Up next in 10
What happens when passion meets discipline in the world of finance?
In this episode of "The Author’s Spotlight" Caren sits down with Dean Greenberg, founder of Greenberg Financial Group and author of the newly launched book The End Game. Dean shares his incredible journey from the corporate halls of Ford to becoming a key figure in financial planning—rooted in vision, integrity, and hard work.
✨ Topics Covered:
- Dean’s leap from corporate America to founding his own financial firm
-The story behind Greenberg Financial Group and what sets it apart
-The power of resilience during life’s turning points
-Why education and integrity matter in finance
-The philosophy and actionable advice behind The End Game
-Tips for financial planning—no matter your age
-Why it’s never too late to start mapping your financial future
#finance #financialplanning #theendgame
Time Stamps:
00:00:01 – Introduction: Passion Meets Discipline in Finance
Caren welcomes viewers and introduces Dean Greenberg, highlighting his principles and journey.
00:00:42 – The Spark Behind Greenberg Financial Group
Dean shares the inspiration for starting his own company—leaving corporate life, pursuing excitement in finance, and getting an MBA.
00:04:53 – Founding Greenberg Financial Group
Dean shares his commitment to client advocacy and starting his own business.
00:05:21 – Core Principles: Education, Discipline & Integrity
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:01
Ever wonder what happens when passion
0:03
meets discipline in the world of
0:05
finance? Today's guests build Greenberg
0:08
Financial Group on those exact
0:10
principles and the results speak for
0:12
themselves. Stick around. This is going
0:15
to be a powerful conversation.
0:26
Hello everyone, Karen Glasser here and
0:28
today I am thrilled to sit down with
0:30
Dean Greenberg whose journey is a true
0:33
example of how vision, integrity and
0:35
hard work can create a lasting impact.
0:38
So Dean, welcome to the author
0:40
spotlight.
0:40
Thank you for having me, Karen.
0:42
Well, I am delighted. You have quite a
0:45
background and we're just going to be
0:47
touching on pieces of it. Um,
0:49
specifically, I'd like to just kind of
0:51
start at the beginning, not when you
0:53
were born, but you know, with Greenberg
0:55
Financial Group. So, take us back to the
0:57
beginning of that and what was the spark
1:00
that got it all started?
1:02
Well, I mean, the spark that got it
1:04
started was actually before that. Okay.
1:06
I was work working for a corporation in
1:08
New York named Ford Motor Company. And I
1:12
realized at that time what I needed for
1:15
myself in my journey of growth was not
1:17
to work for a corporation.
1:20
So it was it was one of those things and
1:22
I understand why people do it and you
1:24
know and I understand how you climb the
1:26
ladders and I understand the pension at
1:28
the end is the reward but it it wasn't
1:31
exciting to me. So I wanted to go into
1:33
something exciting. So at the time I
1:35
went back and got my MBA in in in uh um
1:38
finance and investments. Okay. And I
1:41
thought I'd always be on Wall Street
1:42
working. I thought that was going to be
1:44
what would excite me. So that's how I
1:46
kind of got started.
1:48
And then how did Greenberg Financial
1:51
evolve though? Because it obviously
1:53
you're you're not on Wall Street.
1:55
Well, Greenberg Financial evolved out of
1:58
being what you called back as a stock
2:01
broker in the business. So in the 80s
2:04
when I was a stock broker, it was like
2:06
just selling stuff. And I and and I've
2:09
always said I'm the worst salesman in
2:11
the world because, you know, I don't
2:13
like to be sold. I don't like to sell
2:14
anybody. But what I like to do is
2:15
educate people and do things, but that's
2:17
not the way they were doing it. But it
2:19
all starts back in 1987 how we got to
2:22
Greenberg Financial Group. I was in
2:24
Atlanta working for a company called uh
2:27
JC Bradford. And it was 1987 that Monday
2:30
when the market crashed.
2:32
There were 600 some odd brokers in that
2:36
in that uh in the uh in the office in
2:38
the in the in the company and I was the
2:40
only one out of all of them that opened
2:42
up a new account that day and was a
2:45
buyer of stock and not a panicker of
2:47
everything.
2:48
Wow.
2:48
I and one of the reasons was I was
2:51
always a strategist and I had cash so I
2:54
was buying. So the guy that opened the
2:56
account, he's the main subject here. He
2:59
came in, he gave me the 500,000. He We
3:02
ended up doing some other things to his
3:04
account and a week later they told me
3:06
all the stock that I owned was uh was I
3:10
never got it. I said, "What do you mean
3:12
I never got it?" They said, "Well, they
3:13
couldn't cross it in the back office
3:15
because back then when you did a billion
3:17
shares, they weren't prepared for it." I
3:19
said, "Okay, I I understand that, but I
3:22
think my client needs to be made whole
3:24
here." He came in, he paid for it, he
3:26
expects it, and IBM now, which was 106
3:30
or so, is now 140. He deserves to make
3:32
that money.
3:34
And so the next day I come in, they had
3:36
my box waiting for me and they fired me.
3:39
Oh my goodness.
3:40
And so that was one of those things that
3:42
was a turning point in your life. And
3:44
what I realized was I hate didn't want
3:46
to be in the business anymore. Not
3:48
because I didn't like the business, but
3:50
because I didn't like the way they did
3:52
the business. I cared about the clients.
3:55
The clients came first and that's always
3:56
what I've always believed.
3:58
So it was the same time a lot of people
4:02
go through it in their in their early
4:03
30s that your turning point in your
4:05
life. You get fired, you get divorced.
4:07
You you you have nothing. You feel like
4:10
you just want to shoot yourself and you
4:12
say, "Oh, I don't want to do that. I got
4:13
to figure out a way to to do something."
4:15
Right?
4:16
I had friends that were in Tucson,
4:17
Arizona that I knew from high school
4:19
that were supposedly financial planners.
4:21
I moved out to Tucson, Arizona, and the
4:24
next thing I know, we're getting
4:25
involved with doing real estate. I
4:27
realized everything they were doing was
4:28
wrong. Everything they were doing was
4:30
wrong. And I told them, "Guys, this is
4:32
just going to get you in trouble. I'm
4:33
not going to do it." And they said,
4:35
"Well, what do you want to do?" I said,
4:36
"I've always had this idea about
4:38
managing money for a fee. Tell us."
4:41
Boom. We did it. We started managing
4:43
money for a fee. Everything I told them
4:46
happened. they got run out of the
4:48
business, sued out of the business, and
4:50
I then said, "I'm never letting anyone
4:52
take my my business away." And that's
4:54
when I started.
4:55
You know what's important with all this
4:56
because there's a thread and things that
4:59
I've read about you and things that I've
5:00
read that you've said um from the very
5:04
beginning that education, discipline,
5:05
and integrity are at the heart of your
5:08
work. And just what you said, you you
5:11
stood up for a client. Um, and in turn,
5:14
it did not go well for you, but it looks
5:16
like it went very well for you because
5:17
you were able to pivot eventually. What
5:20
doesn't kill us makes us stronger. I I
5:22
think
5:23
it is true. And you don't know what your
5:25
journey is going to be,
5:26
right?
5:26
The last thing I thought was a kid from
5:29
New York would be living in Tucson,
5:31
Arizona,
5:32
and loving it. You know what I'm saying?
5:34
And growing a business and doing the
5:36
things you want. But it's like in my
5:38
book, it's all about understanding who
5:40
you are and what you want and what makes
5:43
you tick and how you're going to get
5:45
there.
5:45
Well, that's a great segue. Let's just
5:47
jump in, right? Let's jump into the
5:48
book. The book is called The Endgame.
5:52
And uh this is a cover. You can see it.
5:54
It's launching today. It's in the
5:57
bookstores. You can go and get it. It's
5:59
across the board. We put it up as
6:01
Kindle, but it's paperback. You can get
6:03
it in all different functionalities. But
6:04
let's talk about the endgame. What's it
6:07
about?
6:08
Well, let's first look at the cover.
6:11
People are like, "What is that on
6:12
there?" Because if they're not sports
6:14
people, football people, they're like,
6:15
"That's kind of a weird looking cover,
6:17
right,
6:17
in the endgame." Well, obviously it has
6:19
something to do with that. Well, that's
6:21
that's a football play. And why is that
6:24
important? It It's because I've been a
6:27
coach also for 25 years. Right.
6:30
That's one of the reasons I love doing
6:31
what I do in Arizona because it allows
6:34
me to also do something I love to do
6:36
because the markets close at 1, two
6:38
o'clock. I'm able to go at night and
6:39
coach kids and make them better. So, at
6:42
the end of the day, everything I do is
6:45
got a plan. You play a football game,
6:48
you have a game plan. If you're going to
6:50
be a financial advisor, you need to have
6:52
a game plan. So, the whole book is about
6:54
planning. And when the plan isn't
6:56
working,
6:58
what do you do? In a football game, what
7:00
do you do? You change it,
7:01
right?
7:01
You do in real life, you change it. So
7:03
many people won't change. They won't
7:05
accept what's going on because they
7:08
think they're a failure. And you have to
7:09
look at where you want to get to and
7:11
understand it's not a straight line. So
7:13
the endgame is about retiring, getting
7:15
to that part in retiring. And in the get
7:18
in the book, it's not about how you're
7:20
going to make the money or what you're
7:21
going to do, even though there are some
7:23
suggestions on how you get there, but
7:25
it's about understanding who you are,
7:28
what your partner wants, what you want
7:29
out of life. What do you want to do
7:31
those next 10, 20, 30 years of your
7:34
life?
7:35
Why was it important to do this now? Why
7:38
I mean, why is the book coming out now?
7:41
The truth. I started this a while ago
7:44
because pretty much someone said you
7:46
should write a book and I don't know I
7:49
just left it there and then you know uh
7:52
my my wife is actually an author and I
7:54
and I finally looked down I said you
7:56
know what why don't you take this and
7:57
and co-write this with me and see what
7:59
we can do with this and go because I'm
8:02
not a great writer
8:04
like my wife told me when I first
8:06
started my radio show you're going to be
8:08
great because you're honest but your
8:10
English is horrible and your addiction
8:11
is worse and I don't know what we can do
8:13
with that, but I certainly can make sure
8:15
that you stay truthful to everybody
8:17
else. And so writing wasn't like my
8:20
specialty, but it is hers. So, we kind
8:23
of collaborated on the fact I gave her
8:25
what I wanted and she put it into like
8:27
the terms that the the person could
8:30
understand. And it comes from, I guess,
8:33
as I've gotten older and I see what's
8:35
going on, I can't help everybody
8:37
directly, but if they read this book, I
8:40
can help them indirectly because I talk
8:42
to them about how they should talk to
8:44
their financial advisors, what they
8:46
want. It's nothing about how much money
8:48
you're going to make me. It's all about
8:50
what, who, and what you are on an
8:52
individual basis and putting a plan
8:54
together that makes you happy and
8:58
stressless and allows you to live the
9:00
next 20, 30 years without worrying about
9:02
running out of money.
9:03
So, I I'm guessing that you believe in
9:05
uh this next line that I'm going to say
9:07
from Steven Cvy, begin with the end in
9:09
mind. Um, if if your clients or if
9:13
individuals don't know what they want at
9:15
the end of the day, it's going to be
9:16
pretty hard to make a plan. So
9:18
now most people don't know Karen, we
9:20
have to get it out of them,
9:22
right?
9:22
I mean I I I I do have that ability and
9:25
I've taught my team like we've gone to a
9:27
whole team approach like I got younger
9:30
people. You have to have younger people
9:31
in order to keep the legacy of your
9:32
company, right?
9:33
Don't talk to them like you're 30 years
9:35
old or 20 years old. Talk to them like
9:37
you understand them at 60, 70, 80 years
9:39
old. And that is the key. You need to
9:42
know what they're doing. You have to
9:44
know what their children are. You have
9:45
to know what's going on. taxes, social
9:47
security, Medicare, all those things to
9:50
be able to help somebody understand to
9:53
put together their plan. And you've got
9:55
to be able to talk to them. I've been
9:57
born with that. You know, God gives us a
9:59
budget. One of my bu things he gave me
10:01
was the ability to actually care about
10:03
others and be able to talk to them. Not
10:06
everybody can do that.
10:07
And so, you have to learn to be able to
10:09
do that so it doesn't come across a
10:10
salesman's way.
10:12
How important is is that in the world of
10:15
finance? this skill, this superpower
10:18
that you have that so many people don't
10:20
have. I have to guess that's why you are
10:24
so successful is because people know you
10:26
care.
10:27
100%. I've been doing a radio show for
10:30
35 years. What they hear on it is the
10:32
same thing they see when I come here.
10:34
You can't teach people to care, but if
10:36
you don't care, you're not going to be
10:38
very successful because or really like
10:41
the business because you're always going
10:42
to have to be building new
10:43
relationships. Everything's about
10:45
relationship building and you know
10:47
people go for sales classes. I tell them
10:50
go for relationship building classes,
10:52
right?
10:52
Okay. If you learn how to build a
10:54
relationship and in our business, you
10:56
don't have to be super close or friends.
10:58
What you have to do is be able to listen
11:00
and understand and to be able to
11:02
communicate with them on what they want,
11:04
not what you want.
11:06
We say whiff it. What's in it for them?
11:08
Um what? So you you literally get into
11:10
their heads and you're not going to tell
11:12
them to do something that they they need
11:14
to know what direction to go in and
11:16
you're there to make that assistance.
11:18
Yeah. Well, with today's technology and
11:20
the programs we have, that's how anyone
11:22
can guide them through and start with
11:24
those questions. You know what I mean?
11:26
Because it's like what do you want to
11:27
do? What do you need to do? What's your
11:29
budgets? Uh when do you uh how much your
11:31
money you got coming in? You got to it
11:33
it's a lot of work to get to that point
11:36
and if people aren't willing to do that
11:38
the key is here it seems planning used
11:40
to be insurance people coming to you and
11:42
say let's do this plan and they all sell
11:44
you insurance
11:45
right right
11:46
that's why it didn't work right
11:47
now planning is about what you want as a
11:51
person
11:51
right
11:52
how you want to live your retirement and
11:54
then you back into how much money you
11:56
have and what is going to give you that
11:57
income stream it's all about income
12:00
stream when you retire it's not about
12:01
how much you can make if you have a high
12:03
net worth obviously you get a higher
12:05
income stream what kind of lifestyle do
12:08
you want to live
12:09
right
12:09
and then are we able to do that for you
12:12
so you know I'm I'm assuming it it's
12:14
much easier to reach those goals if you
12:16
start sooner and and not later is it too
12:19
late for people that are in that the
12:21
golden years you know 60 70 to start
12:24
doing something
12:26
no their planning is different okay you
12:29
come to me and you're 70 years old Okay,
12:32
obviously you got what you have. Now,
12:34
how are we going to la make that last
12:35
for the next 20 25 years?
12:37
Their planning is who am I going to give
12:39
this money to. One of the big things I
12:41
do is, you know, because obviously
12:43
people that have wealth don't have to
12:47
worry about how they're going to live
12:48
dayto day, but what they want to do is
12:50
what am I going to do with my money,
12:51
right?
12:52
I always talk to them about spending
12:53
their money while they're alive with
12:55
their children so they learn. If they
12:57
don't have Roth IAS, help the
12:59
grandchildren, the kids with Roth IAS.
13:02
If they if they're going to do you're
13:03
going to give them money, don't give
13:04
them money to pay off a credit card.
13:07
Give them the money as a down payment
13:08
for a house. Give them the money to
13:10
build start a business. Be part of that.
13:13
Mentor them. Be mentors to them while
13:15
you're alive instead of just giving a
13:17
millions of dollars later on and they're
13:19
going to blow it.
13:20
I I I love that. And to go back to your
13:22
point about relationships, people do
13:24
business with people they know, like,
13:26
and trust. And so it doesn't matter if
13:28
they're not close to you, but if they
13:30
know you from an advertisement or a
13:32
radio show, a podcast, or from somebody
13:34
else, and they like you and they trust
13:36
you, they're going to do business with
13:37
you. I 100% I I have a wonderful
13:40
financial planner. Um, but I've had
13:42
multiples in the past that I just didn't
13:44
have that same fit. I found the person
13:47
who we knew cared about me and cared
13:49
about what our money could or could not
13:52
do. And he and I totally get that and I
13:54
know that you are that that person. So,
13:58
uh, you mentioned your podcast. I want
13:59
to let people know where they can like
14:01
listen live. They can listen why every
14:04
Sunday to you and your team from 8 to
14:07
10:00 a.m. on iHeart Radio or they can
14:10
listen to you anytime whenever they want
14:12
wherever they stream wherever they get
14:15
their streaming you know podcasts and
14:16
it's all over or they can go to your
14:18
website and we're going to put the link
14:20
down below in the comments so they can
14:22
just click on it and go check it out. So
14:24
what do you hope people take away from
14:26
this book? They read the book, they're
14:28
they're going to they're going to
14:29
obviously get a lot out of it, but what
14:31
is that one thing that you hope they
14:32
just
14:33
remember the the book isn't about
14:36
telling people how to make money,
14:37
right?
14:38
The book is about people understanding
14:40
who they want and what they want versus
14:42
what they need. Okay? You always starts
14:44
with your needs and your wants, but then
14:46
it shows you how to plan stuff. And
14:48
again, tells you what you the type of
14:50
advisor really at the end of the day, it
14:52
tells you the type of advisor you need
14:54
to be with and talk to. And if your
14:56
advisor isn't doing that, you got to
14:58
find someone else that's going to do
14:59
that. That's kind of at the end of the
15:01
day what it's about. Um I I I a big
15:05
supporter of financial advisors that
15:07
work on fee business. Um I'm not about
15:10
people that are out there just trying to
15:12
make people money commissions here and
15:14
putting money in their pocket. That is
15:16
not a plan. A plan is someone that is
15:18
going to sit down and spend time with
15:20
you and review it year after year. And
15:23
then at the end, the one thing that we
15:25
do differently than others is we
15:27
actually do manage the money.
15:29
Okay? So, we put that whole plan
15:30
together. But I've been a money manager
15:32
since the 80s. I'm not giving it to
15:34
someone else so I can blame them when it
15:36
doesn't work.
15:37
I want to be accountable because when
15:39
you're accountable, you can make the
15:40
changes you need to do to make it work.
15:42
Say Karen, you know, you got all these
15:44
things and all of a sudden you have a
15:45
health problem, right? You don't care
15:47
about how much more money you make. It's
15:49
like, how much money do I have that I
15:50
can pay for the things I need right now?
15:52
Exactly.
15:53
And we can and instantly change the
15:55
whole portfolio, the whole mix to be
15:57
able to help you what for your needs.
16:00
And that's what's really important. And
16:01
when you're dealing with outside people,
16:03
they can't do that. They, you know,
16:05
because everyone has has a mandate of
16:07
what they have to do.
16:09
So I think I think we kind of answered
16:10
the question of what happens when
16:13
passion and discipline in the world of
16:15
finance meets. We get Dean Greenberg.
16:19
You are the epitome of what I would hope
16:23
everyone would strive to be and and so I
16:26
thank you for that. I also want to thank
16:28
you for coming on the show. Um if you
16:32
have questions for Dean, put them in the
16:33
comments down below. We're all over the
16:35
place. It's being streamed everywhere.
16:36
So put them in the comments. We'll make
16:38
sure that Dean gets them. If you have
16:40
any questions for him, I'm sure he'd be
16:42
happy to respond. Um and we just want to
16:44
thank you, Dean, for sharing your
16:45
journey. You are
16:46
I just want to end with this. Okay.
16:48
Sure.
16:49
The biggest reason people don't want to
16:50
go there, there's, let's put it this
16:52
way, 75% of people say they need a plan,
16:55
only 32% of people actually have a plan.
16:58
Why? They're afraid they don't have
17:00
enough. They're afraid they're going to
17:02
be embarrassed. They're afraid that they
17:03
don't understand what they actually
17:05
have. Put that fear away and start
17:07
today. Because if you don't plan today,
17:09
that plan just gets harder and harder as
17:11
you get closer to where you're going to
17:12
be.
17:13
You heard it here first, everyone. Go
17:15
out, give somebody an awesome day, and
17:17
we'll see you next time on the author's
#Financial Planning & Management
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