Danny Favreau, NSSA®

About Danny

Danny Favreau, the founder of One Less Worry, is a seasoned retirement planning specialist based in Greenwich, Connecticut. His life journey and diverse career experiences have shaped his passion for helping clients with safe money strategies, ensuring they achieve financial security. Danny's personal story of growth and resilience, shared in his own words below, underscores his commitment to client success.

Danny Favreau – My Story

People often ask me how I got into the retirement planning and insurance business. The truth is, my journey has taken me through many different careers and life experiences, each one teaching me valuable lessons about hard work, serving others, and the importance of protecting the people you love.

Growing Up

I grew up in a small town where service to others was simply a way of life. At six or seven years old, I became an altar server at my local Catholic church. I attended Catholic school through the sixth grade before continuing my education in the public school system. When I was ten years old, my parents purchased a small grocery store with a gas station. From that day forward, I learned what it meant to work. After school nearly every day, I pumped gas, stocked shelves, cleaned, worked in the deli, cut meat, and eventually learned every job in the business. By the time I was a senior in high school, I was managing much of the daily operation. During those years, I also became active in the Boy Scouts, where I learned leadership, responsibility, and teamwork—lessons that still guide me today.

Becoming a Business Owner

I graduated from high school in 1986, and the very next day, my parents helped me open my own IGA grocery store. At just 18 years old, I was responsible for running an entire business. For five years, I managed every aspect of the store before finding a buyer and selling the business in 1991.

Building a Cheese Distribution Company

After selling the grocery store, I attended business classes while starting another company—this time in cheese distribution. I partnered with Amish cheesemakers, purchasing their products and marketing them to large grocery chains throughout the Northeast. Before long, our products were being sold in four major supermarket chains. Eventually, I sold the company to a much larger distributor, who asked me to stay on as their international buyer.

Traveling the World

For nearly ten years, I traveled throughout Europe and other parts of the world purchasing specialty cheeses and deli meats. I negotiated directly with farmers, manufacturers, and suppliers, learning about different cultures and building relationships that stretched across the globe. It was truly one of the greatest jobs imaginable. Eventually, the company owner asked me to train his son to take over my position. Although I was offered another position in the corporate office, I realized that sitting behind a desk wasn't where my passion was. I wanted my next chapter to involve helping people in a more meaningful way.

Becoming a Foster Parent

That opportunity arrived in 2005. After completing foster parent training, I received a call about a three-year-old girl who desperately needed a home. She had been left outside in the freezing cold for nearly ten hours in February and had died three times on the way to the hospital before being revived. When my partner and I first met her, she could barely speak and had lost the ability to walk. During our first visit, something incredible happened. She began speaking to us again and even started taking steps. We immediately told the agency we wanted to help her. Then they told us she had four brothers—and another sibling due to be born within the next few weeks. Instead of welcoming one child into our home, we became foster parents to six children under the age of six. That same day, we also became responsible for several horses. Our lives changed overnight. Looking back, those six years were among the busiest—and most rewarding—years of my life.

Running a Hotel and Raising a Family

While raising six foster children, my partner owned a 12-room hotel in the Adirondack Mountains that included a restaurant and bar. During the busy seasons, we served lunch and dinner seven days a week while also caring for the children, the farm animals, and the property. Life was exhausting. But I wouldn't trade those years for anything.

Facing Cancer

The same day we welcomed the children into our home, we also learned that my partner had been diagnosed with cancer. Although the diagnosis was devastating, he later participated in an experimental clinical trial that eliminated his cancer for nearly a year. Those months became some of the best memories of our lives. We traveled whenever we could, refusing to let cancer define us. Unfortunately, when the clinical trial ended, the cancer returned. Six weeks later, my partner passed away. That experience forever changed my perspective on life. It taught me that tomorrow is never guaranteed.

Finding My Purpose

After losing my partner, I took time to heal and explored several different careers, including radio advertising, restaurant management, and bartending at an upscale Adirondack establishment known for its extensive bourbon collection and fine dining. One day, I attended an insurance meeting. Initially, I thought it sounded like another sales opportunity. Everything changed after I delivered my first life insurance death benefit check. Watching a grieving widow receive financial security during one of the hardest moments of her life showed me the true value of this profession. It wasn't about selling insurance. It was about helping families. Around that same time, I watched friends and relatives struggle with Social Security, Medicare, pensions, and retirement decisions. That's when I knew I had found my calling.

Starting Over

There was just one thing left to do. I sold everything. The farmhouse. The property. The memories. I decided to start over somewhere completely new. Not knowing where to go, I pinned a map of the United States to the wall, picked up a dart, closed my eyes, and threw it. The dart landed less than a quarter inch from the Atlantic Ocean. The closest town? Milford, Connecticut. That became the next chapter of my life.

Today

Today, I am the founder of One Less Worry. As a National Social Security Advisor (NSSA®), IRMAA Certified Professional, and retirement income specialist, I help teachers, physicians, federal employees, business owners, and retirees navigate some of the biggest financial decisions of their lives. I specialize in Social Security timing strategies, retirement income planning, pension analysis, Medicare planning, tax-efficient retirement strategies, annuities, IRA Specialist, Indexed Universal Life insurance, retirement account rollovers, and Estate Planning. I am also the author of several retirement planning books and regularly conduct educational workshops, webinars, and seminars throughout the country. My mission is simple: To educate first, serve with integrity, and help every client enjoy retirement with One Less Worry. Looking back over my life, I realize that every experience—from pumping gas at ten years old, to traveling the world, raising six foster children, caring for a loved one with cancer, and starting over with nothing but a dart and a map—prepared me for the work I do today. Those experiences taught me that life is unpredictable. Retirement planning isn't a one-time event—it's an ongoing process. As your life changes, your retirement strategy should evolve as well. I'm here to help you make those adjustments so you can enjoy greater confidence and have One Less Worry. Contact Danny today to discuss your retirement planning needs in Greenwich, Connecticut.