MPA & Texas Independence Day

We’re 15 days away from Texas Independence Day.? That doesn’t mean much to many people, but to the men of F3 Dallas it does.? On March 2nd we will complete our sixth annual Texas Independence Day 18k.? After five years of planning this event, I’ve started to realize that there are quite a few parallels between it and the work that we do for our clients at MPA.

To give some context, the Texas Independence Day 18k (TID18k) consists of 4 boot camp workouts, 5 miles of rucking (walking with a weighted backpack or vest) and 6 miles of running.? We usually have 20 – 30 participants and the event lasts 4 hours and 45 minutes.

How does this have anything to do with what MPA does for clients?

1.???? The Plan – more work goes into planning this event than people might expect.? We must make sure that we have four parks for our boot camp workouts, they must be spaced apart properly to allow for the right amount of running and rucking.? Not to mention, we try to make sure the longest run isn’t more than three miles, and we need the final leg to be exactly five miles for our ruck.? Oh and we need to do all of this precisely on schedule (to the minute), so that men can join us at various points along the way in case they are unable to complete the full event.?

At MPA, we spend a great deal of time working with clients to figure out exactly what they want to accomplish and when they want to accomplish it.? Then we help them figure out, as precisely as possible, how much they need to save and what returns are required to reach those goals.? We also have to help them stay focused on their top priorities and understand the trade-offs that go along with the pursuit of new goals.

2.???? The Training – no matter how much planning we do for the TID18k if the participants aren’t disciplined about their training during the preceding weeks the event will be extremely difficult.?

Similarly, if our clients don’t maintain a disciplined savings strategy and live within their means during their accumulation years, they might have to make sacrifices during retirement.

3.???? The Monitoring – at the start of the TID18k we appoint leaders to take on a few different roles.? We need someone fast with plenty of experience at the front of the group leading us on the route, and we need someone else with experience and the proper resources for emergencies at the back of the group to make sure that no one falls behind.? Usually, my role is to run from the back to the front and vice versa repeatedly to make sure that we are maintaining the proper pace, that no one is falling behind and that everybody is going to be able to make it through the whole workout.

As the timelines for our clients’ goals get shorter, we try to surround them as best we can.? Getting out in front of the process to make sure that the proper liquidity is in place whether that is through asset allocation or the use of debt.? Trailing behind to make sure that nothing falls through the cracks (dollars lost to taxes or retirement plans left behind and invested inefficiently).? And running beside them to make sure that we’re always available for any questions that they might have as they go through major and minor life transitions.

4.???? The Collaboration – putting on the TID18k is not a one-man job.? I already mentioned leaders that are appointed for the running and rucking portions of the event, but I didn’t mention the fact that we appoint four different men to lead the boot camp workouts.? We also rely on a couple men to drive a vehicle full of supplies and a first aid kit from workout to workout. ?

There are a lot of moving pieces in our clients’ financial lives, and I am incredibly grateful that we have a great team to help our clients with so many of their needs.? We have extremely detailed, thorough technical specialists like Caleb Lamb and Evelyn Huerta, CFP? to make trades, move money, open lines of credit and much more.? And intelligent, caring, and devoted service advisors like Talia Calhoun, CFP? , Bradyn Papke and Kennedye Berumen to make sure that all of our clients’ needs are met in a timely and accurate fashion.? Our team’s ability to collaborate is what makes MPA different, and I believe our clients notice that through the service we provide.

5.???? The Flexibility – every year during the TID18k we are thrown a curveball.? One year was severe leg cramps for a couple of our leaders, another year it was several vehicles (including our emergency vehicle) getting broken into during our first boot camp.? All we can do at that point is adjust the plan.?

It shouldn’t be a surprise that people’s financial lives frequently change.? Our clients are no different.? They change jobs, retire early, support family members, sell businesses, have good years for saving and bad years for saving.? Their goals change too.? They decide to buy a second house, they want to give more to their church, they have more grandchildren to send to college, they want to travel more.? Our job is to remain flexible and help them do the same.? We meet all of these big changes with comforting conversations and thorough analysis.

6.???? The Joy – the TID18k is a ton of work and is definitely an added stress in my life, but it is also one of my favorite days of the year.? There are few things I enjoy more than spending five hours outside with my brothers testing my own physical limits.? And then enjoying at least one milkshake afterwards… And I’m not the only one.? Every year guys come up to me telling me that it was more fun than they imagined and that they can’t wait to do it again next year.? I guess that’s why we keep running it back.

The same goes with the work we do for clients.? I am incredibly grateful to be in a role and with a team that has real impact on people’s lives.? I love the feeling of sharing with somebody that they can retire immediately, or fund their grandkids’ education, or give more money to their church.? I look forward to running it back for years to come.