Inspired By All Of You

BY MICHAEL SICURANZA

As many of you know, I fell into my career.  It wasn’t my first choice.  I had planned to be an economist and solve the world’s problems one econometric model at a time.  The primary reason I stayed a financial advisor is that I loved to learn each and every client “story”.  If you learn where someone is coming from, the life changing events that made them, and how they want to write the next chapters, I could help them put pen to paper to come up with life fulfilling recommendations to live that best life. For the most part, this is what I’ve done personally as a financial advisor for the last 25 years and what we’ve done as a firm for over 45.

I will never forget the first client story I heard of how he put himself through college, then grad school and then his PhD.  This experience dramatically changed his entire outlook on how money works and the sacrifices he was willing to make to achieve the life that he wanted for his family.  This tied in with death of my grandfather and hooked me into this career with a passion that burns strongly to this day.

Over the past year(s), I’ve heard so many inspiring stories of overcoming financial hardships, cancer, and divorce.  Each of these clients had a life altering event(s) that fundamentally changed their circumstances and how they had to overcome those circumstance to make progress in their life.

Knowing these stories is fundamental to how we help and create solutions.  We cannot do what we do without them. 

I was driving to the beach this weekend and reflecting a bit on my career and I realized that my clients have had a much greater impact on who I am as a person than I could have ever had on them.  Each and every day the stories I hear inspire me to be a better person, to love a little bit better, to work that much harder and listen more intently.  Thank you for sharing those stories.  Thank you for allowing me and Affinity Wealth to be apart of the journey.  Thank you for teaching me to be better not only at what I do but as a person, a father, and a member of society.