Behavioral Finance Pioneer
Meet Ted McLyman: Financial Choice Architect
“Most money advice gets it wrong. Financial success comes from managing your behavior—not mastering financial products.” - Ted McLyman
I worked as a traditional Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) for two decades. I built the allocation models, crunched the numbers, and pushed the same one-size-fits-all plans the rest of the industry sells.
But then I watched the real world happen. I watched smart people make irrational financial choices the moment life got in the way. I realized that if the math and plan are perfect but the behavior is broken, the entire strategy collapses.
So, I sold my practice, dropped my licenses, and became a Reformed Financial Advisor. I stopped out-mathing human nature and started architecting systems that work with it.
What Ted Saw
People do not fail because they lack intelligence. They fail because stress, habits, and biology hijack good intentions.
What Ted Built
A practical system of behavioral guardrails that helps smart people make better money decisions automatically.
The Discipline of a Marine. The Insight of an Insider.
Before rewriting the rules of behavioral finance, I spent decades mastering strategy, economics, and elite execution:
Military Command: Retired U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel with command and staff assignments spanning from combat zones to the Pentagon.
Financial Educator: Taught Economics at the U.S. Naval Academy and served as Aide to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Financial Management.
Industry Authority: Built and sold Apexx Behavioral Financial Group, co-founded DreamSmart Behavioral Solutions, and authored five books on money behavior.
Academic Foundation: Degrees from Colgate University (BS), Boise State University (MS), and Pepperdine University (MPA).
Why Willpower Is a Myth
I am a former Division I football player, an endurance runner, and an Ironman All-World Age Group triathlete. I know what extreme discipline looks like.
But here is the truth: You cannot out-willpower your biology. Fighting 200,000 years of biological survival instincts with a spreadsheet is a losing battle. That is why I built the Money Behavior System (MBS)—to replace willpower with tactical, behavioral guardrails.
Stop Fighting Your Ancient Brain
Get the common-sense framework that makes smart spending easy - for you.
Inside, you will discover how to reduce self-sabotage, simplify decisions, and create financial systems that actually stick.
For Coaches & Consultants
You do brilliant work on mindset, body, and goals—but if you ignore money behavior, you are only coaching half the human.
Partner with me to integrate the Money Behavior System into your practice.
Differentiate your client experience
Deliver deeper behavior change
Open a new revenue stream
Stand out in a saturated market, drive real financial wellness for your clients, and unlock a completely new revenue stream for yourself.
