My philosophy of balancing the physical, financial and spiritual health of those I work with started more than 20 years ago as a new mom. My first child had several food allergies, and my second child was not very healthy as a baby. I took him to specialist who eventually put him on a grain-free diet, and we saw an improvement in his ability to thrive after only two weeks. I realized my daughter was probably experiencing the same allergy to grains and soon put her on the same diet. Her health also improved!
Having seen first-hand the results of nutritional therapy on my children, I developed and managed a food co-op for 60 families to get access to a wider variety of foods, as well as helping others overcome health conditions. Next, I started a business sharing the message of good health through nutrition. Through my conversations with others, I found so many people who would have really benefited from adding the healthy foods and nutritional supplements to their diets, but many of them didn’t plan for the extra expense. The additional medical expenses they incurred didn’t allow for adding the foods and supplements that would help them manage, and possibly even heal from, their conditions.
While we now have many grain-free or gluten-free food options at grocery stores, 20 years ago, it was difficult and expensive to find alternatives to wheat flour. I also provided all my children with a nutritional supplement to bridge the gap of what they ate with what they needed for a more balanced diet. While we made sacrifices to afford the additional costs, I realize that it can be more challenging for others whose financial situations are different.
As a financial advisor, I realize that planning for financial well-being is a lot like planning a physical exercise plan or nutritional plan. A lot of perseverance, patience (in seeing the results), and even sacrifice of time and resources is needed to develop and maintain that fitness in order to realize the benefits later in life. I also learned that so many of us use a spiritual foundation that helps us persevere through the ups and down of a long-term plan with hope, patience, understanding and commitment in making the necessary sacrifices needed to achieve our long-term goals. I work with clients to help them align these three areas of their life, so they can feel comfortable and confident for the future.
Because we don’t know what the future holds, I plan for the unexpected by having a financial comfort zone for each client, depending on their specific financial circumstances. Because physical health often declines as we age, I help clients plan for increased medical and nutritional costs in the future, which will support their physical health as much as possible.
As an independent advisor, I have access to wide variety of investment strategies, which allows me to customize client portfolios to their needs. I take an active management approach while staying cost-conscious and rebalancing portfolios to keep them aligned with clients’ goals. I believe in diversification and rotation, keeping in mind business cycles when it may be more prudent to invest in different kinds of industries. I am also mindful of how decisions are made by monitoring our behaviors with respect to market conditions, and helping clients stick to their long-term goals by managing the emotions that come with investing and money.