Dear Younger Fred…"Don't hire an Advisor who is also part-time DJ..."
...Right?
Do you remember that commercial?
The one warning people that they wouldn't want their financial advisor to secretly be a DJ?
It was funny :)
And the message behind it mattered.
The CFP® designation is important.
It represents years of education, rigorous exams, professional standards and a commitment to putting clients first.
But younger Fred…
You will start to ask questions in life...
why can't you do both?
Before becoming a financial planner, you'll spend years as a DJ. This supported you through grad school and ultimately helped you buy your first home.
At first, you may think that chapter has nothing to do with the career you eventually build.
You'll be wrong!
Being a DJ will teach you how to read a room...
How to communicate with people from every background...
How to recognize when the energy has shifted...
How to adapt when the plan isn't working...
And how to handle disappointment when someone requests a song you simply can't play...
Sometimes you'll explain why.
Sometimes you'll offer another option.
And sometimes you'll just smile while they remain
completely convinced that their song would have made the entire night :)
Years later, you'll realize financial planning requires many of the same skills.
Clients don't ONLY need someone who understands investments, retirement and tax planning.
They need someone who can listen.
Someone who can read what isn't being said.
Someone who can explain difficult decisions without making people feel dismissed.
And someone who knows that even the best plan may need to change when life changes the room.
The CFP® designation will give you the technical foundation.
But your life experiences will shape how you use it.
Younger Fred…
never assume that an earlier chapter of your life was wasted simply wasted because it doesn't appear connected to where you are today...
In fact, it all connects. Everything matters.
Education builds knowledge.
Experience builds perspective.
And sometimes the best financial planner in the room…
might also know exactly when to change the song.
Baaaaam — that's it for today.
See you next Thursday.
Stay curious,
Fred
