By Andrew Comstock, CFA®
Imagine this: You’ve worked hard for years, and now—finally—your income allows you to treat yourself to things that once seemed out of reach: a dream vacation, a new home upgrade, or a few indulgences you’ve been eyeing for a while. Exciting, right? But here’s the question: How do you say “yes” to enjoying today without compromising your future goals?
Clarifying and Refining Your Goals
It’s a common dilemma we see among many of our clients. How do you balance the desire to enjoy the present with the responsibility of securing the future? Are you able to spend on the things that matter now without worrying about whether it will impact your long-term financial plans?
At Beyond Wealth, we don’t just look at the numbers. We dive into what’s truly important to you: your family’s values, your personal goals, and the legacy you want to leave. This isn’t just about making smart financial moves today; it’s about making decisions that align with your vision for both now and the future.
We often find that people tend to fall into one of two camps. Some embrace every opportunity to splurge, but in doing so, they sometimes overlook how it fits with their bigger picture. Others hesitate, unsure whether they can enjoy life today without putting their financial future at risk.
Neither approach feels satisfying. That’s why our goal is to help you strike the right balance. We want to help you create a plan that supports your enjoyment today while giving you confidence in tomorrow. Through our Good, Better, Best framework, we guide you in making financial decisions that reflect not just your current means, but also the deeper meaning behind them.
Redefine Luxury
Money can buy many things, but buying time to enjoy experiences may be the best purchase you can make. Short-term consumption and impulse spending may feel good, but that feeling may go away quickly. One piece of guidance we often offer is assisting clients in defining their version of luxury and what it truly means to them: Does short-term consumption or acquiring assets and memorable experiences with lasting value fill your needs? These are important questions that can take some time to figure out what is right for you.
You only need to look at the substantial increase in travel that has occurred since the COVID-19 pandemic to see this societal change toward experiences (literally) in motion. With greater wealth, high-income families might think about whether the fancier car or newest style of clothing brings them lasting enjoyment, or opting instead to choose what brings fulfillment and meaning to them and their families while still building their tomorrows. The key is to discover, define, and design goals that are uniquely yours and then align purchases and a planning road map to what brings genuine fulfillment.
Examples might include a dream vacation to celebrate an anniversary, a family adventure to an exotic location, spending a week wine tasting in Tuscany, or sailing the Caribbean. It could also mean adding a greenhouse to a gardening enthusiast’s home or high-end kitchen appliances for the would-be chef whose dream is to write a cookbook during their “work-optional” years. I am available to be your recipe taster if this is your plan for a second act!
How Beyond Wealth Weaves These Goals Into Planning
Foregoing impulse spending isn’t about current deprivation; it’s about design—wealth planning that allows you to enjoy today while still working toward the tomorrow you’ve envisioned, but in a more significant, meaningful way.
Our guidance includes strategies that balance these objectives. For example, within plan recommendations, we include a “Some for now, some for later” rule for new income (such as a bonus or S-Corp shareholder payout in a good business year, or RSU vesting). Such windfalls may be divided as one half between a lifestyle upgrade and the other half toward long-term investments, such as a “Future Opportunity Fund” that can grow for multiple uses down the road that align purchases with genuine fulfillment and contribute to your desired legacy.
We also model potential scenarios that demonstrate the opportunities and trade-offs between the “now and then” to help you make smart, informed decisions about what’s truly important to you. Oftentimes it’s this type of clarity that can make it easier to refine near-term value choices and have greater confidence in experiencing the best future for you and your family.
Ready to Embark on Your Own Financial Journey? Let’s Have a Discussion.
At Beyond Wealth, we focus on the most efficient tax and planning strategies to help you realize your objectives and life aspirations. Our independent advisory firm offers an array of services—focused on our clients—to help pursue a confident financial future.
Our goal is aligned with yours: Connect your wealth to your life’s objectives and empower you to choose and follow the financial road that feels right for you and your family.
Give us a call (913) 871-7980 or email andrew@beyond-wealth.com to schedule an introductory meeting and start this year on a better financial path toward your own vision.
About Andrew
Andrew Comstock, CFA®, is Principal & Wealth Advisor at Beyond Wealth, a fiduciary financial advisory firm in Overland Park, Kansas, dedicated to empowering clients to make impactful financial decisions. Serving the Kansas City metro area, Beyond Wealth specializes in helping wealth-building professionals and business owners navigate life transitions. With a mission to provide comprehensive wealth management services, Andrew’s proficiency lies in leveraging his background in institutional investment management to create tailored investment strategies. He provides research-driven portfolio management, focusing on helping clients build wealth for key milestones, whether it’s buying their forever home, purchasing a business, or funding their children’s education. Alongside Brandy, Andrew combines comprehensive planning with a long-term investment approach, helping clients grow their wealth while enjoying life.
Andrew began his career in institutional investment management, managing portfolios for insurance companies, pension funds, and mutual funds. Inspired by a desire to make a more personal impact, he transitioned to advising individuals directly, bringing his passion for financial empowerment to Beyond Wealth. Known for his commitment to high standards and always seeking to grow and discover, Andrew is dedicated to delivering thoughtful, tailored strategies for his clients’ unique financial needs.
Andrew graduated from the University of Tulsa with a BSBA in Finance and obtained the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation. Active within his professional community, he’s a member of the CFA Institute, Kansas City CFA Society, and the Overland Park Rotary Club. Andrew is a past president of his Rotary club, served on the University of Tulsa’s Board of Trustees, and was the National Board President of the Alumni Association at TU. He is the Investment Chair for the Catholic Foundation of Northeast Kansas. Outside of work, Andrew is a devoted Chiefs, Royals, Sporting KC, and Everton fan who loves exploring KC’s vibrant restaurant scene, especially the BBQ hotspots. With dual citizenship in the U.S. and Ireland and experience living in Switzerland, he’s an avid traveler who’s visited 37 countries and counting. Andrew is also a proud cancer survivor, a perspective that reinforces his commitment to helping families feel confident about their financial futures while embracing the present. To learn more about Andrew, connect with him on LinkedIn.
