Most people don’t struggle financially because they lack work ethic. They struggle because no one ever showed them how money actually works—how it grows, how it leaks, and how quickly it can slip through your hands when life feels expensive and uncertain.

For many families, the story is the same: work harder, save when you can, hope the market behaves, and try not to make a mistake big enough to derail the future. But beneath that surface is the quiet fear almost everyone carries…

Will we have enough? And will it last?

In today’s conversation, Brook DeVincenzi brings a refreshing, grounded, deeply human voice to these questions. His journey from mechanic, to real estate brokerage owner, to the founder of The Prosperity Multiplier reveals what happens when someone chooses purpose over transactions and stewardship over autopilot.

Brook has seen both sides of the financial journey: families who worry they’ll outlive their savings, and those who’ve done well but aren’t sure how to preserve or pass on what they’ve built. His message is simple: money should serve you, not the other way around, and with the right principles not products everyday people can access strategies long used by institutions and ultra-wealthy families.

This episode is for anyone who wants clearer thinking, deeper confidence, and a more intentional path toward freedom, stability, and legacy.

💡 What You’ll Learn

Why most people operate in a “save and spend” cycle and how to break it

The hidden mindset shift that separates transactional living from transformational planning

How the Prosperity Multiplier began, and why it’s resonating with families across the country

Why living below your means is only the starting point

The real fear behind retirement planning (and why it’s so common)

How seemingly small decisions compound into multi-generational impact

The principle of dual-purposing your dollars

Why market volatility quietly erodes more wealth than people realize

What it means to become a steward not a survivor of your financial life

The emotional, not just mathematical, side of financial overwhelm

Brook De Vincenzi is the founder of The Prosperity Multiplier, a faith-driven, principle-centered approach to helping families build more stability, more clarity, and a more intentional financial future. His journey spans three careers automotive, real estate, and now personal financial strategy grounded in a passion for teaching, simplifying, and helping people move from transactional thinking to transformational outcomes.

After decades of working with families, business owners, and individuals across major life transitions, Brook understands the pressures people face: rising costs, tax uncertainty, market volatility, and the quiet fear of outliving what they’ve set aside. He brings a calm, educational, deeply relational approach to helping clients steward their resources, build durable financial foundations, and design legacies rooted in wisdom and purpose.

🔗 Connect With Brook De Vincenzi

🌐 Website: https://prosperitymultiplier.com/

📞 Phone: 916-847-5356

Make Life Less Taxing is a show dedicated to helping people build freedom, clarity, and purpose in every part of their financial life. No hype. No product talk. Just real conversations that help you think differently and live more intentionally.

Website: https://makelifelesstaxingpodcast.com

Apply to be a guest: https://makelifelesstaxingpodcast.com/apply

#FinancialStewardship #WealthMindset #LegacyPlanning #FinancialLeadership #ProsperityMultiplier #MoneyHabits #WealthClarity #PurposeDrivenWealth #MakeLifeLessTaxing #FinancialFreedom #Stewardship #WealthWisdom #MoneyManagement #GenerationalWealth

Most people don’t struggle with money because they’re irresponsible or unwilling to plan. They struggle because no one ever showed them how to think about money how it moves, why it creates pressure, and why financial stress often comes from uncertainty far more than it comes from actual numbers.

For many entrepreneurs and families, the pattern is familiar: work hard, try to save when life allows, hope the economy cooperates, avoid making the wrong move, and pray that “someday” things will feel more stable. Yet behind the bank accounts and balance sheets sits a quiet tension many people never say out loud:

“Why does this still feel fragile… and what am I missing?”

In today’s conversation, Michael Hession, founder of The Perfect Asset, brings a deeply humble, honest, and experience-shaped perspective to that tension. His story building a business from scratch, losing almost everything in 2008, and rebuilding with intention reveals what happens when money becomes less about chasing returns and more about structure, clarity, and control.

Michael has walked through seasons many entrepreneurs recognize: burnout, pressure, debt cycles, unexpected volatility, and the unsettling realization that “doing all the right things” doesn't always lead to security. His message is simple but grounding:

Financial strength begins with a solid foundation—one built on liquidity, stewardship, and the ability to remain steady when life gets unpredictable.

This episode is for anyone who wants more peace, more clarity, and a healthier relationship with money without complexity, overwhelm, or fear.

💡 What You’ll Learn Why financial fragility often comes from uncertainty, not lack of effort

The hidden blind spots that leave many entrepreneurs vulnerable

Why so many people unknowingly build businesses with no exit

The mindset shift from accumulation to structure and stewardship

How leverage, when used wisely, creates resilience rather than risk

Why control, liquidity, and access to capital matter far more than people realize How to think more clearly about debt, opportunity, and long-term stability

Why simplicity not complexity is often the path to freedom How personal financial systems can create peace even during market chaos The role of values and purpose in long-term financial decisions

👤 About Michael Hession

Michael Hession is the founder of The Perfect Asset and a strategist who helps entrepreneurs and families build stronger financial foundations rooted in clarity, liquidity, and long-term control. After experiencing the financial collapse of 2008 firsthand, Michael reshaped his work around helping others avoid the vulnerabilities he once lived through.

Today he brings a calm, educational, relationship-centered approach to money—guiding people toward structures that create stability, opportunity, and peace of mind.

🔗 Connect With Michael

🌐 Website: https://theperfectasset.com/

🌐 Website: https://factumfinancial.com

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-r-hession/

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theperfectasset

📅 Booking Link: https://calendly.com/mhession64/22min

📘 Free Resource: “What Is Infinite Banking and Why Should You Care?” (Free eBook)

🔗 https://theperfectasset.com/what-is-infinite-banking-and-why-should-you-care/

Make Life Less Taxing is a show dedicated to helping people build freedom, clarity, and purpose in every part of life—not through hype or pressure, but through grounded conversations that help you think differently, act intentionally, and live with confidence.

#FinancialClarity #MoneyMindset #EntrepreneurLife #WealthStewardship #PurposeDrivenWealth #FinancialFoundations #ControlYourCashFlow #UntaxableLifestyle #MakeLifeLessTaxing

Most people don’t struggle with their finances because they lack discipline or desire. They struggle because no one ever taught them how to think about their future how to picture it, how to prepare for it, and how to make decisions today that create clarity rather than anxiety tomorrow.

For many families, the pattern is familiar: save when possible, work hard, hope the markets behave, and quietly wonder whether the path they’re on will lead to the freedom they want. Beneath the numbers is a deeper question most people hesitate to say out loud…

“What if I’m missing something important and will it cost me later?”

In today’s conversation, Stephenie Demaree brings a grounded, faith-centered, deeply relational voice to that question. Her journey—from accounting student, to investment professional, to a guide for business owners and franchise-curious entrepreneurs reveals what happens when planning shifts from chasing returns to pursuing clarity, purpose, and peace.

Stephenie has walked with business owners, families, and entrepreneurs through seasons of transition, uncertainty, reinvention, and renewal. Her message is simple and refreshing: Financial confidence isn’t about prediction it’s about perspective. It begins with values, with understanding, and with the courage to imagine a future that feels meaningful, not mechanical.

This episode is for anyone who wants more stability, more confidence, and a clearer path forward without the pressure, noise, or overwhelm that so often clouds financial conversations.

💡 What You’ll Learn

• Why most people struggle to describe their future—and why that matters

• How clarity (not returns) reduces fear and expands real options

• Why “retirement” may not be what you think it is

• The quiet danger of making decisions without a clear exit strategy

• Why many business owners carry hidden financial blind spots

• How faith shapes perspective, priorities, and long-term peace

• What franchise ownership can offer to purpose-driven professionals

• Why having more than one advisor can protect you from narrow thinking

• The true meaning of diversification—beyond market charts

• The mindset shift from accumulation to stewardship and legacy • How planning creates freedom long before it creates wealth

👤 About Stephenie Demaree

Stephenie Demaree is a financial professional and entrepreneur who brings decades of experience in wealth guidance, business strategy, and franchise matchmaking. She blends technical knowledge with a warm, faith-aligned, relationship-driven approach walking alongside clients as a trusted guide who helps them make wise decisions with clarity and confidence.

Her work spans personal finance, business owner guidance, and helping people explore franchise ownership as a meaningful, fulfilling next chapter. Known for her calm perspective and ability to simplify complexity, Stephanie serves clients by focusing on what matters most: values, purpose, stewardship, and long-term peace of mind.

🔗 Connect With Stephenie

🌐 Website: https://www.fpgroupadvisors.com

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenie-demaree/

🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StephenieDemareeFinancialProfessional

Make Life Less Taxing exists to help people build freedom, clarity, and purpose through grounded, meaningful conversations not products, hype, or fear, but wisdom that helps you think differently and live with intention.

🌐 Website: https://makelifelesstaxingpodcast.com

🎙️ Apply to be a guest: https://makelifelesstaxingpodcast.com/apply

#FaithAndFinance #LegacyMindset #PurposeDrivenWealth #BusinessOwnerWisdom #Stewardship #FinancialClarity #EntrepreneurLife #WealthPerspective #MakeLifeLessTaxing

What if the real tax challenge isn’t the IRS, complexity, or even income but the quiet lack of structure that slowly erodes your wealth over time?

In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka sits down with Miguel Palma, founder of Palma Financial Services a CPA who shifted from Deloitte and PwC to building a practice centered on proactive, year-round strategy instead of reactive, once-a-year accounting.

Miguel’s story begins far from boardrooms and spreadsheets. From immigrating as a child during conflict, to working three jobs while earning his degree, to eventually becoming the advisor high-income professionals call when they’re tired of overpaying, Miguel brings a grounded, lived-in perspective on taxes, consistency, and stewardship.

You’ll hear real examples of business owners, professionals, and real estate investors who moved from simply filing taxes to actually using the tax code with intention. And you’ll quickly see why Miguel believes the CPA is the “quarterback” of the advisory team and why the right cadence, structure, and mindset often matter more than any single strategy.

💡 In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

• Why mindset—not math—is the first barrier to reducing unnecessary taxes

• The hidden danger of reactive accounting and “April-only” thinking

• How consistency becomes the engine of long-term wealth building

• Why real estate, structure, and team coordination change everything

• What most high earners misunderstand about tax planning

👤 About Miguel A. Palma

Miguel A. Palma is a CPA and founder of Palma Financial Services. Known for his proactive approach to tax strategy, Miguel helps business owners, professionals, and real estate investors build wealth with clarity, structure, and year-round planning.

📍 Location: San Ramon, California

🌐 Website: https://mpalma.com/

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/palmafinancialservicesinc/

📞 Contact: (408) 708-9330

📸 Instagram: @mpalmafinancial

📅 Booking Link: https://calendly.com/palma-financial/initial-session-with-miguel

🎧 About the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast

Make Life Less Taxing is a show dedicated to helping people build freedom, clarity, and purpose in every part of their financial life. No hype. No product talk. Just real conversations that help you think differently and live more intentionally.

🌐 More Episodes: https://makelifelesstaxingpodcast.com

📥 Be a Guest: https://makelifelesstaxingpodcast.com/apply

#MakeLifeLessTaxing #TaxStrategy #WealthMindset #ProactivePlanning #AdvisorInsights #BusinessOwnerLife #FinancialClarity #TaxPlanning #LegacyBuilding

What if the greatest threat to your life, peace, and purpose isn’t money, the markets, or even the industry but the quiet operating system shaping how you think, work, and see yourself?

In Episode 2 of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka names the enemy most advisors never recognize: the unseen system that forms your identity, directs your decisions, and quietly taxes your clarity long before dollars ever leave your account.

Daniel shares a striking story from a trip to India an ordinary car ride that turned out to be a hidden kidnapping attempt and reveals how that moment mirrors the way many advisors live today: being moved, pressured, and redirected without ever realizing who’s holding the steering wheel.

This conversation uncovers the real battle beneath the busyness: the Red World system of scarcity, confusion, and survival… and why so many high-achieving advisors feel behind, overwhelmed, and disconnected from the life God intended for them.

💡 In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

• What you’re truly up against in life and business

• How the “system” shapes identity, pressure, and worth

• Why advisors blame themselves for problems they didn’t create

• The shift from survival to stewardship—and why it changes everything

• How to begin reclaiming authority, peace, and purpose Make Life Less Taxing exists to help you see clearly, think differently, and keep what is truly yours.

🌐 More Episodes: https://makelifelesstaxingpodcast.com

📥 Be a Guest: https://makelifelesstaxingpodcast.com/apply

#MakeLifeLessTaxing #Stewardship #AdvisorMindset #Identity #Purpose #FaithAndWork #Leadership #Clarity #Freedom

What if retirement planning wasn’t just about accounts and allocations—but about clarity, peace of mind, and the freedom to live “gold”?

In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, host Daniel Hanzelka sits down with David Mares, founder of Socius Wealth Management, for a grounded and heartfelt conversation about what truly matters in retirement planning today.

David opens up about growing up in a blue-collar family without financial guidance, the moment he realized how deeply compounding interest shapes a lifetime, and why his mission centers on empowering retirees to live fully and live gold.

You’ll hear how he thinks about legacy, trust, rising healthcare costs, tax traps that surprise so many pre-retirees, and why the right advisor relationship feels more like partnership than transaction.

💡 In This Episode, You'll Discover:

Why most families never learn how money actually works

How personal experiences shaped David’s mission to educate and empower

Why “live gold” is different for every family—and why it matters

The emotional side of planning that spreadsheets alone can’t solve

The rising retirement risks most people overlook (and how to prepare thoughtfully)

The mindset shift every retiree needs: planning is personal, not one-size-fits-all

👤 About David Mares

David is the founder of Socius Wealth Management, a boutique advisory firm based in Phoenix, AZ. Known for his relational approach and calm clarity, David serves high-income professionals, business owners, and families seeking a more personal and values-aligned retirement strategy.

📍 Location: Phoenix, Arizona

🌐 Website: https://sociuswealthmgt.com

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mares-swm/

📞 Contact: 602-317-5332

🎧 About the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast

Hosted by Daniel Hanzelka, the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast goes beyond the spreadsheets to explore what truly creates freedom in life and in business. Authentic conversations. No hype. No product pushing. Just clarity, purpose, and wisdom for advisors, leaders, and everyday families.

🌐 More Episodes: https://makelifelesstaxingpodcast.com

📥 Be a Guest: https://makelifelesstaxingpodcast.com/apply

#DavidMares #MakeLifeLessTaxing #RetirementPlanning #FinancialClarity #AdvisorInsights #WealthMindset #SociusWealthManagement #FinancialWellness #RetirementLifestyle #MoneyMindset

What if the real risk in retirement isn’t market volatility or account balances—but the quiet gaps no one talks about until it’s too late?

In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka sits down with Ray Alkalai widely known as “Care Funding Ray”—to explore the side of financial planning most families never learn: long-term care realities, tax-heavy withdrawals, and the mindset behind creating a retirement that’s stable, intentional, and deeply human.

Ray shares how he entered the industry thinking he’d sell home and auto insurance, only to discover a foundational flaw in how Americans prepare for the future. Eighteen years later, he has become a trusted voice for families navigating long-term care decisions, tax exposure, and the challenge of stretching a single dollar to do the work of many.

You’ll hear stories from the sandwich generation, the emotional weight of crisis planning, and why clarity—not fear—creates better decisions. This conversation is grounded, eye-opening, and refreshingly practical.

💡 In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

Why most families unintentionally give away too much of their future to taxes

The hidden danger of “hugging your accounts” for too long

How one dollar can be structured to do the job of multiple dollars

Why long-term care planning shapes everything—legacy, income, and peace of mind

The mindset shift every household needs: clarity before strategy

👤 About Ray Alkalai (“Care Funding Ray”)

Ray Alkalai is the founder and CEO of Alkalai Financial Group, where he helps families prepare for retirement with clarity, dignity, and thoughtful planning. Known for simplifying complex ideas and bringing calm to overwhelming financial decisions, Ray serves pre-retirees, retirees, and members of the sandwich generation seeking practical solutions for long-term care and tax-efficient retirement income.

🌐 Website: https://www.CareFundingRay.com

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rayalkalai/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553265098985

📸 Instagram: @CareFundingRay

🎁 Free Resource: https://taxfreeltcbook.com/home

“Everything you need to plan for how to pay for Long-Term Care”

🎧 About the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast Make Life Less Taxing is a show dedicated to helping people build freedom, clarity, and purpose in every part of their financial life. No hype. No product talk. Just real conversations that help you think differently and live more intentionally.

🌐 More Episodes: https://makelifelesstaxingpodcast.com

📥 Be a Guest: https://makelifelesstaxingpodcast.com/apply

#CareFundingRay #MakeLifeLessTaxing #RetirementClarity #LongTermCarePlanning #WealthMindset #FinancialWellness #AdvisorInsights #RetirementLifestyle #LegacyPlanning