THE BUSINESS UN-COMPLICATORS

I learned that lesson in the U.S. Navy.

But the story of how I got there starts with my grandfather and a girl named Krista.

The Stories That Shaped Me

My grandfather served in World War II. The stories he told about service, sacrifice, and staying calm under impossible pressure stayed with me. They planted a seed. When it came time to choose my own path, the military felt right.

I grew up next to Moffett Field in Mountain View, California, watching P3 Orions take off and land. Aviation Electronic Warfare Technicians (AWs) were stationed there, and I figured if I enlisted as an AW, I could stay close to Krista, the woman I was serious about but not yet engaged to.

Turns out, recruiters lie. I was contracted incorrectly as an EW (Electronic Warfare Technician), a shipboard rate, not an AW. Instead of Moffett Field, I ended up in San Diego on a ship.

Not a bad place to be, as it turned out. But it meant long distance. I drove from San Diego to Mountain View once a month to see Krista and keep her interested in me. It worked. We got engaged while I was still in uniform.

What the Navy Taught Me

In the Navy, when the pressure's on and things go sideways, you don't have time to figure it out on the fly. You follow the system. You trust the process. You execute what you've practiced.

Checklists, protocols, standards—they weren't bureaucracy. They were the difference between chaos and clarity when it mattered most. I learned that calm, disciplined execution always outperforms improvisation when the stakes are high.

That philosophy didn't stay on the ship. It came home with me.

From Service to Systems

After the Navy, I moved through retail and human resources, where I discovered something unexpected: I loved building people systems. Not managing people, but building the frameworks that helped them grow. Teaching. Coaching. Giving teams the tools and structure they needed to succeed without constant supervision.

It was deeply satisfying work, but something was missing. I kept asking myself: What am I actually building toward?

The answer came during a values reset moment, reading Stephen Covey's First Things First. The central question, "What matters most?" hit hard. I realized I wanted work that aligned with service, family, and stewardship. Work where I could lead, educate, and solve real problems for people trying to build something that lasts.

That's what led me to advising.

The Early Years: Learning What Owners Really Need

I launched my career within Northwestern Mutual, later co-founded Asset Strategies Group, and eventually built an owner-centric firm of my own. Early on, like many in the industry, I focused on transactions. Insurance was first. I needed to provide for my family when Krista stepped back from work to focus on raising our daughters, Samantha and Sara.

But I quickly realized something critical: business owners didn't just need products. They needed a translator.

They were drowning in jargon, conflicting advice, and competing priorities. Retirement plans. Group benefits. Tax strategies. Risk management. Everyone had an opinion, but no one was helping them see how it all fit together or what to actually do about it.

They needed someone to bridge the gap between complex rules, technical details, and the day-to-day decisions that actually move a business forward.

So I stopped selling and started uncomplicating.

Building a Different Approach

I began teaching through analogies that made sense to business owners. Dollar-cost averaging became "buying cows on a schedule," something they could visualize and understand without financial jargon. Complex benefit structures became dinner-table conversations: simple enough to explain to your family, clear enough to act on.

I organized decisions with simple rules and review cadences owners could actually follow, not elaborate plans that looked good on paper but fell apart the moment things got busy.

I brought that Navy training mindset to our operations, too. Role-based learning. Certifications. Clear standards. It meant our team could scale with consistency and confidence, and clients got the same quality of guidance no matter who they worked with.

And I kept one rule front and center: If you can't explain it at the dinner table, it's not ready.

That became our standard for everything: every recommendation, every strategy, every conversation.

Mentoring the Next Generation

As the firm matured, I invited my daughters, Samantha and Sara, into the business. Later, Brad joined us, bringing decades of experience and a grounded, practical approach that perfectly complemented our team.

Bringing them in wasn't just about succession. It was about building something that could serve clients long-term. It freed me to focus on mentoring, refining our processes, and working on the business instead of being trapped in it every day.

We also layered in fractional experts where it served clients best. Sometimes the right answer is bringing in specialized support rather than trying to be everything to everyone. That approach, knowing when to call in reinforcements, came straight from the Navy playbook.

What We Do Today

Today, Krista and I, along with our team, serve closely held businesses in the Greater Sacramento area (with select clients across California). We help owners clarify objectives, simplify choices, and implement with discipline, especially around benefits, retirement plans, protection, and working productively with the advisors already in their corner.

We're not trying to replace anyone. We're trying to help you make sense of it all and move forward with confidence.

The Navy taught me that systems create freedom. Checklists beat chaos when the pressure is on. Structure isn't restrictive—it's what gives you the bandwidth to lead instead of constantly reacting.

That's still how we approach every client relationship.

Honoring Those Who Served

On this Veteran's Day, I think about my grandfather's service in World War II and what his stories meant to me. I'm grateful for my own time in the Navy and for every veteran who understands what it means to trust the process, lead with discipline, and execute when it counts.

Those lessons still guide how we serve business owners with clarity, structure, and systems that create freedom instead of limiting it.

Because in business, just like in the Navy, clarity beats chaos. Structure creates freedom. And the right systems let you lead with confidence instead of scrambling to survive.

Thank you to all who've served. 🇺🇸

— Larry Stiver
Founder, Stiver Financial Services

WHAT'S NEXT?

If your business needs clearer systems, better structure, or a trusted guide who speaks plain English, let's talk.

📅 Book a consultation: https://www.stiverfinancialservices.com/contact

ABOUT THE BUSINESS UN-COMPLICATORS

We help closely held businesses in the Greater Sacramento area make clear, confident decisions. From business consulting to benefits and retirement plans and operations to leadership structure, we translate complexity into plain English and help you implement with discipline.

Our philosophy is simple: If you can't explain it at the dinner table, it's not ready.