Starting on January 1, 2027, Simon Law, PLLC is increasing its annual charitable giving commitment from 10% to 20% of net profits after taxes. I am super pumped about this and if I'm being honest, a little uncomfortable telling you about it. Some people will read this and think I am bragging (me?? NEVER!). Some will think that if I really wanted to give, I would just do it and keep it to myself. I understand that reaction and truthfully, part of me enjoys sharing it. Probably more than I would like to admit. I don't think pretending otherwise makes this more sincere. There is a spiritual concern here for me, too. In Matthew 6, Jesus warns against making a show of giving and fasting to win other people's approval. Of those who do, he says, “they have received their reward in full.” I don't want other people's praise to become the point of my giving. That warning deserves some honest reflection, especially when I know I enjoy the recognition. I talked about this with a friend who is a pastor (thank you Eric Geary!!!). His point was that if sharing what I am doing encourages other people to give more, it may be worth talking about.
Years ago, while I was working as an in-house lawyer, I heard about Bridgeway Capital Management. Founded by John Montgomery, it built giving into its business model by committing to donate 50% of its profits to charity. It was an example that helped me think differently about what my own business could make possible (and thanks again Brian Jones for sharing that story). I had seen plenty of good corporate giving. Companies sponsored events, supported nonprofits, and helped their communities. But I had rarely heard of a company committing that much of what it earned, year after year. It stayed with me. Someone had decided that giving could be a substantial part of what a successful business does. Hearing about it expanded what I thought was possible.
When I started Simon Law, I committed to giving 10% of the firm's profits. Now I want to increase that to 20%. If sharing this encourages even one other business owner or individual to increase their giving, I think the discomfort of talking about it is worth it. Someone else's example helped me. Maybe mine can help someone else. There is another reason, and it is a little selfish: I enjoy it! Randy Alcorn's The Treasure Principle is a Christian book, but some of its observations about giving are easy to appreciate regardless of your beliefs. “Giving infuses life with joy,” he writes. One example in the book involves friends who try to outgive each other every year. I like that. We already influence each other's decisions about restaurants, vacations, and peptides. It makes sense that we could encourage each other to give more, too. Hearing what someone else is doing can make something feel possible that you hadn't seriously considered before. That happened to me. I hope sharing this might do the same for someone else.
Giving more is also part of a larger change in how I want to spend my time and money. Over roughly the last year and a half, since leaving my in-house role and starting Simon Law, my life has changed considerably for the better (and not just the Kentucky Wildcats being #6 in the country in football; GO CATS!). I have gone from 245 pounds to 183 (walking and GLP-1). I get to spend much more time with my kids. My marriage has never been better (I mean, I'm still a dumb dude and annoy the heck out of Jessica). I have reconnected with God, and I feel happier. I walk every day, and if you see me downtown, there is a good chance I have a smile on my face.
A lot of things have contributed to those changes. Starting a firm did not automatically produce them, and giving money away is not a formula for a better marriage or better health. But having more say over my time has helped me pay attention to what I want my life to look like. And I am learning that I already have plenty of stuff. Nobody who knows me would mistake me for a minimalist. I like buying things (the new iPhone Duo is sick). That is part of the problem. The more money I earn and keep, the easier it is to find something else I think I need. Then I spend time researching it, buying it, setting it up, maintaining it, and eventually figuring out what to do with it.
Meanwhile, the things I love doing are already available to me. Spending time with my wife and kids. Seeing friends. Taking a walk. Going somewhere together and having an experience we will remember. Giving a larger percentage away is one way to interrupt that habit. I want more of my money doing something useful for someone else, and less of my attention tied up in stuff.
So, yes, there is something selfish about this. Giving feels good. It helps me appreciate what I already have, and I like knowing that work I enjoy can help people beyond my own family. I felt that when Simon Law made its first $5,000 donation to the Hope Center. As I wrote last Christmas, I had volunteered there years earlier, serving dinner and bringing friends along. Being able to support an organization I had spent time with made the donation especially meaningful to me.
My faith is part of this, too. Reconnecting with God has made me think more seriously about what I have been entrusted with and how I use it. Giving is one way I can put that into practice. You do not need to share my faith to understand the satisfaction of helping someone, or the relief of realizing that you have enough.
Then there are my kids. I want Jack, Henry, and Maggie to have wonderful childhoods. I also don't want them to be spoiled. It would be easy to keep buying them things and let them grow up assuming that wanting something is a good enough reason to get it. And it would be hard to teach them otherwise if that is exactly how they see me living. I want the kids to enjoy what they have, appreciate the people helping them along the way, and notice when someone else could use a hand. They are going to learn a lot more from watching what Jessica and I do with our time and money than from listening to me explain what matters. I hope they remember a dad who was around, enjoyed being with them, and was happy to share what he had.
There is also a fair business question here. If you are a client whose fee increased over the last year, I can understand wondering whether you are the one paying for this. Client fees support the business and make this giving possible. I am grateful for that. As a small business owner, I am also still working through the right balance between speed, the value of my advice, and price. As I learn more about the work, what clients need, and the market for my services, I adjust. The fee still has to make sense for the work. My charitable giving does not excuse a price that is out of line with the value a client receives. Choosing to donate 20% means keeping a smaller share of the profit that remains. That is my decision about what to do with the money the business earns. I hope 20% is not where this ends. I want to keep increasing my giving as circumstances allow.
And for anyone who has been thinking about starting a business or trying something new, I want to offer some encouragement. Take the idea seriously enough to do something about it. Talk to people you trust. Work through the numbers. Figure out what a first step would look like. I would not have made this change without a few key friends who encouraged me and helped me believe I could do it. And, it's not for everyone. But if you keep coming back to an idea that could give you more time for the people and things you love, it deserves more than another year of wondering. One of my all time favorite quotes is this (it's hanging above my desk as I write this): "Traveler, there is no path. The path is made by walking." Antonio Machado.
Finally, a practical update on this year's giving. For 2026, our existing 10% commitment will result in a donation of at least $25,000, and clients will help decide where it goes.
The five finalists are:
The Nest - Center for Women, Children & Families, which supports families through childcare, parenting education, basic necessities, and services for survivors of domestic violence.
Hope Center, last year's recipient, which provides shelter, addiction recovery, mental health services, and housing support in Lexington.
Gift of Adoption Fund, Kentucky Chapter, which helps families overcome financial barriers to completing an adoption.
Lexington Rescue Mission, which provides meals and basic necessities, employment and housing assistance, and support for people rebuilding their lives after incarceration.
Habitat for Humanity of Fayette & Franklin Counties, which builds affordable homes and makes critical repairs so people can remain safely in their homes.
Clients can rank the five finalists (we're doing rank voting because I love it and think we should implement it for politics) and choose whether the entire donation should go to the winner or be divided equally among all five. I will share the results and where the money went on 12/1/26.
Thank you to my clients for trusting me, to the friends who helped me get started, and to my family for being part of all of this. I am grateful for what Simon Law has made possible, including the chance to give more away. If you are thinking about increasing your giving or trying something new, holler. I am still figuring it out, but I would be glad to talk. God bless and GO CATS!
