Our Firm
Dave Baker ChFEBC℠
Chartered Federal Employee Benefits Consultant
Fiduciary Investment Advisor
Managing Director
I started working as a financial advisor in 1993. I grew up in Kalamazoo, MI which is a nice, well-rounded college town.
I was the younger of two sons and my parents were both teachers, so we weren't rich. Given their careers, they had their summers off. So we would sail up and down the Great Lakes on their 35 foot sailboat. I still love sailing to this day.
My brother and I were always expected to do well in school and go on to college which we did. Some people would say that we had a strict upbringing, but I would call it "structured" and, as an adult, I have leaned heavily upon "structure."
Before beginning my career in financial planning, I interviewed for a job at IDS Financial Services. Part of that process involved taking a personality test, the one where employers try to figure out what kind of person you are and what makes you tick. Well, when the test results came back, they said I had a 55% "driver" personality and 45% "analytical" personality. This wasn't really what they were looking for. They wanted people that were defined with a higher concentration in one category or the other so they knew how to work with the candidate.
A "driver" personality was the one that they really sought because "drivers" like to just "get shit done." I definitely have that quality in my day-to-day approach, no question about it. The 45% "analytical" means that I don't just take orders. I like to think things through before I commit to "just getting it done." But, because the "driver" was my dominant trait, they decided to go with me, telling me, "You probably won't make it, but we'll see what happens." That did not offer a huge boost of confidence.
I ended up working there at IDS (later to be known as American Express Financial Advisors and then Ameriprise) for 6 years, for 4 of those years; I was an advisor on the "Silver Team" (top 15% of the company). Problem was, places like that tend to push certain products over others and, probably because of my analytical side, I thought that my clients should be offered what helped THEM the most, not the company, so I left and became an independent financial advisor.
Things were going great, my clients were happier, I was happier and I knew that I was offering the best available options for my clients to reach their goals. I bought my first house, got married and we had two kids (premature twins). On my way to the American Dream…
Then 9/11 came along and business fell off quite a bit. The twins were premature and the doctors all said that because they didn't have a fully developed immune system, they shouldn't be exposed to the public for up to two years so……no daycare for sure.
My wife needed to quit her job to stay home with the kids, but the problem was that our health insurance was through her company. Therefore, I had to go out and get a J O B so that we could have health insurance and get some considerable cash flow again.
I ended up getting into the mortgage business by becoming a wholesaler. Yep, I had to learn a whole new industry. It wasn't easy, but I did find a way to master the business, and I exceeded quota every month…until the industry collapsed.
So…I had to go out and get another J O B . Well, this time I ended up working for a company called Thomson Reuters. They own the well-known Reuters news service. I didn't work in the news, rather, I worked in the tax and accounting division. The company happens to be the world's largest provider of tax and accounting information and software products. I learned this industry pretty quickly and did what I had always done, exceeded quota. I worked my way up to the top sales level and became a regional manager of the benefits and compensation division.
After years of calling on and working with anything from small tax and accounting firms all the way up to regional and national tax, accounting and law firms, I found that I was helping them become more profitable and efficient by building their practices, which suggested….I could working for myself – again.
In 2015, I returned to working independently. Even though I've always done well in sales and I have had many different sales positions, I don't see myself as a salesperson. I see myself as a problem solver. That's the approach I bring to the table with my clients so I can help them reach their financial goals and live their best lives.