.png)
For the opening day of TFA Exchange 2025, I took the stage to close the day with a straight question: When was the best time to be in this business? My answer: now. I started in 1982 when the Dow was 801—since then, nearly all of its rise has unfolded before us, proof of what informed, steady action can do.
Yet families are still trapped between low‑yield savings and high‑rate debt, which is why leaders who put education first and serve when asked are more vital than ever. This is our industry’s leap from clunky to seamless—from pushing products to streaming clarity toward every household. And that’s exactly where I took the room next: back to the moment Apple rewired an industry.
When Steve Jobs said “1,000 songs in your pocket.” in 2001, he didn’t just sell a device—he rewired an industry. By 2020, it became 60 million songs on your wrist. Today you don’t carry music; it follows you. Apple Music’s catalog has passed 120 million tracks—120,000x the original iPod promise. That’s distribution without friction—and impact without limits.
That’s where WealthWave is, right now. We’re doing to financial confusion what Apple did to music clutter. We’re moving the world from “carrying” bits and pieces of advice to streaming clear education, on‑demand, to anyone who asks.
And the timing couldn’t be better. The Dow just closed above 47,000 for the first time ever—proof that Americans can build wealth if they’re prepared, educated, and invested for the long haul.
Tell it like it is: people are quietly going broke, not for lack of work ethic, but for lack of financial literacy.
Not death. Not taxes. Running out of money.
This is why we exist: we don’t just help people save—we give them their future back.
The Great Wealth Transfer has begun:
This isn’t just a money shift—it’s a mindset shift. Without education, much of that wealth will evaporate as quickly as it arrives. Our education‑first, serve‑when‑asked approach meets this wave head‑on.
Time isn’t just money. It’s compound money.
We’re not in product pushing. We’re in financial education with a mission. We help people go from customer to client—from being sold something to being served as someone. Vanguard’s research shows that working with a licensed professional can add as much as ~3% per year in portfolio value—a real advantage, year after year.
A customer is a sale. A client is a responsibility. That’s been my belief from day one.
Responsibility is the brand. Education is the method. Service is the outcome.
1) Start every relationship with the Financial Literacy Quiz (FLQ).
Point people to TakeTheFLQ.com. Use it to set a baseline, reveal blind spots, and open the door to serving when asked. Then teach—from TheMoneyBooks to your own workshops—so people move toward action with confidence.
2) Map the money.
Find the lost and forgotten accounts. That $1.7 trillion across 29 million old 401(k)s is not abstract; it’s your next 90 days of impact. Show families how to consolidate, allocate, and align with their goals.
3) Rescue households from low‑yield traps.
Explain the math plainly: 0.40% in a savings account vs 22% on a card is a wealth transfer from the family to the bank. Build debt‑payoff timelines and emergency‑fund targets; then show how disciplined investing harnesses compound growth.
4) Focus on women and next‑gen heirs.
Design events for them. Teach cash‑flow control, investing basics, and legacy planning. The money—and the decisions—are shifting in their direction.
5) Make the Rule of 72 your everyday visual.
Every client. Every team meeting. Show doubling times at different rates and the cost of delay. Use examples until they know them cold.
6) Be a full‑service professional.
If you’re half licensed, you can only help halfway. All the licenses is the standard: SIE, Series 6, 63, 65, plus life & health. Get all‑in so you can truly serve.
7) Keep score on impact, not just production.
Track: FLQs completed, households educated, old accounts recovered, debt plans started, families moved from customer to client. Share the scoreboard weekly. “What gets measured gets improved.”
The rise of the stock market over my career shows what informed Americans can do over time. But too many still miss it—saving too little, borrowing too much, and waiting too long.
When a company tells a simple, powerful story like “1,000 songs in your pocket,” it cuts through complexity and becomes memorable. Later, when they shift to “60 million songs on your wrist,” they’re not just selling a bigger number—they’re selling a new behavior and a new expectation.
For financial education (which we live and breathe), this is a reminder: simple, powerful messaging + evolving story = long-term influence.
We used to carry records, tapes, and CDs. Clunky. Limited. Then came the iPod. Now, streaming. Financial education is moving the same way—from occasional, sales‑driven meetings to continuous, on‑demand learning that empowers families. Apple changed music. We’re changing money. The need is bigger. The stakes are higher. And the impact is life‑changing.
Financial literacy is a human right. Our job is to deliver it—education first, serve when asked—until financial illiteracy is a relic.
Let’s go all‑in, get fully equipped, and change the world one person at a time.
Let’s take responsibility—today.
Tom Mathews
.png)
.png)
