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Living Prepared, LLC

In the Media

Taught. Published.Featured.

Stefan Whitwell, CFA, CIPM, CEO & Licensed Agent of Living Prepared, LLC, is a frequent podcast guest. He talks about protecting a family and a business, planning for the unexpected, and leaving a legacy on purpose, and about the human side of money: losing everything in 2009, owning it, and rebuilding; Zen and Jujutsu; and raising four children, three grown and one still at home.

Our CEO Stefan Whitwell has been featured in national and international publications and has guest lectured at leading universities in the United States and Japan.

Stefan Whitwell featured in Business Insider
Stefan Whitwell featured in Yahoo Finance
Stefan Whitwell published in Nikkei Asia
Stefan Whitwell featured in GQ
Stefan Whitwell featured in Vogue
Stefan Whitwell featured in Prime Women
Stefan Whitwell featured in the Austin American-Statesman
Stefan Whitwell guest lectured at The Wharton School
Stefan Whitwell guest lectured at the University of Pennsylvania
Stefan Whitwell guest lectured at Temple University
Stefan Whitwell guest lectured at the University of Texas at Austin
Stefan Whitwell guest lectured at Hitotsubashi University

More than a planning conversation

Hosts invite Stefan for plain-English clarity on protecting what a family has built. Audiences remember the story. Four threads run through every conversation he has.

Perseverance

He lost everything in 2009, owned it, and rebuilt

In the middle of the Great Recession, a bank declined to renew one loan on Stefan's real estate portfolio. The default spread to every other loan, and he lost everything, with three children at home. He owns his part plainly: he was over-concentrated and had no asset protection or tax plan. A mentor told him, "You know, you walk through fire. You should advise others." He rebuilt from there, starting a wealth management career that led him to found Whitwell & Co. in 2017.

“The hardest part was in bankruptcy court; it was telling my kids we can't afford summer camp.”
Watch: his origin story

Discipline

Zen, Jujutsu, and 40 years of violin

Stefan spent a year in Japan studying martial arts and apprenticing with Zen Master Sanshu at the Saijo-ji temple. He holds a black belt in Hakko-Ryu Jujutsu and a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and has played the violin for more than 40 years. He brings the same patience to markets, to clients, and to the long work of building a firm.

“So show up, even when it sucks. That principle will help you build wealth, will help you get better on the mat, will help you build teams. No flash, just reps.”
Watch: Consistency Beats Intensity

AI and automation

He builds with AI inside a regulated firm

Stefan does not only talk about AI. He deploys AI and automation inside a working advisory firm, from an around-the-clock concierge line to research workflows, without losing the human relationship. He is co-author, with Brandon Veldman, CFA, of If Done Right: The AI Governance Framework for Regulated Financial Firms.

The book: If Done Right

Fatherhood

A father of four, first

Stefan grew up watching his own father, a school teacher, start a self-publishing business to make ends meet, and noticed that it meant his dad was around when he needed him. He runs his firm to follow that tradition: a thriving business, and a family that thrives along the way. Three of his four children are grown; the youngest is at home with him.

“I think my most important job is being dad.”
Watch: The Real Me

Podcast and media appearances

Stefan's guest appearances on business, family, and the human side of money. Upcoming and unreleased episodes come first, then everything that has aired, newest first. Episode titles are each show's own wording.

For hosts and producers

Conversations Stefan can carry for a family, business-owner, or general audience. Each stands alone as a segment or a full episode.

Protecting a family and a business

What a family and a company each stand to lose when an owner or key person is suddenly gone, and why the time to think it through is while everyone is still at the table.

Planning for the unexpected

Why the plans that hold up are the ones built for the bad year, the sudden illness, and the phone call nobody expects, and how to start them while life is calm.

Legacy, on purpose

What a family actually wants to hand down beyond money, and why that conversation goes better when it happens early and out loud.

Losing everything, rebuilding, and being dad

Losing it all in 2009 with three children at home, rebuilding from there, and why he now builds a demanding business around four children instead of the other way around.

Invite Stefan on your show

Email info@livingprepared.team. Approved bios, host intros, headshots, and show-notes wording are in his full press and speaker kit on the Whitwell & Co. site.

Read Stefan's bio

Last updated October 13, 2026. These appearances are general educational conversations. They are not insurance, tax, legal, or investment advice. The shows and their hosts are independent of Living Prepared, LLC; episode titles and descriptions are theirs, and some episodes were recorded years ago and reflect conditions at that time. Stefan also leads Whitwell & Co., LLC. Living Prepared, LLC is an affiliate of Whitwell & Co., LLC, an SEC-registered investment advisory firm; the two firms are under common leadership and are separate legal entities, and Living Prepared, LLC does not provide investment advice. CFA®, Chartered Financial Analyst®, and CIPM® are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute. Disclosures.