Owen Morrow

In my first year at Cerity Partners, I got to help an advisor put together a plan in eMoney before meeting with a couple clients a few days later. The clients were hoping to retire soon, and we were able to tell them that they can comfortably retire in the next year. The joy that came over both of their faces was something I won’t forget.

I think developing financial plans is especially important today because there is a lot of places people can go for information in which the news being talked about or the advice being given is not with their best interest in mind. Financial news might have a very negative spin on things in order to get clicks or keep viewers tuned in, and this could scare people into selling their investments or never investing to begin with. Social media influencers might talk about risky investments that they became rich off of as a way to gain subscribers or promote a product. This could lead investors into making unsafe decisions with their finances. Having someone help you stick to your financial plan and not make irrational or risky decisions can have a huge impact on your situation.

The clients that work best are ones that challenge us but will listen to the advice we give and trust that we have their best interest in mind. However, I understand that trust needs to be earned through consistently demonstrating our knowledge of financial planning.

I think Cerity Partners is different than other firms in our space because we try to take care of all aspects of someone’s financial life, and we go about it in a way that isn’t trying to sell clients a product that they may not need.

Personally, I think my own goal-setting helps me help clients the most. Whether it is my own finances, my career, or something else, I take great pride in setting goals and putting together a step by step plan to achieve them.

I would describe my best day doing what I do as one in which I get to help a client reach a financial goal or show them the steps they can take in order to reach that goal.