1. What are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of your job and why?
The most challenging aspect of my job is simply getting people to sit down to meet with me. Workers spend more time planning their vacation than retirement. The most rewarding aspect of my job is helping people understand how retirement income streams work so that they can allocate the savings they are doing today in ways that give them the highest income streams later when they retire. It changes people’s lives and I have a lot of fun getting to know so many people and helping them in this way.
2. Who do you look up to or admire in business and why?
During my time working at United Way, I had the opportunity to get to know Rich Lynch from Findorff. Not only does he run an extremely successful company but he is also one of the nicest businesspeople I have ever met. In addition to that, he and Findorff support a lot of great programs and causes in the community.
3. What has been the high point of your career so far?
The high point of my career was being recognized as one of 40 Under 40 in your 2015 class. There are so many qualified young professionals in the Madison community who are deserving of this acknowledgement. I’m honored to be affiliated with those in last year’s class as well as those who were recognized in previous years.
4. Thinking back on your career, what advice would you give your 21-year-old self?
I would tell my 21-year-old-self to fail faster. I’m not afraid of failure — a trait that has allowed me to go out and try different jobs, relationships, and activities, many of which have turned out very well. However, when things aren’t going so great I have a tendency to try to stick with them and push through at all costs. The reality is that not everything is going to work out well, so you need to know when to cut your losses so that you can move on to other opportunities.
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5. What would you say are the best things about living and working in Dane County?
The best thing about Madison is that it is both big enough and small enough at the same time. There are so many fun activities to do here along with lots of professional opportunities. Yet Madison is still small enough that there’s a lot of natural interaction between the leaders of business, government, and nonprofit that tends to get things done much more easily. And it means that traffic is not so bad.
6. Do you have any secret talents or abilities that people would be surprised to discover?
I took up curling last year. It’s a sport that not many people know too much about. Everyone asks if I’m a sweeper or a thrower, but players do both. The game itself is a lot of fun and gaining in popularity due to the Olympics. I first saw it back in college when my roommate’s sister played. I was drawn to the social aspect of the game. It’s customary to socialize over a drink with your teammates and opponents after a game, and tournaments, or bonspiels, are like a big potluck that lasts all weekend.
7. What are your guilty pleasures?
My guilty pleasure is celebrity gossip. I tend check out people.com and Entertainment Tonight pretty regularly. I can’t explain it, but it’s exciting to read who is getting married or divorced or having a baby. I think it’s kind of like neighborhood gossip from generations ago.
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