Dominating opponents on the mat and in the office, Nico Megaludis—three-time NCAA finalist, four-time all-American, and 2016 NCAA Champ—puts a suit on every day to go to work with his dad at Megaludis Financial. Nico and his father Dan have been working together for years, first on the wrestling mats and now in business. There was no question in Nico’s mind that upon graduating from Penn State he would join his father at Megaludis Financial.
“People see me on the mat and I am serious, but outside of wrestling I am the complete opposite,” the 2016 NCAA Champ and Olympic hopeful says when describing himself.
Nico is humble but confident; his purpose and drive push him towards his goals and dreams, which he says, “I always expected to be good at.” Growing up, Nico’s father Dan had a wrestling mat in their basement, and the pair would roll around, Nico not knowing that what they were doing would set the foundation for his athletic career to come.
Nico recalls of his introduction to the wrestling world: “I would roll around with him [Dad], not knowing that what I was doing, and then at four or five years old, he signed me up for structured wrestling.”
From his first match, Nico hated losing. He was hooked on wrestling and winning. By the age of eight he realized that he was skilled at the art of wrestling. Dan was always very involved in Nico’s wrestling, as coach and mentor. Now working together in business, Nico goes to his father with his questions just like he did with wrestling.
From a young age, Nico always knew that he would be getting into the finance business with his father. In high school Nico would accompany his dad on client meetings, not completely aware of what was going on, but again laying the groundwork for a fruitful career. At Penn State, he majored in finance with a clear career track. Nico applies the same grit, competitive spirit, and appetite for greatness to finances that he does to wrestling.
“I don’t want to be like my dad; I want to surpass him,” Nico says about his career growth goals in the finance business.
Set up for success
Being a PA kid, Nico was set up for success in wrestling partly because of the history the sport has in our state. Pennsylvania has more NCAA wrestling programs than other states, making PA a hot bed for wrestling. There are 200-plus colleges or universities that sponsor NCAA wrestling and programs at more than 450 high schools, allowing the fundamentals to be taught early. With all of the coaching skills behind those programs, it makes sense that some of the best wrestlers come from PA.
Although it appears that Nico’s opponents have switched from singlets to suits, he still has his eye on reaching the ultimate summit of his wrestling career at the Olympics in 2020. Nico has always dreamed about the Olympics. Even at the age of eight he started wrestling freestyle during the summer, a skill he will need in order to compete in Olympic wrestling. In freestyle wrestling, wrestlers may use their legs and may hold opponents above or below the waist, a much more open form as the name suggests. He won’t know his Olympic future until qualifications in 2020, but he is confident and preparing for success as he builds his skills during international competitions.
“Focus on dominating your opponent and wrestling as hard as you can for seven minutes,” Nico’s father would tell him. That message of mindfulness and being present in order to overcome the challenge at hand is something anyone can apply to almost any situation. Dan and Nico have made their work a family affair, on the mat and in the office. Dan’s three decades of experience in financial planning, plus the passion and care he has for his clients, is evident in the way Nico talks about his business and athletic career. And Megaludis’ clients enjoy working with the father and son team, too.
