About Michael Modica
Michael Modica
Your Financial Coach
The answer to every financial problem is the same: earn more money and spend less of it. The hard part is uncovering the obstacles which are preventing you from implementing this simple answer. Sometimes it is a lack of knowledge of the fundamentals of money management. Is this a topic that was taught in your school? Almost certainly not.
Some people use money to soothe the pain caused by everyday life. This is so common that it has a name: “shopping therapy”. Unforeseen events such as a big medical bill may suddenly drop a boulder in your path. Again, this happens every day to someone.
The good news about problems is that they have solutions. Toilet running? Some people have the knowledge and willingness to fix it, others need to call a plumber. Clogged drain? Frozen pipes? Burst water connection flooding your entire house? Sooner of later, it makes sense to hire an expert who has solved your problem many times before.
It would be natural for you to wonder, “why should I trust this guy”? There are many reasons, but first on the list is that I started with no money as a young man, worked really hard for about 25 years, then retired ten years ago, at age 53. Money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy freedom. If you value freedom as much as I do then it would be a privilege to show you how to get there.
All of this could just be words, right? OK then, here is the “highlight reel”:
- Bethpage High School Class of 1975. Captain of the basketball team. Not the best player, just the hardest working.
- Bachelor of Science Degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY, Class of 1979. Elected to the Cadet Honor Committee.
- Five years on active duty in the US Army. Graduated from Airborne and Ranger Schools at Fort Benning, GA then served as an officer in a tank battalion and as a senior instructor on the (new at the time) M1 Abrams tank.
- MBA, Harvard Business School Class of 1986.
- 25 years of widely varied business experience, almost all of it in the financial arena: private equity / venture capital, small business turnaround / financial restructuring, acquired three small businesses (one was a home run, one was a miserable failure, the other one was “meh” ). A serial entrepreneur at heart.
- Currently a member of “Coach Connections”, an invitation only “mastermind” group of 250 Financial Coaches from all over the United States. There are a few hours of Zoom meetings available 5 days a week plus the world’s largest repository of literature on any possible personal financial topic. It is a community dedicated to sharing knowledge, insight, and advancing the profession of Financial Coaching. If I don’t know the best solution to one of your challenges then one of the other 249 other coaches does.
Other Stuff
- Completed 3 marathons in my late 50s. No Kenyans lost sleep over my presence in the field.
- Two years as Volunteer CEO of Erase PTSD Now, a 501(c)(3) organization devoted to funding innovative treatments for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
- Certified US Coast Guard Captain with a “six-pack” license to take up to six clients fishing. You can read all about it at unclemikesfishing.com
- Married once for twenty years. Yes, divorced…been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Two children: a 20-year-old son enrolled at Boston University. He earned his US Coast Guard Captain’s license at age 17. My daughter is a 10th grader. So proud of both of them!