To say that my home life is “chaos” Is probably an understatement. I prefer to think that I have a well-oiled machine… or a finely tuned orchestra. When I’m not at work doing what I love, my time is balanced precariously between my two teenagers, dogs, cats, horses, and I’m not even sure how many cows.
How did I get here? Let me give you the “cliff notes” version. I fell in love with economics when I was fortunate enough to have a superstar economics teacher during my senior year in high school. I continued my journey and, with a lot of hard work and sleepless nights, managed to juggle a full-time job and full-time college schedule to graduate cum laude with a B.S. in Economics & Finance from the University of Texas at Dallas.
After graduating, I got my first job in financial services at Fidelity Investments in Dallas, Texas. I moved to Austin, Texas in 2000 and went to work for Charles Schwab. During the tough market environment that followed September 11th, I was laid off from Charles Schwab. Now, I actually consider this one of the best things that happened in my career because, after I was laid off, I was introduced to the world of independent financial advice. I was fortunate to find a job working for a small financial advisory firm in Austin and stayed there for the next 14 years of my career. I learned a lot about investments, people, life, and doing what is in the best interest of these amazing people who put their faith and trust in us as their financial advisors. During this time, I was also introduced to the world of employer sponsored retirement plans…think 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, 457 plans, defined benefit plans… you probably get the idea. To sum it all up in a few words… I fell in LOVE with this world of retirement plans and decided to make that a focus in my career. It is challenging, ever changing, and absolutely wonderful. I am a self-proclaimed ERISA nerd.
In 2017, I took a huge leap of faith and started PlanWise Retirement Strategies, Inc., so that I could provide the very best service for companies that sponsor retirement plans and their employees. It is absolutely my mission to make a difference in people’s lives and to do my part to reverse the retirement crisis in our country.
In 2021, we joined Strategic Retirment Services, a national team of retirement plan focused advisors with back-office operations, technology and processes to support us.
Oh, I almost forgot, along this journey, I had two incredible children – Gabriel and Mattie – and was able nurture my inner “country girl” by moving out of the city to my little piece of heaven. It is there, at the end of the day, that I am able to unwind and relax.
Stacy holds the Series 7 and 63 securities registrations through LPL Financial, the Series 65 registration through Global Retirement Partners. She has received the CPFA and Accredited Investment Fiduciary®