"Our job is to be there when things are bad." Matt Newman said this to financial planners on a daily basis as a wholesaler in the financial services industry. He constantly preached the need to plan in advance, to be prepared for the unexpected and inevitable. As a young man in his late thirties, he lived a healthy lifestyle, had a beautiful family, and a successful career. He practiced what he preached, and made sure he had a financial plan in place for his family. Everything seemed to be going in the right direction:
Life was about to change drastically.
After he began experiencing horrible headaches, insomnia, and strange speech issues, he realized something was very wrong. Four months into dealing with these issues, he finally went to the hospital; the doctors confirmed the worst; he had grade three astrocytoma. Matt was diagnosed with brain cancer at 39 years old.
Luckily, he had someone to help him through every terrible moment. Matt's own father-in-law Larry had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer three years earlier. The two men found support in each other and their combined family as they worked to find normalcy in an abnormal situation.
Matt's memoir chronicles the journey that his entire family and support group took together which got him to a place of clarity, understanding and appreciation.
About the Author: When Matt Newman was diagnosed with a grade three astrocytoma in 2013, his life changed forever. He chronicles his journey forward in Starting at the Finish Line.
Matt received his bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Delaware in 1996. He has worked as a wholesaler for ING and Transamerica since 1997. Matt has been top wholesaler in the financial services industry for the majority of his career, and has been the top wholesaler at his company from 2002-2017. During his chemotherapy and recovery in 2013 and 2014, he still finished as the top producer at Transamerica during both years. In 2014 he also received the Transamerica Business Person of the Year Award.
Matt Newman lives in Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, with his wife, three children, and two dogs.
