So I have my answer. Friday afternoon I accepted a chance to become a financial advisor with Edward Jones. I dropped out of the hiring pipeline of Merrill Lynch even though I would have learned from someone who I've respected for 20 years.
In that case, much of it was timing. I would have had to wait another three to four weeks before they made a decision and nothing was guaranteed. It was a situation of a bird in hand ...
The last thing to wait on was Monday. I had had two excellent conversations with Northwest Bank and they finally called on Monday because I let them know I had a deadline with Edward Jones. Back at my first meeting in late August I had given them a salary figure I was shooting for. I won't say what it was but my calculation was easy. I wanted what I had been making at the Register Star plus what I paid annually in child support.
In the end, that priced me out of the market for Northwest. They would have had to create a position for me and they were uncomfortable doing that at what I had asked.
I told them I understood. My reasoning was simple. I didn't want to get myself into another position where I had to work five or six part time jobs to afford what I want to make for myself and my daughters.
Of course, the salary at Edward Jones is well below that, but now I'll have incentive to do more. The more clients I find and the better I do for them the better I do for myself. I'm only capped now by how hard I want to work.
There are lots of other advantages to this opportunity. If I do well I will have my own office in a year and can set up my day to my advantage. Edward Jones goes after all kinds of clients, not just ones of a certain wealth. That turned out to be important to me. I talked to lots of people in the past few years who could use some solid advice, but most of them aren't at the financial level many financial firms look for. I didn't want to go somewhere where I couldn't help them.
It's a solid chance for me to recreate myself and it's scary. I don't think I would have taken this chance before 2009. I liked a set paycheck. I liked to be able to budget to a penny. Then I went through a divorce and my financial life became very complicated. All of a sudden every minute of my day was for sale. Umpiring, scorekeeping, lifting gates, donating plasma, stacking packages, bookkeeping. It was never boring, always tiring and it expanded my horizons. There had to be something better.
Now, I have a lot to do to get where I need to go. I have to pass a six hour test called the Series 7 and then a shorter but still important test called the Series 66. Officially, I start studying Nov. 17. Really, I'll start studying now. Edward Jones gives you one shot at it. Fail and you're out. So I have to clear the decks so that I have as few distractions as possible.
Some of that I'll be able to do. I plan to wrap up this version of Sunil's book by the 17th. He has talked about adding to it in the future. That future will have to at least be summer. My second round at UPS ended after three weeks. I quit this week. I'll be taking the tests in late December. I can't be staying up until 3 a.m. for $8.50 an hour. I felt bad getting out, but it was barely worth it. When I hear politicians say it isn't necessary to raise the minimum wage I think of the hard working people at UPS. The deserve a raise. I'd like to see Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker work a week on Green Runout.
I will continue the basketball scorekeeping. The Jefferson games start in December. I'm also coordinating doing the statistics now for Rock Valley College. That starts Friday and right now it's a bit of a chore. They have a very sophisticated program they use, but I was just able to start practicing it tonight and it's going to take a lot of repitition to get it right. We'll need to use spotters for the first several or else we're going to miss things and the men's coach put us on notice. If we aren't accurate after the first few games he'll look for someone else.
I think we'll get it, but it's nerve wracking going into games Friday and Saturday with so little practice.
The other distraction is that if I pass the Series 7 and Series 66 I'm going to have some training out of town in January and then lots of door to door work in January and February. I'll have to give up several games for Jefferson and RVC because it's more important to get this next career launched.
It will be a different mind set as well. I had lunch with my old Register Star coworkers Tuesday to let them know my final decision. I've talked finances with two and then found out a third needs to make some decisions with their old 401(k). Hey, I could be that guy if I do well. On the way out I said hi to several others. I need referrals now. I need people to help. A couple people asked me why financial advisor. It actually has been years in the making. A book I read coming out of college was called "The Wealthy Barber."
It is an excellent book that all should read and it started me down the path of studying personal finance. People who know me I'll talk tips of how to save more and spend less all day. So perhaps I'm not straying from my true calling and instead finally finding it.
One other thing I plan to continue is staying involved in the business community in some way. For the next several months I'll be writing the Transform Rockford stories in the Voice. Hopefully, I'll be able to do the work without hurting my other efforts. Two stories a month shouldn't cost me too much time. I already have some ideas of what to write about.
My schedule with the girls will be in flux after January. I won't be able to pick them up after school every day. That'll be impossible. I'll still try to do it as much as I can. Emma is almost 16 so pretty soon she'll be driving herself. Hannah still hates to ride the bus so I have more years of enjoying that time with her.
I had lunch with George Hofstetter of Rockford Reachout Jail Ministry today. He is one of several I met with over these two months who gave me confidence. As we were leaving he told me to count my blessings. Many people lose their jobs and wait 12 months or more to even get a nibble. For me it was a day less than two months.
I have lots and lots of people to thank just for sitting down and giving me advice or confidence. I know I'll miss someone, but I'll toss out some thank yous to John Lewis, Denny Roop, Bill Roop, Ed Muguia, LoRayne Logan, Tom Walsh, Charles Kluzak, Linda Heckert, Stacy Brady, Scott Jeffrey, David Casalena, Dan Reece, Rick Bastian, Brian Leaf, Sunil Puri and Bharat Puri. Again, there are more, but it's late and my brain is shutting down.
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