I help individuals, families and small businesses achieve their financial dreams. I do this by developing and implementing a strategy for them to save for college, to retire, to distribute their savings during retirement and to provide benefits such as LTC and retirement plans to their employees and themselves. I do it in a very tax-efficient, low cost manner. I work with people, too, to ensure their estate plans are developed and implemented properly.

EDUCATION | BA, Wellesley, Economics; MBA, University of Michigan, Finance and Accounting; JD, Franklin Pierce Law Center, Business Law

HOW TO GET STARTED | Undergraduate in accounting, finance, business is good. Many of the licenses are earned after college by taking specialized courses and testing. You have to have a thick skin as you will get hung up on and rejected. You have to have tenacity and perseverance. You have to be disciplined as no one is watching the clock for you and it is easy to sleep in rather than make the necessary phone calls. You have to like to work with people and be tolerant and flexible - some people just do not want to put the kids through college - they'd rather drive a BMW, and that is their prerogative. Also, consider the company you go with. NYLife is a financially solid company so that it will be there when your client needs to file a claim. Plus it has extensive training and support for new hires.

MUST HAVE TRAITS | Thick skinned, disciplined, tenacity, perseverance and a positive IQ.

how I got started | I graduated from college thinking I'd be an economist. I worked for a year for an economics professor at Harvard and realized it was not for me - too mathematical and too long to see any results of the work. I applied to several law schools and did not get in. I applied to U of Michigan business school, as an in-state resident and got my MBA for about 00. It was FABULOUS. I loved every finance job I ever had- working in corporate controller's offices or treasurer's offices. After many years of working in corporate finance, including starting my own apparel manufacturing company, I decided to go to law school. It had been a bug in my ear for many years; as my father, grandfather uncles, cousins are all attorneys. After law school, I worked as an attorney for several years in litigation. When I moved to MA, I decided that I missed finance and wanted to get back into it. Tough going because I'd been away from it for several years , and I was alternately overqualified or had been out of it too long. A financial recruiter called and told me about this- that the Glass- Steagall Act had been repealed around the turn of the millennium and that permitted people to both sell insurance and sell securities. That meant that consumers could do "one stop shopping" for all their financial strategy needs and that the insurance plan would coordinate with the rest of the financial plan. And I could use my legal background to make sure that the estate plan also was consistent. Although I loathe the idea of being an insurance salesman, (think Needle Nose Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day) I love the idea of making sure people are doing the best they can to achieve their needs and that everything they do hangs together. So, I sort of fell into it. Needed a job. Being older was an asset for the first time. Used all my education.

why this job?| I did actually turn down another job offer because I was intrigued about the idea of being my own boss and being able to make more money than a flat salary job. I need to stockpile some savings so I can retire. I love finance. I love creating and planning as opposed to going back and re-hashing the past - which is what litigation is and what accounting can be. I like taking where we are and projecting the possibilities forward. Always adjusting it for changes in today and future. Feels productive.

why I love this job!| Firstly, I am my own boss and I can work as hard as I want and make as much as I want. Secondly, I am actually helping people. My father died at 55 and left my mother nothing and my 3 younger sisters, who needed to go to college, only ,000 each. Horrible. Bad enough to lose a parent, but then to have no financial resources to continue a day-to-day existence is crushing. I can prevent that from happening to others. I can help make sure they have enough to retire. In retirement I can make sure they do not run out of money. I can help with their estate plan to be sure that after they die, all their hard earned money is distributed how they want. And lastly, I love where I work. The company and boss provide training, marketing, financing, resources, support and everything I need to be successful. So it is like being your own boss, but with a support system to ensure you have a good chance of success.

my typical day| Several days a week I have a few hours of training - in a variety of topics. I make phone calls to set up appointments for the next few weeks - typically do this on a Monday. I may go see a couple of clients - some for the first time, some for the closing where I deliver the plan or help them set up the retirement plan or deliver the insurance policy. Days are long - 8 am to 8 pm. Every day is different. In between training and appointments, I work with my partner and other specialists at NYLife to develop the plan for my clients- for example, I might make an appointment with the investment specialist, the Long Term Care specialist, the retirement specialist, etc. to review a particular client's need. Lots of balls in the air - clients at all stages and ongoing training.

what they are | As above, starting up is tough - takes many months of little or no income to get going and there are many many discouraging moments when nothing goes right. You can do everything right and still not get the sale for some reason outside of your control. So, lean times at the start. No guaranteed paycheck. Some people you just cannot help - they do not have the resources or the ability to implement the plan they need. Many setbacks. But you have to be able to pick yourself up and dust yourself off and go on. This is where picking the right company to go with makes all the difference.

all about growth | Unlimited, upside potential. In the old days, companies had pensions. Now, no longer. Except for public sector employees, like your father, the private sector people have to be in charge of creating their own retirement plan. We are living longer and have to be able to support ourselves for 30+ years in retirement. And all the babyboomers are coming up to retirement. So, there are needs to help people understand what they need to do to retire successfully and help them do it. Once in retirement, they need help distributing the funds without running out of money. Finance, tax and law are very complex and are changing all the time. Working couples do not have time to manage their finances, yet it is imperative they do it properly or they will not be able to retire successfully. This field can help all sorts of people sleep at night.

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