When I was 4 years old, the best gift was given to me... A Piggy Bank! My parents introduced to my brother, sister and me at an early age that saving for your future is extremely important. I remember back then, whenever I came across a penny, a nickel or a quarter (that was a good day), I would run home to add it to my piggy bank. It was almost like a fun game! By the time I was 8 years old, I outgrew my old piggy bank and had to get a bigger one – it was fun to watch the growth of my own little personal wealth at a young age!

Looking back, I think about the importance that little piggy bank had on my life today. It taught me to think about my future, and it taught me to plan for what was most important to me both personally and financially. Fast forward to when I was 14 and started my first job. My dad sat me down when I received my first paycheck and said "Steve, this is an exciting day, as you now know what it takes to earn a paycheck. It takes hard work and time to make that paycheck – now it's time to make that money work for you, so someday, you don't have to work so hard!" And at the age of 14, I opened up a Roth IRA and added money to it monthly – the second most impactful financial decision I ever made!

Today, I have the great opportunity to help instill the principles I learned throughout my life to help others be able to understand what matters most to them. To help them build a strategy designed to help afford them the financial independence, security and freedom to help them to live life on their own terms!

Our team consists of my wonderful branch office administrator, Kay Deering, and Tracy Brunkow, who specializes in helping to keep our client's financial lives organized, and the extremely valuable team behind us at Edward Jones. We find no greater joy than being able to walk hand-in-hand throughout our clients' lives in order to help them be able to live out their dreams and goals!