The WHO...
I’m just a kid from New Haven, CT who grew up playing sports (any sport on any given day) and was always looking for a great slice of “ah-beetz.” Sal and Flo Consiglio were our neighbors in Westville, so I’ve been partial to Sally’s from the start. I had interesting friends, a very caring (slightly dysfunctional) family, and was fortunate to attend an elite high school. I barely graduated after failing Latin. The three summers I spent as a teenager in Culver, IN at CSSC helped me to cultivate some discipline and order in my life. Most importantly, I learned followership comes before leadership. That Culver was merit based suited me. You got what you earned – simple. So when I got into Syracuse University I decided to apply myself in the classroom just to see what would happen. Turns out, I was pretty good at academics, got mostly As, and was honored to graduate Phi Beta Kappa. I was also a Remembrance Scholar which, to this day, is the highest personal honor I’ve ever received. The PanAm 103 students stay with me as a reminder to live every day to the fullest and to take nothing for granted. Today (this day, this minute, THE moment) is never one to be wasted. After SU, it was a series of jobs (most notably as a grunt with the Birmingham Barons at the same time a guy named Mike Jordan was trying his hand at baseball), an uninspiring stint in law school, and then the opportunity to start a career in financial services. I wanted to lead people, I wanted to be of service to people, I wanted a career that had no ceiling. So I took the opportunity and never looked back...that was 20 years ago.
The WHAT...
Your priorities. Your finances. In balance. We help people plan for their future lives, while managing the day-to-day necessities of today. We are forward looking, but present focused. Our company slogan reflects our belief that all people are seeking some sort of balance in their lives. Mind, body spirit. Family life, professional life, personal life. The bills today, college tuition tomorrow, retirement planning in the future. That sort of thing. We help some people to budget. We help others to understand the old maxim “you can’t take it with you” so that they spend down assets. We like to take each client from accumulation planning, to income planning, to retirement planning, to estate planning. But that’s not always possible and life certainly does not fit some tidy little financial timeline. So we will engage with you from where you are right now. We help families, business owners, professionals, teachers, millionaires, and blue collar workers. No billionaires – we don’t work with billionaires! We are not just “wealth” managers or portfolio managers. We manage the assets of real people with real needs and real priorities. We actually want to hear about your priorities and goals. We believe that a balanced life is a happy life. And we believe that applies to your finances, as much as anything else. For a serious discussion about how we build portfolios, what our investing thesis is, or what type of financial planning tools we use, please go to www.planwithlibra.com.
The WHY...
I grew up around privilege and wealth, but we were not especially privileged or wealthy. We were solid middle class, approaching upper middle class. Family dynamics changed that. I watched a single mother struggle. I saw how money influenced decisions in both healthy and unhealthy ways. As an adult I’ve experienced what it means to “spend a nickel more and fly first class” (as my grandfather used to say) and also what it means to plan a family vacation on a shoestring budget. It’s okay to have money – as long as money doesn’t have you. And I’ve concluded that much of what our financial landscapes look like comes down to one thing: planning. When you have a plan and a goal, you create a mindset and the discipline to support that mindset. Your behaviors will align with your values. You’ll take the long view and play the long game. You’ll be more grateful. Your life will be in balance. And you will be happier and more financially secure because of it. We’ve all heard the saying: people don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan. It’s attributed to several famous people. You don’t need a history lesson. You need a plan. We will help you make one.
Amor Fati!
* We are agnostic when it comes to fees: meaning, we do not believe that being a fee-based advisor is smallerior to being a commission-based advisor. That narrative is certainly out there. I say, different strokes for different folks. Some of the planning we do is fee-based, some of the planning we do is commission-based. It depends on the client and their individual needs. We work hard for those clients and get compensated accordingly. Here’s what you need to know: Never hesitate to inquire about how we get compensated for the different products or services we offer. It’s a fair question that will be answered respectfully, and transparently.
