I began my career as a mechanical design engineer before I moved into the financial world. During this time, I had the unfortunate experience of working with a “financial advisor” who was, in reality, nothing more than a salesperson. He put me into investments that paid him ongoing commissions and failed to actually help me plan for anything. I was furious. Simultaneously, I also realized that my career as an engineer was at a crossroads. All the design jobs were being outsourced to China and India at that time. So, after taking a fee-only financial planner out to lunch and hearing her story, I realized that this was something that I was excited about. This conversation, combined with the bad experience with my advisor, turned out to be the perfect catalyst for change. I imagined what someone who actually cared about their clients could do in this business. Since then, I’ve had a passion for this work and have never looked back. Today, I continue to be driven by my love for this profession and the positive changes that this work can create.