Tim and Betsy Holland

Sometimes being a RichLife advisor is not about making a financial transaction at all. Tim and Betsy came to one of my education workshops several months ago. I imagine they suspected they were coming to eat and just listen to another sales pitch, but that’s not how it went. At the end of every workshop, I offer to schedule one hour consultations with anyone who needs one. They don’t have to hire me, and there’s no charge for this meeting. We just discuss any problems or issues they’re having. I give them advice, and if it makes sense, I help them out however I can. Read their story.

Well, Tim and Betsy took me up on that offer. They were in their early sixties and had recently married. Of course, that was a great thing for both of them, but it had created one serious financial problem: selling Tim’s house. 

Tim had lived in the house for 30 years, but since moving in with his new wife, he was more than ready to unload that piece of real estate. And timing was critical. At the time we met, the house had been on the market, sitting vacant for more than two years. Now they faced a serious problem. At the three year mark, the house was no longer eligible to be counted as a primary residence, which means any proceeds Tim made from selling it would be counted as capital gains., and Tim would lose tens of thousands of dollars.

Now, this is not the typical realm of a financial advisor, but it is the territory of a RichLife advisor. I set the Hollands up with a colleague of mine, a RichLife real estate advisor, Joshua Jarvis, who, in addition to being the best agent in the area, I knew would work with the Hollands’ best long-term interests in mind. And he proved me right. Within two months, Tim had a contract on his house, and the Hollands were much closer to their goal of enjoying a RichLife retirement together.