Financial Planning for a High-Pressure Career: A Playbook for A&D Program Managers and Supply Chain Professionals

Does this sound familiar?

It is 8 PM on a Tuesday. You are still at your desk, tracking a critical part shortage for a production line or staring at a schedule that must be ready for the upcoming Program Management Review. Your career is a series of all-consuming, high-stakes deadlines, and you are exceptional at your job.

But when you get home, your personal financial life feels like a junk drawer.

You have a strong salary, a pile of vested RSUs you aren't sure how to handle, a 401(k) that is likely fine, and a vague goal of saving more. You are a brilliant Supply Chain Professional or Program Manager, an expert at managing complex global systems, yet your own system runs on a wing and a prayer.

As someone with over a decade of experience as a Supply Chain and Manufacturing professional in the A&D industry, I understand this dynamic.

I know what it is like to be so time-poor that personal finances become the last thing on your mind. This first-hand experience is the reason I built Pax Horizon. Your financial plan shouldn't be another source of stress; it should be the solution to it.

The key isn't finding time you don't have. It is building a system that runs for you.

The A&D Professional's Work-Optional Playbook

Your plan doesn't need to be complicated. It needs to be intentional. Here are three core systems to consider.

Automate Your Foundation

You make thousands of complex decisions at work. Your savings shouldn't require a new decision every month. The goal is to automate the non-negotiables.

For many professionals, this creates a system where the 401(k) is optimized without a second thought. Cash reserves for emergencies and opportunities fund via auto-transfer. The brokerage account funds every payday.

This isn't about a restrictive budget. It is about paying yourself first, automatically. It is a system that runs in the background, helping you build wealth while you are busy building the future of aerospace.

Plan Your Lumpy Income

For many in A&D, true wealth potential isn't just in the salary; it resides in lumpy compensation. Your annual bonus and RSU vesting schedule are often the accelerators.

A system means having a pre-determined plan for this money before it hits your bank account.

• When the bonus arrives in March: Do you celebrate with 10% and invest 90%? Do you use it to fund a Mega Backdoor Roth?
• When RSUs vest in May: Do you sell them immediately to diversify—especially if your financial life is already highly concentrated in your company—and use the cash to fund a 529?

When you have a plan, you remove the guesswork. You turn these one-time events into systematic opportunities.

Build Your Work-Optional Fund

For many high-performers in high-pressure careers, the why of financial planning isn't just about retirement at 65. It is about regaining control.

It is about building a work-optional fund, a separate pot of money that gives you the power to choose. It provides the ability to walk away from a project that is burning you out, take a sabbatical, or pursue a new role without worrying about the paycheck.

This is a critical part of my process. I calculate your work-optional number and build a plan designed to help you pursue it, giving you a tangible goal that impacts your quality of life.

You Don't Need Another To-Do List

Your job is to manage the project. Your job shouldn't be to manage a 20-step checklist for your finances.

My service is built on this belief. I built Pax Horizon to be the firm that not only designs this playbook for you but helps you run it.

My 12+ years in the industry allow me to be your financial co-pilot, not just a planner. I already speak your language.

Ready to Run the Playbook?

At Pax Horizon, I specialize in helping A&D professionals leverage their high-pressure careers to work toward long-term financial independence.

If you are ready to get your financial house in order, let's talk. I start with a 15-minute, no-obligation fit call to see if my process is right for you.