I’ve spent years helping people plan for their futures strategizing, forecasting and fine tuning the numbers. But nothing recalibrates your sense of “the future” quite like becoming a dad.
The moment I held my daughter for the first time everything shifted. The world paused and in that silence I felt something profound: love, responsibility and a fierce desire to protect. I thought I understood what mattered in life but she redefined it.
Now my work isn’t just about retirement or investment returns. It is about making sure she has a safe home, access to opportunities and a future filled with choices. It’s about legacy not just wealth but wisdom, values and security.
I find myself revisiting everything:
- Our budget – now featuring nappies, baby wipes and a pram that cost more than my first car.
- Insurance – because I want to know she’ll be okay no matter what.
- Estate planning – because I’ve never cared more about what happens if I’m not around.
- Education savings – because I want her to dream big and have the means to chase those dreams.
But beyond planning there’s something deeper I’ve started thinking about, the kind of example I want to set. How I talk about money, how I make decisions, how I show her what it means to be responsible, generous and prepared.
One night, during a 3 am feed, I found myself pacing the room baby in one arm, bottle in the other and my mind racing, not with exhaustion but with clarity. I started mentally mapping out her future: her first day of school, her teenage years, her first car, maybe even a deposit for her first home. It was a moment of quiet inspiration and it reminded me why I do what I do, not just for clients but now for my own family.
I opened a new account the next morning, her first investment. It wasn’t large but it was symbolic, a seed planted for the future. It made me think: how many other parents are having those same 3 am moments, wondering how to give their children the best start in life?
Fatherhood has given me a new lens, one that sees not just the numbers but the people behind them. It’s about building a life that supports the people you care about most.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s this: the most important investments we make aren’t in markets, they’re in moments. In bedtime stories, in the first steps to come, in the quiet reassurance that comes from knowing your family is protected, no matter what.
Having guided others through major financial changes before, I’m somewhat familiar with what’s ahead. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and I know il need my family, friends and colleagues for support as I enter parenthood.
