I chose a career in financial services, initially, because of a connection made to my Boys State Counselor during my experience at Virginia Boys State of the American Legion. At that time, my then co-counselor was in school pursuing a career as a Financial Planner. During one of our many long conversations, he took the time to tell me about the career, how it was a career that involved interacting with people daily and advising them on their personal financial decisions. At that time in my life, I knew I wanted a career that didn’t limit me to a desk or behind a computer, but a career that involved me actively engaging with people and the freedom to meet people wherever they were. So, following that conversation, I decided that I was going to further my education in the pursuit of becoming a financial planner.

The second catalyst to my journey came during my freshman year of college at VCU. During one, of the many, VCU School of Business Fairs, I had the pleasure of meeting my college mentor John McFarland. Mr. McFarland shook my hand and told me about the benefits of working as an independent financial planner, being able to build a financial practice that granted me the freedom to control my schedule, provide a lifestyle for a family, and help people. He clearly was good at what he did because it didn’t take much to convince me to pursue this career further.