former co-worker, Cory. A skilled and personable guy, he’d once owned a successful business. When I asked him what happened, he described a nightmare year: crippling staff turnover (one salesperson alone represented 50% of his sales), a harsh economy, maxed-out credit lines, and agonizing cash flow. He truly believed his business wouldn’t survive.
Coincidentally, Cory’s brother, Mark, owned the exact same type of business in another region. Despite the challenging economy, Mark was thriving—debt-free, successful, and brimming with optimism. Aware of Cory’s struggles, Mark offered to buy his business. Cory, initially torn, finally agreed, seeing it as a lifeline from an incredibly painful situation.
This led Cory to a corporate job, ironically at the same company that later fired me. Over the years, I watched his frustration grow, often complaining under the constraints of limited flexibility, income, benefits, and management.
One day, Mark visited Cory, and I got to meet him. He had not only survived but exploded his business. He was incredibly successful, enjoying substantial income, the freedom of ownership, and all the benefits that came with it.
Shortly before my employment was terminated, I asked Cory, “If you could do it over, would you have sold your business?” His lips tightened, and his voice, rough with unspoken pain, replied emphatically, “No. I should’ve just hung in there and done whatever it took to work through and solve the problems.” It was unmistakably the deepest regret of his career.
That conversation would echo in my mind during my darkest moments.
No Plan B
Cory’s experience was a priceless blessing to me. It clarified my choice: persevere and find solutions, or quit. Quitting wasn’t an option; I had no Plan B. I was firmly committed to doing whatever it took, knowing my four self-employment lessons were the right path.
Still, in my deepest struggles, a fleeting thought would sometimes surface: had I missed a fifth lesson—maybe I should have found a really easy business to start?
“Pray like everything depends on God, then get up and work like everything depends on you.” This quote brought Mary and me both peace and strength. We just kept praying and working, without stopping either.
Slowly, agonizingly, we started to see a small trickle of growth in commissions. I clung to that encouragement, improving some each month at signing up new businesses. I started creating training and marketing materials for clients, and some non-producers even started selling a little.
I recalled the CEO of the company I represented visiting Phoenix. We met at a McDonald’s, a brief, humble setting for a conversation I’ll never forget. His blunt words still echo: “David, everyone in our office is impressed with you, but we can’t figure out why you’re not effective.
I know you are putting in significant effort but your sales results are not reflecting that.” I knew my sales were pathetic, and admitted, “I’m just as puzzled.” Despite all that, I just knew there was no way I was giving up on this.
The Darkest Hours
But doubt has a way of creeping in during the darkest hours. That night, lying awake at 2 AM, the weight of it all threatened to suffocate me. Five months of brutal work. Hundreds of rejections. Countless cold calls that led nowhere.
Our savings hemorrhaging with every passing week. I was 64 years old, failing at something I’d convinced Mary I could do, proving conventional wisdom right, it was too late to start over.
The math was inescapable: if I quit now, we could conserve and maybe have more months before we were completely broke.
If I kept going and failed anyway, we’d have less. Every day I continued was another day gambling with our survival. The smart move, the responsible move, was to stop the bleeding, take any job I could find, and face reality, dreams don’t come true at 64.
For a terrifying moment, surrender felt like relief. I could call it off tomorrow. Tell Mary I tried. Admit defeat before we lost everything. Let someone younger, faster, better suited do this.
Then Mary’s face flashed through my mind—her unwavering belief in me when I had none in myself. And Cory’s voice: “I should’ve just hung in there and figured it out.” That was his deepest regret, and I was seconds away from making it mine.
No No there was no Plan B. I had to keep fighting.
I’ve always known something to be true about myself, “I’m slow to catch on – but once I do – look out.” Isadore Sharp, founder of Four Seasons Hotels, once said, “Excellence is the capacity to take pain.” I was certainly learning how to take a lot of pain. I just hoped the “excellence” part didn’t get lost in the process.
Breaking Through: When Persistence Finally Pays Off
As I meticulously observed what was working and what wasn’t, I began compiling a one-page summary of bullet points. My list grew weekly, and every Friday afternoon, I’d review it. It became my “one-page agency compass,” a tool to navigate the treacherous waters and steer me in the right direction.
One crucial item on that compass was: When things get tough, hang in there & figure it out. Avoid Cory’s regret. I found my compass to be a priceless tool for sharpening the sales and business skills I really needed.
You’ve probably heard the parable: A person struggles to cut down a tree with a dull saw. Someone suggests they take a break to sharpen it. The person refuses, grumbling they’re too busy sawing.
They continue toiling inefficiently, while someone nearby who took the time to sharpen their saw finishes the job in a fraction of the time. Taking time for the right skill sharpening and self-improvement ultimately puts you in charge of your income and your career satisfaction.
“When you’re green, you’re growing. When you’re ripe, you rot.” Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald’s
We just kept working and learning, relentlessly. The second six months felt like pushing a massive flywheel. Initially, it was incredibly hard to get moving, spinning agonizingly slowly—much like my first six months. But gradually, steadily, it began to pick up some momentum.
My small network of clients selling for me, combined with my slow but consistent addition of new clients, started to generate noticeable growth each month. Some clients sold well, some didn’t, but we just kept pushing.
A wave of overwhelming relief
I kept Cory’s words as a strengthening guide: “Just hang in there and figure it out.” Month after month, rejection after rejection, I refused to quit.
Then something incredible happened.
In the tenth month, just one year after I was fired, my commission check reached 82% of my previous corporate salary. The next month, it didn’t just pass it, it blew past it by 131%. I was overwhelmed with gratitude. We were going to make it.
We didn’t even take time to celebrate. We just kept pushing. The flywheel was finally spinning. Within another year, our income doubled my former salary, and kept growing. With every setback and every lesson, Mary and I became stronger, more capable, more certain of the path ahead.
Our success started to get noticed. I was invited to speak on a regional conference call, sharing sales tips. Other reps from different markets contacted me for one-on-one advice. I deeply understood the pain some of them were going through and was happy to help.
Mary’s contributions were essential. Her meticulous organizational skills perfectly complemented my flexible, creative sales approach. Early on, she suggested creating client files. I laughed, “Files? We don’t need files, we need more sales.” Fortunately, she ignored me. Those records have saved us more times than I can count.
Designed by a Guy Who Needed It Way Simpler Than Most
Mary’s incredibly smart, so smart that as a youth she scored just one point shy of the genius range on an IQ test. I, on the other hand, failed second grade. Together, we make one average intelligent person. And if someone like me, never once accused of being a genius, can build wealth with a simple one-page wealth compass, then anyone can.
Validation: My Toughest Competitor Confirms My Different Path
A few years into my independent agency, I received a call from an account manager at the supplier’s corporate office. He told me an unexpected story. A few senior managers had recently attended a national industry convention.
As they walked through the center, company name tags prominent, a man approached them. “I hate your company,” he declared. Understandably startled, they stared. Then he smiled. “I don’t mean it that way,” he clarified. “Every time I go into a business that sells your company’s products and try to switch them to mine, it’s very frustrating because I can’t get them to leave you.
They are so loyal to your rep, Nassief, they won’t even consider it. I’m a top producer for my company but don’t know how he does it.” This vendor rep was one of the most successful in my market, a direct, highly aggressive competitor.
Hearing that confirmed something important: I didn’t need to be a stereotypical, high-pressure salesperson. I could be myself, build genuine connections, and still compete successfully—retaining clients so effectively that even my toughest competitors couldn’t pry them away. The CEO, once puzzled by my slow start, became my biggest cheerleader.
He would travel to Phoenix specifically to meet with me and take Mary and me out for wonderful dinners. The company even flew us to their corporate headquarters, treating us with incredible generosity. While I appreciated their kindness, what I was most grateful for was being saved from the financial quicks and I felt I was sinking in.
Revisiting the past with relief
One ordinary afternoon, Mary needed to pick up some things after we’d visited clients. Standing in that grocery store in the middle of a work day, I suddenly remembered that anxious visit right after being fired—when every minute away from earning an income felt like failure. The contrast struck me: we hadn’t just survived; we were thriving.
Looking Back
Being abruptly expelled from corporate life felt like the worst day of my career. It turned out to be the best. I’m grateful for what it forced me to face and for finally learning what I wished I had known at 25 or 35 or yes 55.
Those failures taught me how to rebuild and changed how I see my own journey. Forty years of making more than my fair share of money mistakes showed me the traps too many people fall into and the simple approaches that actually hold up when life gets messy.
When I finally reached financial freedom at sixty-nine, I realized something important. My career transformation helped, but the money strategies I discovered work at almost any income level. I just wish I had known them decades earlier.
My Compass
My focus has always been on delivering excellent service and respect. I hold sincere gratitude for every client and want to help grow their businesses as helping them continues to grow mine. My one-page agency compass continues to navigate me on the right path as I regularly tweak and refine my approach.
But creating that agency compass was only the beginning of my journey to true financial freedom. Here’s what most personal finance books either skip entirely or barely mention: your career and income are the foundation of your financial freedom. While you can absolutely build wealth on any income—even a janitor’s pay (which you will see)—it’s smart to maximize your career and income potential continually. Most financial advice assumes you’ve already figured out the income piece, but that’s often a major barrier people face.
The complete journey
This book is different. We’re going to cover the complete journey—from maximizing your income potential to building lasting wealth, with all the crucial steps in between, many that other books assume you already know.
In the next chapter, I’ll share specific solutions for improving your career and income, especially when you feel like you’ve tried everything and nothing seems to work. Then, step by step, chapter by chapter, I’ll take you through the simple path I took to gain financial freedom in less than six years: how to optimize your income, protect and grow your investments safely, and build the kind of wealth that gives you real security and freedom.
Because as I learned in that scorching Phoenix parking lot, sometimes what feels like an ending is actually the beginning of something far better than you ever imagined possible.
Why I Am Sharing This With You.
I didn’t write this book because I wanted to be an author. I wrote it because I feel a profound responsibility to share what I discovered. When the elevator doors closed on my corporate career, I was standing on the edge of financial ruin—vulnerable, older, and terrified.
The ‘Compass’ I found didn’t just save our family from what could have been a financially tragic ending; it gave us a level of freedom I thought was mathematically impossible at my age.
Without question this was a gift. I know I didn’t have the ability to do this on my own. And I’ve realized that when you’re handed a lifeline in the middle of a storm, the ultimate in selfishness is to keep it to yourself once you reach the shore.
I’m writing this because I want to pass that lifeline to you, providing a safe and no-nonsense path for anyone facing a financial obstacle that feels impossible to overcome. If you are seeking a breakthrough for yourself and your family, I want you to know: this is a journey you don’t have to take alone. This compass can guide you, as it has me, to a type of freedom most people think is beyond their reach.
Your North Star
Even devastating setbacks can be transformed into opportunities for profound career, personal and financial growth, but only if you refuse to quit and continually refine and adapt.
Your Next Step
Don’t wait for rock bottom to discover your potential. Right now, identify one skill that aligns with your strengths and that people really need. Then commit to improving it daily, ensuring you’re always growing and controlling your income.
Visit Why Most People Walk in Financial Circles (And How I Found My` Way Out at 63)
How Getting Fired at 63 Triggered a Career Change and Financial Freedom at 69 Two words shattered everything I thought I knew...
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Remember: Your worst day can become the first day of your best chapter—you just can’t see it yet.
