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Over the past decade, Jason Howell, BS Accounting ’97, has worn many hats in his professional life. The Certified Financial Planner™ professional, college professor, former candidate for U.S. Congress, president of a family wealth management firm, and author, now has a new book titled Joy of Financial Planning: 7 Strategies for Transforming Your Finances and Reclaiming Your American Dream. Publishing the book has been an additional way to teach his message of achieving the American Dream; which has been Howell’s chief professional objective since his graduation from George Mason �鶹����.

During his run for Congress, he ran as an Independent because he’s been independent in just about everything’s he’s done. His words of wisdom to clients, students, and readers help them attain that independence too.

Financial planning brings Howell joy, but he knows it can be terrifying to others. The things that do bring people joy—whether it’s a vacation house at the beach, a new car, or a philanthropic venture—can be achieved by prioritizing and planning their financial assets. But there are daunting barriers to move past.

The extreme cost of higher education and cell phone bills, are a few of the expenditures that past generations didn’t have to consider, especially living in high-cost Northern Virginia.

“These are relatively new pressures that this generation faces and has to overcome, and it’s not just a matter of working harder,” he says. “�鶹���� salaries haven’t moved much since the 70s or 80s. We have to get smarter with money and thankfully the information is available.”

A client can change their family name forever by planning and investing wealth. It’s the philosophy Howell preaches. “They have the opportunity to reset the mark for their family in this country regardless of whether they are first-generation American, first to graduate college, or any other first,” he says. “The kinds of people who go to Mason are uniquely set up to be patriarchs and matriarchs.” He points out that every family’s wealth has to start somewhere. As the son of immigrants, he knows this well.

Howell has learned a lot about people through his financial planning, turning him into part-time amateur psychologist. “Over an initial six-month process, I’m gathering information—data, feelings, goals, and concerns—and clients are participating in the process, learning about themselves with me,” he says. There is no shortage of busy people in the Washington, D.C., area who don’t have the time to figure out how to manage wealth, which is what inspired Howell to outline the strategies in Joy of Financial Planning. “When they read the book, they can learn how to calculate life insurance, how long they’ll have to work, and generally how to figure their financial life out,” he says. And when someone knows that their family’s future is taken care of and that there’s money left over to pursue their passions, there’s no better feeling. “It’s the American Dream.”