I have very fond memories of my childhood; playing in the creek with my brothers, sledding every winter at Embshoff Woods, and spending summers at my grandfather’s pool, to name a few. But I also remember that money was tight, not because I was balancing the family checkbook, but because every time I asked about money it was always, “Oh, we are fine. You just worry about being a kid.” When Mom and Dad talked about money, that was our cue to go play outside. Little did I know that this mysterious relationship with money would eventually launch me into a career in financial planning.
College was always a part of the plan. No one in my immediate family had ever finished college and I knew I wanted to be the first. I started at the Lindner College of Business at the University of Cincinnati, and after taking a few general business classes, I declared a major in finance. I decided that if I was going to pump all this time and money into an education, that I might as well study something I knew nothing about but wanted to learn everything about.
During my time at UC, I was fortunate enough to land a co-op position with an investment advisory firm just a few miles from campus. There I met Zack, a young portfolio manager who over time became a mentor. He was everything I wanted to be; smart, successful, and a wonderful teacher. He was my first real introduction to this business and if it weren’t for his guidance those first few years, I’m not sure that I’d be sitting at this desk writing this blog today.
Over the next couple of years my career took me a few different places. My first job out of college was in the operations department at another advisory firm. Working in operations gave me a great foundation and made me appreciate that as an advisor I can’t do it all on my own, that in this business it really is a team effort. Soon after that, I took a position as an Advisor Associate and eventually worked my way up to Financial Advisor.
After being out of school for several years I decided to continue my education in order to better serve my clients. I decided to acquire the CFP® designation, which is a lofty goal for anyone, but seemed especially lofty for me at the time. Today only 23% of CFP® professionals are women and only 5% are under age 30. It was after certification that I knew I wanted to work for a firm that was dedicated to financial planning, and that’s when I found TAAG.
One of my favorite sayings is, “Clarity is power.” When you have financial clarity, you can stop worrying about the unknown and can start living life confidently on your terms. As a planner and advisor, I am so grateful to be able to help clients achieve clarity in their own financial lives every day.