What happens when your ATM balance suddenly grows an extra two or three zeros overnight?
What do you do when you finally have "f-you money"... but absolutely no idea what comes next?
Look, this isn't another book about how to get rich-you've got that part down already. This is about what comes next: how to use the resources you have to build a life that feels both stable and meaningful. It's about helping you rest easy, confident that you're making a real difference for yourself, the people you love, and for society as a whole.
If you've experienced - or expect to experience - a massive, step-function wealth creation event, you already know the truth no one talks about: more money amplifies everything - freedom, yes, but also isolation, judgment, confusion, envy, and an unexpected compass-spinning "now what?" moment.
Making the Zeros Count is the insider's field guide for founders, entrepreneurs, and first-generation wealth creators navigating eight, nine, and even ten-figure success. Written by Adam Katz - a wealth advisor, coach, and former founder who's personally lived this exact journey - this book distills thousands of conversations with 100+ entrepreneurs into frameworks ("Carries") you can use immediately to make better decisions, faster, with far more clarity.
Inside, you'll discover:
● Why financial wealth is never the destination - only the gateway. Learn how to redirect your compass toward time wealth, autonomy wealth, and health wealth.
● How numerators, denominators & the 3-Digit Rule rewire your relationship with money. Why you can't "see" anything past the first two-three digits of your balance sheet - and how this unlocks better spending,
● The Marginal Utility of a Dollar Why the next $1,000 - or $10,000 - means nothing to your denominator but can mean everything when deployed intentionally.
● Carries: portable, pocket-sized frameworks to use every day. From Planting Seeds vs. Shaking Trees to The Two-Way Interview to redefining your real "units" of money, these Carries help you think clearer, act smarter, and feel grounded again.
● How to navigate judgment, expectation & envy. And why being direct about your "why" prevents others from creating their own damaging narratives.
● Surprising stories you'll actually remember. From blowing Bazooka-sized bubblegum dreams to outrageous wristband envy, to learning wealth's strangest lessons inside a Marshalls, every chapter is an insight disguised as a story.
This isn't a textbook. It's not preachy. And it's definitely not boring. It's a sharp, honest, hilarious guide for people who can technically do anything, but want help figuring out what actually matters now.
If you're preparing for a liquidity event, recovering from one, or simply aspiring toward major wealth, this book will give you the language, perspective, and mental models to navigate the rare air you now breathe.
The next digit changes everything. The question is: will you let it change you intentionally - or accidentally?
Make your zeros count. Start reading now.
Adam Katz has been married to his wife Dana since 2001. They met in Club Med in Turks and Caicos on vacation with friends -- and the rest is not only history, but it also directly and indirectly fueled a bunch of what's in this book. Along the way, they had two amazing kids, who are now 20 and 16. Adam's own career, entrepreneurship and parenting journey helped shape many elements of this book.
Adam spent the first 20 years of his professional life at Merrill Lynch, with two distinct careers. The first dozen years spanned a variety of leadership roles within investment product, sales and strategy. He spent the last eight years as a Private Wealth Advisor. He and his team left Merrill in 2018 to form their own independent wealth management firm called KORE Private Wealth, which they sold in just four years in 2022, to what is now CORIENT. Adam is currently a Partner and Head of the Entrepreneur and Founder Practice at CORIENT, one of largest and fastest growing wealth management firms in the world.
Fun fact: Adam was the 2009 176-lb. New York State Armwrestling Champion (Amateur Division)
