In the Suite

EP 101 What Tech Professionals Get Wrong About Equity Compensation & Wealth with Jackie Lewis and Ryan Goldenhar, Wealth With Options

• Tina Powell | Intention.ly • Season 4 • Episode 101

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I’m joined by Ryan Goldenhar and Jackie Lewis, the powerhouse duo behind Wealth with Options, a San Diego–based firm helping tech professionals make sense of equity compensation, major liquidity events, and the emotional decisions that come with sudden or complex wealth.

Ryan and Jackie bring a rare combination of technical rigor and humanity to financial planning—meeting clients not just where the numbers are, but where their values, fears, ambitions, and life transitions live.

Together, we unpack what equity compensation really means, why money decisions are never “just spreadsheets,” and how true wealth is ultimately about freedom, clarity, and choice.

This conversation is especially relevant for tech executives navigating RSUs, ISOs, IPOs, job transitions, or the question many silently ask: “What is all this money actually for?”

Important Disclosures:
Jackie Lewis and Ryan Goldenhar offer investment advisory services through Mariner Platform Solutions, LLC (“MPS”), an SEC-registered investment adviser. Wealth With Options and MPS are separate, unaffiliated entities. For additional information about MPS, including fees and services, please refer to Form ADV Part 2A, which is available on the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website (www.adviserinfo.sec.gov). Registration of an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training.

This podcast episode includes statements by Tina Powell of Intention.ly. Intention.ly is a marketing firm that is compensated by Wealth With Options to provide marketing and related services. This compensation creates a conflict of interest, as Intention.ly has a financial incentive to promote Wealth With Options and its services. Statements made by Intention.ly should not be construed as independent or unbiased. This endorsement is not a guarantee of future results or client experience.

Discussion of careers in technology companies and equity-based compensation, including stock options, is provided for general informational purposes only. Stock options and other forms of equity compensation do not guarantee wealth creation. Outcomes vary significantly based on company performance, market conditions, vesting terms, concentration risk, tax considerations, and individual circumstances.

Any examples or scenarios discussed are illustrative only and should not be interpreted as indicative of typical or expected results. Nothing discussed should be construed as individualized investment, tax, legal, or employment advice, or as a recommendation to pursue any particular employment or compensation structure. Any opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice.

There is no assurance that any investment, plan, or strategy will be successful. Investing involves risk

🤩 Thanks for listening, we appreciate your support and 5-star reviews of our show!!!

❤️ Please follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/inthesuitepod/

📧 Want to get in touch? Email me at tina@growintentionally.com


Tina Powell:

Hey everyone, before we jump into today's episode, I need to put something on your radar, the CMO collective at Future Proof citywide, coming to Miami Beach, march 8 to 11, 2026 if AI has turned your marketing into a moving target, you're in the right company. That's exactly why the CMO collective exists. It's where the sharpest marketers and the most forward thinking leaders in wealth and fintech gather to trade real insights, pressure test ideas and leave with a plan that's actually executable, and yes, tickets are 100% free for qualified CMOS at financial advisory firms. So join me in Miami, connect with the brightest marketers in the industry, and walk away with quick wins you can put into play immediately. And one more thing, we're hosting an invitation only event on Monday, March 9, at

11:

30am at the iconic Versace Mansion, last year's event was completely sold out. So if you want a shot at the guest list, please reach out to me directly at Tina at grow intentionally.com now let's get into this episode.

Unknown:

On this week's episode of In the suite with Tina Powell.

Ryan Goldenhar:

That's the wonderful thing about money. It can be a complicated topic, because it ties into our feelings a lot. It's not just like Jackie said, it's not just the spreadsheet, it's that, how do you want to use this tool, money to advance the things that are most important to you? But the first part is really understanding yourself. Once you know what's most important to you, then that's your North Star. That's our North Star. You Tina,

Tina Powell:

hi. This is Tina Powell, host of in the suite where I sit down with top women leaders and some of the biggest names in the financial services and the wealth management industry, together, we'll discover some of their best secrets and top strategies to grow great business, build a strong brand and lead teams in the 21st Century. I hope you'll enjoy hearing their amazing personal stories of triumph, trepidation and transformation in hopes of becoming better leaders ourselves the time for you to lead is now, and you're in the suite. Today, I'm excited to introduce two professionals who are changing the way tech executives think about equity, wealth and the emotional roller coaster that comes with it. Meet that powerhouse duo behind wealth with options, Jackie Lewis and Ryan Goldenhar, based in beautiful San Diego, California, serving tech professionals across the US. Four years ago, Jackie and Ryan built a firm with one mission, to help tech professionals actually understand, optimize and own their equity compensation, without the guesswork, without the anxiety, or without the I hope this is right mentality. That's because Jackie brings the rare combination of deep financial planning expertise and a gift for translating equity compensation like it's written in plain English. She's the advisor who turns complexity into clarity and gives tech professionals the confidence to make smart decisions at Pivotal career moments. Jackie is also a Certified Financial Planner with an MBA from San Diego State University, California State University, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Hawaii. Ryan brings that private bank rigor and com perspective directly to the tech community. He spent over a decade managing wealth for ultra affluent families, navigating every market cycle imaginable, and understands firsthand that money decisions aren't just numbers, they're emotional. Ryan is also a Certified Financial Planner and a Certified Financial Analyst with a master's from University of Southern California and a bachelor's from California State University. Together, Jackie and Ryan combined deep technical expertise with a grounded understanding of real life, career transitions, market swings, tax traps and the pivotal decisions that shape their client's future. But that's not all together. They're schooling me on a topic every tech professional needs to understand the biggest tax mistakes executives make with their equity and how to avoid them before they become costly. So if you're a tech or an inspiring tech professional swimming in RSUs ISOs, preparing for an IPO, evaluating a new job offer, or bracing for a complex tax event, this episode is. Is absolutely for you, and get ready to see your equity in an entirely new light in the suite. Wow. Jackie Lewis and Ryan Goldenhar, take a seat in the suite. It's so great to see you both here today. I I have been looking forward to this conversation. Thanks so much for making the time.

Ryan Goldenhar:

Well, happy to be here

Jackie Lewis:

Delighted.

Tina Powell:

Well, so the reason why I invited you today is to talk about something that touches everyone, including myself, and that is money. You are the co founders of wealth with options. You're a San Diego based firm that helps technology professionals make sense of equity compensation and life transitions. This is perfect for our listening audience. But what I also love about both of you, Jackie and Ryan, it's not just your technical expertise, it's your humanity and your belief that money should serve your values and not will your life. I think it's something that we don't necessarily talk about enough. So thanks again for joining us today.

Ryan Goldenhar:

Yeah, thanks for having us.

Jackie Lewis:

Yeah, happy to be here.

Tina Powell:

So let's start. I am also too in marketing, and I love your firm's name, wealth with options. It's simple, it's confident, it's full of meaning. How did you guys come up with it? And how did you like both together, combine your personalities to fit the name? Yeah.

Jackie Lewis:

I mean, when we first kind of started engaging with what is now, kind of our clients, our client base, our niche, which is really, you know, working with tech execs with their equity compensation, we're always talking about options, you know, all kinds of different options, and so, you know, really incorporating that into our name meant a lot to us, because so many of our clients have built their wealth on their options. We also have a lot of clients that with wealth provides a lot of flexibility, ie, options. So it's kind of a wordplay as well, but we really liked it. It really didn't take us that long to come up with it. And so we we kind of just threw ourselves into it 100% and absolutely love the name.

Tina Powell:

I love that. Hey, Ryan, were you surprised that the URL was available?

Ryan Goldenhar:

Well, we had to buy that one the wealth with options.com. It was and it was worth buying to make sure that we had it so somebody made a claim to it early, but we got to it later.

Tina Powell:

Good, good, good for you. Well, when did you realize, because working with tech professionals is definitely a niche, when did you realize that you wanted to work with tech professionals. And what do you think is about this community that makes it feel like special and different to you?

Jackie Lewis:

You know, we kind of stumbled upon it. We started working with some clients that were tech execs, and we really, kind of were fascinated by that whole piece of it. And so really, kind of took it upon ourselves to learn more about it, to really take a deep dive into it. And we really enjoy working with these types of clients. They're super smart, very engaged, you know, really want to be a part of the decision making. Know what the options are, and so we've we just really enjoy working with these types of clients because of that?

Tina Powell:

Yeah, Ryan, is there anything that you want to add? I guess, from a demographics perspective, this is definitely a smart, smart group. Are these mostly millennials.

Ryan Goldenhar:

They are millennials. They're often even Gen X, so and now coming into the workforce the Gen Z. So they're coming into these offers of equity compensation, so they have a salary, they have a bonus, but then they also have this piece that's the most mystifying is they get some incentive stock options, or non qualified stock options or restricted stock units, and their companies can't tell them what to do with any of this stuff. They say, Hey, this is a great little feature of our company. And then figure it out. And a lot of them, they have a mind for a lot of things, but the money aspect and what this equity might mean to them that's not either something of interest or something they want to learn more about, so they want some coaching, some guidance and some help to turn that into something that's more meaningful for them, for their goals,

Tina Powell:

that's pretty interesting. And how do you work with clients? Because you're based in beautiful San Diego, is it mostly virtual, or is it in person, or both?

Jackie Lewis:

It's primarily just like we're doing now. Zoom, right? Yeah. So a lot of video chats. A lot of our clients, they may not live in San Diego. In fact, a lot of them are, you know, throughout the country. And so this is really the best way that we have of really connecting with them. And honestly, these days, most of our clients prefer this mode of communication just because it's easy, it's convenient, it fits into their day to day activities. They're usually busy. They're working at both ends of the candle. They've got kids, families, personal life going on. So this has really worked for us. So we'll continue to. This going forward?

Tina Powell:

Yeah, Kelly and I are in the office together today, and I can tell you that a bunch of our employees are and a bunch of the team are, are here in the in the local area, but mostly everybody still prefers to work at home. There's something for me about coming to the office on Monday. I love though, how you add that flexibility and how you offer it as either options, I see that there has never been the return to work that most people want and to hop on a zoom is just so efficient with people's time.

Jackie Lewis:

Although I will say Tina that because we're in San Diego, we will see a lot of our clients. This is a vacation destination, and yeah, sometimes they'll come here for vacation, or whatever the case may be, and we'll meet him. We'll take them to dinner, we'll have coffee, you know, whatever. Sometimes they don't want to see us when they're on vacation either. So it just kind of depends. But there are a lot of people that make it here to San Diego, so that's kind of one of the perks of the location,

Tina Powell:

that is right the Coronado. Come on, yes. Let's go sign me up for the exactly, well, some of our listeners again here in the suite. One of the ideas is to offer information to expose people, especially in financial services. I feel a lot of us like, I didn't know what equity compensation was before I started working in this industry, so it's a term that even some of our listeners are hearing for the first time. So what would you say? How would we define the term equity compensation? And then a question for either one of you is that tech is now the thing. AI is everywhere. Tech is everywhere. SAS is everywhere. I see when I go into New York City. Every single week, they are changing. The outdoor billboards of different tech enabled, like I saw Claude figma, have been advertising everywhere. So I would love for also to explore during this conversation, it's next gen listeners that are deciding to join a tech company, what should they know about equity comp before they say yes to that offer? So two questions there.

Ryan Goldenhar:

No, it's great, and it's something we deal with actually, in a lot of current like first conversations. Because, to your point, these tech companies, they're often the ones that are trying to grow the fastest, and they may be the newest, and even though the companies that you were mentioning that you've seen, you know, those companies haven't been in existence forever, so companies that have been around a long time, maybe they're very profitable, and they can pay somebody a high salary and a nice bonus. They got a lot of great benefits. But these smaller tech companies that we may not have heard of today, but we may hear of in two to three years, they don't have that kind of cash around. They're trying to throw all the money possible into building their next big product or service. And so when they say to their the person they want to hire, they maybe can't compete with the very, very large company. So instead, they say, Do you want a piece of our company? Now, a lot of the of our clients have been at companies where maybe it didn't work out, and so they got a piece of the company, and that company didn't really go anywhere. So they know that it's risky, but they also know, with that higher risk that there's a great opportunity for reward. If it works out, this could be a much bigger part of their compensation than their salary or bonus, but then they have to be along for that ride and meet all the metrics that the company has, and the company loves this because it ties them in some way to the company. Now, as the company succeeds, you succeed, and the more we succeed, the more you succeed. So it aligns those incentives, but then turning it into something that's more than just that company stock is probably the challenge for those ones that do work out really well.

Tina Powell:

Yeah, that's really interesting. Jackie, what do you say to like that next gen listener or that next gen employee? Is it like if you were choosing between a tech company and a tech company that would provide equity versus like a regular job, wouldn't you always go with the tech company?

Jackie Lewis:

Well, I mean, usually when you're young, you know, this is kind of an opportunity. You have a very long runway, and so I would agree with you, Tina, I mean, I think it's a great opportunity to learn a lot of these companies are fairly small, so you learn quite a bit. And you're right. I mean, if all goes well, what a great way to build your wealth with this equity. And so, yeah, I mean, we're excited about it. There's so much going on. The community is evolving daily, as you mentioned, and it's a really exciting time to be in tech.

Tina Powell:

The Mega fortunes that are going to be created from people just doing what they love. First of all, you know, I think that's why you go work for a tech company, is because, or any company, for that matter, because you have a skill set, you have a core competency, and that you're able to put that to work and work with the dynamic group of people. And again, let's everything in SaaS right now, to me, looks very sexy. So let's talk a little bit about just some stories about money. I want to look at the macro of it. We all grew up with money stories. Some were empowering, some were limiting. Here you both are with successful careers, as in the. The Registered Investment Advisory landscape here, what were some of the messages that you heard from growing up? I know that I heard a lot of the ones that maybe are ringing in your mind as well, you know. And how does that help you think about wealth today?

Jackie Lewis:

I'll start with that one. You know, when I was growing up, my mother was a big influence. She always prioritized being independent education, being independent, independent woman. If you want to get married, great, but you need to be independent. You need to support yourself. You need to have an income stream so that you have that, that flexibility and that freedom to make as many you know, different choices you're not required to to do something that you don't have to, because with having money and having independence, it gives you flexibility and options. So that was that was a big one when I was growing up.

Tina Powell:

I like that. My mother also, too. We just had her on episode 100 and she was a guiding force, a single parent, the sole breadwinner in our family, the oldest of nine children, we had a lot of money trauma. I'll leave it at that. Ryan, how about you anything that you heard like growing up that's that kind of shaped your philosophy today? Yeah.

Ryan Goldenhar:

I mean, I learned in some other ways, probably from my family of origin, my dad, who was in the profession to some extent, when I wanted a toy as a kid, he'd say, Well, why don't you give it a day or two, and if you still want that toy, then we can go get it with my savings from allowance or things like that. And oftentimes I'd wake up two or three days later and I'd forgotten I wanted that toy. So it gets into something that we're a big fan of Morgan Housel and the writings he does, sure, doing well with money has less to do with how smart you are then, and a lot more to do with how you behave. And I think that gets to that point about that. And I saw from my parents, they had two different ways of interacting with money. My dad liked to save it and have his freedom. My mom loved to spend it on things, and so watching them and how they tried to navigate that in their situation, unsuccessfully, it says it makes me think of an estate planning concept, which we talk to our clients about getting their core estate docs, which are also important. But it's one of those things that it's if you want in estate planning and talking about your kids and how to make them financially successful, if you want your kids to understand money, make sure not to have any. And I'm not saying that that's the what I'm guiding people towards, but I think the point there is, is my example shows that is that when money isn't around, when money isn't abundant, when money isn't available, just generally in the family and it's scarce, you kind of want to understand it more. And that's what led me to doing this work is it caused me to say, How does money work? How does it influence behavior? How do we get greed and fear, and how does that all influence the decisions we make?

Tina Powell:

So now, as you both are sitting down with couples of various ages and individuals of various ages, and I'm sure same sex couples of various ages, as you observe them, has the conversation around money? Is it still uncomfortable for people, or have people kind of, have we warmed up a little a little bit,

Jackie Lewis:

yeah, a little bit a little Yeah. It's definitely a generational issue with our older clients, they're of a generation where you just didn't talk about money. You didn't talk about it with your kids. You didn't talk about it with your friends. It was, you know, hush hush. It's definitely become a little more open. We always encourage our families to communicate with each other, and, you know, sometimes help them to communicate with each other. It's a hard subject to kind of open up on, but it's so important that they do so and so we definitely have different questions and so forth that we utilize to kind of open up that discussion, because it really is important. And you know, the last thing people want is a big surprise if somebody passes away and really don't understand what to do with this. So preparation is important, and then just education. We don't really have financial literacy in our schools honestly, and so the more we can talk about it, the more we can teach, the more we can educate. You know, I think the better the outcomes of wealth.

Tina Powell:

I'm intrigued with some of the questions that you ask when you sit down with clients for the first time. Is there any question that really presents that aha moment that they're like, Wow, nobody ever asked us this question, or we never even thought about this.

Jackie Lewis:

Yeah, I, you know, I think a lot of it is just really sitting down and talking about different scenarios with them, like, maybe their goal is to have, I don't know, $10 million and so we'll have that conversation, you know. Okay, now you have $10 million what? What what are you going to do with it? What are the plans? Where do we go from here? And that kind of stops them in their tracks. And they kind of think about, what do I want to do with$10 million yes, it's a goal. Yes, it's $1 amount, but now what? And it really makes them stop and think about, okay, why am I working so hard? What is this goal going to get me to?

Tina Powell:

Hmm, well, I'm sure there's another like in you're talking about scenarios. I'm sure there's another situation that comes up repeatedly over and over again, and that is where a tech worker or a tech professional suddenly comes into wealth, whether or not it's through an IPO or whether or not it's through their equity or just like taking a big career leap all of a sudden, like I heard a story yesterday, David Chang the restaurant tour, the CEO of his company right now was an intern that started, and he was able to identify early on that she just had something. She was like a purple unicorn. Nobody else had the kind of drive that she did, and she worked her way and up and up until the company, and he's worth a lot, right? His restaurants, two or three Michelin stars. So what happens when that tech worker comes into wealth? What should their first move be?

Ryan Goldenhar:

Well, it's, it's not too dissimilar from winning the lottery. And if people have looked up online asked, chat GPT, what should I do? I've just come into $10 million chat GPT will give you some answers too. The idea is that maybe take a beat. This is a life changing event, and when you've had something that probably is the biggest amount of money you might have just seen, even if it's not real wealth yet it's kind of paper wealth that you see, valuations have changed, but it hasn't turned to cash into a checking account or savings account. Well, that would be the next step. Is like, how much should you turn into real cash and put in the checking or savings and then how does that make you feel? And when you are asking about what kind of questions do we ask? I kind of turn the apple a little bit away from the concept of a question, and really we embrace the concept of a thought exercise. So really putting somebody who that we're talking to into the mindset of some situation that maybe has already happened or maybe could happen, and seeing what would they do in that situation. So it's a thought exercise. Let's figure this out. Let's think about this and be a collaborative partner. We're not going to be prescriptive and say, well, you should do this or you shouldn't do that. It's more about if this were to happen, if all sudden, this turned into $10 million what would you do? Would you and your spouse have the same agreements about what to do with that money? And that's always interesting discussions too.

Tina Powell:

Would it be fair to assume that this generation? Look, I'm a Gen Xer. Are we impact oriented? Yeah, we're philanthropic in some ways, but I think that even some of the products that we brought up in, you know, Tom's Shoes, for example, like buy a pair of shoes and another will be donated, there seems to be more of an impact or philanthropy component that charitable mindset that our generation didn't necessarily have. So how do you help people see that is that becoming part of the discussions around money, impact, freedom, independence, those types of things, rather than just like, Okay, here's your net worth.

Jackie Lewis:

Oh, absolutely. And it's, it's interesting, because a lot of times when we first start working with clients, they don't necessarily have a goal, you know, we'll talk about, you know, what are your goals? And they have to really stop and think about it, because it's not, it's not something that they've really spent any time on. I mean, everybody's just working really hard, trying to build wealth, but not really understanding the why behind it, like, where is this going? Why am I spending so much time away from my family and my kids and so forth, trying to build this, this pot of money, but why? And so really slowing down to think about that is a great thought exercise. And so a lot of our conversations aren't necessarily about analytics and logistics. It's really about what's important to me. How do I spend my money, where my values are, and what does that look like, and so really interesting conversations. That's some of the best conversations. I love those. Those have much more meaning than the mathematical issues that we come up with.

Tina Powell:

And I should also mention right now, ladies and gentlemen, that both Jackie and Ryan are certified financial planners, so you're really helping to help people to make a thorough plan around their money, estate tax, all of those things combined. Let's take a moment to talk about your growth if you're in financial services and wondering how to move the needle on metrics that truly matter, pipeline, revenue and profitability, you need a marketing agency partner who gets it and intentionally, we're not just any marketing agency. We are the go to growth consultancy for fintechs, reas, custodians, broker dealers and asset managers, our team of cross functional growth specialists work seamlessly across your firm to accelerate results. Ready to get intentional? Email me at Tina at grow intentionally.com for complimentary strategy call that starts transforming your growth engine today. Okay, now let's get back to the conversation. So you know, going back to this idea that money should have a purpose, what does that look like in in real life? And again, I think that intersects a Certified Financial Planner, because the way that I saw it exercised in wealth management was through the creation of different vehicles, like a foundation, for example. How do you help people to have that purpose with their money?

Ryan Goldenhar:

Yeah, I mean, if I could take that one, Jackie. I mean, both Jackie and I are are on boards for charities, so we're both very philanthropic on a personal, professional level. And you know, we'll encounter the spectrum of charitable inclination with clients. We have some that just love to give to charity, almost to an extreme. And then we have some clients that charity is just not on their radar yet, but they see that their wealth, to the extent that they have extra funds, could be used to empower missions that inspire them philanthropically to help their communities where they see problems. So that's the wonderful thing about money. It can be a complicated topic, because it ties into our feelings a lot. It's not just like Jackie said, it's not just the spreadsheet, it's that, how do you want to use this tool, money to advance the things that are most important to you? But the first part is really understanding yourself. Once you know what's most important to you, then that's your North Star. That's our North Star together to figure out, how do we want to get you closer to that? Could be buying your first home. It could be having retirement, not having to work any longer, whatever that is. It's about putting a number to that, and then what does it take to get there? And a lot of that is a long term journey of behavioral coaching. You know, it's nice to have a one time plan, but a lot of times when you have that one time plan just goes in the drawer and you never look at it again. So you kind of need someone to tap tap and kind of hold you accountable. Coach to say, Oh, you said you wanted this. Maybe you don't want it anymore, but if you still want it, what do we now need to do today to continue to move towards that?

Tina Powell:

Yeah, I really love that. I love this whole idea of just philanthropy and charity, whether or not that's through a donor advised fund or foundation that they set up. Jackie, I know that you've seen your clients create something really meaningful. Again, maybe it's around funding a scholarship, starting a foundation like Ryan was saying, really get you both are on boards, which I think is admirable, by the way, well done. Well done, helping somebody in need. What moves you most about those movements?

Jackie Lewis:

I love it when our clients give for good, right? I mean, it's all, you know, they all have their own kind of passions with regards to which charity and so forth. I mean, honestly, some of it's tax driven, but,

Tina Powell:

yeah, right, correct, correct. That's, that's being. I love that you mentioned that. I think that's being really, I think that's being really a real honest, yeah, yeah. And it's okay,

Jackie Lewis:

it's a win, win, right? Yeah, buddy. But you know, I love it when they they just really appreciate what they have built with regards to their wealth, and that they're just grateful for it, which kind of leads to this generosity. So it's wonderful. It's wonderful to have these types of clients that really do love to give. And there's all kinds of different ways. So we'll walk through, you know, what are the various options that are out there, but just, you know, giving away their money for such needed, you know, organizations and so forth. I love it. It's one of the best parts of the

Tina Powell:

job that's amazing. And is there one single conversation around money that every couple or family should have, but that they have they they tend to avoid?

Jackie Lewis:

So yeah, I was gonna say, I'll start but budget. Word budget, I've never met a couple that is on the same page with the budget. And so to just try anything, get ahead of it, and kind of really try to understand, you know, how, how can we make sure that we're not spending more than the funds that are coming in, and what do we want to do with this? And what are we setting aside? And it's not always just one conversation. These these conversations progress, and then they change, right? You learn how to pivot, but really just understanding, you know, what are we doing with the funds coming in? And let's figure out how those are going to go out. And let's compromise. Let's talk about it. Communicate, communicate, communicate.

Tina Powell:

Has budgeting gotten easier, you guys? Because, again, I know that you've been in the profession for a very long time. You both have big banking experience as well, too. Has budget gotten easier? Become easier? Because now everything is, like, attached to our phone.

Jackie Lewis:

There are some wonderful budgeting apps out there, and I think one of the best things about them is they'll set up things automatically. So you know, whether it's, you know, we always kind of say, you know, pay yourself first, and so making sure, once that paycheck comes in, some's going to your savings, some is going into a retirement account, it just automatically happens, and then you can spend whatever's left. But I love that it's really helping folks to pay themselves first.

Tina Powell:

Yeah, that's one of the immutable laws about about money. Okay, so Ryan, a question for you is, what do you think that most people often misunderstand about true wealth? Again, speaking directly with tech entrepreneurs, if you were lucky and you were got on the meta or Google or Salesforce rocket ship, years, years back, lucky for you, especially if you're listening in the suite here, fantastic move. Congratulations. But what do you think most people often misunderstand about true wealth?

Ryan Goldenhar:

Yeah, I think true wealth is sometimes the what you can't see. It's not the big car, it's not the big house, it's not all of those things. I mean, the fastest way to have less money is to show how much money you have. And so I think, and this is from Morgan Housel, again, is that he says the highest time is the greatest dividend that money can provide, in sense that you can control your time. What do you want to do with it? I mean, a lot of people have other dreams than just working 80 hour weeks for, you know, months, years on end. And that's what we find from a lot of our tech execs is that they may love the work, they're inspired by the work, but it's burning them out, and they can't wait to figure out what's when's my time to stop all of this, to get off the hamster wheel, to relax, focus on other things. Maybe it's philanthropy, maybe it's their family, whatever it might be, and help focus on that. So turning money into that ability to control your time is probably one of the things that we find as a common theme.

Tina Powell:

See, I love that answer. So if we can go back to our younger selves and teach one lesson about money or self worth, what would it be and why? That's a question for each of you your younger

Jackie Lewis:

self, yeah, pretty simple, start early and save often. Again, you know, the earlier you can start and totally leverage compounding, and you know, interest and you know, it's baby steps. It's just baby steps. But starting, starting as soon as you can. And again, you know, as often as possible, putting putting money away and and it back in when I was my younger self, I wish you would have bought more real estate.

Tina Powell:

Real estate. Yeah, interesting. I wish that I would, would have worked for a public company early in my career and started that 401 K in my 20s, yeah, and not touched it. I did. My kids did, right? One had a 401 K. I, and one has a, 403 B. So I was like, Okay, if, at least if I can't do it, they can do it. That's right. So, so proud of them. So, so proud of them. I'm living vicariously through them. Ryan, what would you say to your younger self?

Ryan Goldenhar:

Yeah, and I agree. The the power of time and compounding. The sooner you start, the better and the bigger your wealth will be in the future. But one of the things that I would tell my former self, and even today, at my current age, you know, midlife crisis is a thing, and when you get to certain ages, you recognize the more totality of things, for sure, not just mortality, but also the totality of things, in the sense that I wouldn't have recognized when I was younger, what True happiness in life would be of having great relationships with your kids and your spouse and your community and giving of yourself, you know, to the community, like serving on a board and things of that nature, that those are things that you can't measure in dollars and cents. There's not a number assigned to these things, like, how healthy is your is your relationship with your spouse and your family and whatnot? There's no number. So what often in especially in our very ambition driven society, the thing that's easiest, and I fall into these traps too, is saying I'm going to measure my self worth based on how big the number is on my investment statement, or when I log into my app and look at how big that number is. That is one metric of success, but it's certainly not the only metric of success. But if I can use that one metric of success, the number on my app, to facilitate the success on the others that you can't measure as easily, then I think that brings more happiness for most people.

Tina Powell:

Those are great answers both of you. What's the best way for people to get in touch with you before our last question?

Jackie Lewis:

Oh gosh, phone, text, email. So I'm jackie@wwoptions.com and Ryan is ryan@wwoptions.com email is probably the best for both of us.

Tina Powell:

Okay, awesome. Hey, ladies gentlemen, I'll make sure that we have a link in the show to both Ryan and Jackie the last question that we're asking in and I used to change this the last question each season, but now it's it's a question for it's a forever question because it's deeply personal. And so what we're asking is, is there a health or a wellness tip that you enjoy, that you want to share with our audience? Jackie, let's start with you, your biggest health and wellness.

Jackie Lewis:

Step, yeah, stay active period. Just stay active. My, you know, my 90 year old parents walk every day. They are staying active. And I think that's really helped them to continue to be, you know, physically, mentally well, and, you know, live independently. And so it's just one of those. Things, and I do it myself. I'm a big orange theory fan, so had to try to start every day being active in some way or other.

Tina Powell:

I love that past orange theory member, splat points, go, go. Jackie Ryan, what is it for you?

Ryan Goldenhar:

Yeah, I agree. Health is wealth, and I mean, for me, having a personal trainer is probably one of the biggest luxuries that most people most people can have. For me, it holds me accountable, and I need sometimes that stick of sometimes I've had a long day. I'm not feeling like I want to work out, but I since I have it calendared, and if I it's 24 hours to my next workout, I can't just cancel so I have to go. But I always find that I feel better afterwards, and my trainer is going to push me harder than I'm going to push myself with more weights, more reps, more muscle groups, and over time, those things like money can't compound, but I feel like that's what I would be missing if I did it, the low, less expensive way of just going to a 24 hour fitness kind of place I might not go very much, but because I have a trainer who's waiting for me, and he's going to be there, whether I pay him or not, I'm going to have to show up and do my work. And so for me, that leads to a feeling better every day. And who doesn't want that?

Tina Powell:

That's really good, some really amazing advice today, and I love that you're both so smart and relatable. And I think that, you know, today's landscape, especially for tech entrepreneurs and professionals, really gives them a whole host of options. Your Word over there, options, ways to exercise philanthropy, giving back and, you know, cultivating a meaningful life. So great work. You guys. Thank you so much for joining us in the suite. Very appreciative that you made the time here and again. Ladies and gentlemen, for everybody listening, I'll have a link in the show notes if you want to contact and connect directly with Ryan and Jackie. Thank you so so much.

Jackie Lewis:

Thanks. Tina,

Ryan Goldenhar:

yeah, it's great.

Tina Powell:

You're listening to in the suite, the podcast that brings you inspiring stories of women leading the way in financial services and wealth management, along with the men who champion and empower them. Our producers are Tina Powell and Kevin Hirshhorn. Our editor at large is Kevin Hirshhorn. Our content writer is Tina Powell. This podcast is sponsored by intentionally a growth design consultancy working with FinTech and FinServ companies to turbo charge their marketing efforts. If you want more information, please email me at Tina, at grow intentionally.com, and thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much for listening. It means the world to me. We've got listeners in over 129 countries and 1872 cities worldwide, including la Philly and New York. Please consider giving us a five star review on Apple or Spotify you guys. It would mean the world to me, and it would help us to be found by more people please. I would also love to connect on LinkedIn and have you follow in the suite pod on Instagram. Thank you again. So much for listening and subscribing.

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