Why I Do What I Do
I grew up in what I would call a very normal household. Dad did “dad things” with my siblings and me: sports, home improvement, games. My stepmother Gail was the rock of our house, always even-keeled and sensible. Both of them worked full-time jobs with enough income to support our family, but from time to time I overheard conversations about wondering how they were going to pay bills or cover expenses.
Our family was forever changed in 2003. I had already moved to San Diego to attend SDSU, and one day my dad called to tell me that Gail had been diagnosed with Leukemia. Despite fighting it with everything she had, she was gone a month later.
My dad and I didn’t talk about finance back then, but I noticed a few things: no more random comments about paying the mortgage. While my brother and I took out student loans, my sister (Gail’s daughter) graduated from college debt-free. My dad was able to retire at 50 and spend as much time as possible with his kids, traveling the world in between.
When I thought about it longer, that’s when I remembered Scott. Scott came to our house every so often and sat with my parents in the kitchen to talk about Adult Stuff. I had no interest at the time, but I finally realized who he was: he was their financial planner. He helped my parents prepare. Scott’s planning allowed money to be one less thing for my dad to worry about when we lost Gail.
I’ve seen firsthand what planning can do for a family. The Morrison’s story could have ended very differently had my parents not worked with Scott - and we are thankful every day for it.
My mission is to pay it forward and protect as many families and businesses as I can.
