There comes a point when the question changes. For years, you may ask yourself:
Will I have enough?
Enough to retire.
Enough to feel secure.
Enough to take care of the people I love.
Those are important questions. They are often the reason people begin financial planning in the first place.
But eventually, another question becomes just as important:
What is my money really for?
That question is at the heart of Even More Than Money: Five Ways to Design Your Financial Life, a new book featuring real stories from financial advisors. These are not stories about charts, projections, or investment strategies.
They are stories about people navigating real decisions, real transitions, and real moments when money becomes deeply connected to purpose.
When Money Becomes More Than a Number
In 2004, Larry Sprung, Founder and Wealth Advisor at Mitlin Financial and his family lost his brother-in-law, Keith Milano, to suicide.
Larry has been open about Keith’s story for more than twenty years. Through the Keith Milano Memorial Fund, his family has helped raise awareness around mental health and suicide prevention while keeping Keith’s name, spirit, and story alive.
But contributed a chapter titled “Why Didn’t I Know He Could Die?” in the Money is for… Enduring section provided Larry a different way to tell that story.
It gave him the opportunity to connect Keith’s legacy to an important question:
What is money for when life changes forever?
For Larry’s family, money became part of carrying on.
It helped them raise their voices.
It helped turn pain into purpose.
It helped support mental health awareness and suicide prevention.
It helped keep Keith’s story moving forward.
That is what enduring can look like.
Not simply getting through the hardest parts of life, but using what you have; your time, your voice, your values and yes… your money to carry forward what matters most.
The Mission of Even More Than Money
Even More Than Money challenges the idea that financial planning is about how much you can accumulate.
How much money can you save?
How much can you grow your portfolio?
How much money will you need in retirement?
Those questions matter, but they are only part of the story.
The book invites readers to think about money through five purposes:
Living. Changing. Dreaming. Giving. Enduring.
Each section explores a different way money shows up in life. Sometimes money helps create joy. Sometimes it gives people permission to dream. Sometimes it supports generosity. And sometimes, as Larry’s chapter highlights, it helps families carry on after loss.
The larger message: Money is a tool.
The real work is understanding what that tool is meant to support for you.
A More Human Way to Plan
At Mitlin Financial, this idea is central to the way we approach planning.
A financial plan should go beyond the practical questions:
Am I saving enough?
Can I retire?
Am I prepared if life changes?
Can I protect my family?
A personalized financial planning, one that helps you plan for your ideal tomorrow addresses deeper questions:
What matters most to me?
What do I want my money to make possible?
What would I regret waiting too long to do?
What story do I want my life and resources to tell?
That is why Even More Than Money feels so aligned with our mission at Mitlin.
It is not just about net worth. It is about life, values, purpose, legacy, and JOY.
Why This Chapter Matters
“Why Didn’t I Know He Could Die?” is a difficult title because it comes from a difficult truth.
But the chapter is not only about loss. It is about what happens after loss.
It is about how grief can become advocacy, how advocacy can become impact, and how money can become part of something meaningful.
For Larry, Keith’s legacy is not passive. It is active.
It lives in the conversations that happen because his story is shared.
It lives in the mental health awareness work done in his name.
It lives in the families who may feel less alone because someone was willing to speak openly.
That is where money becomes more than a number. It becomes part of a mission.
The Most Important Financial Question Isn’t “How Much?”
It’s “What is it all for?”
When you know what that answer is for you… financial planning becomes about more than numbers. It becomes about living intentionally, giving generously, and creating a lasting impact.
Even More Than Money is an invitation to start that conversation, and we hope it inspires you to begin asking that question for yourself.
Explore The Book
Discover the stories in “Even More Than Money” that bring purpose to financial planning.
“Even More Than Money” is available online and at most major bookstores.
Larry Sprung is a contributor to Even More Than Money; however, CWM, LLC does not endorse statements authored by other third-party contributors, and opinions expressed may not be reflective of CWM, LLC.
