Episode 131 – How Financial Planning Helps You Live More Meaningfully

Weekly wisdom to help you retire—and stay that way.

At Hoxton Planning & Management, we often say financial planning is about more than money—it’s about helping people live lives that are rich in purpose, security, and joy. In this episode of The Last Paycheck, hosts Archie Hoxton and Rob Hoxton share two powerful, real-life stories from their careers as CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals. These tales—one a cautionary lesson, the other an inspiring example—highlight the emotional, relational, and life-altering power of thoughtful financial planning.

Story One: When a Friend's Advice Costs More Than Just Money

Archie opens the episode with a sobering story from early in his career. A client, newly assigned to him after her previous advisor retired, was nearing or already in retirement and relying on her investment portfolio to fund her lifestyle. Despite Archie’s prudent advice to maintain a diversified portfolio—including bonds and other risk-adjusted assets—she was swayed by a friend in an investment club who encouraged her to move all of her funds into high-growth tech stocks, the so-called FANG stocks (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google).

Her friend’s rationale? “These are the only stocks that matter. Everything else is holding you back.”

Unfortunately, just months later, the market took a sharp downturn, and those same stocks lost nearly half their value. Because the client was living off her investments, that loss meant selling significantly more shares at depressed prices to meet her income needs—or worse, panic-selling and locking in catastrophic losses.

The lesson is clear: financial planning isn’t about chasing returns—it’s about designing a strategy that matches your stage of life, risk tolerance, and real-world goals. Investment advice from well-meaning friends or headlines rarely considers the whole picture. And as Archie puts it, “Be careful who you take advice from. Most people don’t know what they don’t know.”

Story Two: Giving While Living—Leaving a Legacy that Matters

Rob follows with a story that strikes an entirely different emotional tone—one that illustrates the life-changing potential of financial planning done right.

He tells the story of a long-time client couple with no children. The wife, a former reading teacher, had a deep love for their local public library where she regularly volunteered to read to children. The couple had always intended to leave a significant portion of their estate to the library to expand its small children’s section—ideally with a reading room named in her honor. But when she was diagnosed with a terminal illness, the couple worried that giving money away too soon might leave the surviving spouse financially insecure.

Rob ran the numbers. And what the planning revealed was that they didn’t need to wait. They had enough assets to fulfill their philanthropic goals and ensure long-term financial stability.

The result? Before her passing, she was able to see the new children’s reading room built and named after her. She spent her final months doing what she loved—reading to children in the space she helped create.

This story exemplifies what’s possible when financial planning is approached not just as a numbers game, but as a way to help people live more richly, with clarity and intention. The wife’s legacy lives on, and the husband’s peace of mind was preserved through careful planning.

Take the Next Step Toward Financial Clarity

These aren’t just anecdotes. They’re proof that working with a trusted advisor isn’t just about retirement income or minimizing taxes—it’s about transforming financial uncertainty into peace, possibility, and purpose.

Whether you’re navigating retirement, weighing a gift to your favorite charity, or just trying to avoid a costly mistake, a solid financial plan provides the clarity you need to make decisions that align with your values.

As Rob puts it, “Financial planning helps people live their lives more richly.” That richness isn’t always measured in dollars—it’s measured in impact, legacy, and peace of mind.

Take the Next Step Toward Financial Clarity

If you’re wondering how prepared you are to create your own version of a meaningful life, take our free Financial Freedom Score assessment. In just a few minutes, you’ll gain insight into your financial health and areas that might need attention. Or, download our Retirement Readiness Checklist—a simple but powerful tool to help you evaluate your goals, timelines, and needs as you prepare for life’s next chapter.
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Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Center for Financial Planning, Inc. owns and licenses the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the United States to Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., which authorizes individuals who successfully complete the organization’s initial and ongoing certification requirements to use the certification marks.