WEBVTT 00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:04.000 25 years ago, I would have said that the most important thing for a client are 00:00:04.040 --> 00:00:06.960 investment returns. But now, there's so much more to it 00:00:07.020 --> 00:00:09.000 than that. 25 years ago, in our 00:00:09.080 --> 00:00:10.100 first office 00:00:10.160 --> 00:00:15.900 space, uh, we didn't even have internet. And back then, we were working out of the attic of my dad's 00:00:15.940 --> 00:00:17.100 construction company. I 00:00:17.140 --> 00:00:28.650 was a catch-all janitor/property manager/client care specialist. After the Great Recession, after the financial crisis, after the world sort of 00:00:28.680 --> 00:00:33.660 fell apart, we were able to come out of that and realize that we can do so much more. I 00:00:33.720 --> 00:00:40.680 wanted clients, households, families to come in and not hire a, an advisor. I wanted them to hire a team. 00:00:40.820 --> 00:00:45.240 Because as they evolve financially, as they evolve with their family grows bigger, 00:00:45.700 --> 00:00:45.940 as 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:47.960 their, uh, a- as they retire 00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:48.960 and they need Medicare, 00:00:49.420 --> 00:00:52.060 um, advice, they need Social Security 00:00:52.240 --> 00:00:54.320 advice, they need estate planning, 00:00:54.460 --> 00:01:00.100 they need entity selection, we needed to have a team that came on board and had that same vision, 00:01:00.640 --> 00:01:01.260 that same 00:01:02.000 --> 00:01:03.740 ambition, that same competitive nature 00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:07.020 to say, "Let's go, ahead and not just be good 00:01:07.060 --> 00:01:12.940 at what we do, but be the best at what we do." And we wore the, the nerd badge on 00:01:12.980 --> 00:01:16.950 our sleeve like it was pride, like it was very honorable for us to, to be geeky. When I 00:01:17.020 --> 00:01:22.280 started out, one of the things I really wished I would have had was my behavioral financial advisor designation, and 00:01:22.320 --> 00:01:26.320 having that now, has just made me so much more prepared to meet clients 00:01:26.380 --> 00:01:29.000 where they are, help them to work through what they're feeling, 00:01:29.370 --> 00:01:35.270 and create a more positive outcome for them. I was recently accepted into the Master's in Personal Financial Planning 00:01:35.360 --> 00:01:41.180 program, where I'm very excited to start diving back into coursework and more education so that. I can learn 00:01:41.240 --> 00:01:44.050 even more about ways to prepare for retirement, 00:01:44.520 --> 00:01:51.100 different saving strategies, tax planning strategies, and ways for our clients to make the most out of their retirement. 00:01:51.300 --> 00:01:56.200 If I could go, back in time, I'd tell my younger self that every year when people retire is different. 00:01:56.240 --> 00:01:59.120 It's, it's not a straight line. It's not just a textbook, 00:01:59.180 --> 00:02:04.080 you take a certain amount every month. You really have to treat the financial plan as a living document, 00:02:04.440 --> 00:02:09.038 um, an always-changing document to meet what each year brings and the challenges and the needs that 00:02:09.080 --> 00:02:13.000 come up for people. What I hope to instill in the next generation of advisors at 00:02:13.060 --> 00:02:16.300 BMM is when a client comes to us with a need, 00:02:16.920 --> 00:02:20.320 i- in their mind, it's, it's very emotionally impactful. It's very important. 00:02:21.060 --> 00:02:24.960 And we need to treat that worry with the same level of 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:27.500 importance, taking the time to understand 00:02:27.520 --> 00:02:30.109 them, empathize with them, validate them 00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:37.040 before moving on to the solution. The most important thing that I've gathered from my mentors and the more experienced 00:02:37.060 --> 00:02:38.000 a- advisors here 00:02:38.060 --> 00:02:43.460 is that the most compounding asset that we have is the trust that we build with our clients. Sometimes the 00:02:43.480 --> 00:02:47.260 advisors that have been here for longer than I have come to me with questions. 00:02:47.800 --> 00:02:52.100 As a financial planner, I'm able to jump in and help with questions such as, how much should 00:02:52.140 --> 00:02:58.820 they consider doing in Roth conversions in order to optimize their taxes and still have a successful retirement? 25 years 00:02:58.860 --> 00:02:59.160 ago, 00:02:59.400 --> 00:03:02.140 an exciting weekend was going to Blockbuster 00:03:02.180 --> 00:03:06.740 on Friday night and getting a bunch of movies that would last us through the weekend. I just graduated college, 00:03:06.980 --> 00:03:12.560 moved to Boston, um, and was watching them take down the Central Artery and begin the Big Dig project. We 00:03:12.580 --> 00:03:18.650 were talking about the Curse of the Bambino, and we hadn't won a World Series since 1918. I probably wasn't 00:03:18.680 --> 00:03:24.640 saying anything 'cause I was less than one years old. Of the things that are similar today as they were 00:03:24.760 --> 00:03:29.940 25 years ago, is we want to do right by our clients. Whether we're building the business or trying to 00:03:29.960 --> 00:03:35.820 give advice to a client, it's all going to come down to, how can we do the best job for 00:03:35.840 --> 00:03:37.020 our clients and 00:03:37.080 --> 00:03:43.580 put them first? Giving back to the community is very important to me and to Allen. We're very passionate about 00:03:43.620 --> 00:03:45.220 animal welfare, um, 00:03:45.460 --> 00:03:48.410 about, uh, our local food pantries, 00:03:48.940 --> 00:03:55.380 and giving back to most anybody who is in need. Knowing that I make a difference in people's lives, 00:03:55.460 --> 00:03:55.980 knowing that they 00:03:56.040 --> 00:03:59.380 call me sometimes a complete mess, sometimes crying, 00:03:59.880 --> 00:04:00.760 confused, 00:04:01.380 --> 00:04:01.920 angry, 00:04:02.680 --> 00:04:03.000 and that I 00:04:03.020 --> 00:04:08.820 can take that and I can turn that into a feeling of confidence, clarity, 00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:09.700 security, 00:04:10.380 --> 00:04:13.980 comfort, that's the magic of what I do, and that's why I love what I 00:04:14.040 --> 00:04:14.840 do. In 00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:21.839 25 years, my vision for Berkshire Money Management is that the second generation of the firm is still here for 00:04:21.940 --> 00:04:28.040 you. They're gonna be smarter. They're gonna bring in another set of teammates to work with them and collaborate 00:04:28.140 --> 00:04:31.940 with and give more support and more advice that is broader in the scope of services 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:34.000 that, that we can offer you today. 00:04:34.020 --> 00:04:36.140 And it's not just for you, but also for your children 00:04:36.180 --> 00:04:41.980 and your grandchildren. In 25 years, I hope and I think people will still value personal financial advice. 25 years 00:04:42.040 --> 00:04:46.600 from now, I really hope that I will be able to say that I have helped at least five young 00:04:46.660 --> 00:04:54.900 women get started in the financial career. A significantly small percentage of CFP professionals are female, so it's something that 00:04:54.960 --> 00:05:00.000 I'm very passionate about. I think in 25 years, I would hope that clients can look back at their relationship 00:05:00.020 --> 00:05:01.880 with myself and BMM and feel like 00:05:02.060 --> 00:05:02.540 we had 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:08.100 an active role in helping them succeed and do all the things that they wanted 00:05:08.140 --> 00:05:08.900 to do.