Meet David Del Giudice

 I have big news.

It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve wrote a blog — thank you for your patience. I haven’t been MIA without good reason, and I’m excited to finally share why. 

Last summer, a good friend of mine — David Del Giudice — and I decided to merge our businesses. Before I tell you why we made this decision and more about David, let me start with the most important part: how does this affect you?

Short answer: it doesn’t. Slightly longer answer: unless I’m unavailable when you need something, there’s a good chance you may never interact directly with David. David has his own clients, lives in Toronto, and — despite my constant reminders that Alberta is clearly superior — is happy to stay there. I love my clients and I love working with and for them. This isn’t a move to change my business at its core; it’s about making the business run better, ensuring clients are always taken care of, and building something that lasts.

From a practical standpoint, things should simply feel easier. David is a process guy. He’s a tech expert, an engineer, and a big details guy. He likes flow charts more than I like salt ’n vinegar chips after 7 p.m. You won’t necessarily meet him, but you will feel the results of his work. When things just seem… easy, that will usually be because of something he has built or improved behind the scenes.

Your investments will always be in great hands with Kinsted Wealth — that doesn’t change. What does change is that someone now has full access to your financial plan, meeting notes, and history. That means if I’m ever unavailable, there’s someone who can step in and help with the planning side of things too, not just the investments. And in the far more realistic scenario of me taking a few weeks off, David can help make sure requests don’t sit waiting longer than they should. I’m not sure I’ll ever vacation without my phone, but in theory, this is a big upgrade for everyone.

Once the dust settles, my goal is to spend more time meeting with clients, writing these blogs, and creating content that helps Canadians build better financial lives. I’m at my best sitting in your living room talking about your kids going to university, planning that Europe trip, or mapping out how you buy the Scottsdale condo. I am not at my best organizing Microsoft Teams folders or managing CRM integrations. David is.

So… who is this guy?

We’ve been friends since around 2005. One of my closest friends, Cabral “Cabbie on the Street” Richards (yes, that Cabbie), lives in Toronto. David and Cabbie have been friends since they were young, and I picked up David through my twice-a-year Toronto trips. They’re part of a tight group of friends that’s been together since the mid-90s, and I was officially inducted around 2009 when they decided I passed the vibe check and ignored Drake’s advice about having “no new friends.” Lucky for me.

They used to throw an epic summer party every year that I never missed. The party was great, but the real magic was the days before and after — it felt like a tribe I belonged to from day one, and David was a big part of that. He’s the smartest guy in our group (Eric may disagree 😄), knows a lot about pretty much everything, and always seems to have a relevant infographic ready to drop into the group chat at any moment. But he balances his nerdiness with a deep love for his family and sports. He’s the full package, and I’m genuinely lucky to call him both a friend and a partner.

Fun fact: I learned how to properly pronounce his last name this year. I’ve always called him by his nickname, “Juice.” It’s pronounced del joo-DOH-chay, it means “the judge” in Italian, and you’re legally required to talk with your hands when you say it (I don’t make the rules).

David is special. Not only is he one of the smartest people I know — and that’s not hyperbole — but he’s also someone of incredibly high character who shares the same core life values as I do. He unapologetically loves his kids and his family, and he believes work should have purpose. His firm was called Living With a Plan, because he believes in having not just a financial plan, but a life plan.

His resume is impressive. He’s sat on multiple boards, was a former VP at a Big 5 bank, and most recently served as Chief Information Officer at a private company that sold for hundreds of millions of dollars. Not in a million years did I think we’d work together, but retirement clearly isn’t his thing. I trust David with my life and my family. He’s the executor of my will and the first person Lindsay will call if anything ever happens to me.

About two years ago, David started down the path of becoming a financial planner. Kicking and screaming, I convinced him that he could fulfill his mission of educating Canadians about money while also making a living doing it. He wanted to build a free course to help people create their own financial plans, understand the emotional side of money, and talk about things that are usually either taboo or overly complicated. I pushed him to work directly with clients, because seeing theory meet real life makes you better at this job. That eventually led him to partner with Kinsted and become licensed for life insurance as well. Spoiler alert: we’re now building that course together.

Since moving my clients to Kinsted Wealth in July 2022, I’ve been on a mission to simplify my business. My family is — and always will be — my top priority, and Lantern Wealth was built to be a lifestyle business: big enough to be meaningful, but not so big that it owned me. What I’ve learned is that I can’t serve clients at the level I expect of myself completely on my own. And apparently you people like me (thank you), and you keep referring friends and family, which I’m incredibly grateful for — please don’t stop — but that growth has made truly great service harder to maintain solo.

For about a year now, I’ve felt that old sense of overwhelm creeping back in. Instead of shrinking the business, I chose to strengthen it. David helps me serve current clients better and take on new ones, while still coaching hockey, volunteering at school, and leaving work early when it’s 30°C in Invermere. Being a solo entrepreneur is also just… lonely. I’ve loved the team at Kinsted, but David challenges me at a strategic level and gives me a true partner in building something bigger.

Work is fun again. I’m dreaming instead of just grinding. For the first time since leaving the bank in 2016, I feel financially secure. Starting from scratch was hard on my mental health, my finances, and my family — and I’m incredibly proud of surviving that phase and building something solid. Now that I can afford to look up and plan ahead, I don’t want to settle for “good.” I want great. Canadians deserve better options than the bank, and David and I plan to build them.

Thank you, as always, for your trust and friendship.

Dave

TL;DR

• I’ve partnered with my longtime friend David Del Giudice to strengthen the business behind the scenes.

• Your day-to-day relationship with me and with Kinsted Wealth does not change.

• You’ll benefit from better systems, better continuity if I’m ever unavailable, and smoother service overall.

• This partnership lets me spend more time doing what I do best: working with clients and building better financial education for Canadians.

• Bottom line: more support for you, more capacity for growth, and a stronger Lantern Wealth for the long term.