Grow your investment boutique 📈 Founder / CEO @ Havener ⭐ $30B AUM for boutiques w/ The Billion Dollar Blueprint™ 💲 Story-led sales & marketing for founders, fund mgrs, and teams 🎤 Speaker ▪ Podcast Host

Hi, I’m Stacy - a blue-collar girl from the Berkshires who turned a way with words and love of numbers into a business that has raised billions for boutique asset managers.
 
I’ve raised $8B+ for new/undiscovered funds that led to $30B+ in follow-on AUM.

Being a female founder in the male-dominated investment industry at the age of 30 required a huge leap of faith in connecting two tribes: talented boutique asset managers and early adopter investors.

The leap of faith was spot on. 

10+ years later, Havener Capital Partners leads the industry in helping investment boutiques grow. We help clients in three ways: (1) Embedded as part of your sales and marketing team (2) Consulting on sales and marketing efforts with you (3) Coaching you and your team in our membership community

Whether it’s consulting and masterminds, expanding sales and marketing capabilities, or connecting to our network of RIAs and family offices, clients benefit from an expert team and a time-tested framework that has raised billions for boutiques.

If I can be of assistance, please reach out at stacy@havenercapital.com

A little more about me: 

I’m obsessed with all things old school – hip-hop music, classic cars, craft cocktails and vintage furniture. My best lessons in life were learned on the soccer field where I went from picking flowers at the age of 9, to playing on all-boy teams, to becoming an Academic All-American in college. 

Most days you will find me at our office in the city-by-the sea, Newport, RI, sitting next to my reggae-loving husband (who is also my business partner), with a Dunkin Donuts coffee in my hand, and our rescue pitbull at my feet. In addition to building a business together, Erik and I are raising a daughter which is by far my favorite adventure. 

At the heart of it all, there is one thing I believe in – underdogs. Doesn’t matter who we are or what industry we are in, we all start from the bottom; we have all been underdogs. This rebel spirit fuels me every day.

Stacy Havener

I closed more deals when I stopped trying. 


Don't get me wrong, I worked my tail off to help clients raise money. 

But I had to unlearn a deeply ingrained thing for many of us. 

Let's back up. 

People do business with people they
know
like
and trust

That part we all know.

But there is a danger here 👇

The "liking" principle (from Robert Cialdini)
isn’t about being liked by everyone.

That’s where it goes sideways.

Because when “liking” turns into people-pleasing, a few things happen:

We soften our edges

We dilute our point of view

We spew data and stats like a firehouse 

We aim for approval instead of alignment

And ironically…

That makes us less influential.

Real liking comes from clarity.
From conviction
From standing for something
(and not for everything)

It's from the heart, not the head.
(which is where stories shine)

In our work, we see this all the time:

The most trusted leaders aren’t universally liked

They’re distinctly remembered

They repel a little

And resonate a lot

(gah I love that ❤️ putting it on a post it on my laptop)

That’s how trust is built.
That’s how influence compounds.

🎥 In this video, I unpack how to use the liking principle
without losing your backbone.

Because the goal isn’t to be liked by everyone.
It’s to be unforgettable to the right ones.

📌 "This is me" - can that be a vibe for us this year?

Work travel looks glam, but it's a grind. I coped in 1 way v non glam way. 

(There are lessons I am revisiting in 2026 here.)

When I traveled my face off for work, I cooked my face off too. 😂

-- Before trips, to ground myself.

-- After trips, to come back into my body.

Here’s the tell my family learned to watch for:

The higher my stress, the more serious the cooking.

(sooo I was a pressure cooker. eye roll, drum beat 🤣)

If a whole chicken was roasting at 7am, a big trip was coming and I was dreading it.

When I got off the road, I set the cooking utensils down. 
The recipe books went back on the shelf. 
The stove cooled off.

Dusting it all off this year.

I grew up in an Italian family.

Food was never just food.

It's connection and belonging.

Garlic and onions sautéing in olive oil isn’t just a smell to me.

It’s a memory track of my life.

For the last few years cooking became practical.

Weeknight dinners.
Holiday cook fests only.

Until yesterday.

As we welcomed a long weekend and falling snow, I made one of my Italian grandfather’s recipes.

My favorite dish as a kid: Pasta Fagioli. 

I spent 45 minutes in silence chopping the battuto.

Just rhythm.
Texture.
Smell.

One bite of the pasta fagioli and I was back in my grandparents’ house.

Every comforting memory came back.

(It felt like the magical realism of the book/movie Like Water for Chocolate one taste, all the feelings.) 

Here’s the lesson I am carrying into the year ahead:

We live in our heads all week.

Strategy
Pressure
Problem-solving

*Thinking* our way through everything.

But there are five other senses available to us.

Touch
Smell
Taste
Sound
Sight

When we tap into them, we access parts of our creativity that thinking alone can’t reach.

Sometimes the reset we need isn’t another insight.

It’s a knife
A cutting board
And garlic hitting warm olive oil

It's getting out of our heads so when we come back into them, we are rejuvenated and fresh. 

📌 What dish takes you back to childhood?? (I will put my grandfathers Pasta Fagioli recipe below)

Happy weekend.
Stay storied. 

PS This is what chatgpt thinks I'd look like cooking in an Italian kitchen. Sign me up!

7 days, 20 foot ceilings, and big dreams.


Come inside the mansion we rented for our annual leadership meetings! 

The places, spaces, and settings matter in our stories. 

What would happen if you changed up where you are as you plan for where you are going...

A behind the scenes look at Havener's home base for strategic planning with a mansion walk and talk. 🏰

👉 Have you had this experience where place changed your perspective? Tell me more! 🍿

Here's to a new year, big dreams, and a bright future. Let's go!

I built my biz for the underdogs.

And if I’m honest… I still feel like one.

That identity runs deep.

I’ve always been wired to:

-- Fight for the overlooked

-- Bet on the underestimated

-- Stand for the people others ignore


I take pride in that.

My purpose is there.

But here’s the question I’ve been sitting with lately:

Can I stop being the underdog
and still stand for them?  

Can I serve challenger brands and founders while owning my achievements and success?

Can I acknowledge there's more I want to do and achieve without entirely discounting what I have accomplished?

---

Because at some point, there's a shift.

One day you realize:

-- People reference my work before I enter the room

-- The rooms I once fought to get into now invite me in

-- The voice I worked so hard to claim now carries weight

And still…

My nervous system hasn’t caught up.

---

I spent so many years scrapping.

Proving I belonged

Fighting to be taken seriously

Climbing toward success

That kind of fight is hard to turn off.

Even when my own personal fight has changed.

---

Here’s the tension I’m holding:

If I keep saying I am an underdog

If I stay in permanent resistance mode

If I never acknowledge my success


What message am I actually sending?

---

Maybe standing for the underdogs doesn’t mean staying one.

Maybe acknowledging progress doesn’t make me arrogant, it makes the path visible.

Maybe saying “this worked” gives the next generation of challengers something powerful:

Hope.
Positivity.
Proof.

---

So I’m learning a new posture.

Keep the heart of the challenger

Lose the need to bleed for legitimacy

Lead from consistent confidence instead of constant fight

(gah. that need to bleed for legitimacy is hiiiiiitting me 😭 )

---

I am not abandoning the underdogs.

I am showing them what’s possible.

And I’m learning that sometimes the bravest move isn’t to keep finding my fight 

It’s embracing my success to help the next generation fight theirs

---

If you’re a founder who grew up scrappy
and strugglednto let that scrappy go…

You’re not alone.

I’m right here too.

Scrappy and successful. Can they co-exist?

4 fact sheet changes that get more meetings

Fact sheets / tear sheets are doing too much… and somehow not enough.

They’re packed with data.
Light on words.
Heavy on brain.
Empty on heart.

And that’s the miss.

Typical fact sheets are a data dump in the smallest imaginable font.
Flip the script: It’s a highlight reel.

Its job with prospects is simple:

👉 Make them want a meeting.

Here are four fixes to move the needle:

---

1. Include real uniques + differentiators

Not the eye roll "everyone says that" kind

“Strong risk-adjusted returns”
“Experienced team”
“Disciplined process”

Let’s be honest, that’s table stakes. 
Fails the truism test.

The real differentiators tend to live in:

• Philosophy - how you think
• Process - how you execute
• Portfolio - how you build

Those are harder to copy.

And far more sustainable than performance soundbites.

---

2. Add a narrative summary

What’s the story?

• Why this strategy
• Why now
• And most importantly, why you

If allocators can’t understand the why in 90 seconds, they probs won't take a meeting.

Story creates intrigue and curiosity.
Data supports and makes it real

---

3. Be explicit about the role in the portfolio

This one gets mislabeled as “too retail.”

It’s not.

It’s useful.

Think of it as:

• Idea generation for analysts
• Context for non-investment stakeholders
• Clarity for busy humans

Don’t make people do the work.
They’re already overloaded.

That’s not retail.
That’s real life.

---

4. Show the people behind the product

Yes include fund mgrs on the fact sheet.
Now, add photos.

Names + faces + something human beyond alma maters.

People do business with people.
Still true. Always will be.

Pro-tip: If your photo makes you look like Severus Snape, time for a new one. Let's not scare the prospects. 😬

---

These small tweaks to a fact sheet don’t dumb anything down. 

Less data isn't a sign you aren't smart.
It's a sign you understand decision are more than numbers.

Fact sheets get a bad rap. 
But I think they have a starring role with a prospect.

They answer so what? Why should anyone care?

And when your fact sheet does that?

You don’t just get more meetings.
You get better ones.

📌 What's your 1 add for a fact sheet improvement list?

=
+ Fact sheets are part of a foundational franework at Havener, Investable Content™️ 

+ Bc collateral shouldn't just look pretty, it should play a role in your distribtiion

Every company is a media company. (imma keep saying it bc I want you to hearmenow) (and also flowers 💐)

Very few firms in finance embrace this idea that 'every company is a media company.'

Potomac is one. And they don't just kinda do the thang. They go all in.

Here's what hit me on my visit to their office:

1.  A bada$$ recording studio might feel like a luxury, but I'd argue at some point in the future, it might not be a luxury as much as a necessity.

2.  The trick with "every company is a media company" has less to do with the logo on the wall and more to do with the people who bring that logo to life. 

3.  I might invite myself back to "my" studio in "their" office v v soon. 🤣

Wouldn't it be cool if Billion $ Backstory became "in studio" podcast on the Potomac platform?

(Whaa? Who said that? me looking left looking right 😉)

If you want to catch the whole podcast - go to the platform that starts with You and ends with Tube. And I'll pop a shortcut in here asap.
https://lnkd.in/e_2VwDGe

Flowers and hugs and high fives across the miles to some of my all time faves
Manish Khatta and Christopher Norton and Charlotte Jarvis 

Thank you for being awesome 💐

If you don't know, now you know.
If you don't follow them, you should.

undefined undefined

Newsletter

📌 Got the investment skills, but need marketing help? We've got you.
Email Dustin Sullivan 
dustin (at) havenercapital (dot) com



Client Acq

havenercapital

billion-dollar-backstory

You can pitch performance and some people will buy it. (Let's unpack it tho...) 


Lots of ways to fundraise. 

If you've got great performance you might want to pitch it. Hard.

-- Redo materials! Put performance right up top front and center and lots of charts that show it too. 

-- Talk about how poorly your peers are doing to really shine a light on how you are crushing it.

-- Say your core values are to be number 1. (eek) 

Some investors (maybe lots) will buy that performance pomp and circumstance. 

You will cue up Mike Posner Top of the World. 

And then...

Something v normal will happen.

Your performance will slip 

Because you got too big too fast and can't move the portfolio

Or because the market did what the market does and wiled out on you

For whatever reason, you had a normal pull back 

And the investors who bought your out-performance?

Now they redeem your underperformance

The other investors in the fund will see that investors are redeeming, so they will hit the sell button too

And the virtuous performance upswing you raised into will whipsaw into a vicious redemption spiral

(if you've seen that movie before you know it's fun times 🙄(

So... yes, there are lots of ways to fundraise

Pitching performance is one of them

It can work

But it's worth pausing to reflect on what you will get and who you will get in that process

Hot dot chasers buy performance
They redeem it too

Classic tale of be careful what you wish for

My POV: pitch forever vs fleeting

Will be breaking it down this week. 

We can be proud of our results and still focus on the sustainable things that got us there. 

Might take longer but might be worth it in the long run.

1 mistake I have made in sales & marketing (and how we can learn from it)

This mistake happens to asset management and wealth management clients too. 

It sneaks up on you. It happens slowly over time. (kind of like a big snowstorm 😂)

The mistake?

*Crafting messaging around what your client needs and skipping what they want.*

Our prospects are at Point A and they want to get to Point B. We know what they need and often that's what we "sell."

Let's take wealth managers:

Their prospects aren't jazzed to get a financial plan. No one wants more documents. (even if that's what they need)

They are jazzed for the financial freedom that plan will create. 
Or the second home they can buy
Or the business they can finally start
(insert the end goal that they want)

---

Talking about what a client needs isn't as hard-hitting or as heartfelt as if we talk about what they want, where they want to go.

Breaking it down for asset managers (and myself) at a crazy cold beach
❄️🎥🌊

👉 Here for your tips on staying aligned with the end game in our client's journey.

1 big change to our target market of asset managers and wealth managers - might inspire you to refine yours.

We just wrapped our 2-day annual planning session.

In a crazy awesome Newport mansion
Because environment shapes thinking and we wanted to dream bigger.

But instead of going bigger with our target market...

We went smaller.

We went clearer.

Check it:

---

In defining target market, most of us will start with demographics.

• AUM
• Titles
• Firm size
• Geography

The challenge is we can get stuck in a big sea of "everyone is our market."

Demographics can be quicksand.

Predictable
Generic 
Crowded

---

The real leverage in target market lives in psychographics.

That’s where alignment happens.

We already knew our ideal clients:

• Share our core values
• Believe in the power of story
• Want a more human way to grow

What we hadn’t explicitly named?

---

Personal brand.

Not just believing in story,
but believing they are part of it.

We have it in our differentiators as a firm but we didn't have it in our target market. 

So we refined. 

Our ideal client has a founder or C-suite leader committed to

•  Building a personal brand
•  Showing up on LinkedIn
•  Being seen

A  person who is jazzed to become a thought leader in their unique area of expertise

---

That small shift will change everything

• Who we say yes to
• How the work lands
• The results we can create

Because story doesn’t work in the shadows.

---

Big dreams don’t require broader markets.

They require braver ones.
 
And braver can mean smaller focus. 

📌 Have you found what a client believes (or doesn't) matters in your target market (maybe more than we realize)?

=
+ If you want help on LinkedIn in 2026, I got some things cooking. DM me and I will add you (or your team) 👀 to our wait list 🙌

5 filters to set goals for an amazing year of growth. 
 
We use these with clients in annual business strategy sessions. 

And we use them on ourselves. 

---

1️⃣ Did we reverse engineer from long-term vision to short-term goals?

- Start with the 10-year vision

- Pull it into 3 years

- Then 1 year

- Then the next 90 days

Humans can focus and execute well for shorter sprints (quarter by quarter).

Design our goals such that if we hit quarterly goals, we will be on track to hit annual, if we hit annual, we will be on track to hit 3 yr and so on.

Set the long term vision
Work back to the year
Then play the next 90 days like they are high stakes. (cuz they are)

---

2️⃣ Are we driving forward with metrics we can actually control? 

Goals that depend on other people? Rough.

Instead, ask: 
what’s the step right before the result we want? 
The one we can ensure we hit. 

We can’t control outcomes.
We can control inputs.

That’s where progress lives.

---

3️⃣ Are we measuring backwards to protect confidence and juice momentum?

We’re excellent at this pattern:

Hit the goal

Move the goalpost

Feel behind again

When the reality is we just accomplished something meaningful... but we missed it.

Measuring backwards is a pause.

It reminds us:

- how far we’ve come

- what’s already working

- why we’re capable of the next level


For my quant friends, confidence compounds too. 😘

---

4️⃣ Are we trying to do less better? (bc less is more)

1–3 big things

Not 5–7 “important” things

(forget 10 omg 10 is an anxiety spiral)


We’d rather:

do 3 things exceptionally well

than 5 things halfway decent


Focus isn’t restrictive.
It’s freeing.

We said no to some really cool business opportunities for 2026 bc we want to focus on our core programs. 

It's the same reason we are pausing on our annual summit too. 

Tough choices but necessary. 

(I am learning and still a work in progress on this one.)

---

5️⃣ Does it light us up?

Seriously - a fun filter 😉

Is the goal interesting?
Is it meaningful?
Is it fun? 

This one matters more than we admit.

If it doesn’t make us:

energized

enthusiastic

eager to start the day


Why are we doing it?

Sustainable growth requires emotional fuel.
Or we will just be "who cares-ing" the year away.

(I speak from experience on this. Real talk.)

---

These 5 filters help our clients and us architect a banger of a year in 2026:

Clear goals
→ fewer priorities
→ controllable metrics
→ visible progress
→ positive energy

📌 Which one hits for you, any to add?

Happy New Year, Friends. Game on!

I believe in the power of LinkedIn. And the power of personal brand for finance peeps. If you do too, you need to meet this gal. 

If you are a client of Havener, or you work here, or you're a London friend who attended our LinkedIn for Fin breakfast event last year, then you already know Anna Robinson and you also know... she is a force 

Few fun facts to go with this flowers post (plus a give for you): 

--Anna and I met 25 years ago on the soccer field in San Diego. We've been bests ever since. ⚽

-- Before Anna joined Havener, she was a project manager at a software engineering firm, and a lead stylist at StitchFix. She also has a psych degree. So she can crush a to-do list while analyzing you and your wardrobe simul. (Trust me when I say this is an invaluable combination. 🤣)

-- Anna built my personal brand from scratch. She was a better me than me. Especially because she was brave when I couldn't be. I wouldn't have trusted anyone else. I am forever grateful. 

And now the give for you:

-- Anna and one of my other faves Mary Mack hosted a webinar in December on LinkedIn for Fund Managers that had over 250 attendees. 

-- It's now available on demand for you for no exchange of dollar bills. 

(We live our core value of GoGiver at Havener)

So if you are like me and have a differentiated point of view, and you believe LinkedIn is powerful, and you're intimidated even a little bit - grab this masterclass. 

https://lnkd.in/eg4MQeys

Put your trust in Anna. 

She won't let you down... on the soccer field, on social platforms, or in life. 

Flowers and so much love to you Anna
🙌💐♥️

👉 Who wants more of this? 

2026 is your year. Step out of the shadows my friends and lean in to LinkedIn

27+ Years Helping Lawyers Build for Life After Law — Without Sacrificing Today | Clarity • Intention • Legacy | Founder, The Wealthy Lawyer

Let’s be honest.

Law school didn’t teach you how to manage money — yet your financial decisions now affect everything.

I work with successful lawyers who earn well on paper, but still feel the quiet pressure of knowing their financial life isn’t as clear or protected as it should be.

Between demanding careers, student debt, growing families, and big responsibilities, many lawyers I meet aren’t worried about making more money — they’re worried about making the right decisions with what they already earn.

That’s where I come in.

For nearly three decades, I’ve helped lawyers turn high income into clear, intentional wealth by building structure around their finances — so success actually translates into confidence, security, and choice.

My work focuses on fundamentals:

• Protecting income before chasing returns
• Giving every dollar a job
• Making decisions that reduce pressure, not add to it
• Building wealth that supports life today — and life after law


Most clients reach out when they:

• Feel behind despite earning well
• Aren’t sure whether to save, invest, or pay down debt
• Worry about what would happen if they couldn’t work
• Know they need a plan, but don’t know where to start


After working together, they feel:

• Clear about their financial direction
• Confident their family and income are protected
• Grounded in a plan they actually understand and trust

You’re in the business of law — not financial planning.

My role is to bring clarity, structure, and peace of mind, so you can focus on what matters most.

Most conversations start with a simple virtual coffee — no pitch, no pressure — just clarity and a chance to see if there’s a smarter, calmer way forward.

Jeffery M. Lamont

Congratulations on making partner…
you don’t need a $257,645 car to prove you’ve made it.

Because at this stage, success doesn’t need to be signaled.

Not with suits.
Not with watches.
Not with vacations.
Not with visible upgrades.

Not because you can’t.

Because you don’t need the reminder.

You’re not trying to feel successful.
You already know where you stand.

What you’ve built is quieter than most people expect.
And steadier.

You’re not using purchases to motivate the future.
It’s already been accounted for.

At this stage, confidence looks less like display,
and more like knowing what you could walk away from — calmly.

That kind of security doesn’t draw much attention.
But it tends to last.

Jeffery M Lamont

High income doesn’t equal financial clarity. I help lawyers build wealth that gives them control — not more pressure. | Founder, The Wealthy Lawyer

Image shows a large, elegant estate with classic architecture surrounded by trees, paired with a white luxury SUV parked in the driveway. The scene conveys quiet success, stability, and understated wealth rather than flashy status symbols. The accompanying LinkedIn post speaks to lawyers who have made partner, emphasizing that true confidence and success don’t need to be proven through expensive cars, watches, or visible upgrades. Instead, it highlights calm financial security, long-term planning, and the peace of mind that comes from knowing the future is already handled.

You didn’t work this hard to make partner just to still feel this tight.

That’s the part no one talks about.

At this level, money should buy relief —
not just lifestyle,
not just options,
but space in your head.

And yet…

Last week, I spoke with a couple of partners in their 50s...
each earning 7-figures.
Both reached out for the same reason:

They felt like they should be further ahead than they are.

Not because they’ve done anything wrong.
Not because they’ve been careless.

But because responsibility kept compounding while clarity didn’t.

So the income grew… and the weight grew with it.

That’s not a spending problem.
That’s not a discipline problem.

That’s success that never got organized.

And when structure lags long enough, even very high income stops feeling reassuring.

Most people don’t realize how heavy success can feel...
until it’s theirs.

This post discusses the emotional and financial pressure experienced by senior law firm partners who have achieved high income and professional success but still feel constrained due to a lack of financial structure and clarity. It reframes the issue as an organization and planning problem rather than a spending or discipline issue.

Finally making 7-figures doesn’t create clarity...
it masks it.

I see this all the time.
Especially when sitting across the table from successful lawyers who feel they are doing everything right — on paper.

They earn well.
They save some.
They invest “enough.

From the outside, it looks solid enough.

But underneath?

Too many open questions.

• What’s the money actually for?
• When does work ease up... if ever?
• What happens if life interrupts the plan?
• Is this building freedom… or just momentum?

Most don’t have bad habits.
They have unexamined ones.

Money flowing everywhere,
but no clear structure holding it together.

And that’s where the stress comes from.

Not a lack of income.
A lack of intention.

Real progress starts when someone pauses long enough to ask:
“What do I actually want this to do for me?”

Because once that’s clear,
decisions get simpler.

Not easier.
Just cleaner.

And cleaner decisions compound faster than hustle ever will.

Without clarity, effort just compounds noise.

👉 What question about your money have you been putting off answering?

Helping Lawyers Build Long-Term Wealth — Without Sacrificing Life Today| Founder, The Wealthy Lawyer

Senior law firm partner standing in a high-rise office, looking out over the city during a reflective moment. Image represents high-income professionals facing complex financial decisions, long-term planning questions, and the need for clarity, structure, and intentional wealth strategy.

And one day, the weekends aren’t crazy or hectic anymore.

Yesterday, I went to the hockey rink.

Not for my kids...
they’re all away at university now.

But to watch my young niece,
and then my even younger nephew play.

Standing there, coffee in hand, it hit me how much I quietly miss the hustle.

The early mornings.
The away tournaments.
Going from rink to rink…
or rink to (indoor) ball practice…
living on a diet of too much coffee and fast food on the weekend.

Busy weekends had a rhythm to them.
Exhausting... but full.

Now the house is quieter.
The calendar is lighter.
And the noise has been replaced with space.

At first, that space feels strange.
Then it starts to feel… intentional.

This stage comes with more room to think.
More room to build.
More room to focus on work that feels meaningful... not just busy.

For me, that means continuing to grow Lamont Wealth Strategies,
helping lawyers bring structure and clarity to their financial lives.

And leaning further into The Wealthy Lawyer Podcast, creating conversations and resources that support lawyers wherever they are in their careers.

Different season.
Different kind of fulfillment.

Today will be quieter.
Some planning.
Some preparation for the week ahead.

And a little gratitude for the seasons that shaped us —
even the ones we didn’t realize we’d miss until they were gone.

A quiet moment at a youth hockey rink, viewed from the stands, with a coffee cup in the foreground and young players skating in the background. The scene reflects a reflective life transition, as a parent watches extended family play hockey after their own children have grown and left for school. The image and post explore changing seasons of life, quieter weekends after years of hectic sports schedules, and finding meaning, clarity, and intentional focus in midlife. Written by a financial advisor who helps lawyers bring structure and clarity to their financial lives through Lamont Wealth Strategies and The Wealthy Lawyer Podcast.

And like that…
the house is quiet again after the holidays.

No bags by the door.
No criss-crossing schedules.

Just Colleen and me...
and the three dogs (can't forget them).
A slower rhythm than we’ve had lately.

The kids are back at university after the Christmas break, and life is settling into a familiar kind of normal.

Not empty.
Just… calm.

There’s room to think.
Room to breathe.
Room to move into the year without forcing it.

It’s not about adding more.
It’s about being more intentional with what stays.

There’s plenty to plan this year.
Plenty to work toward.

But not all at once.

There’s time to ramp up.
Time to build momentum.

Hope your weekend has a bit of that quiet in it too.

Enjoy.

Helping lawyers turn high income into clarity, structure, and calm decision-making

Quiet weekend morning at home with coffee in hand, newspaper open, feet up in slippers, and a calm living room after the holidays.

Most partners earning $1M+ aren’t short on money.
They’re short on structure.

Income grew.
The plan didn’t.

I’ve spent the last 28+ years helping lawyers build wealth.
And I’ve seen what happens when momentum replaces structure.

Decisions get heavier.
Clarity gets delayed.
And nothing feels urgent...
until everything does.

That’s why my work today lives in two places:
Lamont Wealth Strategies
and The Wealthy Lawyer Podcast.

Because more lawyers are realizing something important:

It’s not their income that’s the problem.
It’s the lack of structure around it.

I work with lawyers across every stage of their career:
partners, associates, founders, solos, in-house.

Different roles.
Same pattern.

From the outside, things look fine.
Underneath, there’s weight.

• Money without a clear job
• Cash flow that feels harder than it should
• Tax decisions made reactively
• Protection gaps no one wants to think about
• And the quiet question that never quite goes away:
“Is this actually building what I want it to?”

That’s where the work starts.

Together, we simplify:
• cash flow
• savings and investments
• tax complexity
• insurance and income protection
• corporate structure
• long-term planning

Not to chase perfection.
But to create clarity.

The outcome isn’t flashy.

It’s calm.
Confidence.
And the moment someone says,
“I finally feel like this makes sense—and my family will be okay.”

That’s the work.


────
If any part of this felt familiar,
you’re not behind.

You’re just carrying more than the structure you were given.

And that’s usually where one good conversation starts to lift the weight.

No pitch. No pressure.
Just a chance to talk things through.

You don’t have to solve anything today.

Awareness counts.
Space counts.
Rest counts.

Monday can wait.
You've earned that.

No one tells you this about becoming a partner.
It doesn’t create clarity.
It creates consequence.

This is the time of year when firms start announcing new partners.

More control.
More certainty.
More confidence.

That’s the expectation.

What usually happens is quieter.

I’ve watched this shift show up again and again for years.

The work isn’t new.
But the decisions start to linger longer.

Because now:
Your name carries weight.
Your choices ripple further.
And there’s less room for “we’ll fix it later.”

Nothing’s wrong.
This is just the moment where responsibility shows up differently.

And it’s usually where the conversations start to change.

Nothing urgent.
Just important.

2025 gave me clarity...
2026 gets the work.

I’ve spent the last few weeks reflecting on last year,
and thinking carefully about what I want 2026 to look like.

The truth is,
I have a five-year plan.
And it’s ambitious.

There’s a lot I want to build.
Not just for me… but for my family, and for the clients who trust me.

I’m genuinely excited about what the next few years can bring.
But I also know this part matters:

I can’t get ahead of myself.

This week, I had conversations with two friends and confidants...
Anthony Vicino and Jodi Wilding.

Different conversations.
Same underlying theme.

Not motivation.
Not shortcuts.

Structure.
Standards.
And living the traits now,
that the future version of you will require.

Progress doesn’t come from urgency.
It comes from consistency.
From systems.
From showing up...
even when no one’s watching.

The reflection phase mattered.
It created clarity.

Now it’s time to roll up the sleeves
and do the work:
calmly, deliberately, and without drama.

Clarity first. Let the work begin.

Most partners don’t feel stressed because of the 80-hour work weeks.

They feel stressed because the money side never quite settles.

High income creates options.

But without structure, it also creates decisions that never stop competing for attention.

That’s why things feel heavier,
even when nothing is “wrong.”

This doesn’t get fixed by earning more.
It gets fixed when the financial side finally has a clear job.

That’s the shift most lawyers eventually need to make.

A senior male professional sits forward on a couch in a modern living space, hands clasped, looking thoughtful and composed. The setting is calm and uncluttered, suggesting a moment of quiet reflection rather than crisis. The image represents a high-income professional or law firm partner carrying the weight of financial decisions, long work hours, and unresolved money structure — not stress from workload, but from clarity gaps, competing priorities, and the need for a more intentional financial plan.

High income doesn’t build wealth.

It just makes the gaps harder to see.

Most people think wealth is built by earning more.
The people who actually build it know that’s only part of the story.

Over the last 28 years, I’ve worked with families across the spectrum...
including a handful with 9- and 10-figure net worths.

What stood out was never what they invested in.
It was how they behaved.

The habits that create generational wealth aren’t exclusive, exotic, or complicated.

They’re structural.
And they’re available to anyone.

There are three quiet behaviours that separate people who accumulate wealth from those who simply cycle through income.

First: they give their money a job.

Not “invest because I should.”
Not “park it somewhere safe.”

Every dollar has a role:
– growth
– protection
– flexibility
– future income

Idle money is expensive.
Even when it feels comfortable.

Second: they don’t try to avoid risk.
They manage it.

That means diversification that actually works.
Protection against what would derail the plan.
Insurance where it matters.
And fewer emotional decisions when markets — or life — wobble.

Wealth isn’t about avoiding risk.
It’s about surviving it long enough for compounding to matter.

Third: they think in decades, not quarters.

The real advantage isn’t access to “better investments.”
It’s patience.

They let time do the heavy lifting.
They reinvest.
They stay disciplined.
They adjust without panicking.

Most people interrupt compounding right before it starts to work.

Here’s the part no one loves to hear:

High income helps.
But structure is what turns income into wealth.

So if you’re earning well but still thinking,
“Why does this feel messier than it should — given how well I’m doing?”

That’s not failure.
It’s usually just missing structure.

A composed professional seated at a desk in a modern office at night, city lights visible through the window, looking thoughtful and focused. The image supports a LinkedIn post about wealth building, emphasizing that high income alone does not create wealth. The post explains that long-term wealth comes from financial structure, disciplined behavior, risk management, patience, and giving every dollar a clear role for growth, protection, flexibility, and future income. The message highlights that feeling financially “messy” despite earning well is usually a sign of missing structure, not failure.

He made $1.6 million last year and has no plan.

Not because he’s lazy.
Not because he’s careless.

Because no one ever stopped to ask:
“What’s important to you?”

Just before Christmas, a 45 year old partner reached out to me.
His income for 2025 was going to be just north of $1.6 million.

When I asked about his planning for the future…

He kind of shrugged and said:

“I don’t know. Just keep working until 60–65, then retire, I guess.”

Let that sink in.

He’s optimized everything in his practice.
Except the one thing that actually determines how this all turns out.

His future.

When we dug a little deeper, it wasn’t complicated.

He didn’t actually know where his money was going.

Not in detail.
Not intentionally.

A lot of income…
but no clear job for each dollar.

And he’s not alone.

High income doesn’t create clarity.
It delays the moment you’re forced to confront the absence of it.

Income hides messy strategy.
Until one day, it doesn’t.

Wealth isn’t income.
It isn’t assets.

It’s clarity.
Giving every dollar a job,
in service of something that actually matters.

It’s knowing what you’re building toward,
and having the freedom to make decisions without fear.

Most people don’t feel behind.
They just feel unsure what they’re actually working toward.


If that resonates, send me a DM.
Let’s talk about what clarity could look like for you.

Law partners don’t have a money problem.
They have an order problem.

After 28 years of watching this play out, the pattern is hard to miss.

By the time income peaks,
structure often hasn’t been built.

Instead, people skip ahead.

Straight to:
• investing
• optimization
• tax tactics
• “what should I do with this money?”

Before they’ve protected the one thing everything else depends on.

Income.
Liquidity.
Decisions without pressure.

That’s what this framework is meant to show.

Wealth isn’t built by starting at the top.
It’s built by getting the foundation right first —
and letting everything else sit on something solid.

Most people don’t realize where their foundation is exposed...
until life tests it.

If this resonates, you’re probably already further along than you think.

You’re not behind.
You’re just missing a bit of structure behind the scenes.

Most conversations start with a simple virtual coffee.
No pitch. No pressure. Just clarity.

Illustration titled “The Wealthy Lawyer Foundation” showing a layered financial framework built from the ground up. The foundation begins with Income Protection (disability insurance and proper life insurance), followed by Cash Flow & Liquidity (emergency funds and accessible savings), Tax Strategy (compensation planning and corporate vs personal decisions), Investing with Intention (long-term, risk-aligned strategy), and Legacy, Flexibility & Optionality (estate planning, family protection, freedom of choice). The image emphasizes that real wealth is built from the foundation up, not by starting with investing or tax tactics. Designed for law partners and high-income professionals who earn well but lack financial structure, clarity, and decision-making flexibility.

Most pressure doesn’t come from making the wrong move.

It comes from knowing the right one,
and holding it quietly for too long.

Thinking it through.
Researching it.
Talking around it.

Until doing it feels heavier than it should.

Sometimes the cleanest move
is letting someone else see the map.

Minimal illustration comparing overthinking and preparation versus taking action, showing that progress comes from doing the right thing rather than endlessly discussing or researching it.

Most progress doesn’t come from big breakthroughs.

I’ve seen this moment show up again and again with the lawyers I work with.

It shows up quietly.

• When fewer decisions follow you home.
• When the money side stops competing with everything else for attention.
• When you’re not trying to “optimize” — just making clean, calm choices.

Nothing dramatic.
Nothing urgent.

Just a bit more margin than last week.

That’s enough for today.

No one warns you about this part of becoming a partner.

The title arrives.
The expectations change.

And suddenly, the decisions multiply.

Not just files.
Life ones.

Money.
Time.
Risk.

Nothing is on fire.
But everything feels heavier.

Most new partners don’t feel behind.
They feel unsure.

And they assume everyone else has it figured out.

They don’t.

This is the point where working harder stops helping.
And structure starts pulling its weight.

Nothing to fix.
Nothing to panic about.

Just a new season...
and a new way of thinking.

Most partners I talk with aren’t struggling with money...

They’re struggling with capacity — time, energy, bandwidth, and the creeping feeling that they’re one busy season away from burning out.

But the issues almost always fall into one of these buckets:

→ Lifestyle creep
→ Tax drag
→ Cash-flow confusion
→ No real structure behind the scenes

What I’ve noticed is this:
the same few questions come up again and again.

1. If you took two weeks fully off…
would your financial life keep moving without you?

Or would everything stall until you got home?

If you can’t answer “yes,” that’s a structure problem — not an income problem.


2. If your savings only happen once everything else is paid for…
does anything actually get saved?

That’s a cash-flow timing problem.


3. If you’re earning more than you’ve ever earned…
but you still don’t feel ahead…
where is the gap coming from?

That’s lifestyle expansion without intention.


4. If you feel like you’re always “figuring it out later”…
is it because you don’t have clarity,
or because you’ve been too busy to stop long enough to get it?

That’s a planning bandwidth problem.


5. And if taxes feel like the single biggest line item in your life…
what are you doing (today) to control the future ones?

That’s a missed-opportunity problem.

Here’s the part most partners never admit out loud:

You don’t need to work harder to fix any of this.
You need visibility, structure, and a plan that actually fits the way your life moves at 40+.

It’s not a lack of money that keeps you feeling stuck…
it’s that everything still depends on you.

From the outside, things look like success:
• strong income
• growing responsibility
• more control
• more autonomy

This is what it’s supposed to feel like.

But underneath, something else starts to form.

A bottleneck.

Not because anything is wrong.
But because everything still runs through you.

Here’s the part no one warns you about:

As income rises, decisions don’t disappear.
They multiply.

More money means more choices.
More consequences.
More “I’ll deal with this later” moments.

And when structure doesn’t evolve at the same pace as income…
those decisions quietly stack themselves on one person.

You.

At first, it feels manageable.

You’re capable.
You’re disciplined.
You’ve always handled things.

So you carry it.

• Money decisions
• Protection gaps
• Tax choices
• Cash flow timing
• Long-term tradeoffs

Nothing is broken.

But nothing moves…
unless you touch it.

So things don’t get avoided.
They get postponed.

And postponement feels harmless…
until it starts to feel heavy.

This is where high earners get confused.

Because they’re doing “everything right.”

They’re earning well.
They’re responsible.
They’re saving.

Yet progress feels slower than it should.

Clarity always seems one season away.

There’s always one more thing to clean up later.

That’s not a motivation problem.
And it’s not an effort problem.

It’s a capacity problem.

There’s an invisible ceiling most high earners hit…
and it has nothing to do with income.

At a certain level, income stops being the constraint.

Mental load becomes the constraint.

Too many open loops.
Too many decisions living in your head.
Too many systems that pause when you do.

Your financial life slows down when you slow down.

That’s the tell.

The people who build lasting wealth don’t eliminate responsibility.

They redistribute it.

They stop being the system,
and start building systems.

Not to step away from their lives,
but to stop carrying everything personally.

Income gives you options.
Structure determines whether you can actually feel them.

And here’s the quiet truth:

If decisions feel heavier than they should…
If progress pauses when you do…
If clarity always seems just one season away…

You’re probably not behind.

You’ve just reached the point where effort stops helping
and structure starts to matter.

That’s not a problem.

It’s a signal.

A high-earning couple at home having a quiet, unresolved conversation at the kitchen counter, symbolizing how financial pressure and decision-making responsibility can quietly build even when income is strong.

Too many people mistake preparation for progress.

It feels safer.

Cleaner.

But clarity doesn’t arrive before movement.

It shows up after.

You don’t actually need the breakthrough you think you do...
you need a clean landing.

When partners tell me a week felt “heavy,” it’s rarely about workload.

It’s usually about:
• Too many open loops
• Money decisions lingering
• No clear system behind the scenes

That’s the part I help with.

Not motivation.
Not hustle.

Structure.
So fewer decisions follow you home.

If this week felt lighter than most, that’s usually not luck.

It’s what happens when the financial side stops competing with everything else.

Take the win.
Enjoy the weekend.
We’ll build from here.

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