I often ask my clients to bring me their “puzzles.” Which is to say that I want to know their financial dreams, their worries, their family dynamics, their lives. Who do they love? What do they want to do with the time we’ve got here on Earth? How do they want to be remembered? My job is to understand their answers. This is, unquestionably, the most important part of my role.

Just like no two clients are alike, neither should any two portfolios. I build portfolios using the framework that Edward Jones has established, but each one is as unique as the clients we represent. The most common “puzzle” I’m asked to help solve is that of income in retirement. Most of us save our whole lives in retirement accounts but haven't given much thought to how we are going to turn those monies into income. I LOVE these puzzles. Most of all, we help keep you on track, and make adjustments when life inevitably knocks us off course.

Another thing that I’ve grown to love about this career is the role that I’ve been invited to play in my clients' lives. I’ve had the honor of celebrating retirements, births, weddings, new homes and lives well lived with clients who have become friends. Heck, I've even officiated a wedding! I sometimes joke that I didn’t realize that this job would come with so many hugs! It’s a humbling thing to be trusted with the fruits of my clients' toil and sacrifice, and I don’t take that responsibility lightly.

When I’m not solving “puzzles” for my clients, I’m spending time with my wife, Kelly (who is also a financial advisor with Edward Jones), and our children, Mavis and August. In the rare event where I have some free time, I enjoy camping, singing and playing my guitar, talking to strangers and reading esoteric books and articles in an effort to maintain a more “interested” life.

If you have financial dreams that you would like to work on making a reality, and you’ve been thinking of hiring a financial advisor; I’d love to interview for the job.