Everyone talks about achieving financial security, but in these tumultuous times, what does that even mean?
In a nutshell, financial security is a state of having control over your financial future.
It represents a shift from relying on unpredictable external factors to creating a stable financial foundation.
The Current Reality: Only 43% of Baby Boomers and 29% of Gen X feel financially secure:
I blame this on mainstream financial advice.
The dominant retirement advice in this country is:
Invest in the stock market for retirement.
Question: Should something you have no control over be the foundation for your retirement?
Your future financial security?
I believe this is the primary reason you see such low numbers for “Financially Secure.”
Too many people are worried about ending up in what I call the “One Thing Retirement Plan”:
The Stock Market Reality
To be clear, there is money to be made in the stock market.
I’ve been a financial advisor for over 25 years—the market can be fantastic when you buy low and sell high.
But we all know the reality:
- Markets are volatile.
- No matter how unemotional we are taught to be about investing and money, we are human.
- Watching your hard-earned savings drop is not fun.
The Wealth-Destroying Fear Cycle
Market downturns can start a wealth-destroying fear cycle that plagues so many hardworking, well-intentioned people who are just trying to do the best they can:
The cycle looks like this:
❌ Always missing out on gains
❌ Entering at the wrong time
❌ Locking in losses when markets are down
The Core Problem
This cycle happens over and over because mainstream financial advice has confused people into thinking:
Investment advice = Financial planning
But here’s the truth:
Financial planning is the process of becoming financially unbreakable so nothing in the world that happens can take you out.
How?
You use a simple framework of Offensive and Defensive assets to build multiple streams of income so no matter what happens in the world you have money coming in.
This process of using Offense/Defense allows you to shrug off market downturns and more importantly look for opportunities:
You will see this cycle over and over where the wealthy use downturns and big events to buy more and more assets at discounts.
The rich get richer because they have a strong defense and are well positioned to capitalize on opportunities as they arise. Defense wins championships!
If you have been reading Further for any length of time you know there has never been a better time to start a business.
As Brian has discussed many times, just look at some basic demographics:
- Boomers and Gen X control nearly half of global spending
- Boomers hold 50% of the $140 trillion in U.S. household wealth, and Gen X is rapidly closing the gap.
- Boomers and Gen X aren’t retiring in the traditional sense; they’re looking for meaningful work, investments, and new ventures.
But here’s the reality: most people still miss out on big opportunities—not because they don’t see them, but because they aren’t prepared to act.
Opportunities are everywhere. The real question is: Will you be ready when they come?
Our goal with Further is to make sure your answer is a confident “Yes!”
In future issues, we’ll be breaking down exact strategies to help you build a strong defense and position yourself to capitalize when it matters most.
Stay tuned — because the best time to start is now.
About Denver Nowicz
For a decade, I cared for my mom, dad, and grandma before they passed. It was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life. I’m grateful for that time—something we often don’t appreciate when we’re younger and busy living our own lives.
But I’ve learned that life doesn’t always go as planned. Conventional wisdom on how to prepare for the future often falls short.
As a husband and father of two, I’m focused on building a modern family dynasty for my kids—avoiding the financial mistakes my family made.
Collaborating with Further combines 25 years of advising experience with my passion for helping families avoid the same pitfalls and capitalize on the incredible opportunities we all share.
If you’re on this journey—raising a family while caring for loved ones—I understand the challenges. We’re in this together.
- 25-year advisor and fiduciary—always in your best interest.
- LinkedIn Top Voice on Economy and Finance.
