I came into financial planning at 40 after spending years as a high-end carpenter building custom furniture for architects. I loved the work. Precision, craftsmanship, building something meant to last. But I kept seeing the same pattern repeat itself with people I knew. Business owners and families are working their tails off, making good money, and still somehow losing ground. Not because they weren't smart. Nobody ever took the time to explain how money actually works or what strategies existed to protect it. That frustration eventually turned into a decision. I earned my licenses, learned the tax code inside and out, and built Spellman Capital Strategies to solve the problems I kept watching people struggle with.
That drive to help people didn't come out of nowhere. I grew up in Henderson, Minnesota, in a small Irish farming community called Jessenland Township. My dad drove cement trucks for 35 years, 60 miles each way to St. Paul and back every single day. Proud Teamster. Before that, our family worked the land until the farm crisis in the 1980s forced us out. I watched my parents lose the farm and then rebuild from scratch. That experience taught me something I think about every day: working hard isn't enough if you don't have a plan to protect what you've built. You can do everything right and still get blindsided if you don't understand how the systems work.
That's exactly why I do what I do now. Most of the people I work with are business owners facing major tax events. They're selling a business, selling property, approaching retirement, or staring down a capital gains bill that could cost them hundreds of thousands if they don't plan ahead. I coordinate with their CPA and attorney to design strategies that lower that tax burden and position them for long-term success. My fees are always transparent, either as part of the planning process or through commissions on the products we implement. What I bring is the ability to take complex financial decisions and explain them in a way that actually makes sense, so clients can move forward with confidence instead of confusion.
A friend in the business once told me, "Be genuinely interested in the people you serve." That advice completely changed how I approach this work. What fascinates me isn't just the technical side, although I love figuring out tax strategies. It's the people and their stories. What drives them, what keeps them up at night, and what they actually want their money to accomplish. When you understand that human side, you can build plans that reflect who they are, not just what they have. And when someone realizes there are options they didn't know existed, when you can replace worry with a clear path forward, that's what makes this work matter.
Outside of the office, my wife and I spend a lot of time exploring South Texas. Weekend drives through the Hill Country, live music, small town festivals, and kayaking the rivers. We're always finding new places and meeting the people who give this state its character. Those moments remind me why balance matters. You work hard so you can enjoy life, not the other way around. Even after years down here, I still carry Minnesota with me. Faith, family, hard work. Those things shaped who I am, and they show up in how I help clients plan their financial future. Work hard, plan smart, and protect what matters most.