Frank Germano • East Hartford, CT
Germano Financial LLC • Osaic Wealth Inc.
The idea for my financial boot camp program started years ago with one of my longtime clients who was deeply frustrated with his adult children’s financial habits—or lack thereof.
During a meeting, I asked him about his beneficiary designations. He sighed and said, “Darn it, I don’t know what to do.” He went on: “Frank, I saved all my life. I have a 20-inch tube television; my kids have 70-inch flat screens. We go on vacation to Pennsylvania; they go to Hawaii. They have six credit card bills on the kitchen table. They’re idiots. I don’t want to leave them any money because they’ll just blow through it.”
He was furious with his own children—good people, but financially undisciplined—and was seriously thinking about cutting them out of his will entirely.
I thought, “What if instead of giving up on them, we educate them?” If their financial behavior could be turned around, their parents’ legacy could actually become a tool for their financial futures, not a source of friction.
That moment became the spark for what I called a financial boot camp—a weekend program designed to help clients’ young adult children build financial awareness, responsibility, and confidence. Many of my clients had expressed similar frustrations with their kids’ lack of savings, poor money management, or general financial disengagement. The boot camp became my way of tackling that head-on.
We held the sessions once a year at a local campground. It was part retreat, part crash course in real-world financial literacy. We would set up tents, play volleyball, go swimming or canoeing, and have a social hour and cookout under the stars. Between the fun, we’d hold focused financial sessions—whiteboard discussions with me on personal finance and planning, an estate attorney on wills and legacy planning, a CPA on key tax-planning principles, and an insurance expert on family protection and risk.
The first boot camp turned out to be unforgettable. The client who inspired the idea attended the morning session on the second day with his two sons, and the emotion that came out was raw and authentic. Standing in front of everyone, he turned to them and said, “I’m so mad at you. I’m changing my will. You’re irresponsible with your own kids. You don’t have a will. You don’t have life insurance. And you think you can go to Hawaii?”
It was a tough moment, but it was exactly the kind of reality check those young adults needed. You could see the light bulbs going on. The sons—who had come reluctantly—called my office that Monday morning to set up appointments. They became clients that week, and to this day, they’re some of my best clients and referral sources.
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We held boot camps for more than a decade, bringing in dozens of clients’ children, ages roughly 20 to 35. It wasn’t always easy convincing them to attend, but nearly every participant found it eye-opening and rewarding. Parents were thrilled to see their kids start behaving more responsibly—saving, insuring, planning, and communicating more effectively about money.
The feedback from participants was equally encouraging. One young person told me, “I finally understand why my parents worked so hard and cared so much about leaving a legacy. It’s not about money—it’s about values.”
COVID put a pause on the in-person boot camps, but the impact has been lasting. Many of those “kids” are now successful professionals, clients of mine in their own right, and active participants in joint planning sessions with their parents. I may bring the program back in the future, but it just became organic after that. My clients know I’m always open to counseling their children on financial matters.
For me, the boot camps weren’t just about teaching finance—they were about connecting generations, strengthening families, and ensuring that my clients’ legacies endure in capable hands. It’s one of the most rewarding initiatives I’ve ever led.
Disclosure: Securities and investment advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Osaic Wealth Inc. is separately owned, and other entities and/or marketing names, products, or services referenced here are independent of Osaic Wealth Inc. Osaic Wealth Inc. does not provide tax or legal advice.
Photography by Jeff Yardis
