LET ME INTRODUCE MYSELF TO ALL OF YOU….
My name is Jeff Rattiner, and I have been very fortunate to have had the privilege of working in all areas of the financial planning profession. This includes
- training thousands of advisors to become Certified Financial Planner ® (CFP®) Certificants;
- providing continuing education (CE) classes for thousands of CPAs;
- authoring many books and articles for technical and non-technical publishers; •
- providing professional development instruction, strategies, interviews, and CE for many CFP® professionals and financial advisors;
- acting in the capacity of industrywide consultant for conference development planning, as well as a liaison for professional speakers;
- fulfilling my passion as an educator and financial coach for corporate employees, consumers, students, and others who have an interest in wanting to assess and upgrade their own financial planning skill set; and
- running a tax and financial planning practice for my clients.
Professional Info
How and why did I get started in dedicating my professional life to financial planning?
Like many students in business school during my college and grad school days, I started out majoring in accounting. As a numbers guy, I thought that would be a good match for my skill set. I realized that CPAs could do amazing things to help people.
If information is not clear and forthright, the CPA can always research outstanding issues to help ensure overall compliance on the tax side. However, during my early working years, I noticed that many clients wanted to gain a better understanding of their overall financial picture beforehand, including their tax situation, and plan accordingly.
Unlike looking up particular issues as a CPA may do after the fact, I became aware of a definitive need that exists in helping people plan in advance to manage their financial futures, where the information is not clear cut since this is mainly based on assumptions and predictions that have not happened yet. For some, this could be a little bit of a stretch since there is nothing concrete to officially look up to generate sufficient and definitive answers.
I shifted gears and went to work for a company where I could learn the ropes in helping others achieve their long-term financial dreams. I delved into all of the technical disciplines, where in addition to income tax, I can monitor the client's other financial disciplines early on to help provide a complete picture of an individual's financial plan. Essentially, I was managing the process of helping people go from Point A (where the client is now) to Point B (where the client wants to be down the road). I was fortunate to learn from some of the best people in the industry.
Professional Licenses
I am a licensed CFP® Certificant and Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
My goal
My mission has always been very simple… "to inspire people to become better!"...
My motto is….." Whatever course in life is chosen, help make a difference by providing the tools, insight, and knowledge necessary for individuals to gain a better handle on their financial lives!"
As an Educator and Professional Speaker
Even though I have been a long-time practitioner, I consider myself, first and foremost, an educator. I am very passionate about how I wish to reach attendees. I present insight into how attendees can think outside the box in both a live and/or virtual format. I have a very direct approach.
I identify the issues that are relevant and alert them to the potential exposures they may come across. I provide meaningful immediate solutions and long-term strategies so these attendees can become better! All of this is done in a humorous (sometimes sarcastic New York), thought-provoking, and logical manner. I use stories, examples, acronyms, problem-solving tools, technical insight, and other meaningful ways to help attendees remember the key concepts shared.
As an Author and Industry Professional
I have also provided these types of strategies in writing as a published author of financial planning books, editor, and columnist for a few industrywide journals and magazines. I've had the honor of writing for numerous publications, both trade and corporate, and have been interviewed by many more. I have spoken for many industry trade and member organizations, as well as for multiple financial services companies and consumer-based organizations.
As a Practitioner
Over the years, I have worked with many clients in my Denver and Scottsdale offices. Many of these clients were concerned, nervous, and even scared when they started out. I have tried to wrap their arms around their financial situations, many times being completely overwhelmed because they were often unsettled as to whether they could accomplish the type of lifestyles they wanted their families to experience.
I can remember vividly clients approaching me and asking for guidance on many different fronts while not knowing where or how they should begin. Probably the most rewarding of those were the persons I initially worked with to help them understand, diagnose, and accomplish their chosen game by revisiting and potentially changing objectives.
I met many of these clients who were first starting out at a young age. I was able to connect with those clients by helping each set up a game plan from the time they were married, through the stage of parenthood and starting their careers, and well into retirement, all the while continuing to expand their horizons with a multitude of experiences. Watching them continue the enjoyment of other life benefits through the constant monitoring of the financial planning process previously started many years earlier was, and still is a privilege.
As the years went by, while continuing to work on these lasting relationships, I felt like a part of their family. I was included as a close participant, all the while enjoying and reflecting with them on their many personal and family achievements. Among those I have experienced include witnessing what those clients initially set out to do and have ultimately accomplished. I personally attended their children's college graduations and family births and went through the marking of other family milestones. Having clients personally thank me for being present in the background while assisting them in making their dreams come true is genuinely rewarding.
As financial advisors, we DO make a difference, and it is very rewarding!
How My Work Life Enabled Me to Achieve Personal Balance
Personal Balance is very important, and I started doing a better job with this as the years advanced. It’s easy to place personal balance in the background as you are striving to be successful. Many of us don’t recognize the importance of balance until we move on in life. The key is to diagram the entire picture upfront and strive for what you wish to achieve and need for your own personal development, so you are not tipping the scale over too far and for too long a time in a work-related direction.
I have been blessed as a family man happily married, a father and grandfather, and an overall FUN GUY!! I have developed many meaningful friendships with people I have met through my travels. I love listening to great music as well as playing several instruments. It helps me stay focused and live in the moment.
I have always been a huge baseball and football fan, and enthusiastic coach of my kids’ sports teams when they were young. I have been fortunate to travel to each state, experience a game at each baseball stadium, and several football stadiums, usually through my business travels to different cities. Later in life, I became a dog enthusiast.
I enjoy just chilling by the pool, joking around, bicycle riding, reading, writing, and providing guidance where I can lend a helping hand. Even as I write this, the key to attaining what you desire is to have a burning passion for the things you wish to achieve and the lives you wish to touch to help make a difference.
Final Thoughts
My most satisfying experiences have been seeing firsthand my students, family, friends, and clients thrive. Over the years, the outward appreciation and sheer gratitude have been humbling. IT DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS!
As the Great One, Yogi Berra has stated, "It ain't over till it's over!" There is still plenty of time to learn, become savvy, strategize, and instill a pro-active approach, as well as to gain the "want and desire" to turn things around, if necessary, to help you become more peaceful and successful, both financially and personally!
If you are interested in talking through any of the above items, would like to inquire about hiring me as a speaker, or wish to experience this type of financial and personal guidance through inspirational insight, instruction, leadership, and direction offered by me, or establishing a practical coaching program for your employees, or on an individual basis, please contact me directly.