Leibel Sternbach on Entrepreneurship and Achieving Financial Independence & Retiring Early

Leibel is the CTO of a national FinTech firm that manages over 3 billion in assets. He started his first company in 2004, and has been working in financial services since 2007. Leibel founded Yields for You, to help everyday retirees make the most of their savings, minimize their tax liability, and build a retirement strategy that is designed for their peace of mind.

He also teaches regular classes to retirees, and his advice has been featured in numerous publications like Forbes, CNN Business and LegalZoom. He primarily shares his financial findings over his podcast Leibel On Fire, which is his take on the FIRE movement and how it applies to people over 50 who are retiring soon and want financial independence so they can retire with confidence..

Here we sit down with Leibel to learn about his journey as an entrepreneur and on achieving financial freedom.

How did you get your start?

I got my start working for a marketing company. I helped set up an entire operation for them. They were primarily dealing with real estate investors. And then 2007-2008 came along and you couldn’t sell a house for your life.

I pivoted to working with financial advisors and my dad actually introduced me to a financial advisor marketer. And, you know, that opened the door and before I knew it, I was working with hundreds of advisors across the country, helping them help people secure their retirements and just kind of one thing led to the next. And then a few years ago, my company got acquired by Fusion Capital Management, we merged together and my current adventure began.

I got my credentials, I got all my licenses, and I soon realized that I couldn’t impact enough people working 1 on 1. So I began looking for how I can have the biggest impact and I’ve set myself a goal of wanting to help 1 million people retire with financial security. 

That means creating pieces like podcasts, guides, writing books, teaching courses. All this is about helping as many people as possible. My goal is to help bring those techniques [of the elite advisors] to the masses for the people who can’t afford a financial advisor.

What’s your backstory?

So the struggles I had as a marketer, who was working with financial advisors at a young age. My job was to help explain the sophisticated things financial advisors did and do it in a way that was engaging to everyday people. I got to interview hundreds of advisors and got to work really close with them and see what worked and what didn’t.

As my financial knowledge grew, I would  ask my clients questions, and the advisors weren’t able to answer. So, I started looking for information elsewhere. I started reading books and I started looking to the people higher [up] in the food chain. 

I did that for a number of years until one day, I had a conversation with someone who had been my mentor and I was like, How can you say that? That doesn’t make any sense? And I came to the realization that at some point, my knowledge and ability to articulate advanced planning concepts had far exceeded what everyone I was working with had.

I quick realized that this is a unique skill set, and that is kind of my passion. It is why I do what I do because I can’t keep this knowledge and skill locked up. I have to share it, and I primarily do it over my podcast.

What’s the X-factor when it comes to planning your finances?

Keep your finances simple, don’t overcomplicate it, and the key is to invest for as long as possible. That’s really it. And the biggest thing is that everyone has something to sell you whether they’re selling you their time, attention, financial advice or product. Everyone’s pushing something. So no matter who you’re working with, you have to supervise them and have enough knowledge to be able to tell whether they’re actually helping you or not.

Learn From & Connect With Leibel

To learn more or keep up to date with Leibel reach out to him on his LinkedIn or follow his Podcast, or visit his website Yields4U.com