What do you like about being a member of the Institute? 
I like the Hive Community and plan to become more involved with it. In addition, I am honored to have been selected to participate in the CPWA item writing/form review process and to serve on the CPWA committee.

What is the best financial advice you have received or given?
The best financial advice I have given was to recent college graduates through my book, Anatomy of a Paycheck: Thinking Beyond Your Initial Paycheck to Financial Independence. This is a book I self-published in 2016 on financial literacy. I have plans to write a second edition with an emphasis on the next level of achievement. For example, I will provide statements like the following: "Great, you have gotten to the point where because of your increased income, you can no longer contribute to a Roth IRA. Now what? Know your options for accumulating wealth.

What is something not many people know about you?

I have both creative and analytical abilities. I have written poems on social issues like homelessness and gun violence. My intention is to use the piece titled I AM NOT ART, which serves to give dignity and respect to the unhoused, as the opening to a seminar on planned giving held jointly with a nonprofit that provides housing and or other services.

Early riser or night owl?
Earlyish

How has your designation enhanced your career? 

My designation has positioned my firm to work with High Net Worth clients on the investment side and in the philanthropic planning space. For example, I can have conversations with clients that involve donating appreciated assets, like real estate, to organizations they are passionate about supporting.

What is your favorite book or what are you currently reading?

One of my favorite books is Les Brown's Live Your Dreams which I spoke on at a Toastmasters event years ago. Two of his favorite quotes became favorites of mine. "Someone's opinion of you does not have to become your reality"  and  " Shoot for the moon, even if you miss you'll land among the stars" In addition, I am reading TED TALKS, By Chris Anderson. Yes, I would love to stand on the red dot.

What are your favorite podcast(s) you are listening to?
I like Giving With Impact, a Charles Schwab podcast. My bucket list includes being a guest on the show.

What are you most grateful for?
I am most grateful for my health. As a mature adult, I have only recently come into my own. I started an RIA practice, earned two designations, wrote a few books moved from the mid-west to the West Coast, am committed to working out daily, and became borderline vegetarian. None of this could be accomplished without my health.

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