A couple weeks ago, Yun and I happened to drive past the colossal new GEICO complex on the south side. Just seeing the building stressed me out, while at the same time left me wondering how much money I would be making had I remained there (assuming it didn’t kill me from the stress). It made me think of my friend Chad that I used to work with. We started on the same day in 2004 and we gave our notice on the same day 10 years later in 2013. If anyone kept in touch with people from GEICO, it would be Chad for sure. I called him to see how he was doing and to hear about our former peers.
It was nice to catch up with him and to hear about those we once knew and about how he was doing. As it turns out, Chad has an immensely successful wealth management firm in Mesa. Last I had spoken with him, he was bringing in $350k a year working for a firm in Utah. That sounds pretty successful, but he gave it all up to start his own 3 years ago in the Phoenix area. He clearly made the right decision.
Unsolicited on my end, but hearing about my present set of depressing unemployed circumstances, he spent a considerable amount of time trying to persuade me that I would be a good match for his company. I was reluctant and suspicious, because I have no background in finance. But then, we have known each other for 16 years and Chad has a ton of integrity, so he is someone I trust. He persuaded me to come up form Tucson to visit him a few days later so we could talk more about possibilities.
Chad was very persuasive and seeing what he does actually excited me about the possibility. I came home to share with Yun and many conversations later, I was sold. Last week I spent my first week in Mesa training (I rented a place in Gilbert so as to avoind driving 4 hours daily). I got to see the work first hand, to sit in on meetings with his staff and with clients, and I am fully persuaded it is something I have the capacity to do (time will tell of course). I really like the work a lot.
The best selling point for Yun was that we do not need to move. She loves Tucson and she wants to live here. Chad wants to open an office in Tucson and I can run it. Pretty good match and pretty good timing. Although, after visiting Mesa and Gilbert, I would move there in a second. It is so beautiful compared to Tucson. But for the time, we are in Tucson and that’s where the opportunity exists. I don’t mind driving to Mesa once or twice a week. I will have to do that weekly going forward, but it is only 2 hours to his office from my house and it is a pleasant drive (I listen to lectures the whole time which is what I do at home anyway).
