With 34 years of experience, Boulder-based financial advisor Michael Brady sits down with Suzanne Syracuse to talk about building a profitable, sustainable, and impactful wealth management firm. In this wide-ranging conversation, Michael explains how aligning money with meaning leads to better decisions and better lives; why his personal adoption story shaped a distinctive niche serving adoptive and foster families; and how he uses AI (from meeting note-takers to plain-English client explainers) to free up time for deeper, human conversations. He also shares on-the-ground work supporting Ukrainian orphans through Frontier Horizon’s Camp Dreamland—an example of the “ripple effect” that thoughtful planning can unlock. If you’re exploring values-based investing, adoption-aware planning, or practical AI for advisors, this episode is a must-listen.
This conversation originally appeared on WealthManagement.com in Suzanne Syracuse’s Focused on the Future: Michael Brady and the Ripple Effect of Advice.
Transcript
This transcript has been edited for readability
Guest: Michael Brady, Founder & President, Generosity Wealth Management
Host: Suzanne Syracuse
Suzanne Syracuse:
Welcome to season 3 of my podcast, Focused on the Future: Keys to Building a Profitable, Sustainable, and Impactful Business. I’m excited to be partnering with WealthManagement.com again. This series focuses on what firms need to embrace to ensure growth and future success. You’ll hear from industry leaders and advisors on what’s working for them.
Today I’m speaking with Michael Brady, founder and president of Generosity Wealth Management—where wealth aligns with purpose and possibility. Generosity Wealth empowers clients to live fully by aligning financial choices with their values, enabling lives of purpose, generosity, and fulfillment. That’s beautiful. Welcome, Michael!
Michael Brady:
Thank you. It’s a real pleasure to be here.
Suzanne:
I always start with the same question: what got you into this business? How did you end up working in financial planning?
Michael:
It’s been 34 years. I’ve always loved solving problems—chasing the endorphin high of cracking a riddle—but I also like people. In college I studied finance and economics without a clear path. My first job was being mentored by a few financial planners. I thought the value would be spreadsheets and analysis, but I saw how much they cared about clients.
Using an analogy: doctors are like scientists who solve problems, but when these planners met with clients, they were like nurses—caring about people and their lives. They became friends and had fun. At 22, I decided, “That’s what I want to do for the rest of my life.” Honestly—don’t tell my clients—I’d probably do this for free. I love it that much. Every day is different; I get to help good people and make an impact.
Suzanne:
You’re a problem solver—same! Back then, how did you connect with those advisors?
Michael:
This was 1991—through the classified ads. I was the first in my family to go to college and naïvely thought recruiters would flock like the NFL draft. It doesn’t work that way.
I started with administrative work while being mentored by two advisors in Michigan. I knew Michigan wasn’t my path—I had wanderlust—so I moved to Colorado with no job and no network. I had six weeks in student housing, answered classifieds again, and found another advisor who mentored me for 13 years.
Looking back, there’s something to be said for being a little naïve. If you overthink, you might not take the risk. At 24, I felt I had nothing to lose. I’m glad I didn’t overthink it.
Suzanne:
Your firm name and the “How We Partner” section on your site reflect a values-driven philosophy. What thinking led you to build your firm around generosity, empowerment, and meaningful impact—and how does that differentiate you?
Michael:
In my 20s and 30s, I worked at successful firms that looked great externally, but behind closed doors it wasn’t fun—there was internal conflict. Around that time, a client—the first AIDS doctor in Boulder—asked if he and his wife had enough to retire. I told him yes. He then went to Uganda to volunteer at the Infectious Disease Institute, teaching not just science but palliative care—how to care for people in their dying moments.
He still reminds me: “I’ll never forget when you said we had enough to pursue our dream and help others.” That made a big impact on me. I left the industry for a couple of years, visited him in Uganda in 2006, and joined the board of a nonprofit his wife started—an income-generation project for women that grew significantly.
By 2008, I realized I could combine financial expertise with the human element and my global perspective—be a bridge between what clients want to do and what they can do. Impact isn’t just writing checks; it can be service, board work, or sweat equity. And the impact changes us too—I became a better person.
I named the firm Generosity Wealth Management because I believe you attract the right people. I don’t want to chase; I want to attract people with an abundance mindset. The name is the first step.
Suzanne:
That ripple effect is powerful. When we publish this, we’ll link to that nonprofit.
On a personal note, adoption is meaningful in your story. How has your experience influenced your niche?
Michael:
I’m adopted—domestic adoption. My older brother, older sister, and I are all adopted. In the 60s, adoptions were more closed, but my parents never stigmatized it. I grew up believing it was the greatest thing—loving parents, safety, education. Over time I realized not everyone’s experience is the same.
Five or six years ago I wanted to give back—advocate in adoption or foster care. I posted on Facebook asking for direction. The guy with the locker next to me at my gym—whose son was adopted from Ukraine—connected me with Frontier Horizon, an international hosting and adoption agency. I joined the board and became very active.
Professionally, I started openly serving people connected to adoption—adoptees, birth parents, adoptive families. Recently, I helped a client in her early 40s navigate the adoption process; she’s now a proud mother to a six-month-old. We speak a common language, work through logistics and the emotional realities, and set realistic expectations.
It differentiates my practice because I put it out there. When you do, people respond. Even if it’s not the most “profitable” niche, do it because it’s right; referrals follow when you genuinely help.
Suzanne:
You also mentioned work with orphans in Ukraine. How did that begin—and how do you find the time?
Michael:
I have a lot of energy—and I’m organized. If you’re not, hire someone who is. We make time for what we value.
I joined Frontier Horizon three weeks before the February 2022 invasion. Within a week, I was in Poland helping orphans our organization had evacuated from Ukraine. Many children we knew were moved by train and bus to Poland and Germany, where some still reside.
International adoptions from Ukraine remain closed, though domestic adoptions are allowed. We asked: what can we do now? We created camps in western Ukraine—summer and winter sessions—so kids can be kids for a week: arts, crafts, singing, the classic camp experience.
We group campers with trained counselors and provide trauma-informed tools to identify kids needing mental-health follow-up. We also screen for medical needs—vision, dental, injuries—so we can arrange help afterward. I’ve been going about every six months; I was there in August and I’ll go again in January. Donors sponsor the kids so camp is free. For a week, there are no air-raid sirens—just a chance to reset.
Suzanne:
You’ve been an early adopter of AI in your practice. How are you using it today, and where do you see the greatest potential?
Michael:
I’ve always pursued productivity. I want to be fully present with clients, so I use an AI note-taker in meetings and share the notes afterward. I’ll also follow up with plain-English explainers on technical topics—“step-up in basis,” “Roth conversions,” pros and cons—drafted with AI and carefully reviewed by me.
AI accelerates the first draft; I’m accountable for accuracy and tone. Clients can process details at their own pace, and they leave meetings with hope. We don’t surface problems without solutions.
Suzanne:
Final question I ask every guest: with our theme Focused on the Future in mind—what’s your last line, your key takeaway?
Michael:
Align your wealth with purpose and possibility.
Purpose is today’s “why.” Possibility is the future you haven’t imagined yet. Money is a tool to reach your why. Help clients discover their purpose, then let investments and planning support it. If you don’t know where you’re going, you won’t get there. Do this well and the ripple effect improves our local and global communities. That’s why we’re here as advisors—to help clients live happier, more fulfilling lives.
Suzanne:
What a great last line—help your clients find their why. Thank you for sharing how a values-driven philosophy, a personal niche in adoption, and practical AI shape a meaningful, modern advisory practice. I’
m Suzanne Syracuse—thanks for listening, and I hope this episode leaves you excited to be focused on the future.