Dr. Nicholas E. Michels is a financial planner and author, and we spoke about how childhood adversity shaped his lifelong mission to help families master money and life. He recalled the moment his parents’ divorce “wrecked my childhood” and how his mother working three jobs drove him to study money so “you never have to worry again.”

Michels explained how his early success as one of the youngest partners in his firm taught him that wealth without alignment leads to conflict. “On the outside we were successful, but inwardly stressed,” he said, describing repeated money fights with his wife until they created a shared vision statement. He outlined practical steps—mentorship, identifying four daily key activities, and later focusing on unique abilities—that allowed him to 10x his business while reducing stress.

Today, his work blends financial expertise, faith, and teaching. He speaks in schools, telling kids, “Money is going to influence your life… doing nothing is still a choice.” All proceeds from his book fund his nonprofit to spark early money education. Listeners will hear not only strategies for building wealth but also how to build confidence, joy, and security for themselves and their families.

Key takeaways

Create a vision statement with your spouse to align money and life goals
Identify four daily key activities and repeat them consistently
Seek mentors and copy proven processes before scaling your own path
Focus only on unique abilities and delegate the rest to 10x results
Teach kids one simple money skill early to spark lifelong confidence
Wealth without alignment can cause stress—success requires shared purpose

Dr. Nicholas E. Michels: From $0 to confidence—how?