You don’t know what you don’t know: Shifting the focus from financial overwhelm to long-term trajectory
Glenn and Christina had been working for years with a financial firm when a series of mistakes made them realize their nest egg wasn’t being managed as carefully as they’d like.
“Through a little carelessness and a little miscommunication, we had a bit of a scare there,” Glenn said. “So, we decided it was time to move our money somewhere else.”
The "small fish" realization
Glenn has worked in international packaging distribution since 1994. His wife, Christina, is a Doctor of Psychology and owns her own practice. For years they had worked with a financial group that came recommended by a friend. But as their lives and assets grew more complex, the relationship began to feel impersonal. Like being small fish in a big pond, Glenn described it.
They didn't just need a new firm; they needed a partner who would proactively focus on their money so they could focus on their work and family. The search for that partner led them to Marianna Goldenberg, the founder and CEO of CURO Wealth Management.
Meeting Marianna
Christina had already seen Marianna in action working together in collaborative divorce cases, where they were both working as neutral experts.
“I was serving as a psychological expert in these collaborative cases,” Christina explained. “And I met Mariana because of her work as a Certified Divorce Financial Planner (CDFA). She was serving as a neutral [expert] to support parties with managing their financial planning as they go through a divorce.”
Marianna’s expertise in high-tension legal environments was clear. But it was her ability to handle the whole picture of a family’s life that first convinced Christina she was the right choice to shepherd their growth.
Overcoming the initial guardrails
Glenn admits he was reserved at first.
“When I didn't know her very well, I was a little mum,” he said.
But once he felt comfortable with Marianna, he started asking a lot of questions.
“Any little thing, if I have a question, I'll send it, and she responds right away,” he said. “She never makes me feel like it's a stupid question. She gives me thoughtful answers with logic that I can follow.”
Getting the whole financial picture
The shift from being a "small fish" to a strategic client required a detailed initial deep dive. The scavenger hunt of financial records was a lot of work, but it was critical in understanding the couple’s full financial picture.
Once they got past that first big step, the couple moved from a scattered past to a plan that looked at their whole life, not just their finances. This means they could start managing the "what-happens-next" part of their long-term goals.
Planning for the ripple effects
Marianna began asking the questions they hadn't been asked before.
“She always starts the conversations with, ‘What are you trying to achieve?’” Glenn said. “Do you want to travel? When do you want to retire? Do you want to provide for your kids? Undergraduate, graduate, if they get married? Do you want to pay for a wedding?”
Marianna took that information, he explained, and built out the strategy for shepherding and growing their financial assets. Some big ones were:
Turning saving for tuition into a self-sustaining money machine
Glenn and Christina want to see their daughters finish higher education debt-free. “If we could allow our girls to get out of college and graduate school without any debt, that’s plenty of runway for them to make their own way,” Glenn said.
Glenn and Christina have 529 plans, a type of savings plan designed to help families save for education expenses. Money you contribute grows tax-free, and withdrawals for qualified education expenses (like tuition, books, and certain room and board) are also tax-free.
While many families simply hope their 529 plans are enough, Marianna implemented a growth strategy that allowed the couple to withdraw more than enough for their children’s tuition without depleting the principal. “We've stopped contributing years ago to those funds, but they're there,” Glenn said. “So, if either one of them, or both of them decide to go to graduate school, we're well set up for that. And I attribute that all to Marianna.”
Funding the "age-in-place" home without unnecessary taxes
The couple’s vision for the future included a major renovation to create a home where they could comfortably age in place. However, the challenge was finding a way to fund a large project while remaining in their current home.
“Marianna was key,” Glenn said. “She actually opened up the door to something I didn't even know existed: an ability to effectively borrow against our own investments to fund that.” By understanding how to use their existing portfolio as leverage, they avoided the ripple effect of liquidating assets and triggering unnecessary taxes.
“That gave us an incredible amount of freedom to do exactly what we wanted to do with this house,” Glenn explains. “And it worked out beautifully. I never would have come up with that on my own in a million years.”
Guardrails against concentration risk and safeguarding the growth
The shift in strategy also meant having a partner to act as an objective guardrail against emotional decision-making, like with high-volatility investments such as cryptocurrency.
“Marianna protected me at a point where I was probably going to double down, and I probably would have ended up losing a lot,” Glenn said. “Her counsel kept me from getting too far over my skis. She was a good little angel on my shoulder, whispering in my ear, saying, ‘Maybe be a little more cautious with that.’”
Instead of chasing the next high, they focused on protecting the gains they had already secured.
Managing the interconnected pieces
For a busy executive and a business owner, the amount of coordination required between tax accountants and estate lawyers can be exhausting. Christina views Marianna as the one who manages the interconnected pieces of their financial life, so they don't have to.
Marianna works with their tax accountant and coordinates with the couple directly. When the couple recently redid their wills and established a trust, Marianna worked closely with their estate lawyer to ensure every detail was aligned.
For Glenn and Christina, this end-to-end coordination is what provides a figurative warm blanket of security. As Glenn puts it, it’s about the confidence that comes from knowing Marianna is “minding the shop” with their nest egg.
Trusting Marianna’s expertise
For Glenn, the transition to a more complex financial life highlighted a simple reality: he didn’t have the bandwidth to become a part-time financial analyst. With a demanding full-time career, the fine print of tax laws and investment vehicles wasn't a priority he wanted to tackle alone.
“I have friends and relatives who are either retired or very well-versed in this stuff, and they do it themselves, and I give them a ton of credit.” Glenn said. “I'm not that guy.”
Instead, he relies on a professional who can distill complex logic into clear, actionable advice. Whether it’s evaluating the pros and cons of a potential Roth conversion or deciding on an annuity, Glenn appreciates being able to understand Marianna’s explanation of a strategy in the moment, even if he doesn't need to retain the technical details long-term.
“I know that Marianna is a bulldog on this stuff,” he said. “She's a super professional. She knows her stuff inside and out.”
For Glenn and Christina, the partnership isn't about learning how to manage money themselves; it’s about the trust that comes from having a detail-oriented expert who handles the heavy lifting on their behalf.
Your dreams deserve a dedicated strategy
Wealth management shouldn’t feel one-size-fits-all. Your financial strategy should be as intentional as the milestones you are working toward. CURO asks questions to get to the heart of why you're building wealth in the first place, then we help you get there.