Mike MilliganFounder and CEO, 1.oak Financial · Founder and CEO, 1.oak Financial

The One of a Kind Way to Build Your Wealth

9 Oct 2025 · 1 min

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In this excerpt, Mike Milligan introduces his "One of a Kind Financial Plan," a framework he authored a book about. He uses a home‑building analogy to illustrate why a comprehensive, architect‑driven design should precede the selection of individual financial products. Just as a homeowner first works with an architect to design a house—considering layout, views, and overall vision—before buying materials at a store, a sound financial plan should first establish goals, risk tolerance, and a strategic blueprint before choosing specific investments, insurance, or loan products. Milligan emphasizes that the planning phase sets the foundation for effective product selection, ensuring the financial "home" aligns with the client’s unique circumstances and aspirations.

Chapters

So, so the One of a Kind Financial Plan, it's literally something that I wrote the book on, lays out a framework for how you should approach everything about your plan. See, Tom, when somebody wants to buy a house, they could easily go and buy the lot and then go over to the Home Depot. And at the Home Depot, they can walk down every aisle and pick out what they need to build that house. But that's not the way people do it. They go to an architect who then through computer Animation, through talking with builders, they pick out where the— how the kitchen is going to overlook the mountain bluff or highlight the lake they live on. When we're building a financial plan, we actually get the details in place and then we worry about the product selection next. Because in like, just like in building the dream home, at the end of the day, once the plans are in place and the builder selected, they still go to The Home Depot to buy the products.