About Curtis

Author, speaker, and advocate for intentional living—helping families design meaningful lives.

Helping People Stop Living by Default and Start Living by Design

Curtis R. Estes believes the most important plan you'll ever create isn't your financial plan—it's your life plan.

For more than three decades, Curtis has helped successful individuals and families create lives of greater purpose, stronger relationships, lasting impact, and financial confidence. Whether through his books, speaking, coaching, or wealth management practice, his mission is the same: to help people intentionally design the life they truly want to live instead of settling for one that simply happens to them.

Ironically, that mission began with his own wake-up call.

His Wake-Up Call

Although Curtis had built a thriving career and achieved many of the traditional measures of success, a therapy session brought him face-to-face with an uncomfortable truth. While he was succeeding professionally, he wasn't becoming the husband and father he wanted to be. By his own definition, he was living by default.

That realization changed everything.

Curtis began asking different questions. Instead of measuring success by income or career achievements alone, he started measuring the quality of his relationships, the way he invested his time, and whether his daily choices reflected the values he claimed to hold. He discovered that most people spend more time planning their next vacation than planning the life they hope to live.

Determined to change that, he first redesigned his own life.

Every December, Curtis develops a one-year and ten-year vision for every area of his life. He has publicly shared personal goals for every year through age 120—not because he believes life can be perfectly controlled, but because he believes intentional people create extraordinary lives. His philosophy is simple: life rarely happens by accident. It is designed through the choices we make every day.

That philosophy became the foundation for his writing.

Curtis is the author of Your Life by Design, Family First, Smart Money, Celebration of Life, and the daily devotional I AM. His books challenge readers to rethink success, strengthen their families, steward their finances wisely, deepen their faith, and build lives that leave a lasting legacy. His work has been endorsed by respected leaders including the Chairman and CEO of Northwestern Mutual, Dan Sullivan, founder of Strategic Coach, and Frank Tirelli, former CEO of Deloitte Italy.

Professionally, Curtis has spent more than thirty years serving as a Certified Financial Planner™ professional and Wealth Management Advisor with Northwestern Mutual in Los Angeles. Since entering the profession in 1991—just one week after graduating from the University of Kansas with a degree in journalism—he has helped successful families align their financial resources with what matters most. His belief has always been that money is not the destination; it is a tool that enables people to live with greater freedom, generosity, and purpose.

Curtis is also passionate about helping people thrive throughout every stage of life. Believing that longevity should mean more than simply adding years, he founded the Anti-Retirement Club, a community that connects members with leading physicians, researchers, and longevity innovators who are redefining what it means to live well. He is also the co-founder of Beusail, helping individuals become the CEO of their own health through “YPO forum style” expert-led education, community, and practical strategies for living longer, healthier, and more connected lives.

His commitment to intentional living extends into the community as well. Curtis serves as a Trustee of Pacifica Christian High School and previously served as a Trustee of Whitworth University. He is active with Bel Air Church and the National Center for Fathering, organizations that reflect his lifelong commitment to faith, family, leadership, and service.

Today, Curtis speaks around the country, mentors leaders, advises families, and writes about the principles that have transformed his own life. His passion is helping people create lives they intentionally choose—lives marked by purpose, healthy relationships, financial wisdom, vibrant health, and enduring significance.

Curtis believes every life is designed twice: first in our imagination, and then through the decisions we make each day.

His invitation is simple:

Don't live by default.
Live by design.

Background & Experience

Financial Professional

Certified Financial Planner™ professional and Wealth Management Advisor with Northwestern Mutual in Los Angeles since 1991, helping successful families align their financial resources with what matters most.

Published Author

Author of Your Life by Design, Family First, Smart Money, Celebration of Life, and the daily devotional I AM. His work has been endorsed by leaders including the Chairman and CEO of Northwestern Mutual.

Community Leader

Founder of the Anti-Retirement Club and co-founder of Beusail. Trustee of Pacifica Christian High School and formerly of Whitworth University. Active with Bel Air Church and the National Center for Fathering.

Let's Connect

Whether you have questions about my books, want to discuss a speaking engagement, or just want to say hello—I'd love to hear from you.

Get in Touch