With over 35 years as a trusted financial advisor and a lifetime of mentoring leaders, Mike McVicker brings more than professional acumen to this heartfelt book—he brings lived wisdom. In The Torch We Carry, McVicker distills decades of coaching, parenting, and soul-searching into bite-sized stories that illuminate timeless principles. Drawing on Biblical truths, personal challenges, and boardroom experience, he presents a deeply reflective guide on gratitude, legacy, and intentional living. Whether you’re leading a team or raising one, these narrative-driven lessons will sharpen your character and deepen your impact. For anyone navigating the tension between success and significance, this is the roadmap you didn’t know you needed.

Mike is the husband of one amazing wife, dad to five incredible kids, and proud grandfather of six and counting. The son of two schoolteachers and the youngest of four, he learned early on the value of steady love and quiet wisdom.

By age 28, Mike had moved 28 times-a journey that taught him to hold things loosely and people tightly. Over his 40-year career, he's found fulfillment in launching three things that continue to thrive today: a boutique financial consulting firm, Freedom Wealth Advisors; Cornerstone Church in Ames, Iowa; and a campus ministry called The Salt Company.

Mike lost his dad at 32, but the impact of his life-and his example-has never left him. This book is Mike's way of passing on the lessons that shaped him, hoping they'll do the same for others.