Message from the CEO - Setbacks vs. Comebacks
Hello FinGym Friends and Family,
I don’t know about you, but I love the Olympic season, both winter and spring. To me, there is nothing like the drama, joy and exhilaration the Olympic games makes you feel. Every night I watch the coverage on NBC in awe of the athleticism, nervous for the athletes and parents, filled with pride for Team USA and most of all, I’m inspired by the stories of athletes who are there for a comeback journey and shot at redemption. I’m here for all of the Olympian’s stories, but I feel particularly drawn to those athletes like Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Sha’Carri Richardson, Brody Malone, Caeleb Dressel and Simone Manuel who experienced heartbreaking setbacks in recent years and powered through them to return to the Olympic stage.
Whether or not they win their events, to me, they are the ultimate winners and remind me of the quote from Dr. Penny - “The comeback is greater than the setback.” We all face setbacks in life; however, these athletes experienced them for the world to see and judge yet despite the darkness they felt in the setback, they found the strength to return and the courage to find the comeback. In the training and preparation for the games, earning a spot on Team USA and showing up on the big stage in Paris, they already accomplished something huge; and then you add a medal on top of it, and it’s just the cherry on top of a beautiful journey.
For those of you who have been following Financial Gym’s journey for years now, you know that we have experienced our fair share of setbacks. In early 2020, we were growing by leaps and bounds. We had two physical gym locations opened with two more to be opened within a few months and then plans to open dozens of gyms around the country by early 2021. We had big hopes, plans and dreams until March 13, 2020 when all of that disappeared before our eyes. So much so, I was convinced we would have to shut down the company by April 2020.
Spoiler alert, we never shut down, but in the last four years, there have been many other moments where I feared I may have to make the call to shut down the company; and if I’m truly honest with myself, I had many moments where I wished I could shut down the company. When you’re in a dark place and it feels like the world is against you, all you want to do is huddle in a corner and hope the world will forget you. I spent more days than I care to say in that frame of mind over the last four years. With each passing year, the journey felt more and more difficult; and I prayed for an “easy” way out.
I’m not sure where these athletes found the courage and strength to dig deep and push forward, but I am in awe of it and I see kindred spirits in their experiences. I think anyone who has had a massive setback wants to see examples of people showing you that as hard as the setback was, you can’t forget about the comeback; and the bigger the setback, the grander the comeback.
I shared on my podcast recently that just last month I had to find the strength in me to stay on this difficult journey and continue to fight for the company I founded. After quite a bit of soul searching, conversations with my fiance, Vinnie, and those closest to me, on June 30, 2024, I sat down and manifested what I wanted for my future and the future of this company. I won’t share all of the details here (as it is, I’m told all the time I write too much) but I will say that despite the significant amount of work still required to realize the vision of what I am manifesting, I have never been more energized to see this company to it’s comeback story.
Why am I energized? Because I know clearly who and what I am fighting for. In March 2024, we launched our investment advisory subdivision and just this month we passed over $25MM in assets under management. This was the first goal we set for the company and as ambitious as it was, the team was laser focused on making sure we hit it. And the most beautiful thing to me about this goal is that many other firms would hit this number with just a handful of wealthy clients; however, we accomplished it primarily with clients who have investment balances of $100K or less. We have a handful of clients with over $1MM with us; however, the large majority are “everyday people” who have hopes, dreams and futures they’ve entrusted us with helping them continue to build and see to fruition.
For 11 years now, Financial Gym has been helping clients get and stay financially healthy and part of a financially healthy lifestyle is not only actively investing, but investing with the right asset allocation for your goals. It involves taking risks with your money, but taking calculated risks and having a plan in place. We not only invest our client’s money, but we also work with them holistically on all areas of their financial well-being and because we are looking at our client holistically, I truly believe it gives us the ability to help them invest in a more effective manner.
On June 30th, I renewed my commitment to Financial Gym’s comeback story because Financial Gym looks out for and cares for people of all financial shapes and sizes, all walks of life, all political ideologies, and all ages and stages of life. We are here to protect people from being taken advantage of by insurance salespeople who only want to sell products and not be part of the solution. We are here to protect people from robo-advisers who want to collect fees and provide minimal guidance. We are here to protect people from financial advisers who talk over clients and confuse them with jargon or demeaning behavior due to their asset sizes. We are here to protect people from themselves and challenges that arise from taking investment advice from TikTok or their friends at work.
My point in all of this is that we have a lot more work to do, a big population to serve and I have the most amazing team of people around me that I am excited to lead into Financial Gym’s comeback story. I look forward to standing on a proverbial podium with the team I have now and sharing a gold medal moment with them. And I would love it if you could be a part of our comeback story as well!
We have surpassed $25MM in assets under management, but our next big goal is $100MM and the only way we get there is word of mouth and referrals. If you have never tried out Financial Gym’s coaching program before, I highly encourage you to start there. We have an amazing summer promotion happening now if you sign up before the end of August. You can schedule a call here, to find out more. If you want more information on our investment offering and why I believe we have no equal in the wealth management industry, you can schedule a call here. See you on the podium soon!
Cheers!
Shannon McLay
Founder & CEO
The Financial Gym & FG Advisory Services
FG Advisory Services LLC ("The Financial Gym") is an SEC registered investment adviser. Additional services may be provided by The Financial Gym INC. FG Advisory Services and The Financial Gym INC are separate but affiliated companies. The Financial Gym’s investment advisory services are available only to residents of the United States. Nothing in this email should be considered an offer, recommendation, solicitation of an offer, or advice to buy or sell any security. The information provided herein is for informational and general educational purposes only and is not investment or financial advice. Additionally, The Financial Gym does not provide tax advice and investors are encouraged to consult with their tax advisor.
All investing involves risk, including the possible loss of money you invest, and past performance does not guarantee future performance. Any historical returns, expected returns, or probability projections are hypothetical in nature and may not reflect actual future performance. Brokerage services will be provided to The Financial Gym clients through Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, (“Fidelity”) SEC-registered broker-dealer and member FINRA/SIPC . Securities in your account protected up to $500,000. For details, please see www.sipc.org.
Please be advised that the investment advisory services and the securities offered: Are Not FDIC Insured; Are Not Bank Guaranteed; May Lose Value; Are Not Deposits; Are Not Insured by Any Federal Government Agency; Are Not a Condition to Any Banking Service or Activity Any investment , trade-related or brokerage questions shall be communicated to advisory@fingyms.com.