I want to start this blog post by expressing my sincere apologies for being absent over the last couple of months. While this is not an excuse, I have been quite preoccupied with bringing on new clients, serving our current ones, and working on a new project (more on that to come!). I do not anticipate my workload slowing down anytime soon for which I am grateful however, it does give me less time for other things, such as writing this blog. That said, many of you have expressed appreciation for the blog and I have enjoyed writing it as well and wish for it to continue. All of this leads us to an important change in the writing of this blog, that is, a new co-author.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to announce the new co-author of “A Wing and a Plan”, Provisio Financial Consultant (and my younger brother) Joshua Overbeek! In the weeks to come, you should expect a return to form in that the blog posts will once again be weekly on Tuesday mornings. What will change however is that Josh and I will be splitting writing duties, which means that you will receive two posts a month from Josh and two a month from yours truly.
I realize that many of you may not know Josh very well if at all. Therefore, I sat down with Josh for a brief interview so that you could get to know him better:
Alex Overbeek: One of the first things that you had to do when you joined Provisio was to sit for your securities exams. What was more difficult, taking the exams or sitting in an office studying for 8 hours a day for 3 months?
Josh Overbeek: Taking and passing the exams was most definitely difficult, and the continual study was certainly warranted. However, finding the motivation to stare at a book and listen to lectures everyday was more difficult. A very pleasant way to spend my summer.
AO: Other than the opportunity to work with your favorite sibling, what made you decide that you wanted to pursue a career in financial advice?
JO: The opportunity to work with you would have been enough of an incentive in and of itself J . That withstanding, I have a desire to help people understand their finances and identify their financial goals so to provide them with peace of mind. There are two big killers in financial planning: Ambiguity and financial illiteracy. I want to eliminate both of those for the people I work with.
AO: Now that you are fully licensed and out meeting new clients, what do you think is the biggest financial planning need for people in your age group?
JO: I think the thing that people my age need to hear and be shown is the value of time and starting planning early. Having as much time as our age group has until retirement can be a cause for indifference and negligence about the future. The opposite should be true as that time is in fact our greatest asset! There are so many important planning pieces we can start doing now that create a snowball effect for our futures.
AO: When you aren’t killing it in the office or providing clients with stellar advice, how do you like to spend your free time?
JO: I love golfing! Am I as skilled as I should be for the amount of time and money I have put into it? No, not at all. I also, along with all of my kin, am a HUGE Michigan football fan. I love spending my fall Saturday’s not out enjoying the last bits of good weather, but rather cheering on my Wolverines as they march towards what has been an inevitable doom at the end of each of the last 9 seasons. I keep coming back though, which may be a sign that I am clinically insane.
AO: Which family member is more difficult to work with? Choose wisely.
JO: This question is a set-up, trying to use my words against me already. I will not pander to your pressure but will instead say this: You are both equally pleasant to work with and each bring a unique skillset to the table. (Off record: Alex is definitely more difficult)
We look forward to reading Josh’s contributions to the blog and we hope that you will enjoy them as well!
See you next week,
Alex