I come from a working-class family. My grandfather made numerous sea voyages from Italy to America, coming through Ellis Island five times in the early 1900s. On his last trip, he brought his family, including the boy who would become my father, and stayed here for good.
When I was growing up, my father worked a factory job during the day, came home for dinner, and then went to his night-job at a service station to support our family. He was a hard worker who, like many of that generation, simply did whatever it took to take care of his family.
When I was a teenager, I witnessed someone my Dad considered a friend, use high-pressure scare tactics to badger my father into buying additional life insurance. While I didn’t know much about insurance, I knew that what he was doing was wrong, and that people should receive advice from someone knowledgeable, who had their best interests at heart.
After college, I worked in the IT department of a bank and soon decided I would rather work with people than machines. With the memory of this insurance salesman in the back of my mind, I decided to become a financial advisor and serve as the professional with whom I wished my father had been able to work.
Starting My Career
I started working for another company as a financial advisor in the 1990s. I knew I wanted to serve clients in the way I thought was best for them. I didn’t want to be tied to have to meet sales quotas, or be pressured to push people towards products and strategies that I wasn’t convinced were the best for them. I envisioned a place where people could feel confident knowing they were receiving guidance and advice that put their interests first. So in 1999, I opened Savaglia Investments and Planning.
As my clients’ personal financial advisor, my top priority is helping them pursue their retirement and investment goals. I work with them to find out what their ideal retirement would be and work with them to develop a plan designed to make that happen.
My service doesn’t stop there. I track my client’s investments and regularly reach out to them to find out if anything has changed in their lives that should result in a change in their financial plan.
Too Much Time With My Clients?
Consultants and other financial advisors regularly tell me that I spend too much time with each client. But I can’t imagine rushing through reviews or not being available to discuss important financial decisions as they come up in my clients’ lives. This is an approach and attitude I look to foster with the entire team.
We’ve got extraordinary people on our team who are ready, willing, and able to help our clients with whatever situations they come across. I’m proud of what we do and how we do it. Other financial advisors might be more “efficient” regarding the amount of time they spend servicing each client, but minimizing my work was not the goal when I started my company almost twenty years ago.
It takes time to build relationships and create what I think is the best solution for each individual. I get uncomfortable when I hear other financial advisors use the words, “always” or “never” when discussing strategies. In some cases a particular investment is all an advisor can offer. I make certain I can offer a wide range of options. A particular investment may not right for most people, but may be ideal for your specific situation. There are no short-cuts to building a plan that allows you to enjoy your life now and still feel confident knowing you’ve taken the steps to build the retirement you envision.
The Next Step
I am always open to meet new people and see how I may be able to help. Whether you’ve already started planning for the future or think you have waited too long to start, I encourage you to reach out to me today for a no-obligation conversation to see how I may be able to help you. I’m available at don@savaglia.com 414-768-1984.
About Don
Don Savaglia is the CEO of Savaglia Financial Advisors and a financial advisor with more than 20 years of industry experience. He is passionate about making an impact on the lives of his clients and helping them plan for a confident future through retirement planning. He works closely with clients to develop a plan that is unique to each client’s financial goals, their desired retirement lifestyle, and the age at which they wish to retire. Learn more by visiting www.savaglia.com.