Dustin Stanley

I’m Dustin Stanley, Founder and Senior Financial Advisor at Stanley Wealth and Retirement. My passion is helping families prepare for retirement with confidence, clarity, and peace of mind. For me, financial planning is not about charts and numbers—it’s about listening to people, understanding their goals, and creating a plan that lets them focus on enjoying life.

My story begins in Louisville, Kentucky, where I grew up in a close family that loved the outdoors. We spent our time boating, swimming, and riding motocross trails. My dad was my greatest mentor, teaching me everything from welding to trigonometry. He also taught me the values that shaped my life: discipline, persistence, and working harder when challenges arise. As a teenager, I stood out in math and was recruited to national programs like NEAS (National Engineering Aptitude Search) and JETS (Junior Engineering Technical Skills).

For 24 years, I worked in my family’s business, Hytec. I expected to retire there, but when the company closed, I was forced to reinvent myself. That moment of loss turned into opportunity. In 2013, I stepped into the world of retirement planning. I discovered a career that felt natural—not just because of my math background, but because I loved meeting with people and helping them reduce financial stress.

Two years later, I became a partner at Strategic Wealth Designers, helping grow the firm from $20 million in assets under management to nearly $3 billion by 2025. Along the way, I co-wrote a retirement workshop that spread to universities nationwide, and I became a regular guest on Sunday morning television programs, explaining financial topics in simple, everyday language.

In 2025, I launched Stanley Wealth and Retirement, based in Sarasota, Florida, to focus on what I value most: client-first financial planning that is personalized, strategic, and practical. I specialize in retirement planning, tax strategies, income planning, Social Security optimization, and estate planning—but more importantly, I focus on building trust and simplifying complex decisions for families.

Beyond my work, I’m a husband and father. My wife, Kristin, is my soulmate, and together we split our time between Florida and Kentucky. I’m a proud dad to my two sons, Jake and Skye. We spend our free time outdoors—boating, fishing, golfing, riding motorcycles, and even racing cars on the track. Kristin and I also volunteer with Samaritan’s Purse, an organization that helps families recover after major losses.

Every December, I write down my goals for the year ahead—personal, professional, and spiritual. I believe in short, focused timeframes because people can achieve more in two or three years than they often think possible. My philosophy is simple: “Success is never owned—it is only rented, and the rent is due every single week, month, and year.”

At the end of the day, I don’t measure success by titles or numbers. I measure it by how many people I can help.