Toby Lewis, CRC • Bardstown, KY
Thoroughbred Asset Management • GWN Securities Inc.
I feel blessed to have had success in two related but very different careers. First, I spent a decade as a special education teacher and athletic coach for middle school and high school students—a demanding yet immensely rewarding experience.
My second career began in 2006 when I was recruited to join the financial-services industry. Since then, I have been an independent financial professional focusing on retirement planning. Our firm, Thoroughbred Asset Management, offers a wide range of financial products and services to individuals, families, business owners, and employees in the education sector.
I derive the most satisfaction from building meaningful personal relationships with clients. I see my job as part counselor, part teacher, and part coach. We want to work collaboratively with clients and help them truly understand their financial goals and the solutions that drive their retirement planning. We want to be there for them in good times and tough times.
Giving back to people and organizations in our community is important to me. The organizations I support are close to my heart. My experience with dyslexia in elementary school—overcoming academic challenges with the support of my parents and a school that addressed learning issues—motivated me to assist with community workshops that educate parents of children with dyslexia on how to view their children’s differences as potential strengths. Most people with dyslexia process information differently. We recognize patterns and are easily bored with mundane tasks. We need to be challenged differently and celebrated for our accomplishments. This fall, a professor friend who is a dean at the University of Durham in England plans to join me in presenting a special workshop. It gives me energy when I help people break down the barriers created by dyslexia.
Similarly, I mentor three individuals recovering from life-threatening car accidents. I was in a near-death auto accident in 2022 and continue to face many challenges as a result. I know how hard it is to be in a Level 1 trauma unit after spending 39 days in a hospital. I want to provide these individuals the same type of encouragement that my friends and clients provided to me during that difficult time.
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I also currently chair the UP Foundation, which serves various needs of schoolchildren in Nelson County, Kentucky. We work with the community to support scholarships for local students, collaborate with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to provide free books for eligible children under the age of five, and provide financial support to Nelson County teachers to create unique classroom experiences.
More closely related to my advisory work, I teach a class every year at the University of Kentucky to graduating seniors on the importance of retirement savings and why everyone should contribute to their voluntary savings programs once they are employed after graduation. I have received positive feedback on the class, and it generates meaningful discussion among the students. I hope it encourages them to seek further financial education that can literally change their lives.
My wife and I both have a place in our hearts for children who come from difficult circumstances. I have mentored at-risk elementary-age children over the years, offering both academic and moral support. My wife volunteers with the CASA network of Kentucky, which advocates for neglected and abused children in the child welfare system.
In addition, I remain active in coaching youth sports—something that I enjoy on many levels.
All of these endeavors reflect a big part of who I am as a person—specifically my love for life and people. I am excited to talk to others about how we can leave this world a better place than we found it. I think this attitude is evident in my work as a financial professional. I’m committed to helping people build better financial lives for themselves and their families.
Securities and advisory services offered through GWN Securities Inc. Registered investment advisor. Member FINRA/SIPC. 11440 N. Jog Road, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418. (561) 472-2700. Thoroughbred Asset Management and GWN Securities Inc. are non-affiliated companies.
Photography by Chris Cone
