Some of my favorite childhood memories were made outside on the golf course. Every Wednesday and Sunday in the summer, my father would bring me along as he played golf with Grandma and Grandpa. I would mostly just drive the cart, but it’s a time in my life I will always cherish.
Even to this day, I still find myself subconsciously playing most of my golf on Wednesdays and Sundays. I can still hear their voices when I play, giving me tips on my swing and reminding me how to play a specific hole.
At the time, I didn’t realize those afternoons were shaping what I value most.
Now I do.
Those core memories remind me that some of the best investments we make have nothing to do with the stock market. Investing time in the great outdoors, investing in relationships with those you love, and investing money in experiences that can enrich your life today.
For many individuals and families in the Midwest, that’s what true wealth is really about.
The Midwestern Lifestyle People Are Working So Hard For
Around the Midwest, hard work is part of our identity. Business owners, professionals, farmers, executives, and parents often spend decades building successful careers and stable financial lives.
But eventually, most people arrive at the same question:
“What am I working so hard for?”
Usually, the answer isn’t just for a bigger account balance. It’s weekends at the lake in Minnesota. Family fishing trips in northern Wisconsin. Golf outings with parents and grandparents. Summer evenings spent laughing around a fire pit.
And while none of these activities are typically very expensive on the surface, they do take time and intention. Oftentimes, many feel they should be working harder, dedicating more time and energy to building a bigger nest egg for their long-term future.
Our goal at North Point Advisor Group is to help our clients feel freer to enjoy the life they’ve worked so hard for today.
Financial Planning Should Support Your Life, Now
Traditional financial planning focuses heavily on metrics needed for long-term financial success: how much money are you saving? How big is your nest egg? When will you have enough money to retire? What if you need long-term care someday?
While these big-picture goals are important to plan for, we believe the real wealth comes from living a full, purposeful life now. You can always earn more money. You cannot create more summers with your kids while they’re young. You cannot recreate the Wednesday and Sunday afternoons playing golf with grandparents years after they’re gone.
That means creating a financial strategy that supports the moments that matter most today while still preparing for the future. For many Midwestern families, that includes planning intentionally for:
- Summer travel and lake weekends
- Golf memberships or outdoor hobbies
- Family vacations during school breaks
- Time away from work without financial stress
These aren’t “extra” expenses that derail your goals. When approached intentionally, they are the goal. This is where aligned financial planning can help support you. Sometimes that means improving cash flow through adequate tax planning. Sometimes it means building margin into your budget for seasonal spending. Sometimes it simply means intentionally aligning your financial decisions with your priorities instead of living on autopilot.
Building Wealth While Building Memories
There’s a common misconception that financial discipline means constantly sacrificing enjoyment today for security tomorrow. In reality, intentional financial planning, aligned with your True North, should help you do both.
At the end of the day, most people won’t remember a specific market return or quarterly statement. They’ll remember the fishing trips, the conversations on the golf course, the weekends at the cabin, and the time spent together outdoors.
For Midwesterners, spending time outdoors may truly be their best investment.
