Hi, I’m Devin, founder and CEO of Choules Financial. On this week’s Key to Yes, we’re talking about one of the five types of people who regularly come into our office needing help. Today, we’re focusing on the worried spouse.
It’s far too common for one spouse to manage all the household finances—paying the bills, knowing the logins, handling the investments—while the other stays completely out of it. I see this dynamic all the time, and to be honest, I see it in my own household. Nicole, my wife—who’s incredibly smart—just doesn’t enjoy this stuff. She always says, “Devin, you manage hundreds of millions of dollars for hundreds of households. Why do I need to be involved?”
Well, today we’re not talking about Nicole—we’re talking about a client of ours named Linda, and how we helped her overcome these same concerns.
Before we get into Linda’s story, let’s talk about how we operate at Choules Financial. It’s not a team of me—it’s a team of we. We’ve built a team of professionals who help our clients with all the key areas of retirement: income planning, investment strategy, healthcare planning, proactive tax strategies to minimize what goes to Uncle Sam, and estate planning to make sure everything’s titled properly and passes on the right way.
So let’s dive into Linda’s case. Linda was a retired teacher. Her husband, Mike, had always managed their finances. But as they got older, Mike began facing some health issues, and Linda started worrying: “If something happens to Mike, will I even know where our money is? Do I know the passwords? Who do I call?”
She wasn’t alone in those fears. She fully trusted Mike, but she didn’t feel confident or prepared. That’s where we came in.
Linda had no access to or understanding of the accounts. She feared losing control and not knowing how any of it worked. And to be honest, she’d never even built a relationship with their current advisor—she didn’t feel seen, heard, or included in the process. That’s actually quite common. Many times, if the primary spouse managing the finances passes away, the surviving spouse ends up switching advisors.
So, what did we do?
We walked Linda and Mike through our Key to Yes process. First, we created a financial overview using our Yes Portal—a tool that gives clients a full view of all their accounts in one secure, easy-to-use place. With just one login and one phone number to call, Linda could finally see everything clearly.
We updated their beneficiary designations and account ownerships. We helped Linda understand where the money was coming from, why certain financial decisions were being made, and how things like Roth conversions fit into their long-term strategy. We became the trusted advisor she could rely on.
The result? Linda and Mike now feel connected and confident in their plan. Their strategy gave them the peace of mind they needed and removed the weight of all those “what ifs,” so they could say yes to retirement.
Let me show you how the Yes Portal works. Here’s a fictitious example—Bob and Jane Smith. Before they became clients, they had accounts all over the place: an Edward Jones account, some assets at Schwab, and a Fidelity account. The Yes Portal linked them all together. It updates every night, pulls in values, shows holdings, and gives a complete view of their portfolio—all in one place.
Inside the organizer, they could also link key contacts: their son, Junior, their attorney, CPA, Medicare agent, home and auto insurance reps—anyone important to their financial life. In the event of something happening, all the right information and contacts are already documented and accessible.
It’s not just helpful for the worried spouse—it’s valuable for the spouse who’s traditionally been in control too. It makes everything simple, organized, and accessible.
When someone engages with us, we start with the discovery meeting. I call it a first date. The only goal is to see if your concerns match up with our expertise. We review your income, investments, taxes, healthcare, and estate planning to see where we can add value.
If it’s a fit, we move on to the Unlock Your Yes meeting. That’s where we build your rough draft plan. We’ll complete a fee analysis, risk analysis, income projections, and a Social Security strategy if you haven’t claimed benefits yet. Then we determine whether it’s time to engage Choules Financial.
If you say yes, we move all your accounts over to Schwab, as-is, and bring you in for the “Live Your Yes” planning review meeting. That’s when we decide how your money is going to be invested—not just in terms of the market, but in terms of designing income, controlling taxes, and making sure everything has a purpose.
And because life happens, we don’t just create a plan—we update it. We meet regularly to make sure your binder and your portal reflect your current needs, goals, and circumstances. That binder contains everything: your investment strategy, income plan, tax planning action items, healthcare notes, and estate plan checklists.
If this sounds like the kind of clarity and peace of mind you’re looking for, there’s a link below to schedule a time to come in and meet with us. We’d love to help you live a life of yes.
Thanks for watching. See you next time.
