From Managing Money to Making Media — Why Your Second Act Might Be Your Real One

Most people treat their career pivot like a crisis. Adam approached his like compounding interest — small, consistent moves that eventually broke the equation. We talk about the finance industry’s myths (no, you are not beating the market), why sharing your story works even when you think you’re “not that person,” how giving away thousands of books became a growth engine, and why content creation is the new credibility layer for every entrepreneur.We explore the second-life moment: when you’ve spent years mastering one system only to realize the next version of you is waiting in a completely different world. Adam’s journey from “professional low-stakes grifter” (his words for financial advisors) to founder of a fast-growing media company is a case study in paying attention to what starts pulling you forward.This isn’t a story about leaving finance. It’s a story about finally doing work that compounds in every direction.TL;DR* No one beats the market: Most managed-money careers hide behind complexity; transparency wins.* Your story is an asset: A book isn’t a $5 product — it’s a credibility accelerant.* Content scales trust: Podcasting, writing, and storytelling create leverage regulated industries never allow.* Pivots aren’t leaps: They’re a series of realizations you can’t unknow.* Second-life careers reward clarity: When you know what you can do exceptionally well, the right path becomes obvious.Key Themes1. The Finance IllusionAdam spent 14 years across every side of the money-management business — IRA departments, CFP work, retirement plans, running his own RIA. The deeper he went, the clearer the hard truth became:Complexity sells. Simplicity performs.Most investors would do better with a simple S&P split and quarterly rebalancing than paying a point-plus in fees. The industry doesn’t like that sentence.2. The Accidental AuthorAdam wrote his first book because his mentor forced him to.He didn’t believe in $5 products.He didn’t believe in writing books.He definitely didn’t believe he had a story worth telling.But giving away thousands of books changed everything:* Attracted assets* Opened doors* Taught him the power of simple ideas (compound interest, APR, basic personal finance)* Showed him that people are starving for clarity, not complexityStories scale. Silence doesn’t.3. When Others Ask You to LeadPeers started asking Adam to help them publish books — CEOs, business owners, professionals.He thought it was absurd.But the model worked: anthology-style, collaborative, marketing budget pooled, broad distribution.What started as a side experiment became a series that has now published 400+ authors.4. The Media PivotWith books working and the podcast exploding, Adam faced a choice:Try to run two careers poorly, or choose one and let it compound.He chose media. Nine years later, that call looks obvious.5. The Bigger RealizationMoney is an accounting entry for resource ownership.But we’re consuming resources at an unsustainable pace to create more accounting entries.Every financial system eventually resets.What matters isn’t the illusion of compounding — it’s the relationships, reputation, and value you build that survive resets.Memorable Lines* “If you can market yourself in finance, you can grow 10x faster in a non-regulated industry.”* “I thought broke people wrote books — turns out authors build trust faster than anyone.”* “You don’t need to beat the market; you need to beat obscurity.”* “I’m not Elon. I can do one thing really well — that’s it. And that’s enough.”* “Content is the new credibility. Silence is the new obscurity.”GuestAdam Torres — Media Founder, Author, PodcasterCo-founder of Mission Matters, publisher of hundreds of books and host of nationally distributed business podcasts. Former CFP and RIA owner turned media-builder helping entrepreneurs amplify their stories.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamtorres8/Website: https://missionmatters.com/Why This MattersBecause your second life might not look like an escape — it might look like leverage.Adam’s story shows that the skills you build in one industry become unstoppable when combined with storytelling, ownership, and the courage to pivot.If you want a career that compounds — not just capital but impact, relationships, opportunities — you have to build something the system can’t reset: your voice, your story, your platform.Call to ActionIf this conversation lit something up for you, don’t just let it fade. Come join me inside the Second Life Leader community on Skool. That’s where I share the frameworks, field reports, and real stories of reinvention that don’t make it into the podcast. You’ll connect with other professionals who are actively rebuilding and leading with clarity. The link is in the show notes—step inside and start building your Second Life today.https://secondlifeleader.com This is a public episode. If ...