How to Live a One-of-a-Kind Life (Ep.21)

Welcome to Ideas by Mike, the podcast with Mike Milligan, where you will find one-of-a-kind financial planning advice for your one-of-a-kind life. With over 22 years of experience as a certified financial planner, Mike shares experiences and advice on crafting simple, easy-to-understand financial plans based on your values and priorities. He believes that taking a personalized approach is the best way to prepare for the future and give meaning to your finances. So, follow along as Mike, and from time to time, his guests explore different strategies and tools that could help you secure your financial future in retirement. Now, onto the show.

Hello, and welcome to the Ideas by Mike podcast with your host, Mike Milligan. I'm Wendy McConnell. Hi, Mike. How are you?

I'm doing great, Wendy. How are you today?

I'm good. I'm good. I'm feeling good. What is going on today?

Well, you know, we're knee-deep in 2025 now. And so, on today's podcast, I wanted to just recap a little bit about what we kind of did in 2024, the start of 2025, and then give everybody kind of a preview of what we're going to be doing over the first half of this next year. But I want to tell you about an event that just happened with me over New Year's, because I think this will frame very clearly what we're going to do over the next 6 months. My, my wife and I travel a lot, Wendy, and, uh, we decided a couple years ago, we went down to, uh, we were going to do this amazing trip in Lima in Chile, where we were going to go down to Patagonia Uh, spend about a week, uh, eat our way through Santiago, and then go to Lima and spend time, uh, a couple days in Lima, go to Cusco, go to the Sacred Valley, hike the Inca Trail, go to Machu Picchu, go up Rainbow Mountain, and then we're going to come back to the United States. Uh, on that trip 2 years ago, we did that first part— Chile, Patagonia— breathtaking, right? Going down to Torres del Paine, seeing glaciers, Living in nature was absolutely amazing. But the day we landed in Lima, December 2022, the president of their country decided to dissolve Congress and tried to become a dictator of his country. Well, every trip that we had planned there was shut down.

Oh.

We had to— yeah, we had to come back to the States after, and it was tough. Finding a flight out of there, right? Because they were, they were there. So, so right at the end of 2024, we got to go finish that trip. So 2 years later. And so we flew into Lima, we fly out to Cusco, and the elevation is no joke. It's 12,000, 13,000 feet above sea level. So much so, as soon as you fly into Cusco, Cusco. They, they grab you, they grab your bags, and they take you down in the valley to acclimate. And you spend 3 days in an acclimation zone getting used to the elevation, and then your hikes begin. So we hiked the Inca Trail, which was 9 miles, and the end of that trail you come to Machu Picchu, one of the, uh, one of the New Wonders of the World, which is absolutely amazing. And then the next day we hiked in Machu Picchu again. Then we transported from Machu Picchu to Cusco, where we spent New Year's Eve, right? Which was a unique experience. You get to learn about the culture of a country when you spend New Year's Eve there.

Yeah.

I mean, one of their cultures in Peru is to bring a suitcase to your New Year's Eve festivity, because if you're traveling in that next year, having your suitcase when the ball drops or, it means that you will have safe travel for the whole year. So that was an interesting cultural thing that we did. But we woke up on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day morning at 4:00 AM to go hike Rainbow Mountain. Rainbow Mountain was something that was only discovered about 20 years ago. It, to me, is fascinating, right? That here we are in this great earth, Right. And there's still things that are being discovered even now. Well, it, it, it, it was discovered because the snow cap melted off the top of the mountain, and just some people that were out of the lodge went out and found this place. Well, here we are on New Year's Day. We drive 4 hours from Cusco to the base of this mountain. Now, Rainbow Mountain is 16,000 558 feet above sea level. Just to give you some perspective, and everybody here's perspective, the Mount Everest base camp is about 17,000 feet above sea level. So we are really high. So think about all that travel I told you we got to— that we did. You know, we flew down to South America, we got disrupted by political, some time passed, we came back and— did it. And here we are on January 1st, 2025, at Rainbow Mountain, ready to, ready to summit, to be able to see one of the most beautiful things you'll ever see in your life. And when we got there, I could not breathe, right? Like, I was having— the air is so thin, I was shortness of breath, my stomach hurt. Elevation sickness is no joke. But, uh, but Cesar Rafael, who was our guide, who had been with us throughout our time in Peru, Said, Mike, you know, if it's too much, you don't have to go up. And I'm like, no, I think I can go. So we— it should have taken an hour and a half to get there from where we parked to the top. And it was taking us a long time. And then all of a sudden, it got cloudy. It started sleeting right in our face, and the wind was blowing 25 miles an hour down the mountain at us. And I just said, I can't do it. I can't do it. And my wife has said— my wife said, it's no problem. Just stay here. We'll be back. But the guide said to me, Mike, why don't we just take 10 steps? I was like, okay, we can do that. We took those, and he said, let's just rest here for a couple of minutes. And then he said, Uh, let's take, uh, let's take 5 steps. Let's go to that hut, right? I think you'd see where the story's going here. Yeah, he gave me some coca, some coca tea, and then all of a sudden we get 10 feet from the top and he says, hey, why don't you quit now?

Right, right.

And I was like, of course not, of course not. I don't want to do that. He said, he said, Mike, I've been up this mountain 200 times or more. He's like, and I've gotten to know you over the last week. I know that what you're getting ready to see is gonna be something that is going to be inspirational in your life. He goes, come on, let's take these last 10 steps. And we get up there, and Wendy, I'm telling you, when you get up there on top and you could see a rainbow-colored mountain, and I'm not— they— I mean, there's no pictures that do this thing justice. When I got to the top of there, I literally sat down and I did not talk or move for 30 minutes because it was that inspirational. But that, that guy, I wouldn't have done it right without the belief my wife had in me or the guide, right? Cesar said, Mike, just take 5, just take 10, just go here. Here's some tea. Let's take that. It took us over 2 hours to get there on what should have taken us an hour and a half. But when I sat there and I looked out over that, I realized he just did to me what me and my team try to help people do in retirement. And I— and there was never— I've never really— I know what I do, right? As a certified financial planner, I know that the creation of the one-of-a-kind financial plan to help people live a one-of-a-kind financial— a one-of-a-kind life. is one of the most— one of the most powerful things I've ever done in my life and everything I will do. But I didn't get it until I saw Rainbow Mountain, right? And I, and I had these revelations because Rainbow Mountain is one of a kind. It's been on this earth since the beginning, but it's only been discovered in the last 20 years. And the amount of people that have seen it with their own eyes Is like, uh, like pieces of salt, right? They're just, they're just, they're just not a lot of people who have seen it. That's what we do. The one-of-a-kind financial plan is helping people take 5 steps or taking 10 steps, giving them a respite when they needed it, but ultimately helping them get to the, to the one-of-a-kind. experiences they want in their life. For some people, it's just retirement. It's just the physical, you know, not physically waking up at 6 AM every day, dressing, going to a job site and working. For others, it is traveling. For others, it's spending time with their grandkids, right? That's the one-of-a-kind life people are aspiring to. But, but sometimes they will go 99.99% of the way like I did, and they'll want to quit. And they just need a guide to help them get the rest of the way. That's what we do. And so over the next, you know, really over the next 6 months, I want to uncover to the people who listen to our podcast who their guides are and what their role is in being their guide. So I want them to understand how Kelsey and Lorraine. Right, interact with them as prospects to get them to our planning team of Marcus and Joseph. And, uh, in January, I want them to see how Nicole and Vince work with them on— through our Instagram page and our Facebook page to communicate, how, how LinkedIn and the communication tools we use at LinkedIn are so valuable. I want them to see how Katie and Caitlin help them onboard to our, you know, to us. I want you to get to know them. I want you to see how Christina, Scotty, Liz work to help you on a day-to-day basis from a planning standpoint. And then ultimately what my role is as CEO, as innovator, as the one who puts together the one-of-a-kind financial plans through listening. And then communication help you go out and live that one-of-a-kind life. And so we're going to, we're going to spend some time with each and every one of the members of my team, starting with January on our next podcast, where people are going to hear what makes them one of a kind. What they're also going to hear about their expertise in, in what brought them to Ideas by Mike. And where they want to go, not only with their career, but also in their personal life. And then they're going to reveal what is something from an industry standpoint makes them uniquely qualified to be able to assist people as their guide to a one-of-a-kind experience.

I like it. That sounds amazing.

I, over and over again, you know, from my job is, you know, building this company to soon to be Our published work, the one-of-a-kind financial plan that's dropping out Cinco de Mayo, May this year, when that when that actually hits Amazon and it hits it hits out to our clients to read. I want to be able to build something that I've always wanted to build something that that is different in the financial planning space. You know, a lot of people have heard the saying, "I am." I want to be in something but not necessarily of that, right? So I want to be involved in something, but I don't want that to be my identity. I have built Ideas by Mike, the one-of-a-kind financial plan, even in my work as a, as a lecturer at Old Dominion University. I wanted to— I want to build something where people can Execute, you know, a financial plan in ways that they understand it, ways that they can then visualize what their one-of-a-kind life is going to be. And our team is uniquely qualified and gifted to be able to bring that to them, where we are in the investment space, but we're not of the investment space. When we're in the insurance business, But that's not our full identity. When we're in, you know, the, you know, and out there living in this world of travel, but that's not uniquely what we do. We're not a travel agency. We're not an insurance agency. We're not a— we're not just an investment firm. We're a partner. We're a guide that helps people move to the next level.

When you're going through the process of hiring people, do you— I would imagine one of the questions you ask them is, What makes you one of a kind? Do you give them a little bit of a heads up that you're going to ask that question, or do you expect them to be able to rattle it off when you first bring it up?

I think one of the most interesting things about the discovery of what makes a person one of a kind is the trip. Because I will shockingly just ask people from time to time, what makes you one of a kind? And it's always interesting what The responses I get to that question is because they will, you know, they'll tell me what they think I want to hear. But like with my team, for instance, when I ask them what makes them one of a kind, it's, it's an evolving list of things. Because I think when you, when you're asked that question for the first time, you're always— you're called, you're called back, right?

Yeah.

Because we're always taught You know, from a, from early age, right, to sit in a desk and conform to the way every other student conforms, right? Then we are, we are expected to go to college. We're expected to get a job. We're expected to go to work from 9 to 5, right? There's all these processes and systems that are in our life to kind of just that, that are meant to like herd people from place to place, right? And it's a, it's, it's very much a syndrome that people fall into ruts. And, uh, so when I ask people what makes them one of a kind, um, they don't know how to initially identify what that, that, that is or, or what makes them one of a kind. When people hear about my team, Right. Or when they've heard my team say what makes them one of a kind. You hear Marcus talk about, like last episode, you hear Marcus talked about being raised in foster care, right, after being raised by a mother who was addicted to drugs. And then you hear, you hear Kelsey talk about how, you know, she's a dog mom, right? Who you hear Caitlin talk about being in the— working in the court system for a number of years. And Liz, Being a small business owner who realized that she wanted to do for her, her kids, right, what her mom tried to do for her as a single mom. And so, you know, whether it's, whether it's Barb being a, you know, a physical therapist, a recovering physical therapist, to now helping those healthcare workers who are tired and unretired. Like, that's her, that's her purpose for being on our team is to help those healthcare workers who are extremely tired, right, in their job, to help them go from that to being retired, right? You just start seeing that they, the question, what makes you one of a kind, they have owned it, which means when you take ownership of something, you're no longer renting somebody else's dreams or goals or their expectations for you. So what really being one of a kind means that you've, you've owned your, your identity and now you have the ability to control where it goes if there's a plan behind you to help get you there. And that's the key, is the one of a kind financial plan. Right. And by the way, it, you know, people need out there, they need one of a kind health plans. Right. It's just not what we do. Right. You know, that's why there are great doctors out there who can help get to the bottom of health issues, help put plans in place and go. There's dietitians and nutrition and health coaches who can help people do that, which I believe in 100%. I think, you know, the one-of-a-kind, you know, living a one-of-a-kind life is, it is about your finances, but there's also, it's also about your health. It's also about your relationships. And there's counselors and therapists who can help with that. But once you identify who you are, you know, what makes you one of a kind, then you can really start living and aspiring to that and break free of what, what culture, what you've been trained to do on a systematic basis. And then you can do things like, in my case, Hike Rainbow Mountain, right? Spend more time with my grandson Daniel. Invest where my kids invest, right? So my daughter Grace, who was on the podcast a couple of weeks ago, we can now invest time at Grace Klein Community where she is because her life is— has been so enriched by giving of herself for that community. And she's only in her 20s. Can you imagine what she's going to be like when she's 40 or 60? There. So that, that's— I mean, the one-of-a-kind life. So the— my team, when they answer it, they will have thought about that for hundreds, if not thousands of hours, because it's what we think about in our company on a daily basis. Because if they know what makes them one of a kind, it's going to help them help others try to see that and live it also.

All right. I love that. I love it.

So, Wendy, we're— I'm looking forward to next week having January. Then we're going to— Marcus is going to come back, Joseph, and then we're just going to go through the whole squad, right? Living One of a Kind and show how they can help people create one-of-a-kind financial plans to live a one-of-a-kind life.

All right. So, Mike, if people have some questions about what it is you do and what you offer, how do they get in touch?

So, you can go to www.ideasbymike.com. Uh, you can follow us on YouTube at Ideas by Mike, where we have— where we really do a couple things on our YouTube channel. We, we post our video of our podcast on there. We also have a couple of other main video topics that we put on there. We do Mike's Hot Takes. So like, there's a hot take that just posted on there too about 5 key economic terms you need to know with the change of the presidency, right? And then we do Mike's Money Moves on YouTube also. And those, those are like me explaining what's happening in the investment world that can impact taxes, retirement, investing, long-term care, and legacy. And so that's, that's on YouTube at Ideas by Mike. We also have an Instagram page at Ideas by Mike where we post, we post, we post stories and reels. We post when our webinar series is going to be. And then the last thing you could do is on our website, look at our radio show called the One of a Kind Financial Show. Now, that is the place where we go deep on what's happening in the economy with— that's where I educate from a stock market standpoint. You know, what is an annuity? What is life insurance? And then I answer questions on the One of a Kind Financial Show. About how, uh, questions that people have about their situation and what my take would be on how they can have a one-of-a-kind financial plan for their one-of-a-kind life.

You sound very busy, Mike.

We, we are busy, and that's— but, but any, any— if you're going to live a one-of-a-kind life, yeah, you better invest in it. Yeah, because you're— if you're one of a kind, there's nobody propping you up. You are doing this all on your And I'm going to be the first one out there saying, this is my one-of-a-kind life. I want you to live it also.

All right. I love that. Well, thank you so much, Mike. And thank you for listening today. Please like, follow, and share this podcast with your friends. Until next time, I'm Wendy McConnell.

Thank you for tuning in to Ideas by Mike, the podcast. The show where ideas turn into money. If you enjoyed today's episode, make sure to click the follow button to stay up to date on future releases. For additional information on becoming a part of the Ideas by Mike community, check out our website at ideasbymike.com. Don't forget to take a look at the show notes, and for more financial insights, subscribe to the Ideas by Mike YouTube channel or visit the website to find one of the upcoming webinars. Also, Connect on Instagram or Facebook @IdeasByMike. Ideas by Mike is an LLC headquartered in Virginia with offices in 42 cities. The company owns an insurance agency registered in all states directly or through affiliate companies. Mike is an investment advisor representative with JB Wealth Advisors. Any financial planning information shared on the show should not be construed as financial advice for you personally. For your one-page financial plan, Please reach out to Ideas by Mike through the website. The information covered and posted represents the views and opinions of the guest and does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Ideas by Mike. The content has been made available for informational and educational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional investment advice. Any financial planning information shared on the show should not be construed as financial advice for you personally. For your one-page financial plan, please reach out to Ideas by Mike through the website.