About
Jonathan Grannick, CFP®
A little about me… Professionally
My Background
Hi! I’m Jonathan, the adventurous founder of Wonder Wealth, a virtual financial planning firm that helps young families in their 30’s and 40’s navigate the most pivotal financial years of their lives. After graduating from The University of Georgia (Go Dawgs!) I began my career at a well regarded Fee-Only Financial Planning firm preparing financial plans for mass affluent and high net worth clients. I am a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional who has been in the industry for over a decade. I’ve worked on several hundred financial plans to this point and I’ve seen too many situations where good hard working people had to make serious financial sacrifices because they winged their finances. By the time they invested in a professional it was too late and sacrifices were inevitable. Sacrifices like lifestyle, dream home, travel, retirement age, family time, entrepreneurship, ability to support loved ones, the list goes on.
I started Wonder Wealth to help people my own age get ahead of that curve, to lifestyle design a path full of options, not limitations. The process of proper money management can be time consuming, intimidating, confusing, frustrating, and trigger a whole range of emotions. Emotions that make procrastination very easy. I’ve seen how that can end after so many years, you deserve better. My purpose is to help you do the things you need to do (with money) to get you to where you want to be (with life). You deserve better and you don’t have to wait until retirement to get it. My mission is to help guide you to a better today and an even better tomorrow.
We are as strong as our “Why”, here is my “Why”…
My desire to help people stems from my father, a 35 year drug and alcohol addictions counselor who gave hope to people when there was none to be found. My mother filled me with compassion and a desire to connect with people in a meaningful way. While their character traits influenced me greatly, it was ultimately their financial situation that inspired a career in financial planning.
Growing up in a household riddled by financial strain isn't pretty. Constant arguing, stress, accusation, limited options, and years of hard work with little to show for it are just a few components. When money came in, it was immediately spent. Saving was an idea but not much more. Without an unbiased outside presence to intervene, the cycle continued.
“I’m motivated by a powerful idea. The idea that one relationship with a CFP® could have vastly changed my parent’s priorities years ago, and therefore the rest of their lives.”
A little about me… Personally
My Story
After graduating from college, I worked at a Fee-Only Financial Planning firm. I was fascinated with financial planning but soon discovered I wasn’t a fit for the traditional 9-5 office environment & traffic filled commute. So, I spent a few years there, passed the CFP® exam, then up and moved to Australia to pursue a lifelong dream of living abroad.
This decision turned into a 15 month journey that took me through 4 continents and 8 countries (Australia, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysian-Borneo, Belize, the Western U.S., with short stints in China and South Korea). For 2 of those 15 months I lived in a camper van which I used to explored the entire east coast of Australia. This experience only further fueled a passion for minimalism, tiny homes, and a life rich with experience & community, not possessions.
I returned with less money but an irreplaceable wealth of experiences. Solo travel changed my values and instilled a new sense of independence. This shift led me to start my first consulting business, one I could operate remotely, while assisting Fee-Only Financial Advisers with financial plan creation. For most of 2017 I leveraged the remote nature of my business to live and work as a Digital Nomad in South America. I spent 6 months in Medellin, Colombia, 2 months in Cusco, Peru, and a lot of time inside my head!
From raw poverty in the slums of Manila to the (financial) prosperity we have in The United States, I’m grateful for the unique wisdom travel has provided. A wisdom that can only come from seeing such a broad spectrum of the human experience.
So what does all this have to do with financial planning? I guarantee you it’s more than you realize.
Experiences are Best Shared
MOUNT EVANS, COLORADO - 14,130 ft. Highest Paved Road in North America
SAN IGNACIO, BELIZE - Green Iguana Sanctuary
DONSOL, PHILIPPINES - Diving with Whale Sharks
REMOTE VILLAGE, NORTH THAILAND - Sipi of the Karen tribe (AKA Longneck tribe)
NATURAL BRIDGE, AUSTRALIA - Glow worms illuminated this cave like a night sky
CORON, PHILIPPINES - Wreck diving inside a Japanese battleship sunk in WWII.
EL NIDO, PHILIPPINES - Winding down after a day of diving
CHANG MAI, THAILAND - Night markets in Chang Mai, never eaten so much amazing food
MALAPASCUA, PHILIPPINES - Diving with Thresher sharks (depth ~100 ft)
BAKO PARK, MALAYSIAN BORNEO - Long day hiking through Bornean jungles ended with a spectacular sunset. Saltwater crocs hung out on the beach below this cliff
GREAT OCEAN ROAD, AUSTRALIA - Overlooking the 12 Apostles
MAGNETIC ISLAND, AUSTRALIA - The Great Barrier Reed
REMOTE VILLAGE, PALAWAN, PHILIPPINES - Locals cooked us fresh fish after a day of exploring the reefs
SEPILOK, MALAYSIAN BORNEO - Spotted a deadly Pit Viper on a night hike through the Bornean rainforest
AYUTTHAYA, THAILAND - Old ruins from what was one of the wealthiest cities in the world before it was sacked by Burmese invaders
THE CAMPERVAN - Home.... for Two Incredible Months
KINABATANGAN RIVER, MALYSIAN BORNEO - River cruise spotting wild orangutans, proboscis monkeys, and rare Bornean pygmy elephants. This island is the last place in the world to find orangutans in the wild.
BANGKOK, THAILAND - Night markets full of amazing food
LAKE TAHOE, CA - 10 Day Solo Backpacking Trip Trekking The Entire Tahoe Rim Trail (170 miles)
TAAL VOLCANO, PHILIPPINES - The worlds smallest active volcano. It featured a green lake, inside a blue lake, inside an island surrounded by the ocean.
SIPADAN, MALAYSIA - Swimming alongside a wall of 500+ Barracuda
COCKSCOMB BASIN, BELIZE - World's Largest Jaguar Preserve
LODI CALIFORNIA
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - Korean market full of interesting food, nothing like fresh kimchi
Let’s Talk!
Stop worrying about your money, start investing in your future. Let's talk about how we can help address your financial concerns & guide you to a life of financial freedom. Schedule a free intro meeting or send us a message.