Hidden Gems: Meet Thanasi Panagiotakopoulos of LifeManaged

Today we’d like to introduce you to Thanasi Panagiotakopoulos. 

Hi Thanasi, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It all started with luck and being born to amazing parents. My Father, Christo, and Mother, Connie have made unparalleled sacrifices in their life to ensure that their children were put in a position to succeed. After immigrating to the greatest country in the world, my Father wanted to instill this idea that with hard work and discipline, we could be the master of our own destinies, just as he was when he moved here without speaking a lick of English. 

My education started in our public school system, a product of Madison Simis and Meadows before moving onto Brophy College Prep in Central Phoenix. After my Jesuit education, I moved on to play college basketball at the University of Northern Colorado in the Big Sky Conference. Like every child hoopster, I dreamt of playing professional basketball one day. Fortunately, I was given the opportunity to play alongside 6 other Greek-American Division I basketball players to travel to Athens, Greece in the summer of 2008 to play exhibition games at the Olympic Stadium! A couple of scouts and agents approached me with a couple of offers to play in Greece and get paid therefore fulfilling my dream, albeit not at the highest NBA level. After battling injuries and missing my family and friends I moved home to start my career in Financial Services. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I count my blessings every day for how smooth my road has been relative to others in this world. My biggest struggle was definitely tearing my ACL during my senior basketball season in Colorado. As petty as this injury was now looking back, it did end my collegiate career abruptly forcing me to watch my friends and teammates play without me. It took a while to remember that basketball is not life, although it felt like it for my whole life until that moment. I was still able to hustle and battle back to continue my professional career in Greece after 5 months of rehab at a local favorite, Rehab Plus. Any athletes reading this know exactly who our guy Warren is over there! 

We’ve been impressed with LifeManaged, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
LifeManaged is a financial life management company that I founded in 2019. After working for a large public institution for 5 years and then moving to a boutique operation, I realized where I could make my impact. 

The financial services industry is very broken. It underserves professionals with no wealth to manage who need the most help, and it overcharges those that are already wealthy. There is a massive information gap in our industry and although there are attempts to close this gap, many people are still sold products or strategies they do not need but massively overpay for. 

LifeManaged specializes in working with young people who are starting to find their way in their careers. After bouncing around, they have found a good home, have some stock options, and a nice salary with an abundance of opportunities ahead. I was fortunate to grow up in a household where finance was a normal discussion. I understood the time value of money, compound interest, and opportunity costs. Unfortunately, many Americans are financially illiterate. 

We help to facilitate conversations so that we uncover people’s fears around money and then create solutions that are catered specifically to our client’s goals. At the end of the day, we are all working to create some version of our own freedom and optionality, and by understanding every individual’s or family’s wants and needs, we can help to create a simple roadmap of where they want to be. 

We are most proud that we can offer this at very affordable rates as to not scare young people away from seeking professional help. Technology has allowed us to scale and properly service more relationships so that we don’t need to charge $5,000-$10,000 like other financial planners. For just $300/month charged to our client’s credit cards, we can show them exactly how many dollars they need to earn, save and invest, and help them to implement and execute their plan, so that one day when they want to leave the workforce, regardless of age, they know they can be secure. 

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I love to cook for people. My mother has always had a strong desire to feed people, it’s just part of our Greek culture and I inherited that trait. Most people who come over can expect to eat mostly off the grill — grilled ribeye caps, pork chops, or chicken thighs are a staple on the Panagiotakopoulos grill. 

Pricing:

• Comprehensive Financial Plan $3600
• Investment Management on the first $1million is 1%

Contact Info:

• Email: thanasi@lifemanaged.com
• Website: https://lifemanaged.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifemanaged_/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LifeManaged-465875267503959/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lifemanaged_