What If Your Financial Advisor Helped You With More Than Your Investments? Most of us think of financial advisors as people who help us invest, plan for retirement, and grow our wealth. But what if some of the most important financial work has less to do with choosing investments? In this episode of Money and You, Michelle talks with Jonathan Steele, founder and Chief Investment Officer of One Wealth Advisors, about a subject they both believe is fundamental to financial well-being: your relationship with money. Jonathan brings more than 25 years of financial-industry experience to the conversation, but his approach goes far beyond investment management. He believes financial professionals can help clients understand the emotions, beliefs, family dynamics, and behaviors that influence the way they use money.Michelle and Jonathan explore where our money behaviors come from, why financial knowledge alone isn't enough to create good financial outcomes, and how money patterns can travel through families and generations.They also discuss why getting the financial basics right matters, how couples can create healthier conversations around money, the growing risks of online gambling, and why a trusted financial professional can become an invaluable resource during life's biggest transitions. In This Episode, You'll Learn 3:20 — From professional cook to financial advisor: Jonathan's unconventional career path and the surprising transferable skills that helped him build a career in finance8:56 — Serving the "working wealthy": Why Jonathan and his brother built their practice around people navigating new wealth, liquidity events, and changing financial circumstances10:36 — What Jonathan means by "financial therapy": Why understanding your emotions and history with money can be just as important as knowing what to do with it13:47 — The financial scaffolding everyone needs: Why simple principles like managing debt and balancing spending, saving, and sharing can create a stronger financial foundation16:22 — How parents can help adult children with money: Why creating an open space for conversation may be more effective than trying to dictate financial decisions19:48 — How money patterns travel through generations: What Jonathan notices when he works with grandparents, parents, and adult children within the same family23:46 — Repairing difficult money relationships: How a trusted third party can sometimes help families unwind years of financial tension26:19 — Social media, spending, and financial temptation: Why knowing yourself matters when you're constantly being encouraged to want, buy, and invest in something new31:49 — Signs your relationship with money may need attention: Fear of investing, holding excessive cash, overspending, and complicated debt can all reveal something deeper32:49 — When one partner handles all the money: How financial disengagement and even financial infidelity can develop—and why bringing both partners back into the conversation matters35:00 — Why financial change often needs to happen gradually: Helping people discover their own blind spots can work better than simply telling them what they're doing wrong42:32 — A broader vision of financial advice: Why investment management, taxes, estate planning, insurance, education planning, and financial behavior shouldn't always operate in separate silos49:05 — Lean on people and resources you trust: Why technology can help, but strong human relationships remain incredibly valuable when you're navigating financial challenges50:55 — Is it ever too late to change your financial life? Jonathan's answer: no. Even when a financial situation feels overwhelming, seeking good advice can reveal options you didn't know you had.The Financial Basics Aren't Exciting—But They Matter One of the most important themes in this conversation is also one of the least glamorous: the basics matter.Before chasing the newest investment, financial product, or idea you heard about online, Jonathan recommends creating what he calls financial "scaffolding." That includes understanding debt, spending less than you earn, saving consistently, investing appropriately, and knowing what you're trying to accomplish with your money.Jonathan also shares a simple framework he encourages families to introduce even to young children: spend, save, and share.These principles may not generate the excitement of the latest investing trend, but they're what give you a foundation from which to build real wealth. Your Money Story Didn't Start With You One of the most interesting parts of Michelle and Jonathan's conversation is their discussion of how financial behavior travels through families.Fear, scarcity, overspending, avoidance, secrecy, and even extreme frugality don't necessarily begin with the person exhibiting them.Our experiences growing up—what we heard, observed, worried about, or weren't allowed to discuss—can become part of our financial behavior as adults.And those patterns can continue into another generation. Jonathan has the unusual opportunity to see this firsthand because his firm often works with multiple generations of the same family. Sometimes he can see a financial belief or behavior appear in grandparents, parents, and children in different ways.The solution doesn't necessarily begin with teaching everyone more about investing.Sometimes it begins with something much simpler: Talking about money.When Couples Don't Talk About Money Maybe one partner starts paying the bills. Then that person handles the investments. Then they become the one who speaks to the financial advisor.Eventually, the other partner may barely know what's happening.Jonathan believes bringing both people back into the financial conversation—even briefly—can be an important step toward creating a healthier financial relationship. And sometimes the financial advisor can serve as an impartial third party who helps couples have conversations they've been avoiding.For Jonathan, helping two people who care about each other communicate better about money can ultimately be more meaningful than simply generating a higher investment return. Your Financial Life Needs a Team Jonathan also challenges the traditional idea of a financial advisor as primarily an investment manager.Taxes, investments, insurance, estate planning, family dynamics, retirement, inheritance, and major life transitions frequently overlap. Yet the professionals advising us in these areas may operate independently.That can leave you responsible for figuring out how everything fits together—often at exactly the moment you're least equipped to do it. Jonathan believes a good advisor can help coordinate these moving pieces, bringing in specialists when needed while maintaining a broader view of the client's financial life.That becomes especially valuable during difficult transitions such as the death of a parent.His suggestion is one worth considering before you ever need it: Who are the trusted people you would want around you when you're making important financial decisious during an emotionally difficult time?Think of them as your personal board of directors. About Jonathan Steele Jonathan Steele is the founder and Chief Investment Officer of One Wealth Advisors, an SEC-registered investment advisory firm managing approximately $1.3 billion in assets at the time of this conversation.A Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with more than 25 years of experience in financial services, Jonathan began his finance career at Bear Stearns and later became an executive director at JPMorgan. His approach to wealth management combines traditional financial expertise with a strong emphasis on helping clients develop healthier relationships with money.Jonathan works with individuals and multigenerational families not only on investment strategy, but also on the financial behaviors, conversations, decisions, and life transitions surrounding their wealth. Resources & LinksConnect with Jonathan Steele: One Wealth Advisors — onewealth.net Visit the website and use the information/contact button to connect with Jonathan's team. Connect with Michelle: Limit Free Life — limitfreelife.com Email: michelle@limitfreelife.comAnd if you have a money or career question you've been avoiding, visit Limit Free Life to book a free 20-minute Virtual Coffee Chat with Michelle. One Big TakeawayFinancial well-being isn't simply about growing your money. It's about creating a relationship with money that supports the life and relationships you want to have. 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