Dr. Nick Michels’ specialty in basketball was his uncanny ability to score from anywhere on the court. Now, he is helping others score big in life with his first book, Rich by Choice: Take Back Control, Master Your Money, and Design the Life of Your Dreams. Widely released in early June, It quickly climbed to the top of the bestseller list on Amazon and has been featured in numerous nationwide publications, including USA Today and more, along with being spotlighted on the billboard In Times Square in New York City. Michels is a financial advisor and co-owner (with his wife Chelsea) of Michels Family Financial in Fort Worth. In his book, he stresses that money isn’t what makes a person rich, something he learned at an early age when he saw his wealthy parents divorce and he watched his mother struggle to care for him and his three siblings. “Literally overnight, my mom went from a stay-at-home mom of four to a single mom of four working three jobs. It was at a very early age I quickly realized how much money greatly influences all of our lives, both for good or for bad,” Michels said. “Then, when I got older, my life came full circle because I realized that money was not everything. True joy comes from having peace, security, confidence, and protecting what matters most to you. ”From this came a determination that money would never come first in his life. Instead, he would make money work for him, focusing on the things that made him happiest.
TURNING TO HOOPS Basketball became his passion. After a sterling career at Granbury High, he was a NJCAA Academic All-American for Weatherford College, a two-time first-team All-American and Academic All-American at Dallas Baptist University and played professionally in Europe for several years. “When you’re young and you get to travel the world, you realize how great this world is, and there’s a lot of really good people with a lot of really great, beautiful places to see. You get introduced to so many different cultures and people and lifestyles,” he said. “It really helps you become grounded. Also, when you’re a professional athlete, the consistent discipline that it takes is very similar to business and money. ”Michels went on to earn dual degrees in finance and psychology from DBY, along with a graduate degree in finance from SMU and a PhD from Harvard in business administration. While all that played a major role in his business success, it is his attention life outside of business that has made him the happiest, most notably with Chelsea and their four children, son Dagan, 19; daughter Kinsley, 9;son Brooks, 5; and their baby girl Everly, who is almost 2.
MORE THAN A BOOK, A JOURNEY. Just as he has gone on his own journey to happiness, Michels said his book is unique because it takes the reader on a journey as well, and that first starts with understanding what’s important, who’s important, what specific life do they want to live that’s going to bring them the most joy? It gives the reader simple strategies and exercises to really take a look at their life and when they have been most happy, who has made them the happiest, and also understanding themselves, their own strengths and weaknesses. “When we’re old and looking back, it’s not the money we’re going to think about. It’s the life that’s well-lived,” he said. “I’ve met a lot of people who have a lot of money, who have a sense of emptiness – people who have worked a long time to get to a certain milestone when it comes to money, and when they get there, and it’s not what they thought it would be. “This book is geared for many different people and many different walks and chapters of life. Their future can be brighter than their past. People want to do the right thing. They just don’t know what to do. That’s what I want to show them, that this is a proven way that will help them not only become rich with money, but rich in a lot of areas of their life.”
QUICK RISE
With the book having such quick success, Michels has been asked numerous times about a follow-up. He said he hasn’t given that
much thought, but is enjoying the book’s quick rise and success.
“What’s really been amazing is the overflow of success stories, testimonials and people leaving reviews, telling us how much this
book has helped them, how much this book has brought joy and inspiration and started to improve their life,” he said. “It’s not just a
book. It’s something that’s a tool, a guide that can help people live a better life.”
SOMETHING SPECIAL
A special part of the book is at the end of each chapter where what he shared with the reader is also applied to his own family.
“I wanted to give people an opportunity to know more about Chelsea and me and our life,” he said. “At the end of each chapter, we
have a QR code with additional information, more about that specific chapter and how it relates to our life – not only success stories
in our life, but overcoming challenges, mistakes that we make. We’ve learned a lot along the way.”
FREE GIFT
Even if you don’t buy the book, you can go to www.richbychoicebook.com for something special. You’ll see a big green square that
says “free gift.” Click on it. Put in your email address and click one of the chapters.
“It’ll email you a PDF. Then, at the end there are simple activities and exercises and strategies that you can use that will greatly
improve your life,” Michels said. “It’s our free gift to you.”
Michels is also available for speaking engagements with your club, organization, church, etc.
