Justin Castelli is multifaceted. He is the founder of RLS Wealth, the AGC, and PRST, as well as the host of the LifeDesign+ podcast. He is a speaker, a poet, and a strong advocate for living an authentic life and helping others to do the same.
In this episode, we explore Justin's journey to authenticity, his approach to client relationships, and how he encourages clients to pursue their interests and passions. We also discuss the evolving role of financial planners, why being less focused on the numbers when setting goals can actually be beneficial in the long run, and how Justin's supporting other financial advisors through initiatives like the Advisor Growth Community.
Please enjoy our conversation with Justin Castelli.
The Investipal Podcast is produced by www.investipal.co. Past guests include Peter Lazaroff, Douglas Boneparth, Jamie Hopkins, Tyrone Ross and many more.
Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/investipal | www.linkedin.com/in/cameronhowe/; Twitter: www.twitter.com/camhowe16 | www.twitter.com/investipal; Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@camhowe16 | www.tiktok.com/@investipal; or Instagram: www.instagram.com/investipal/
Find Justin at:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/justincastelli/
https://www.justincastelli.io/
https://open.spotify.com/show/4BhLKTrF1Jz7eyEacHwQ76?si=a4e747d6cf3d4986
00:00- Introduction by Cameron Howe and guest introduction of Justin Castelli.
00:22 - Justin talks about the origins of RLS Wealth and its name.
01:08 - Justin explains what it means to be his authentic self and the impact it has had on his life.
05:17 - Cameron shares a personal story about authenticity in the workplace.
07:27 - Justin describes his various ventures and the importance of following his passions.
13:21 - Justin discusses how he encourages clients to pursue their interests and passions.
25:09 - Cameron and Justin talk about the future role of financial advisors and life planners in an AI-driven world.
Cameron Howe
Hi everyone. We're back with another episode of the Investipal podcast. My guest today is Justin Castelli. Justin is the founder of several companies including RLS Wealth, the AGC, and PRST. His mantra is all about living your authentic self. Justin, welcome.
Justin Castelli
Cameron, thanks for having me. I know that RLS Wealth is not easy to say; I struggle with it too. The name comes from the initials of my boys. When I launched my firm, it was RL Wealth Management, which was a lot easier to say. Then Silas was born, so it became a bit of a mouthful. It's not the best name to have.
Cameron Howe
I didn’t even realize it was a tongue twister until I tried to say it. Maybe it is. Justin, I know you talk a lot about living your authentic self. I feel like that's probably the perfect place to kick off this conversation.
Justin Castelli
For me, bringing my authentic self and living my authentic life means being who I feel I'm supposed to be and being the version of myself that makes me feel the most comfortable. Authenticity is a word that's become a buzzword, and I kind of hate that. But the reason it's become a buzzword is because it is such an important thing to do.
Cameron Howe
What exactly do you mean by that?
Justin Castelli
When I think about being my authentic self, it's about being who I feel I'm supposed to be and being the version of myself that makes me feel the most comfortable. I feel like I've always brought a lot of authenticity throughout my whole life, but it wasn’t until I launched RLS Wealth back in 2015 that I really understood the impact of fully being my true self. We can be authentic in a version that we have to be. For example, working in a corporate setting, you don’t get to dictate how you dress or the hours that you work, so there are some constraints to you being you. But within those constraints, you can still bring authenticity to the table. It could be the way that you speak, the way that you write, the way that you communicate—all these different things that allow you to be you.
I always did that, but when I started my own firm and could wear what I wanted to wear, decorate my office the way I wanted, and present myself the way I wanted, then I realized it's a new level of happiness. If I go back in my life, I don’t think you would ever find a past version of myself where I would say I wasn’t happy. But what I realize is there are higher levels of happiness and more fulfillment out there as you get to be more and more yourself. As I began to just put myself out there and worry less about what people say and think, with the belief that if I put my authentic self out there, the people who really like me for me are going to find me. That allows me to work with people who appreciate me for who I am, be comfortable in my skin at all times, and ultimately be the best version of myself.
I really didn’t talk about authenticity much until the last couple of years when I went through major personal growth, finding alignment of spirit, mind, and body. I came out of a little bit of burnout—not dramatic, no health issues or family problems—just doing too much. I accepted that, realized it, and got back to focusing on me. I found this alignment that allowed me to tap into even more of who I am, achieving a new level of happiness, fulfillment, and purpose. I want to help more people find that. How can Cameron be his true authentic self? Who is that version of you? Are you close to it today or far away from it? At the end of the day, the idea of the authentic life and self is that we were all created for a reason, regardless of your religious or creation beliefs. We all have unique gifts and talents hidden inside us, and it’s our responsibility to figure out what they are. If we can tap into our authentic self, we’ll find the things that only we can do as well as we can, which will be our gift to the world. Operating in that area takes care of the financial component because you become the best at what you do.
Your authentic self opens up those gifts, talents, and takes you to that level. I don’t think the authentic life is a destination; it's an evolution. As you have new experiences, learn new things, and meet new people, your horizons broaden, and you see new things you might do. You explore that and continue to evolve.
Cameron Howe
I love that. We were chatting before this, and I used to work a banking job. I have some tattoos, and I was told to roll my sleeves down because it looked unprofessional. Meeting you was a breath of fresh air. I remember chatting with one of the guys on the team, saying I feel like I just met the Tony Hawk of financial advisors. Your office has a bunch of skateboards up on the wall, and I believe in being a personalized wealth planner or whoever you may be, representing yourself, and being more relatable to your clients. I feel like that gets embodied through that authenticity.
Justin Castelli
Authenticity is up to the individual. My version of being me and how much I share may not be right for you. Maybe we’re both into the same things, but your comfort level of sharing your tattoos or love of hip hop might not be as high as mine. It would be inauthentic for you to overshare. It's a combination of who you are, the things you're interested in, and how comfortable you are sharing those things.
For whatever reason, I've been very comfortable sharing my family and incorporating that into my business—the name of the business, my content. My boys have been in videos. My old podcast had them doing the introduction. For whatever reason, I've been comfortable and enjoyed sharing my family, and that has been authentic to me. I’ve received positive feedback; clients have said they hired me because I had my family picture on my website and shared my family. Not everybody is comfortable with that. In today’s age, maybe it’s not smart for me to have my kids on social media because of all the crazy things that can happen. But it's authentic for me to do that. If you're not comfortable putting your family out there, then don't do it. Here's the thing with authenticity: when you're not authentic, there may not be a visual cue that people pick up on, but there’s an energetic communication where people sense something is off. When you're authentic, the energy flows, and people pick up on it.
Cameron Howe
So how is that flowing into your own life? I know you have some very interesting side businesses, like a hip hop label. How have you evolved from the previous version of yourself into this new age of authentic Justin?
Justin Castelli
One way that has helped me is I've always been transparent in my explorations. It didn’t make sense in the moment, but if you look back over the last almost nine years of running my firm, I look like I was all over the place. The priority has always been the clients at RLS Wealth; they have always come first. Anytime I tried something new—launching the AGC, pivoting to work with entrepreneurs, working at a startup—I communicated with my clients first, ensuring them it wouldn’t impact our relationship and their financial plan. Because I delivered on that promise, my clients knew that's who I was. They embraced it, asking questions about my content and ventures, showing interest in me, which says a lot about the relationship.
As for the exploration, I've always been someone who has to follow my passions and be excited about what I'm doing. That's why when I launched my firm, it would have made sense to focus on Indiana teachers or Eli Lilly employees, but thinking about those paths didn't excite me. I follow my interests and am quick to realize when an exploration isn’t right and come back to center. I’m comfortable and confident in exploring, knowing that it may take me down a path I come back from or lead me forward. Without all that exploration and doing things that excite me, I wouldn’t have landed where I am today. The AGC community, for instance, is an amazing group of advisors with a great team, and I'm glad I helped start that. The Pursuit business is a passion of mine, a creative outlet. I don’t have the hip hop label yet, but it will be there one day. Pursuit is where my podcast lives and my content is produced. It's my entertainment and enjoyment.
I don’t have many hobbies beyond my boys’ sports and art classes. I love creating content and exploring my interests. It doesn’t seem like work; it's my hobby. I don't golf, run, or cycle. My leisure, outside of working out, is these creative ventures. That all feeds into having these other things.
Cameron Howe
Very interesting. How does that play into the role of a financial planner, or as you put it, a life planner, in helping clients live more authentic lives?
Justin Castelli
I hope I'm leading by example. I think I am. What I'm telling my clients or sharing on my podcast and in my writing, I'm doing. I'm telling you to pursue your interests. Maybe it starts small, but go see why you're called to pick up a camera or get behind a microphone. Experience what it’s like to be that version of yourself and see where it takes you. My videographer, Morgan, is a great example. She was a social worker because her mom and grandmother were, but her passion was photography. She built it up over time, doing it on weekends, getting good at it,
and eventually leaving social work to become a full-time photographer and videographer. That’s what I want my clients to do—pursue their interests and evaluate if they can do it. Many people live great lives but not necessarily the life they would pick for themselves. They don’t realize they have more opportunities.
Don’t quit your job to pick up photography, but start by taking photos every day, editing them, and seeing if you're good at it and enjoy it. If you are, share your work, maybe get hired, and see if it can replace your income. Once you figure that out, I help with the numbers. I hope that what I'm doing is an example for clients to explore their lives, and then I help with the numbers.
Cameron Howe
That’s an interesting segue into a topic I wanted to double-click on with you—your philosophy around goal setting. In this example, maybe it’s becoming a photographer and leaving social work. How do you balance goal setting with the numerical expertise of a financial planner?
Justin Castelli
I would love to get to a point where the numerical part is just faith—faith that you're doing what you're supposed to be doing and the universe will take care of you. At the end of the day, I believe that to be true. Money often works itself out when we get out of the way. Once you reach a certain level, if you’re making good money and saving, pivoting towards your true calling usually works out financially. However, from a financial planning standpoint and regulatory standpoint, we can’t rely on faith alone, and most people aren't willing or able to take that leap of faith.
I want to lead with the goals and the authentic life. What is that life for you? Then, we reverse engineer the numbers. If we start with the numbers, it may constrain how big your dreams are. I don’t want you to shrink your dreams unnecessarily. If you're the best at what you do, you can potentially make the income you need. Additionally, when you identify your authentic life, you may cut out unnecessary spending done to find purpose, happiness, or impress people. You realize you don’t need as much money as you thought, and a lot of past spending was waste. Start with the end in mind and reverse engineer the numbers.
Cameron Howe
Have you noticed your role moving more towards being a therapist, like a Tony Robbins, where you're helping clients elaborate on their goals, like retiring in Italy and owning a winery, rather than just going on vacation or retiring?
Justin Castelli
There is a therapeutic component to the work we do as financial advisors. We have emotional conversations with people, and over time, we learn to read body language and energy. One of the best skills we can develop is empathetic listening, truly meeting clients where they are emotionally and energetically, and giving them space. That’s where the details come out.
I wouldn't say Tony Robbins; I think of Rick Rubin, helping clients find their truth and guiding them rather than telling them what to do. Many people still follow the traditional path of college, marriage, a job for 30 years, and retirement. But we can choose our own adventure and create the path we want. Helping clients understand why they want certain goals, like retiring in Italy, gets to the true why. When you understand the why, it makes the planning different and more purposeful.
Cameron Howe
It's fascinating. I’ll share a story. After college, I joined the military, then worked at Deloitte in consulting, and later moved into finance, starting my own company. My dad always questioned why I took those risks. Do you see a demographic shift with younger generations being more risk-tolerant, or is this happening across all ages?
Justin Castelli
The younger generation is more risk-tolerant with their careers, and it's more possible today because of technology. Starting a business is much easier now. The older generation, however, wants to maximize their remaining time, not just retire to a rocking chair. They want to ensure their time and money go toward purposeful things. So, both generations are pursuing what feels right, but it looks different for each.
Cameron Howe
Maybe as a final thought, I’ll quote you: "Do teachers actually teach us, or do they help us unlock what we already know?" How does that mentality play into the role of a life planner?
Justin Castelli
I'll take credit for that quote. Listening to an Alan Watts book made me think about how teachers guide us to find answers within ourselves. Some technical things need to be taught, but for deeper understanding and life decisions, the best teachers guide us to find answers we already have. In life planning, I’m not here to tell you what to do. I help you figure out the life you want and then use my expertise to craft a plan to support that life.
Cameron Howe
That’s fascinating. With the rise of AI, there's debate about the future role of financial advisors. But focusing on personal aspects and asking the right questions is something no algorithm can replicate.
Justin Castelli
I agree. I love life planning and have centered the next twenty years of my career around helping people live authentically. There will still be a need for technical advisors, but for those who want more personalized guidance, focusing on life planning skills and leveraging technology for technical tasks is key. The advisor of the future will likely focus on relationships and guiding clients through their life decisions, verifying the data from AI, and spending more time on the human side of planning.
Cameron Howe
Absolutely.
Justin Castelli
If I were starting today, I’d focus on life planning skills and leverage technology for technical tasks. We need to move away from being the teacher with all the answers to being the guide who helps clients determine the life they want and then use our expertise to support that life.
Cameron Howe
Fascinating conversation, Justin. Where can people find you if they’re interested?
Justin Castelli
You can find me at Justin Castelli. My website links to RLS Wealth, the AGC, my daily notes, and everything else I’m doing.
Cameron Howe
Great, we’ll leave a link in the show notes. Thanks for joining us, Justin. We hope to have you on again to dive more into the therapeutic side of advice.
Justin Castelli
I would love it.
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