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In this episode of the Intentional Investor, Matt Zeigler speaks with Ryan Krueger, founder of Freedom Day Solutions. Ryan shares his journey from working at a baseball card shop as a child to becoming a successful financial professional. He discusses his philosophy on investing, which focuses on transparency, partnership with clients, and a unique approach to retirement planning called “Freedom Day.” Ryan emphasizes the importance of trust, ethical practices, and long-term commitment in his business. He also touches on personal values, such as the influence of his family, his desire to make a positive impact, and his goal of continuing to work and grow rather than retire. Throughout the interview, Ryan’s passion for helping others achieve financial freedom and peace of mind is evident, as is his dedication to building lasting relationships with his clients and team.
If you don’t know Ryan Krueger yet, he’s as clear eyed, full hearted, and proper Texas as it gets. Just an energy I think the pack will find familiar right away. We might need to get him and @rguinn together at some point for stories (I just have a hunch). In case you missed the promo posts elsewhere:
Now, if the first thing I tell you is about how you’ve got to meet this guy who bought a dive bar across the street from an elementary school, you might shoot me a look.
A long, inquisitive, “say what now?” type of look.
But hear me out.
Hear Ryan Krueger out.
He didn’t come from much. His grandfather was a blind entrepreneur. The kind who didn’t want anybody to know he was blind or wasn’t self-sufficient in any way. The kind who trains himself to always look people in the eye (or at least make it look like he was). The kind who acquires a special tool to help him shave his face and square off his sideburns so nobody else would need to help him.
It instilled something in young Ryan. The stories. The vibes.
At 12 he got his first job. He started in a baseball card shop. He was into sports and numbers, the owner saw the passion, and put him to work sorting cards for sale/resale with other shops across the country.
The trading operation opened the door to fantasy baseball (“Rotisserie leagues”). 12-year-old Ryan would be at home booking trades on his parents landlines. They let him do it. Weird, but the adults calling sounded serious, so…
And then he won the league.
The prize money was big. He used it to make his first stock investment.
(Ryan’s rotisserie winnings and Wes Gray’s Big Red - how’s this for an Intentional Investor theme?!)
The business and life that follows - you have to hear it.
Talking his way into another job, without a resume, that lands him in New York in a Wall Street training program.
Building a career as a portfolio manager, managing his money the way he managed clients, sending them personalized, hand-written notes for years.
Having his increasingly growing Wall Street firm tell him to STOP talking about how he managed his own money or sending the notes.
Leaving the big firm, as a personal, ethical, and authentic stance, to start his own.
And, buying that dive bar across the street from the elementary school.
Because it was the perfect location for a first office. 5 minutes from home, 5 minutes from his kids school, and for the most part, most of the old patrons figured it out quickly enough they weren’t serving drinks in there anymore.
There’s so much LIFE in this story.
If you ever worked for a big company and yearned to reconnect with smaller values,
If you ever wanted to know how two generations back could inspire two generations forward,
If you wanted to know what finding true freedom in life sounds and feels like -
This is why Ryan Krueger is an Intentional Investor.
Come listen to him talk with me on the Epsilon Theory YouTube channel. It’s special.
Ps. Before you press play(!), Ryan wants you to make a bet about how long into the episode he will get all choked up for the first time. Pick a number between 1 minute and an hour and fifteen minutes. Play at home, let us know if you won or not in the comments.
This once again, for the umpteenth time, proves the world is a very small place. I will know Ryan better AFTER I listen to the interview. But, I met Ryan while walking my dog. You see I pass his office almost every morning and afternoon while I take my Chocolate Lab Bailey out. One excruciatingly hot summer evening I was picking up her poop in the narrow strip of grass that separates his back parking lot from the creek/bayou (we don’t call them drainage ditches in Houston). I was being a good neighbor and he also saw my Texas Longhorn baseball cap, a passion we shared. We had a brief conversation, I told him I really enjoyed the notes he posted on their website - I am a finance nerd and why would I not investigate an investment firm a few hundred feet from my house? I’ve followed him ever since. Matt, how did you find him? I know, I’m supposed to listen and find out.
Oh hahaha! This is so great!
Serendipity synchronicity.
Bailey introduced us, clearly…
Talk about breadcrumbs, this is amazing @jpclegg63. The reality is, from the inception of this series, several people started saying “you have to get Ryan Krueger for one of these.” I hadn’t met him until a brief exchange before we booked it. He did not disappoint. Thanks especially to Jack Forehand, Perth Tolle, and Wes Gray for triangulating the intros.
Now, if you or Bailey meet any other such individuals, do let us know!