The Financial Four: The Plan for Living Abundantly, Giving Outrageously, and Winning the Game of Wealth

By Mark A. Aho, Kirsten D. Samuel and DDS Dr. Donn G. (Bud) Kipka Jr.

What if you could secure your financial future today?

With the right plan, you can live abundantly, give outrageously, and win the Game of Wealth. 

Everyone, especially the family steward, desires to answer life's four questions:

1. Will my family be all right?
2. Will my f

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ethos Collective
• Release date: Mar 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9781636800691

Mark A. Aho

Mark A. Aho is a devoted husband, a dedicated father, and a successful financial advisor in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Blessed to be adopted as an infant and raised by loving parents, he embraces the noble notions of faith and family. As a life-long learner, Mark champions a positive view of the future and anyone's ability to build wealth. Over the years, he has built a team of professionals who reflect his persistent drive for excellence. Mark's passion overflows as he mentors his team and others to serve every client through premium wealth management services.Mark fully enjoys life by immersing himself in the continual improvement of mind, body, and spirit. He enjoys a lifelong passion for downhill skiing, especially being on a mountain top with breathtaking views around him. Mark also plays golf with friends and cleints, however, he finds it to be a most humbling sport that reminds him on every round there is something new to learn each day. Mark and his wife, Julie, share life together with their two adult children, Christina and Ross.

Book preview

THE

FINANCIAL

FOUR

THE PLAN FOR LIVING ABUNDANTLY, GIVING OUTRAGEOUSLY, AND WINNING THE GAME OF WEALTH

MARK A. AHO

with Kirsten D. Samuel

ALSO BY MARK A. AHO

Your legacy tomorrow will be determined by how you live today.

No one wants to just get by. The truth is you can design an unshakeable personal, spiritual, and professional legacy that you pass on for generations to come. Discover the proven process for creating a rich legacy that outlives you.

THE

FINANCIAL

FOUR

THE PLAN FOR LIVING ABUNDANTLY, GIVING OUTRAGEOUSLY, AND WINNING THE GAME OF WEALTH

MARK A. AHO

with Kirsten D. Samuel

THE FINANCIAL FOUR

©2021 by Mark A. Aho

All rights reserved.

Printed in the USA

Published by ethos collective

P.O. Box 43

Powell, OH 43065

Ethoscollective.vip

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™

Used by permission of Zondervan.

All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloguing:

Softcover: 978-1-63680-067-7

Hardcover: 978-1-63680-068-4

E-book: 978-1-63680-069-1

Available in hardcover, softcover, e-book, and audiobook

Any internet addresses (website, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers printed in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Ethos Collective, nor does Ethos Collective vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

The information contained in this book does not purport to be a complete description of the securities, markets, or developments referred to in this material. The information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but we do not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. Any information is not a complete summary or statement of all available data necessary for making an investment decision and does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Past performance may not be indicative of future results. Any opinions stated are those of Mark Aho and not necessarily those of Raymond James or RJFS.

Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advisory services offered through Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. Mark Aho Financial Group is not a registered broker/dealer and is independent of Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my parents, Arne and June Aho, and my wife Julie’s parents, Pinky and Merle Schiavo. I learned how to be a family steward from them. These four people mean the world to me, and I love them dearly.

CONTENTS

Foreword

Note to the Reader

PART 1: PRE-GAME ANALYSIS

Introduction

Chapter 1: What Does It Mean to Be a Family Steward

Chapter 2: The Four Core Principles for Success

Chapter 3: Discover Your Life Goals

PART 2: ORIGINAL GAME PLAN

Chapter 4: What Isn’t Working?

Chapter 5: How to Build Your Financial Goal Plan

PART 3: HALF-TIME

Chapter 6: Winners Make Half-Time Adjustments

Chapter 7: What Makes a Strong Investment Portfolio?

Chapter 8:How Do Social Security and Medicare Benefits Affect the Half-Time Adjustments?

PART 4: NEW GAME PLAN

Chapter 9: Designing Your Personal Financial Policy Statement

Chapter 10:When Do You Reach Enough?

Chapter 11: More Than Enough

Chapter 12: Enough to Give

Chapter 13: Enough for Lasting Impact

PART 5: CHAMPIONSHIP

Chapter 14: Living the Championship Life

Appendices

Endnotes

Acknowledgments

About Mark A. Aho

FOREWORD

A knock on the door more than thirty years ago introduced us to Mark Aho.

Soon we were taking investment classes from him at Northern Michigan University, and he became our financial advisor. Kris’s father had recently passed away, and her mother, who suffered from memory loss, lived alone on the family farm. The thought of being responsible for someone else’s finances was daunting.

Our original goals as her mother’s caretakers were

Providing for Kris’s mother’s care.

Keeping and managing the farm.

Being good stewards for Kris’s sisters and their families.

Fear can lead to procrastination, indecision, and missed opportunities. Missed opportunities can cause one to fall short of one’s goals. It’s difficult to be wise and well informed about all aspects of life, which is why competent and wise advisors are essential. We overcame our fears and procrastination, which allowed us to be good stewards of Kris’s mother’s savings. We took care of her mom’s needs, kept and managed the family farm, and had some savings left over for Kris and her siblings. Kris’s parents had a strong work ethic, lived frugally, and believed in saving and investing wisely. They would have been pleased to know that their years of hard work, saving, and investing enabled them to remain independent in their declining years, to provide something for their family, and to keep the farm that had been such a big part of their lives.

Since the first meeting thirty years ago, we established clear goals, a plan to achieve those milestones, and implemented our planning. This has made a tremendous difference in our lives.

My parents also believed in hard work, frugality, consistent saving, and investing. My dad’s salary at Detroit Edison was modest, but providing for and supporting his family was very important to him. Soon after returning home from the service following World War II, he joined an investment club. Dad put twenty-five dollars into a fund at each monthly meeting, which the club then invested in stocks.

When my parents retired, they depended upon their two meager pensions and social security for income. They had paid off their mortgage and accumulated savings from years of slow and steady investment in stocks. When Dad resided in assisted living and Mom was in a memory care unit, they were able to support themselves financially. Having clearly set goals, taking advantage of opportunities to invest on a regular basis, and being frugal, allowed them to live the life they wanted after retirement, knowing they could be financially independent.

After becoming grandparents, my folks wanted to provide each grandchild with a financial legacy. Each newborn grandchild received one hundred dollars of Detroit Edison stock with an automatic reinvestment plan. We kept and carefully managed our children’s gifted nest eggs. When our daughter started a business, her grandparents’ gift had increased in value to more than twenty thousand dollars. This helped her start her business. My parents’ gift of $100 of stock grew to be a down payment of over twenty thousand dollars for our son’s first house. Dad loved getting updates on the growth of his gifts, knowing he had made a difference in his grandchildren’s lives.

Most of us have little knowledge or background in investing. Because of this we hesitate, fearing the loss of our savings. But we don’t have to allow fear or ignorance to keep us from reaching our financial dreams and goals. We can seek out the help and information we need. Mark’s new book, The Financial Four, helps provide the answers to four of life’s most critical questions:

Will my family be all right?

Will my family and I be able to live the life we want after retirement?

Can I afford to be generous to others?

Have I done enough?

His book provides the structure and perspective to make smart decisions and progress towards reaching your goals.

Kris and I are thankful we answered the door when Mark knocked. Reading his new book will give you the tools and knowledge to better your life too.

—Dr. Donn G (Bud) Kipka Jr., DDS

NOTE TO THE READER

Thank you for spending some of your valuable time reading this book. The goal of The Financial Four is to get you started or restarted on the right track toward