What if the real path to a “rich life” has little to do with income, markets, or spreadsheets and everything to do with how clearly you define the life you actually want to live?

In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka sits down with Dan Pascone, founder of Tailored Wealth, to explore a planning philosophy built not around products or predictions, but around purpose, intentionality, and a deeply personalized definition of success.

Dan shares his journey from corporate executive to advisor and business owner, and how his own experiences shaped the unique model his firm uses today. You’ll hear why every great plan begins with clarity, why no two financial lives should ever look the same, and how executives and business owners can build freedom long before retirement ever arrives. Dan also introduces his hybrid-retirement framework, the power of tax-diversification, and why the right planning process helps people regain time, direction, and peace of mind.

💡 In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

• Why defining your “rich life” changes every financial decision

• How proactive planning creates clarity for busy executives and business owners

• Why hybrid retirement is becoming the new path to freedom

• The role of tax diversification in long-term planning

• How structure, process, and values shape better financial choices

• Why learning and rethinking is essential for lasting confidence

👤 About Dan Pascone

Dan Pascone is the founder of Tailored Wealth, where he helps high-achieving professionals and business owners design and live their version of a rich life. His work blends thoughtful planning, long-term partnership, and a people-first approach grounded in purpose, clarity, and stewardship.

Connect With Dan Pascone

📍 Location: Fairfield, Connecticut

🌐 Website: https://yourtailoredwealth.com

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danpascone/

📞 Contact: (860) 202-7102

🎧 About the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast

Make Life Less Taxing is dedicated to helping people build freedom, clarity, and purpose through grounded, meaningful conversations—not hype, not products, just wisdom that helps you live more intentionally.

🌐 More Episodes: https://makelifelesstaxingpodcast.com

📥 Be a Guest: https://makelifelesstaxingpodcast.com/apply

#MakeLifeLessTaxing #RichLifeMindset #FinancialClarity #PurposeDrivenPlanning #ExecutiveLife #BusinessOwnerWisdom #WealthPerspective #HybridRetirement #Stewardship #FinancialWellness #AdvisorInsights

What if the real struggle in business and life isn’t strategy, motivation, or even circumstances but the identity quietly steering every decision you make?

In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka continues the foundational Keep What Is Yours & Break Free series by exploring the deeper operating system beneath every habit, breakthrough, and burnout: identity. Not the identity the industry assigns you. Not the one you perform for clients. But the one shaped long before your career began often in childhood, in pressure, in wounds, or in moments you didn’t yet have language for.

Daniel shares the defining story from his own nine-year-old world, a moment of abandonment that installed a “red world identity” built on survival, self-protection, and carrying everything alone. And he explains why so many high-achieving advisors live with that same unseen operating system driving them to overwork, isolation, exhaustion, and quiet burnout.

This episode invites you into a different way of being: the steward identity. An identity rooted in truth, calling, and God-given purpose one that leads to clarity, peace, and sustainable success.

If you’ve ever felt pressure to perform, carry it all yourself, or grind your way to worthiness, this conversation will meet you right where you are.

Make Life Less Taxing exists to help you build freedom, clarity, and purpose not through hype or products, but through grounded conversations that help you live with intention.

🌐 More Episodes: https://makelifelesstaxingpodcast.com

📥 Be a Guest: https://makelifelesstaxingpodcast.com/apply

#MakeLifeLessTaxing #Identity #Stewardship #LeadershipMindset #AdvisorLife #FaithAndWork #BreakfreeMovement

What if the real path to wealth isn’t found in market charts or product conversations but in the overlooked tax decisions most people never get taught decisions that quietly determine whether your money grows or slips away?

In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka sits down with Mario Payne Army veteran, Certified Financial Planner, business owner, and founder of Thomas Financial—to explore a tax-first philosophy that is reshaping how families build clarity, confidence, and long-term freedom.

Mario shares the remarkable journey that led him from military service to becoming a nationally recognized advisor, including the life-changing moment overseas that deepened his faith and clarified his mission to help families steward their resources with wisdom and purpose. He explains why taxes often represent the greatest hidden barrier to wealth, how real estate can change the financial equation, and why the story behind someone’s goals often matters more than spreadsheets or projections.

💡 In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

• Why taxes not investments are often the biggest obstacle to long-term wealth

• How real estate can reshape a financial plan and reduce unnecessary tax pressure

• Why storytelling builds more clarity than charts or industry jargon

• The difference between reactive tax filing and proactive tax strategy

• How faith, stewardship, and perspective influence the way people make financial decisions

• Why a tax-first approach creates more long-term freedom for W-2 earners and business owners

• The mindset shift required to move from information to intentional action

👤 About Mario Payne

Mario Payne is an Army veteran, Certified Financial Planner, and founder of Thomas Financial. Known for his tax-first approach and commitment to stewardship, Mario helps families and business owners reduce unnecessary tax drag, build durable wealth, and make decisions rooted in clarity, purpose, and long-term peace of mind. Connect With Mario Payne

📍 Location: Jacksonville, Florida

🌐 Website: https://toamsfinancial.com/

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toamsfinancial/

🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TOAMSFinancial/

📞 Contact: 904-733-5321

🎧 About the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast

Make Life Less Taxing is a show dedicated to helping people build freedom, clarity, and purpose in every part of their financial life. No hype. No product talk. Just real conversations that help you think differently and live more intentionally.

🌐 More Episodes: https://makelifelesstaxingpodcast.com

📥 Be a Guest: https://makelifelesstaxingpodcast.com/apply

#MakeLifeLessTaxing #TaxFirstPlanning #WealthMindset #AdvisorInsights #FinancialStewardship #FaithAndFinance #BusinessOwnerWisdom #RealEstateStrategy #TaxStrategy #WealthBuilding #FinancialClarity #PurposeDrivenWealth