1. What are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of your job and why?
As a wealth management advisor, there are many rewarding and challenging aspects in helping my clients. Each client has unique needs, whether it is becoming financially independent, continuing to generate necessary retirement income, purchasing a home, helping their children fund their college education, buying a family lake house, managing their corporate retirement plans for their business, or ensuring their child or family member with disabilities will be taken care of when they are no longer able to do so. It is fulfilling to help people navigate their financial lives to make these goals happen.
2. Who do you look up to or admire in business and why?
My father, Kevin Blodgett, is someone who I have always admired and looked up to in business. He is the reason I was interested in business from an early age and why I chose to go to the University of Wisconsin–Madison Business School, as well as having an entrepreneurial spirit in building my own practice within Merrill Lynch. He has been a marketing and sales executive at several companies across the country — including Famous Footwear/Brown Shoe when headquartered in Madison — in addition to starting his own business. He constantly challenges me and urges me problem solve and think about different perspectives and “who is the target market, what are the benefits.” Most importantly I admire him for how he helps members of his teams be successful and how they all love working with and for him.
3. What has been the high point of your career so far?
Obviously there are many more things I can do to help people. From a team perspective, a definite high point has been serving on the Merrill Lynch Grand Gala committee. Over the last 10 years we have supported deserving Madison area charities and after just wrapping up our 10th Anniversary Gala in May, we have helped raise close to $4 million for those non-profit organizations. I feel fortunate that we have been able to give back to our community in a significant way. Individually, a high point in my 15-year financial advisory career has been becoming a certified financial planner and retirement benefits consultant while building a financial advisory practice where I get to work with a lot of great people and continue to learn along the way. The world, markets, economic environment, and taxes are all continually changing and to go through that training, in addition to a lot of other continuing education, has been key in helping my clients into the future.
4. Thinking back on your career, what advice would you give your 21-year-old self?
Value your time before you are a father of three very active boys — oh wait, you said career. I think my advice would be to research, do as much due diligence as possible, and to utilize all resources at your disposal in making decisions. Looking back I have been fortunate if not outright lucky in life decisions: choosing a school and finding a great career, among other aspects. My younger self might have been able to do even more in the planning stages, even while hopefully ending up in the same place and not forgetting that at some point you have to act and execute on your plan.
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5. What would you say are the best things about living and working in Dane County?
I have to admit that after being born in Denver, growing up in Verona, and finishing up high school in Eden Prairie, Minn., and with my parents and three of my four sisters (yes, four younger sisters) residing in the Pacific Northwest, I thought about leaving several times after graduating from UW–Madison. Luckily I met my wife, Erin, with her family all here and she did not let me leave. It’s tough to list the best things between the friendliness of the people, the opportunities in business, the best college sports town in the world, the active community, the lakes, and the best of the bigger city/smaller town feel — it is a pretty nice place to raise a family and grow.
6. Do you have any secret talents or abilities that people would be surprised to discover?
I don’t know about any secret talents. I will leave that to those who know me and want to provide commentary. I think I am decent at a few things: playing men’s league basketball, coaching youth sports, holding my body horizontally while holding a street sign (I think I can still do it), and telling stories. My wife likes to tell people about my very brief stint in the Madison Boys Choir and that I can sing a little — this is debatable.
7. What are your guilty pleasures?
Guilty pleasures, I probably have a few: ’80s music and movies (anyone else seen RAD?), Twinkies, Dr. Pepper, Wendy’s fast food, staying up way too late to watch random college football or basketball games, and since I wear a suit to work and spend a lot of time behind the scenes with a computer, spreadsheets, and research/market reports (no TPS reports, thankfully) I enjoy attempting to get my hands dirty while building tangible things. Currently, we (my boys are “helping”) are in the process of adding some American Ninja Warrior obstacles to the family play set in the back yard. There may or may not be some slight opposition to this on the home front due to time the amount of time already spent on the project and aesthetics.
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