NorthBuilt Financial Plans

One question people most frequently ask me is: "how do you feel about trading apps?"

My response would be the following: When are investing does it feel more like a game?

A lot of new trading apps are designed to keep you clicking — leaderboards, badges, confetti, urgent notifications. It’s the same psychology used in social media and gaming, and it’s meant to push one behaviour: more trading or activity.

The issue is that frequent trading quietly eats away at long‑term returns. Timing mistakes, currency conversion, and taxes add up fast. The app might feel exciting, but your long‑term goals usually don’t benefit from that kind of excitement.

A simple check-in:
Does this platform help you invest… or does it pressure you to trade?
If it feels more like a slot machine than a financial tool, that’s a red flag.

And remember — “commission‑free” doesn’t mean “cost‑free.” These platforms still need to make money somewhere, and it’s worth understanding how.

Real wealth building isn’t flashy. It’s steady, patient, and intentional.
If you ever want to talk through a platform you’re considering, or you want to keep your strategy focused on long‑term outcomes that actually matter to your family, I’m here.

Feeling stuck lately?
It might not be your effort — it might be where your hours are going.

Most days look like this:
10 hours working.
5 days a week.
50 weeks a year.

That’s 2,500 hours poured into someone else’s priorities.

But when it comes to your own future —
your money plan, your goals, your freedom —
you’re left with nothing in the tank.

It’s not about blame.
It’s about noticing the imbalance.
And once you start giving even a little time back to yourself, things begin to move.

You don’t always need more income — you need a clearer plan.

When you actually pay attention to where your money goes, everything changes.

Track every dollar with intention and it’ll feel like you gave yourself a raise — without working a single extra hour.

If you make $30/hr, you take home about $22 after taxes.
- That $1,500 “I earned it” splurge? That’s 68 hours of your time — almost two full work weeks.
- That $74,000 vehicle? That’s 3,364 hours of your time — nearly a year and a half of work.

Money can be replaced. Time can’t.
Spend both with purpose.

And understand your time is very valuable.

You’ll pay for financial education one way or another.
You can invest in it early — through learning, mentorship, time, and professional help.
Or pay for it later — through missed opportunities, poor decisions, and costly mistakes.

One builds wealth.
The other drains it.

Financial literacy isn’t an expense — it’s your greatest asset.

Myth: You need a six‑figure income to become a millionaire.

Fact:
• 33% of millionaires never earned six figures in any year.
• 69% never averaged $100K in household income.

Financial literacy beats income. Every time.

It will be hard work.

At times it will feel too tight and maybe even pointless.

But it’s like getting back into shape — slow at first, then suddenly you notice things changing.

A little progress becomes motivation.
Motivation becomes growth.

Then all of a sudden your money starts putting in more hours than you ever could.

No matter when you start, consistency matters more than perfection.

Whether you begin investing in your 20s, start with larger contributions, or build early and let compound growth do the heavy lifting - different paths can still lead to the same destination.

Time and consistency matter most when it comes to building wealth.

But the part people often forget is living within a lifestyle that actually fits — because your future should be something you can live, not just fantasize about.

What is financial planning?

If I were to take a shot at most relatable and simplest way to explain:

Financial planning is like having a map for your money.
Most people have income coming in, bills going out, debts, savings, goals, worries but it’s all scattered. I help people put the whole picture together so they can make decisions confidently.

Sometimes that includes investing, but most of the work is actually things like budgeting, debt reduction, saving for emergencies, tax efficiency, planning for retirement, protecting your family, and making sure your money supports your life, not the other way around.

One goal is keeping more money IN your pocket.

The other is making sure what comes OUT of your pocket delivers maximum value.

Because nobody likes watching their money blow away in the wind.

I was furtunate enough to take part in the Trade Show here in Thompson over this past weekend. I was the only "financial" focused booth there, which was surprising.

But I had 2 major take-aways from conversations with people. Which I was happy to learn.

1. People have almost no idea what financial planning is.
2. People are more disconnected from their money then ever before.

Much like the food we eat, groceries come and go. Do we know how it was made? Do we know where the food came from? Do we know every ingredient?

We usually don't know the answers to these questions because we are so far from the source.

I got this same feeling this last weekend. People feel so removed from their money. It's just a digital number that changes daily and we work hard to stop it from going into the negatives. But that seems to be where it ends.

This just reinforces my drive to continue educating people and helping grow their understanding. It's important to know where we are, how we got here and where we want to go.

The goal is not making you rely on me, but to empower you and use me as just another tool to live the life you want.