Why I Took a Pay Cut to Do Work That Matters

Chris O’Shea CPA, CFP®

I didn’t set out to become a financial advisor. I set out to do work that felt like it mattered, and it took me about 20 years, one major career pivot, and a decade coaching high school sports to figure out that this was it.

Today, I’m the Chief Investment Officer and CPA at Financial Consulate. But to understand how I got here, you have to go back to my very first job.

Where it All Started

I was setting up sports fields and refereeing games for the County Parks & Recreation Department. Most kids in that situation spent their paychecks as fast as they came in. I did something different; I saved them. Not because anyone told me to and not because money was tight, but because saving just felt right. I liked the saving part more than the spending part. Looking back, it had always been a natural progression to a career.

That instinct followed me through my education and into a decade-long career at a corporation with over 10,000 employees. I had earned my CPA certification, and the work was good, but something was missing. When the opportunity came to move from corporate finance to personal finance, I took it, even though it meant accepting a pay cut. I wanted a smaller environment, and I wanted to work closely with real people on decisions that affected their lives.

The Chapter That Changed Everything

That first chapter at Financial Consulate was significant, but the years in between, the ones that might look like a detour on a resume, are what shaped who I am as an advisor today. For nearly a decade, I stepped away from the firm to work full-time with students at my church. I coached high school soccer, basketball, and lacrosse. I learned, in a very direct and unglamorous way, what it means to truly serve people. My return to the Consulate felt different after that experience. The job had become a calling.

I don’t describe my work in terms of portfolio performance or planning strategies. I describe it as helping people navigate decisions that carry real weight. It is always rewarding when you can help someone, especially when you genuinely love the subject matter and enjoy staying on top of how it keeps changing.

The People I Do My Best Work With

The clients I connect with most are what we at Financial Consulate call “Practical Millionaires”—men and women who have spent decades building something valuable, spending less than they earn, and staying focused on their careers and families rather than chasing status. They’re not looking for someone to impress them with jargon. They want someone they can trust completely, someone who will take the time to understand their situation and help them make smart decisions for the rest of their lives.

Trust is the whole thing. And trust takes time. At Financial Consulate, our team invests 5 to 7 hours getting to know every new client before we make a single recommendation. We ask questions, listen carefully, and make sure we understand someone’s complete financial situation before we suggest anything. That relationship-first approach is something I believe in deeply, and it’s what makes this work meaningful to me every day.

The Person Outside the Office

Away from the office, you’ll find me at home with my wife on a Saturday morning. We serve together at our local church, and I won’t pretend that isn’t central to who I am. I believe deeply in the work the church does for the community, the assistance it offers to people in need, and the hope it provides in an often challenging world. My wife and I feel genuinely fortunate to be part of that.

My current passion outside of work is genealogy, specifically the history of Ireland. There’s something fitting about that, I suppose. I’ve always been drawn to long time horizons and to understanding how things came to be the way they are. It’s not so different from what I do for clients every day.

When someone at a backyard cookout asks what I do for a living, my answer is simple: I’m a CPA doing personal financial advisory work. What that description leaves out is the 30-plus years, the pay cut, the decade with teenagers on a soccer field, and the belief that helping people with their finances is, in the right hands, a form of service.

For me, it always has been.

If any of this sounds like the kind of relationship you’ve been looking for, we welcome a conversation. Reach out anytime at (410) 823-7283, or you can schedule a time to talk at your convenience through our website.