Jeff Sorensen
Long gone are the days where you work for the same company for 30 years, retire with a good pension and a fancy watch. Our generation is faced with longevity risk, financial insecurity and rising health care costs. To be able to navigate through the risks and rewards that the new economy has presented, requires skill, patience and hard work. More than ever, our beliefs about how things should work are being challenged. With that comes the underlying opportunity to reexamine our own beliefs, actions and pathway to freedom and happiness.
Growing up on a farm in Idaho, I gained a unique perspective on what is important in life. I was taught to work hard at a young age and given responsibilities that helped me to develop a commitment to finish the job while being creative and efficient with my time and resources.
To me, family is everything, and I was taught early on, that it can be the source of incredible joy, as well as, unbelievable sorrow. My mom had me at the age of 16. While my parents were divorced before my mom turned 18, I luckily had some incredible people in my life that helped to shape and guide me. My maternal grandparents were the amazing and influential role models for me. I was inspired to help people with their finances because of the pain that I saw them experience through poor monetary decisions. They had plenty of money when they sold their farm, but because they did not take into consideration, inflation, taxation and good growth rates, they died with very little money. While I don’t necessarily believe that money equals happiness, I do believe it can provide a level of security and peace of mind that further allows us to focus on growth, contribution and love.
When I entered the business in 1986, I did it in an unconventional way. I did not work for a big brokerage company, but was independent from the start. I went door-to-door and helped people with term insurance and mutual funds. I did make many mistakes as I learned, but I also had the desire and drive to help people. If my grandparents had a great advisor in their life to help them to navigate the economy, then perhaps they would have experienced more financial success. As a grandparent myself, I feel even more of an obligation to have a sound financial strategy in place so that I can positively shape our future generation. I never want to be a financial burden to my children and grandchildren and believe my clients share the same view, which is why we work so well together through wealth navigation.
I believe many of us desire to have a happy life and family. I am lucky enough to have three children, four grandchildren and an incredible soulmate for the last 36 years. I am appreciative of all the lessons that I learned on the farm, as it has shaped my view on my business, since I understand hard work, dedication, uncertainty and flexibility. I embrace it all and try to experience growth, contribution and love for others.
