When I was only 5 years old, my father became chronically disabled and he sadly wasn’t able to work another day in his life. Fortunately, this story has a happy ending, as my dad purchased individual disability insurance prior to contracting his ailment. For that, I am forever grateful and I am forever a believer in insurance. While I didn’t know what insurance was at such a young age, I quickly learned that my family was going to be okay financially thanks to my father’s foresight.

I am blessed to work in a profession where I can share my story and listen to others’ stories, as stories inspire us to take action. Much like this story, the power of stories helps explain not just what we do as professionals but why we do what we do.

As a financial planner and an insurance specialist, I believe that while insurance is not the answer to everything, it is the “defense” of the financial plan that ultimately “wins championships.” In my previous role of overseeing the traditional insurance business for a larger independent broker dealer, I handle everything from partnership management to product management to relationship management. My role is unique in that I interact with both financial advisors and clients, so I am consistently working in the trenches so to speak, by overcoming the same objections and inertia that advisors face around insurance.

With a software sales background in the startup space, I am very interested in the fintech industry at large and the insurtech industry specifically. I am also keenly intrigued by blockchain applications within the insurance industry.

My father’s and my story is much of what motivates me in my work.