I have a confession to make: when my friend Aurora first told me I needed to meet her financial advisor, my response was: "I don't have any money. What do I need with a financial planner?"
She told me not to worry. He would help me make money.
That was how I met Kamron Nahavandi. He is my personal financial advisor, based in Orange County, and he has been quietly helping me grow my money and get my financial house in order in the years since. I talked him into chiropractic care. He talked me into letting him handle my finances. I am pretty sure we both got the better end of that deal.
I wanted to have him on the podcast because alignment is not just about your spine. It is about every area of your life. And finances are one of the areas where a lot of people are functioning without a real plan, not because they do not care, but because it is confusing, the information out there is overwhelming, and nobody ever really taught them how it works.
Kamron is the kind of person who shows up to a meeting with nothing but a notepad and a pen, draws pictures to explain complex concepts, and makes you feel like you actually understand what is happening with your money. Sound familiar? That is exactly how I practice chiropractic. Listen to your patient, understand the whole picture, explain it clearly, and build a plan specific to them.
The Financial Checkup
The first thing Kamron does with a new client is exactly what I do with a new patient: a complete checkup from head to toe. Not just investments. The whole picture. Income, expenses, savings, insurance coverage, estate planning, tax situation. Everything.
When he did that for me, he found an insurance policy that was a better fit than the one I had, with a disability rider I did not know existed. If something happened and I could not use my hands to practice, I would receive monthly income to replace what I would have been making. As a chiropractor whose entire livelihood depends on her physical ability to do the work, that is not a small thing.
He describes himself as the quarterback: he manages the overall game plan but has a team of specialists he trusts in every area, insurance experts, estate planning attorneys, CPAs, tax advisors. Whatever challenge a client is facing, he knows two or three experts who can weigh in. That is exactly the collaborative, whole-person model I believe in for health. Your finances deserve the same.
Why There Is So Much Misinformation
I asked Kamron why there is so much bad financial advice floating around, and he gave an honest answer: some advisors simply do not know better, and some are not good people. Either way, the client ends up with something they should not have.
He made a comparison that I appreciated: I inherit patients who have had bad experiences with other chiropractors. It does not necessarily mean that chiropractor was malicious. It may just mean they did not have the right tool for what that person needed. The result is the same either way: someone who came for help left worse off than when they arrived.
The solution in both cases is the same: find the right fit. Find someone who listens to your whole situation, not just the presenting symptom. Find someone who educates you rather than just telling you what to do. And find someone who has your best interest, not their commission structure, driving the conversation.
Zoom Out
Here is the piece of financial wisdom from this conversation that I keep coming back to: zoom out.
People get too caught up in the market cycle. When it goes up, they celebrate too much. When it goes down, they panic too much. But for 100 years, the market has trended upward. It takes dips every seven to ten years. That is normal. That is the cycle. If you have 20 or 30 years ahead of you, those dips are noise, not catastrophe.
Kamron also reminded me: when the media says the market is down, they are usually talking about the S&P 500. A good advisor does not just throw all your money into the S&P 500 and hope for the best. Diversification means that when the market dips, you may barely feel it. His clients call him confused because they expected to be down and they are not. That is the whole point.
And on the media specifically: they are a for-profit industry. They do not make money by saying the market is doing fine, have a great day. They make money when the sky is falling and everyone tunes in. Take it with a large grain of salt and call your advisor instead.
Start Small and Start Now
For anyone who thinks they need to have a significant amount of money before a financial advisor is relevant: you do not. The best time to plant a tree is today. Even saving $50 or $100 a month consistently over 20 or 30 years adds up to far more than most people expect. Compound interest is a real thing and time is its most important ingredient.
If you are in your 60s and close to retirement, the calculus is different and the planning becomes more urgent. But if you are in your 20s or 30s, the most important thing is to start a consistent habit now, even a small one, and let time do the heavy lifting.
Find Kamron
Kamron Nahavandi can be reached at kn-advisor.com. He serves individuals, families, and business owners in the areas of retirement planning, wealth management, estate planning, life insurance, and full-service financial planning. He is based in Orange County and works with clients across the country.
If you have been meaning to get your financial health in order and keep putting it off, consider this your nudge. Your future self will thank you.
Listen to the full conversation with Kamron Nahavandi on the Well Connected Podcast: Live Your Life in Alignment. Available wherever you get your podcasts.
Find Kamron at kn-advisor.com.
