Can Personal Finance Really Be Interesting?

Benjamin Haas |

Someone recently asked me how I got into personal finance.  In the back of my mind I chuckled a little bit because after taking finance and accounting courses in college, I swore these industries would never be in my chosen career path.  To this day, I still wouldn’t say that crunching numbers comes naturally to me or that I enjoy only having one right answer, but I’ve learned that the data will lead you to a solution and that having financial literacy skills is necessary to succeed in both your personal and professional lives.  So, months ago when I found myself wanting to shift gears and hoping to be selected for the Client Relations Associate position at Haas Financial Group, I was still suspicious of making the career change.

Let’s face it, change is scary no matter what age you are.  But Haas Financial Group successfully helps people navigate through major changes and decisions in their lives every day – so there was no reason to be nervous.  I’m now four months into my tenure at Haas Financial Group and I have to wonder, maybe I would’ve found the material more interesting if I had different teachers with more relatable real-life experiences because, right now, the job is pretty darn interesting and personally satisfying.  I think of myself as being in a different classroom now, filled with new opportunities to learn and grow.  After working here for this short period of time, I’m acquiring new skills that teach me to be better prepared in life for the unexpected, save for retirement, how to approach delicate situations, and how to teach my children about money management.  Indirect benefits include spending more time with my family, being a part of the Kutztown community, and feeling like an important part of a small team trying to do big things (nurturing my entrepreneurial spirit!).

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still leaving the Wealth Managers to crunch the numbers, allocate your investments, and be the industry professionals.  However, I hope to bring a different perspective and my own talents to enhance the customer experience at Haas Financial Group.  So far I’ve been able to exercise my creative ideas more than ever before.  So now that you know a little bit more about me, I hope to get to know you better throughout the year.

By Devon Volker, Client Relations Associate

 

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