Michael Paulding Thomas

I want to be happy by doing well by doing good.
Live life to the fullest, fight for what you believe in, and go down swinging.

I'm a retirement income specialist and trainer of financial advisors.Born in Heidelberg, Germany. Raised in Sembach, Kaiserlautern and Mannheim, Germany. Attended Kaiserslautern American High School (1984 - 1987). Attended Frostburg State University - Computer Science, Philosophy, German (1987 - 1992).Currently living in Mission Viejo, CA, USA.

Photo: AylaBaha.com

Telegram Groups

Articles & Write-Ups

Interests & Hobbies

mptpro

My Other Web Sites

Referrals, Affiliates & Recommendations

Below are services I personally use and endorse. Disclaimer: I get some form of referral credit from a few of the links.

  • Tesla - You can use my Tesla referral link for 1,000 miles of free supercharging for your new Model S, Model 3, Model X or Model Y.

  • Tesla Screen Protector - Your Tesla is a premium car, so is this screen protector for the touchscreen of Model S, 3, X. You can use my referral link.

  • Abstract Ocean - Awesomeize your Tesla with great accessories from Abstract Ocean. Use my code to get a discount.

  • Carrd - Carrd is a web service that allows you to create your very own one-page website for any reason you might think of. It's free but there are premium upgrades available. Use my referral code.

  • Spinn coffee maker. Use my code to get $100 off a Spinn Coffee Maker.

  • One Financial Bank - My online bank. Use my link to get $50 when opening an account.

  • Mint Mobile - Low-cost, unlimited data mobile service. Use my referral link to get $15 in renewal credit.

  • Proton Mail is a secure and encrypted email provider based in Switzerland. It also includes Email Alias (SimpleLogin), Calendar, Drive Storage, Password Manager and a VPN. Use my code to receive one free month of Mail Plus.

  • Menlo Club - monthly subscription of great stylish clothes. Use my code RE845886 for a discount.

  • Blacksocks - the best dress socks. Use my code for a discount.

  • Hyperice - use my code to get $20 off all their products.

  • Moo Business Cards - these are the best business cards. Almost every client comments positively on them. Use my code and get 20% off your first order!

  • Dropbox Fax. Yes, faxing still exists! Use Dropbox Fax to send and receive faxes from anywhere. Click the link to use my referral code for a discount.

Cigars, Pipes, Scotch & Spirits

"I like to enjoy the delicacies that the good life has to offer."

Cigar Paraphernalia

My Humidor Set-Up

I use the Whynter CHC-251S Stainless Steel 400-Cigar Cooler Humidor, 2.5 Cubic Feet which controls the temperature, and I control humidification via the Cigar Oasis electronic humidifier.

Pipe Smoking Paraphernalia

Scotch & Spirits

Ayla and I are founding members of the Orange County Scotch Club.

Cycling

"When I look at my bike, I think freedom. Freedom from the clutches society has latched onto me. I get to escape on two wheels with no one around (just nature and my wife)."

My Cycling Profiles

Cycling Stats

  • (July 4, 2020 - September 30, 2022)

  • Rides: 268

  • Moving Time: 169 hrs

  • Total Distance: 1899 mi

  • Longest Ride: 30 mi

  • Total Elevation Gain: 148,820 ft (28.2 mi)

  • Max Elevation in One Ride: 2,280ft

  • Average Speed: 11

  • Maximum Speed: 59

  • Average Cadence: 59

  • Average Watts: 158

  • Average Heart Rate: 131

  • Maximum Heart Rate: 182

Strava Stats

Garmin Stats

  • Level: **2 **

  • Badges: 42

Specialized Diverge Expert Carbon

Specialized Diverge Expert Carbon

  • Frame: Specialized Diverge Expert FACT 9r carbon (2021), SWAT Door integration, internal routing, 12x142mm thru-axle, Roubaix S-Wrap tape, Satin Oak Green Metallic/Gloss White (58)

  • Pedals: Shimano M520 SPD

  • Front Wheel: DT Swiss G540 rim, 24mm internal width, tubeless ready, 24h, Specialized full sealed bearing thru axle hub, centerlock disc, DT Swiss Champion 14G stainless steel spokes, DT Swiss brass nipples

  • Rear Wheel: DT Swiss DT Swiss G540 rim, 24mm inner width, tubeless ready, 24h, Specialized full sealed bearing thru axle hub, centerlock disc, alloy freehub body, DT Swiss Champion 14G stainless steel spokes, DT Swiss brass nipples

  • Front Tire: Specialized Pathfinder Pro, 2Bliss Ready, transparent sidewall, 700x38mm

  • Rear Tire: Specialized Pathfinder Pro, 2Bliss Ready, transparent sidewall, 700x38mm

  • Seatpost: Roval Terra Carbon Seat Post, 20mm Offset

  • Fork: Specialized Smooth Boot, FACT carbon, 12x100 mm thru-axle, flat-mount

  • Crankset: Shimano GRX RX810-1

  • Chainrings: Shimano 40T

  • Bottom Bracket: Shimano Shimano Threaded BSA BB

  • Chain: Shimano Ultegra, 11-speed

  • Rear Derailleur: Shimano GRX RX817 Di2, 11-speed

  • Cassette: Shimano XT, 11-speed, 11-42t

  • Shift Levers: Shimano GRX RX815 hydraulic brake levers, 11 speed electronic shifting

  • Handlebar: Specialized Specialized Adventure Gear Hover, 103mm drop x 70mm reach x 12º flare

  • Stem: Specialized Future Stem Pro

  • Front Brake: Shimano GRX RX815, hydraulic disc

  • Rear Brake: Shimano GRX RX815, hydraulic disc

  • Saddle: Specialized Body Geometry, Power, Hollow Titanium rails, 143mm

  • Front Shock: Specialized Future Shock 2.0 w/ Damper"

Farkle & Extra Equipment

  • Garmin 1035 computer

  • Garmin front light

  • Garmin read light / radar

  • Shimano bluetooth

Tesla Model 3 Performance+

"Driving at the speed limit - hideous thought." -Stephenie Meyer

Tesla Links

Tesla M3P+ Full Stats

  • Model 3 Performance

  • Dual-Motor

  • Front motor: Induction

  • Rear motor: Permanent magnet

  • Full Self-Driving

  • Long-Range Battery (2170 cells)

  • Range: 285 miles

  • 450 HP

  • 471 Torque

  • 0-60: 2.9 seconds

  • Top speed: 162 mph

  • Multi-Coat Red

  • Premium White Interior

  • Premium Interior/Audio Package

  • Premium Connectivity Package

  • Autopilot computer: 2.5

  • 19" Inch Wheels

  • Michelin Pilot Sport 4S

  • Unlimited Lifetime Supercharging

  • Enhanced Autopilot (EAP)

  • List of full specs

Modifications & Customizations

Previous Vehicles

Entertainment

“I would rather entertain and hope that people learned something than educate people and hope they were entertained.” -Walt Disney

Music

  • Vocal Trance is my overall favorite music genre, and my favorite artist is Generation Trance. Their mixes are available for free on their forums.

  • My favorite artists include: a-ha, Marillion, Cold Play, Sade, George Michael.

Reading

Film & TV

Travel

Gaming

"Studies have shown that adults who play video games have higher levels of happiness, and in some cases relaxation, as a result of their gaming." -10 Reasons Why Adults Who Play Video Games Are Happier

Games Played

  • Assassin's Creed Valhalla (Stadia/Luna), started: 12/15/2020 - 1/26/2023. 298 hours played. Completed 87%. Trophies: 57 / 70. Skill Tree fully completed. Power level 357 (max) + 5 Master Points. Infamy Level 4 (max). Dual wielding Spear of Leonidas Mythical Spear + Gae Bolg Divine Spear (both max upgraded). Mentor armor set fully upgraded to Divine. All territories aligned. All Legendary Animals defeated, including STEINNBJORN and O' YAN DO NE. Children Of Danu eliminated. Order of the Ancients eliminated. River Raid 100% completed. Long ship Cargo upgraded 100%. Collected all 6 Codex pages. All-Seeing Eye completed. Ravensthorpe upgraded to level 6. Completed The Forgotten Saga. The toughest game sequence I've ever completed. Took me over a week!

  • Assassin's Creed Odyssey (Stadia), completed 100% 2020 April 9, Hours played: 302, #1 on Exophase Leader's Board!, 93/93 Achievements completed, Level 99 + Mastery Letarted: 12/15/2020vel 4, 66 Cultists Killed (all), Attained Tier 1 Mercenary (top), 15,039 Total Kills, 2,290 Assassinations, 1,006 Mercenaries Defeated, 22 Arena Champions Defeated, 69 Mythical Creatures Defeated, 100% Abilities Acquired, 416 Legendary Items Collected, 471 Orichalcum Collected, 100% Ship Upgrades, 303 Ships Defeated

  • Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order (Stadia), 100% completed 12/14/2020, played on Jedi Master level, all 10 Stims acquired, all Abilities attained + 7 additional skill points, all Secrets found, 90%+ of all 5 planets explored, 35 of 40 Trophies attained, reflected Blaster Bolt Kills: 554, parried Enemies: 621, perfect evades: 101, play time: 53 hours, #5 on Exophase Stadia Leaders Board

  • Tomb Raider (part 1 of 3) (Stadia), finished with Ayla 2019-11-31

  • Rise of the Tomb Raider (part 2 of 3) (Stadia)

  • Shadow of the Tomb Raider, (part 3 of 3)

  • Detroit: Become Human, completed with Ayla (PS4)

  • LittleBigPlanet 1 (PS3)

  • Gran Turismo 6 (PS3)

  • Ridge Racer 7 (PS3)

  • Colin McRae: DiRT (PS3)

  • Rock Band (PS3)

  • Ridge Racer 1 (PS1)

  • Tekken (PS1)

  • Monument Valley 1 (Google Play Games)

  • Monument Valley 2 (Google Play Games)

  • Alto's Adventure (Google Play Games)

  • Alto's Odyssey (Google Play Games)

  • Colin McRae Rally (PC)

  • Dirt (PC)

My Stats

  • My Exophase profile: mptpro

  • Game Hours played: 2,677

  • Game Trophies / Achievements: 479

  • Games Played: 41

  • Game Exophase Experience Points: 17,849

  • Exophase Leaderboard Rank: 95,377

  • Overall Completion: 20.81%

  • My Ubisoft Club profile (mptpro)

  • My Google Play Games handle: mptpro1

Mixed Martial Arts

  • I watch UFC and Bellator MMA.

  • Ayla and I attend the live event UFC 214, Cormier vs Jones 2 (July 22 2017)

  • My favorite MMA fighter: Georges St-Pierre, Canadian mixed martial artist.

Tour de France

  • Watched TdF: 2020, 2021, 2022

World Cup Soccer

  • My Team is Germany/Deutschland (of course!)

Health & Fitness

"I want to live a long life, free of sickness. I honor my body physically by taking great take care of it through exercise, supplements and proper diet."

My Stats

  • Height: 6' 3"

  • Waist: 34"

  • Weight: 189 lbs

  • Fat: 9%

  • Lean Mass: 175 lbs

  • Fasting (30d average): 19:42

  • Fasting (longest): 36:00

Diet

  • Get Slim from Diet. Get Fit from Exercise.

  • Specifically: LC/HF + IF + HIT (Low-Carb / High-Fat diet + Intermittent Fasting + High Intensity Training).

  • Have a goal of "zero carb". It's not possible, because there are hidden carbs everywhere. But if you aim for "low" carb you'll end-up with more than you expect.

  • High fat. Yes, really. Lot's of fatty meat (ribeye, burnt ends, bacon, butter etc).

  • 16/8 Intermittent Fasting: this means no food for 16 hours straight, and only eating within the remaining 8 hour window. Try to slowly increase to 18/6 and even 20/4.

Exercise

Kettlebells

  • The Kettlebell Swing: Use for aerobic conditioning. I do 60 continuous swings with a 48kg kettlebell, five days a week.

  • Kettlebell Get-Ups: for all-body strength. I do three Get-Ups per side with a 48kg kettlebell, five days a week.

Forearm Exercises

Purple Belt in Shotokan Karate (1987), mentored under Sensei John Boloson (Germany).

Motorcycling

"You never see a motorcycle parked outside of a psychiatrist's office."

Previous Bike: BMW R1200 RTW Reise-Tourer Wasserboxer (2016)

  • Total miles: 14,444.

  • Platinum Bronze Metallic (including painted Top Case)

  • Flat twin boxer engine, 1170 displacement, single cylinder, four-stroke, liquid cooled, 92 kW power, 125 Nm torque

  • Shaft drive

  • 6-speed gearbox with gear shift assistant pro

  • Cruise control

  • Brembo dual front / single rear disc brakes with Bosch i-ABS

  • Automatic Stability Control (ASC) with Rain, Normal and Dynamic modes

  • Electronic Suspension Adjustment (ESA)

  • 233 kg dry weight

  • Partially integrated braking

  • Hill start control (brake-hold)

  • Michelin Pilot Road 4 tires

  • Tire pressure indicator

  • Adjustable electric windshield

  • LED daytime running lights

  • Integrated radio, SiriusXM and USB mp3 player, all with external speakers or Bluetooth

  • Heated grips and seats

  • Radio and USB mp3 player

  • Integrated Garmin BMW Motorrad Navigator V

  • Anti-theft alarm system

Previous bike: R1200 RT 2006

  • Total miles: 22,000.

Philosophy

“I want to be happy by doing well by doing good.” —Michael Thomas
“My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.” — Ayn Rand
“My life’s philosophy is the operating system of my mind. It is my 'sense of life.'” —Michael Thomas

My Philosophy

I am a connoisseur of the art of self-Improvement. I am a German-American and support the original principles of America: freedom, liberty, individual rights, free-enterprise and capitalism.I try to live a Quantified, Uncluttered, Minimalist, and Simplified, but a High-End Life. The less you have, the more you value it.I work to sustain a high level of self-esteem, which is derived from living up to my values, principles and beliefs.

Six Life's Areas

I work to sustain a high level of self-esteem, which is derived from living up to my values, principles and beliefs, and the continuing development of my six life-roles:

Awarded Certificate of the Society of Socrates and Hypatia from Frostburg State University (twice).

  • Philosophy

  • Health

  • Finances

  • Entrepreneurship

  • Relationships: My mission is to act as an instrument of positive change in my family, friends, relationships and community. And to enjoy the reciprocal thereof.

  • Pleasures: I want to enjoy the finer delicacies that life has to offer. I love the beauty of everything that's refined.

My Roles

  • Son: My relationship with my father is extremely important to me, I want to support my parents in all decisions that they make, to remember that all that I am- they showed me the way, and to make their lives as easy as possible as they grow older.

  • Husband: I will have a relationship with my wife based upon love, trust, respect and laughter. We will continue to nurture our life-long friendship and will never lose sight of the fact that we are more than just individuals; we are partners. I will respect her individuality and will support her in achieving her life goals.

  • Father Figure: Teacher, listener, friend.

  • Friend: I have a strong relationship with all of my friends and extended family, which I cherish and work to maintain. I have many close friends that I have been blessed with on my life's journey so far, and they have been vital in helping me become the person I am, and in continuing to become the person I strive to be. I am thankful for them, and place a high value on their friendship and presence in my life. I consider them family and care deeply for them, and will continue to work at maintaining these friendships.

  • Community Member: I will participate in my community. I will help with volunteer activities ensure that my community prospers. I won't hesitate to lend a helping hand when and where it is needed either locally or globally.

Philosophy & Psychology Awards & Achievements

Awarded Certificate of the Society of Socrates and Hypatia from Frostburg State University (twice).

Earned Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Hypnotherapy, and Time Empowerment Techniques.

Accoutrements, Tools & Daily Carry

"Accoutrements are all the things you have with you when you travel or when you take part in a particular activity."

Technology

"I'm a self-professed Tech geek."

Google Pixel 5 Android phone (Sorta Sage)

  • I use Mint Mobile.

  • Running Graphene OS

  • Display: 6-inch OLED, Full HD+ (2340x1080), 90Hz refresh rate, Gorilla Glass 6

  • Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G

  • Rear Camera 1: 12.2MP primary camera, f/1.7 aperture, OIS

  • Rear Camera 2: 16MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2 aperture

  • Memory: 8GB of RAM

  • Storage: 128GB

  • Battery: 4,080 mAh

  • Charging: 18W wired charging, 15W wireless charging, 5W reverse wireless charging

  • Security: Fingerprint sensor

  • Connectivity: Sub-6 5G (worldwide), Sub-6, mmWave 5G (US), Wi-Fi 5

Lemur Pro (lemp10)

  • Pop!_OS (64-bit) with full disk-encryption

  • 4.2 GHz i5-1135G7 (8MB Cache – 4 Cores – 8 Threads)

  • 40 GB DDR4 at 3200MHz (8GB+32GB)

  • 2 TB NVMe Seq Read: 7,000 MB/s, Seq Write: 5,100 MB/s

  • 2 TB PCIe Gen3 Seq Read: 3,500 MB/s, Seq Write: 3,300 MB/s

  • 65 W Extra Charger

  • WiFi 6 + Bluetooth

  • Normal Assembly Service

  • 14.1" Matte 1080p FHD Display

  • Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics

Origin Chronos S-Class Media Server

  • Running Linux Pop!_OS

  • Motherboard: ASUS ROG STRIX Z370-I Gaming

  • Cooling: Asetek Frostbyte 120 Sealed Liquid System and Enermax 80mm fan UTCB8

  • Power: 650 Watt Silverstone SFX Series

  • CPU: Intel Core i9 7900X 10-Core 3.3GHz (4.3GHz TurboBoost) Skylake-X

  • Graphics card: 11GB NVIDA EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti

  • Memory: 32GB G.Skill Ripjaws 3000MHz DDR4

  • OS Hard Drive: 500GB Samsung 960 Evo PCIe NVMe M.2

  • Data Drive 1: 4TB Western Digital Caviar Black

  • Data Drive 2: 4TB Western Digital Caviar Black

  • Data Drive 3: 3TB

  • Networking: Two LANs (Intel 1211 Gigabit) and Intel Dual-Band Wireless AC 8265

  • Audio: On Board High Definition 8-Channel Audio

My Digital Home

My Security & Privacy Protocol

  • Use a VPN for all internet connections (mobile, laptop, servers). I use ProtonVPN.

  • Use a private DNS service, such as Quad9. Enable it in your routers, VPNs, computers and phones.

  • Using a unique email alias, username, and password for every account provides the ultimate defense against data breaches and strong privacy protection. In other words, each login should use a username, email and password that you don't use anywhere else. (Some websites use your email as your username - same rules apply.)

  • Store passwords, usernames, 2FA codes and other sensitive data in Bitwarden. Let Bitwarden generate long and unique passwords and usernames for you (never make your own passwords nor reuse old ones). Use SimpleLogin to generate unique email addresses (see below).

  • Turn on Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for all websites and apps that offer it. Use Bitwarden to store the codes/seeds. And/or use Aegis on your Android phone.

  • Use a secure email service, such as ProtonMail, for important and sensitive emails.

  • For every other account use an email anonymizer, such as SimpleLogin. It allows you to use a unique email address for each online account.

  • Get a free voice-over-internet-protocol (VOIP) phone number, such as Google Voice, to use for txt/SMS messages from companies/loyalty programs, and for 2FA security codes (only if they don't support an Authentication app). Your 'real' phone number should only be used for friends, family, business associates or when absolutely necessary. Otherwise, present your VOIP number as your 'real' phone number to companies. Since most firms and loyalty programs sell your data this will dramatically reduce the amount of spam calls/SMS you get on your real phone. Also, using a VOIP for 2FA will make 'man-in-the-middle' hacks more difficult.

  • Use a secure messenger, such as Telegram or Signal.

  • For online storage use a fully encrypted service, such as ProtonDrive.

  • Use the Brave browser. It is based on Chromium and is 90% similar to Chrome. Do NOT store passwords in Brave (or any browser).

  • Use a non-tracking search engine, such as Brave Search or DuckDuckGo.

  • Use Cryptomator to create an encrypted folder on your computer to store your really sensitive information and then store it in an encrypted cloud storage.

  • If you need a domain registrar consider using a privacy and security focused one, such as CloudFlare.

  • Consider switching to Linux for your laptops/desktop/server (I use System76 running Pop! OS). Microsoft, Mac and Google don't have the best track record regarding privacy and security.

Achievements, Accomplishments

“Achievement of your happiness is the only moral purpose of your life, and that happiness, not pain or mindless self-indulgence, is the proof of your moral integrity, since it is the proof and the result of your loyalty to the achievement of your values.” -Ayn Rand

Personal Achievements

Business Accomplishments

“My business should provide an income stream that works without me. Additionally, it should be pleasurable to work in the business. To train and develop active advisors and help them obtain their business goals. I strive to be a High-Performance Professional.”

  • Securities licenses: 6, 26, 63, 65. Life/Health insurance license.

  • Public Speaker and former Area Governor of Toastmasters (Santa Ana, CA)

  • #1 organization leader in revenue & recruiting of Parsonex Securities (2008 - 2020)

  • For over three decades I've trained part-time/full-time financial advisors, and helped develop 2 $200k-earners, 10 $100k-earners, 16 part-time $50k-earners and built a $1.6M annual revenue business.

  • Top 50 Advisor with Innovation Partners (2022)