E30: Chad Hufford: Dare to Be Different: The Blueprint for Abundance

Mary Katherine Johnson welcomes Chad Hufford, Founder & Financial Planner at Veritas Wealth Management, for a refreshingly human conversation about building wealth you’ll actually want to live with. Chad argues we’re wired for scarcity and crowd-following—great for survival, terrible for long-term freedom—so real progress starts with mindset, meaning, and management of the investor (not just the investments). 

You’ll hear how to define date-specific, dollar-specific goals (e.g., “₍future date₎ + net monthly  income after tax”), then reverse-engineer the needed assets and monthly contributions. Chad  shares a powerful “deck of cards” story to illustrate finding a cause big enough to fuel discipline,  plus a practical way to turn foggy dreams into a living blueprint you can adapt with technology as life changes. We cover staying focused on controllables, designing a job-optional lifestyle, and why courage matters: you can’t be brave without fear. Subscribe to Fortunes of the Brave for bold, credible, visionary conversations that help you take the next right step.

Key Takeaways: 
• Abundance is designed, not stumbled into. Start with meaning, not someone else’s values. 
• Coach the investor, not (only) the portfolio. Behavior beats products over decades. 
• Write date-specific, dollar-specific income goals and reverse-engineer assets & monthly saving. 
• Break the big goal into monthly and daily inputs; celebrate consistency. 
• Build a living plan; technology helps scenario-plan and cool emotional reactions. 
• Focus on what you can control (saving rate, costs, behavior) vs. headlines you can’t. 
• Dare to be different. The crowd’s average outcomes aren’t your target. 
• Courage ≠ no fear. It’s moving forward with fear toward the best version of your life. 

Chapters: 
• 00:01 – Welcome + why abundance beats scarcity 
• 00:55 – We’re wired to survive, not thrive (and what to do about it) 
• 02:56 – Managing investors > managing investments (coaching vs. products) 
• 06:19 – Mindset first: you bring “you” into the future 
• 08:53 – Clarity: date-specific, dollar-specific income goals 
• 10:53 – The “deck of cards” story: finding a why big enough to endure 
• 12:10 – Job-optional lifestyle: purpose after paychecks 
• 14:13 – Reverse-engineering: assets, contributions, inflation adjustments 
• 16:00 – Daily inputs, monthly wins: making progress visible 
• 18:54 – Diagnose before you prescribe (relational planning) 
• 22:21 – The blueprint metaphor (plans evolve; guardrails remain) 
• 24:50 – Tech + planning: modeling, quick pivots, cooler heads 
• 30:17 – Staying calm in storms by returning to the blueprint 
• 32:03 – People over products; relationship > charts 
• 34:12 – Dare to be different: why “normal” isn’t safe 
• 36:03 – Final word: courage means acting despite fear 

Resources Mentioned: 
• Veritas Wealth Management (Chad’s firm) 
• “Date-specific, dollar-specific” goal setting (income-first planning) 
• “Job-optional lifestyle” concept 
• “No plan survives first contact with reality” (planning as a living document) 

Connect with Chad: 
• Company: Veritas Wealth Management 
• Role: Founder & Financial Planner 
• Search: “Chad Hufford Veritas Wealth” for site & resources 

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Website: planetwealth.com