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

Most people don’t struggle financially because they lack work ethic. They struggle because no one ever showed them how money actually works—how it grows, how it leaks, and how quickly it can slip through your hands when life feels expensive and uncertain.

For many families, the story is the same: work harder, save when you can, hope the market behaves, and try not to make a mistake big enough to derail the future. But beneath that surface is the quiet fear almost everyone carries…

Will we have enough? And will it last?

In today’s conversation, Brook DeVincenzi brings a refreshing, grounded, deeply human voice to these questions. His journey from mechanic, to real estate brokerage owner, to the founder of The Prosperity Multiplier reveals what happens when someone chooses purpose over transactions and stewardship over autopilot.

Brook has seen both sides of the financial journey: families who worry they’ll outlive their savings, and those who’ve done well but aren’t sure how to preserve or pass on what they’ve built. His message is simple: money should serve you, not the other way around, and with the right principles not products everyday people can access strategies long used by institutions and ultra-wealthy families.

This episode is for anyone who wants clearer thinking, deeper confidence, and a more intentional path toward freedom, stability, and legacy.

💡 What You’ll Learn

Why most people operate in a “save and spend” cycle and how to break it

The hidden mindset shift that separates transactional living from transformational planning

How the Prosperity Multiplier began, and why it’s resonating with families across the country

Why living below your means is only the starting point

The real fear behind retirement planning (and why it’s so common)

How seemingly small decisions compound into multi-generational impact

The principle of dual-purposing your dollars

Why market volatility quietly erodes more wealth than people realize

What it means to become a steward not a survivor of your financial life

The emotional, not just mathematical, side of financial overwhelm

Brook De Vincenzi is the founder of The Prosperity Multiplier, a faith-driven, principle-centered approach to helping families build more stability, more clarity, and a more intentional financial future. His journey spans three careers automotive, real estate, and now personal financial strategy grounded in a passion for teaching, simplifying, and helping people move from transactional thinking to transformational outcomes.

After decades of working with families, business owners, and individuals across major life transitions, Brook understands the pressures people face: rising costs, tax uncertainty, market volatility, and the quiet fear of outliving what they’ve set aside. He brings a calm, educational, deeply relational approach to helping clients steward their resources, build durable financial foundations, and design legacies rooted in wisdom and purpose.

🔗 Connect With Brook De Vincenzi

🌐 Website: https://prosperitymultiplier.com/

📞 Phone: 916-847-5356

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.

Website: https://makelifelesstaxingpodcast.com

Apply to be a guest: https://makelifelesstaxingpodcast.com/apply

#FinancialStewardship #WealthMindset #LegacyPlanning #FinancialLeadership #ProsperityMultiplier #MoneyHabits #WealthClarity #PurposeDrivenWealth #MakeLifeLessTaxing #FinancialFreedom #Stewardship #WealthWisdom #MoneyManagement #GenerationalWealth

Most people don’t struggle with money because they’re irresponsible or unwilling to plan. They struggle because no one ever showed them how to think about money how it moves, why it creates pressure, and why financial stress often comes from uncertainty far more than it comes from actual numbers.

For many entrepreneurs and families, the pattern is familiar: work hard, try to save when life allows, hope the economy cooperates, avoid making the wrong move, and pray that “someday” things will feel more stable. Yet behind the bank accounts and balance sheets sits a quiet tension many people never say out loud:

“Why does this still feel fragile… and what am I missing?”

In today’s conversation, Michael Hession, founder of The Perfect Asset, brings a deeply humble, honest, and experience-shaped perspective to that tension. His story building a business from scratch, losing almost everything in 2008, and rebuilding with intention reveals what happens when money becomes less about chasing returns and more about structure, clarity, and control.

Michael has walked through seasons many entrepreneurs recognize: burnout, pressure, debt cycles, unexpected volatility, and the unsettling realization that “doing all the right things” doesn't always lead to security. His message is simple but grounding:

Financial strength begins with a solid foundation—one built on liquidity, stewardship, and the ability to remain steady when life gets unpredictable.

This episode is for anyone who wants more peace, more clarity, and a healthier relationship with money without complexity, overwhelm, or fear.

💡 What You’ll Learn Why financial fragility often comes from uncertainty, not lack of effort

The hidden blind spots that leave many entrepreneurs vulnerable

Why so many people unknowingly build businesses with no exit

The mindset shift from accumulation to structure and stewardship

How leverage, when used wisely, creates resilience rather than risk

Why control, liquidity, and access to capital matter far more than people realize How to think more clearly about debt, opportunity, and long-term stability

Why simplicity not complexity is often the path to freedom How personal financial systems can create peace even during market chaos The role of values and purpose in long-term financial decisions

👤 About Michael Hession

Michael Hession is the founder of The Perfect Asset and a strategist who helps entrepreneurs and families build stronger financial foundations rooted in clarity, liquidity, and long-term control. After experiencing the financial collapse of 2008 firsthand, Michael reshaped his work around helping others avoid the vulnerabilities he once lived through.

Today he brings a calm, educational, relationship-centered approach to money—guiding people toward structures that create stability, opportunity, and peace of mind.

🔗 Connect With Michael

🌐 Website: https://theperfectasset.com/

🌐 Website: https://factumfinancial.com

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-r-hession/

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theperfectasset

📅 Booking Link: https://calendly.com/mhession64/22min

📘 Free Resource: “What Is Infinite Banking and Why Should You Care?” (Free eBook)

🔗 https://theperfectasset.com/what-is-infinite-banking-and-why-should-you-care/

Make Life Less Taxing is a show dedicated to helping people build freedom, clarity, and purpose in every part of life—not through hype or pressure, but through grounded conversations that help you think differently, act intentionally, and live with confidence.

#FinancialClarity #MoneyMindset #EntrepreneurLife #WealthStewardship #PurposeDrivenWealth #FinancialFoundations #ControlYourCashFlow #UntaxableLifestyle #MakeLifeLessTaxing

Most people don’t struggle with their finances because they lack discipline or desire. They struggle because no one ever taught them how to think about their future how to picture it, how to prepare for it, and how to make decisions today that create clarity rather than anxiety tomorrow.

For many families, the pattern is familiar: save when possible, work hard, hope the markets behave, and quietly wonder whether the path they’re on will lead to the freedom they want. Beneath the numbers is a deeper question most people hesitate to say out loud…

“What if I’m missing something important and will it cost me later?”

In today’s conversation, Stephenie Demaree brings a grounded, faith-centered, deeply relational voice to that question. Her journey—from accounting student, to investment professional, to a guide for business owners and franchise-curious entrepreneurs reveals what happens when planning shifts from chasing returns to pursuing clarity, purpose, and peace.

Stephenie has walked with business owners, families, and entrepreneurs through seasons of transition, uncertainty, reinvention, and renewal. Her message is simple and refreshing: Financial confidence isn’t about prediction it’s about perspective. It begins with values, with understanding, and with the courage to imagine a future that feels meaningful, not mechanical.

This episode is for anyone who wants more stability, more confidence, and a clearer path forward without the pressure, noise, or overwhelm that so often clouds financial conversations.

💡 What You’ll Learn

• Why most people struggle to describe their future—and why that matters

• How clarity (not returns) reduces fear and expands real options

• Why “retirement” may not be what you think it is

• The quiet danger of making decisions without a clear exit strategy

• Why many business owners carry hidden financial blind spots

• How faith shapes perspective, priorities, and long-term peace

• What franchise ownership can offer to purpose-driven professionals

• Why having more than one advisor can protect you from narrow thinking

• The true meaning of diversification—beyond market charts

• The mindset shift from accumulation to stewardship and legacy • How planning creates freedom long before it creates wealth

👤 About Stephenie Demaree

Stephenie Demaree is a financial professional and entrepreneur who brings decades of experience in wealth guidance, business strategy, and franchise matchmaking. She blends technical knowledge with a warm, faith-aligned, relationship-driven approach walking alongside clients as a trusted guide who helps them make wise decisions with clarity and confidence.

Her work spans personal finance, business owner guidance, and helping people explore franchise ownership as a meaningful, fulfilling next chapter. Known for her calm perspective and ability to simplify complexity, Stephanie serves clients by focusing on what matters most: values, purpose, stewardship, and long-term peace of mind.

🔗 Connect With Stephenie

🌐 Website: https://www.fpgroupadvisors.com

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenie-demaree/

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

Make Life Less Taxing exists to help people build freedom, clarity, and purpose through grounded, meaningful conversations not products, hype, or fear, but wisdom that helps you think differently and live with intention.

🌐 Website: https://makelifelesstaxingpodcast.com

🎙️ Apply to be a guest: https://makelifelesstaxingpodcast.com/apply

#FaithAndFinance #LegacyMindset #PurposeDrivenWealth #BusinessOwnerWisdom #Stewardship #FinancialClarity #EntrepreneurLife #WealthPerspective #MakeLifeLessTaxing

What if the real tax challenge isn’t the IRS, complexity, or even income but the quiet lack of structure that slowly erodes your wealth over time?

In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka sits down with Miguel Palma, founder of Palma Financial Services a CPA who shifted from Deloitte and PwC to building a practice centered on proactive, year-round strategy instead of reactive, once-a-year accounting.

Miguel’s story begins far from boardrooms and spreadsheets. From immigrating as a child during conflict, to working three jobs while earning his degree, to eventually becoming the advisor high-income professionals call when they’re tired of overpaying, Miguel brings a grounded, lived-in perspective on taxes, consistency, and stewardship.

You’ll hear real examples of business owners, professionals, and real estate investors who moved from simply filing taxes to actually using the tax code with intention. And you’ll quickly see why Miguel believes the CPA is the “quarterback” of the advisory team and why the right cadence, structure, and mindset often matter more than any single strategy.

💡 In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

• Why mindset—not math—is the first barrier to reducing unnecessary taxes

• The hidden danger of reactive accounting and “April-only” thinking

• How consistency becomes the engine of long-term wealth building

• Why real estate, structure, and team coordination change everything

• What most high earners misunderstand about tax planning

👤 About Miguel A. Palma

Miguel A. Palma is a CPA and founder of Palma Financial Services. Known for his proactive approach to tax strategy, Miguel helps business owners, professionals, and real estate investors build wealth with clarity, structure, and year-round planning.

📍 Location: San Ramon, California

🌐 Website: https://mpalma.com/

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

📞 Contact: (408) 708-9330

📸 Instagram: @mpalmafinancial

📅 Booking Link: https://calendly.com/palma-financial/initial-session-with-miguel

🎧 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 #TaxStrategy #WealthMindset #ProactivePlanning #AdvisorInsights #BusinessOwnerLife #FinancialClarity #TaxPlanning #LegacyBuilding

What if the greatest threat to your life, peace, and purpose isn’t money, the markets, or even the industry but the quiet operating system shaping how you think, work, and see yourself?

In Episode 2 of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka names the enemy most advisors never recognize: the unseen system that forms your identity, directs your decisions, and quietly taxes your clarity long before dollars ever leave your account.

Daniel shares a striking story from a trip to India an ordinary car ride that turned out to be a hidden kidnapping attempt and reveals how that moment mirrors the way many advisors live today: being moved, pressured, and redirected without ever realizing who’s holding the steering wheel.

This conversation uncovers the real battle beneath the busyness: the Red World system of scarcity, confusion, and survival… and why so many high-achieving advisors feel behind, overwhelmed, and disconnected from the life God intended for them.

💡 In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

• What you’re truly up against in life and business

• How the “system” shapes identity, pressure, and worth

• Why advisors blame themselves for problems they didn’t create

• The shift from survival to stewardship—and why it changes everything

• How to begin reclaiming authority, peace, and purpose Make Life Less Taxing exists to help you see clearly, think differently, and keep what is truly yours.

🌐 More Episodes: https://makelifelesstaxingpodcast.com

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

#MakeLifeLessTaxing #Stewardship #AdvisorMindset #Identity #Purpose #FaithAndWork #Leadership #Clarity #Freedom