Happy Anniversary to me! It was eight years ago when I received my Series 7. It was one of the proudest days of my life.
I am fortunate to work in this industry. More importantly, I’m blessed to work with such incredible clients. They have trusted me with their finances, and for that I am forever grateful. Having the ability to help those who bestow such a high level of trust in me is a feeling I take most seriously.
This career has taught me so much. Most clients start off as strangers, but we develop relationships that will last lifetimes. It is wonderful to have an opportunity to help these families.
This is the greatest job in the world. I learn so much from these people. I get to help them with all things financial, and then some. The reward is watching our progress grow over time, and not just investment returns.
The reward is watching someone who was scared to invest at first, take a leap of faith, and now have confidence in me, and our markets.
The reward is watching someone who didn’t realize how much they were spending create a plan to get on the right track and make sure they are financially stable long term.
The reward is proposing new ideas to families that have before never entered their minds. These new concepts help them sustain success.
The career is so often misunderstood and characterized incorrectly. We are thought of as stock brokers and viewed as traders on Wall St depicted in movies. We are stigmatized. The Financial Crisis of 2008 left us with tainted reputations. Tarnished the careers of many. The stories that make the news are the exception, not the rule.
The average advisor who worked with clients during 2008 suffered from PTSD. We deal with unthinkable things, and these clients are not numbers to us. They are our friends, family, colleagues. They are relationships we cherish and hold close to our heart.
I was not an actual advisor at the time, however, I was a banker in Nevada. I saw horrible things. Things that resulted in me crying on the way home from work most days. The heartache and struggles were real. The emotion was raw. It is something I will never forget. I cannot forget the helpless feeling I had at the time. Individuals crying at my desk asking for help. Asking for anything. Out of work. No money left. Family at home, but the home was in foreclosure. You never forget conversations with people when they’re siting at rock bottom. It is something that I will carry with me forever, and I’ll be damned if I ever allow someone to get to that point.
The advisors that aren’t talked about are heroes like a police officer or firefighter, but with regard to a financial life. We help those in need. We take widows under our wings and make sure they can continue on with their life without their partner.
We take families and give them ideas and concepts they never thought about. We do our best to make sure their wealth remains in their family.
We help business owners and those alike to make sure the business they created stays intact.
You see, there has been an exceptional revolution in the way investors trade and research securities, however, financial advice and guidance will never be replicated by a computer. A computer cannot understand your emotions, and a computer cannot recognize your nonverbal communication. We advisors sense your emotion. We see your eyes, tears, and smiles. We feel your fear, excitement, and frustration. We know the struggles and worries you face. We listen to your story and personally approach yours different from the last.
We are financial psychiatrists. Most clients tell us more about their lives, then they do their own families. This is typically inclusive of sensitive information beyond finances. We learn a lot about the lives and emotions of our clients. We listen to everything. We personally help all who tell us their story and invite us into their life. All we ask if that you communicate with us. In turn, we promise to listen, understand, and do everything we can to help you and those you love achieve what you want to accomplish.
I am a financial advisor. I am privileged to have the greatest career in the world. I am honored to help those who let me.
Phil Your Day 