We recently connected with Danqin Fang and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Danqin, thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

When I reflect on the risks I’ve taken in my life, two pivotal moments stand out – moments that have shaped not just my career, but my entire worldview about what’s possible when we dare to dream bigger.

The first was my decision to become a first-generation immigrant, leaving China for the United States entirely on my own. I arrived as a graduate student pursuing a Master’s degree in Financial Planning. While many might see this as a straightforward academic decision, it represented so much more – it was a leap into the unknown, leaving behind everything familiar to chase a vision of what could be.

This risk proved transformative. After graduation, I joined a Registered Independent Advisory firm in Miami, where I progressed from an entry-level position to become a senior lead adviser. Looking back, I’m filled with profound gratitude for this chapter. The journey wasn’t just about professional growth; it was about discovering versions of myself I never knew existed. Each day brought new challenges that pushed me to break through my perceived limitations. This experience taught me something crucial about risk-taking: when we reach for the stars, uncertainty is inevitable. How we respond to that uncertainty – what we typically call “risk” – shapes not just our experience but our very fate. We are, in essence, co-creators of our destiny.

The second major risk in my journey came after 14 years in the industry, armed with professional credentials including CFP®, CFA®, and Registered Life Planner® certifications. This risk was launching my own Registered Independent Advisory firm – a step that challenged every limiting belief I’d held about entrepreneurship.

This decision wasn’t made lightly. Through my years of experience and education, I’d come to a profound realization: when we talk about people’s money, we cannot separate it from their lives. Money touches every aspect of our existence, and traditional financial planning often misses this crucial connection. This insight led me to create Wealth Beyond Math™, a community that embodies my philosophy that true wealth planning must go beyond numbers to encompass life planning.

The path to entrepreneurship required me to confront deep-rooted limiting beliefs. Growing up, I’d witnessed the volatility of entrepreneurship through my parents’ experiences, which led me to view employment as the “safest” path. I clung to this belief like a religion until my own life planning process helped me gain crystal clarity about what truly mattered to me.

Since launching my firm in October 2024, every morning I wake up with an energy and excitement I’d never experienced before. Yes, there are still moments when imposter syndrome creeps in – days when confidence soars and others when doubt clouds my vision. But even on the challenging days, I return to my plan and my purpose: helping others integrate their life goals with their financial decisions, just as how I’ve done for myself.

This journey has taught me that the biggest risks often lead to the most meaningful rewards. Not just in terms of professional success, but in the profound satisfaction of helping others achieve clarity about their own lives and futures. Every client interaction reinforces my belief that this holistic, integrated approach to financial planning can transform lives, just as how it transformed mine.

Looking back at both these risks – becoming an immigrant and becoming an entrepreneur – I see them as chapters in the same story. They’re both about having the courage to envision a different future and taking that crucial step forward, even when the path ahead isn’t entirely clear. These experiences have shaped my approach as a financial advisor, helping me guide others through their own moments of uncertainty with empathy, understanding, and expertise.

Danqin, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

As a first-generation immigrant from China, I built Wealth Beyond Math™ from a profound understanding that financial success transcends spreadsheets. My journey began in corporate accounting in Shanghai, but it was navigating my own financial complexities across continents that revealed my true calling—creating a community to deliver financial planning approach that honors the whole person, not just their balance sheet.
Wealth Beyond Math™ is a modern, virtual, fee-only fiduciary financial planning and wealth management firm based in Austin, Texas. We specialize in empowering women professionals and business owners to achieve financial independence without sacrificing their values or vision, especially as they navigate their life changes. Our distinction lies in beginning with life planning rather than jumping straight to numbers—because meaningful financial decisions must first align with the life you truly want to live.
Our comprehensive services include life planning, cash flow optimization, investment strategy development, business planning, and equity compensation planning. We’ve designed our service models to meet clients wherever they are on their financial journey—offering project-based planning for independent Do-It-Yourselfers and comprehensive wealth management for those who prefer to fully delegate their financial affairs. Our transparent fee structure includes fixed project fees and asset-based management options, eliminating conflicts of interest that plague traditional financial services.
What truly distinguishes Wealth Beyond Math™ is our integration of technical expertise with cultural awareness and emotional intelligence. Many of our clients—particularly first and second-generation immigrants—navigate complex cultural dynamics around money that traditional financial planning simply doesn’t address. We create a safe space to examine these influences while building financial strategies that respect both heritage and personal aspirations.
I’m most proud of witnessing clients transform their relationship with money and achieve what once seemed impossible. Recently, I guided a client from corporate burnout to entrepreneurial freedom through a customized financial strategy that aligned with her deepest values. Today, she’s building her business with confidence, knowing her financial foundation is secure—exemplifying our core philosophy that true wealth extends far beyond mathematical calculations.
For women considering financial planning, especially those from diverse cultural backgrounds: know that financial empowerment doesn’t require conforming to conventional wisdom that wasn’t designed with you in mind. At Wealth Beyond Math™, we honor your unique story while equipping you with the strategies, knowledge, and confidence to create financial independence on your own terms. Together, we’ll build wealth that supports the life you envision—not just for tomorrow, but starting today.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

George Kinder’s “The Seven Stages of Money Maturity: Understanding the Spirit and Value of Money in Your Life” fundamentally transformed both my entrepreneurial vision and personal relationship with money. This book didn’t merely offer financial insights—it provided a framework for profound personal growth that continues to shape Wealth Beyond Math™.
My money journey began with deeply ingrained cultural lessons from my Chinese upbringing, where extreme frugality was celebrated as virtue. As a child determined to be “a good girl,” I internalized these beliefs completely, creating spending anxiety that persisted even as my income grew substantially. Despite receiving promotions and watching my salary multiply, my spending patterns remained unchanged—I accumulated savings without purpose, continuously questioning: Why can’t I bear watching my savings decrease? Why must I justify every expense to myself? Why does saving always take priority over living?
Kinder’s framework—progressing through Innocence, Pain, Knowledge, Understanding, Vigor, Vision, and Aloha—provided the roadmap I needed to examine these limiting beliefs. The Knowledge stage prompted critical questioning of my inherited money patterns, while Understanding brought clarity that my accumulated savings could serve a greater purpose: providing the financial foundation to launch Wealth Beyond Math™ during a sabbatical, which means to spend down my savings (an absolute impossible with my old self). This realization marked my transition from viewing money as security to seeing it as a tool for creating impact.
In the Vigor and Vision stages, I learned to spend intentionally and with purpose—first on myself, then extending outward to others. Finally, embracing Aloha allowed me to recognize money as energy that flows not just to enhance my own life but to elevate others around me. This perspective shift crystallized my core philosophy: we must master our money rather than serve it.
This transformation extends beyond personal growth—it forms the foundation of my client approach. Drawing from my journey through these stages allows me to recognize similar patterns in clients, particularly people from immigrant backgrounds who often carry complex cultural money narratives. I help them navigate their own money stages with compassion and cultural awareness, guiding them toward financial decisions that align with their authentic values rather than inherited limitations.
Other influential resources in my development include “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman, which deepened my understanding of the psychological biases affecting financial decisions, “Happy Money” by Ken Honda, and “The Soul of Money” by Lynne Twist, which reinforced my belief that our relationship with money reflects our deepest values and can be transformed into a source of personal and social renewal.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Referrals and online presence to share my journey authentically.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wealthbeyondmath.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wealthbeyondmath/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danqinfang/