Today we’d like to introduce you to Todd Kockelman.
Hi Todd, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up in Northern MN (Int’l Falls or The Falls). My first job was on Rainy Lake as a dock boy at Rainy Lake Houseboats. It was there as a teenager that I learned how to talk to adults about something I knew well and they were sometimes just learning. I taught many people how to drive and operate houseboats in various weather conditions and sometimes got caught in some precarious situations myself. Good life education at an early age.
A few years later, while at St. Cloud State University, I was recruited to sell books door-to-door on the east coast. After reluctantly deciding to give up my glorious summers on the lake, I decided to see how well I could do away from EVERYTHING I knew and was comfortable with. In my first year, I lived in a suburb of Washington D.C., and worked along the Chesapeake Bay area. The first six weeks of that summer were pure determination and following the plans that were laid out for me by my manager.
By the end of the summer, I went back to “The Falls” with a check for $10,000 (way more than any other summer of work on the lake). Based purely on the money and experience, I decided to give it a second summer and ended up in Somerset, PA (now near where Flight 93 went down on 9/11, some 7 years later). Again, I did well that summer and was in between my Junior and Senior year of college. With the amount of real-life experience that I had obtained in those two years, I was recruited by a premier financial planning firm in the Twin Cities once I finished school the following year.
Following graduation, I was scheduled to take my licensing tests in August to become a financial advisor. I decided to pursue bookselling one last time in Shelbyville, TN. I was only able to stay for half of the summer knowing I had to study and take the tests once I returned from Tennessee. Starting my career in the fall of 1995 as a financial advisor was everything the door-to-door sales were and more. Tons of rejections from cold calling but the persistence always paid off. Between 5 and 10 years into my career, I started my family and made a few small changes to the way I did business and worked with clients, and by year 15, I made the decision to start my firm.
With starting any new endeavor, there is always the risk and the unknown and the income didn’t immediately follow. I took a part-time job at Fed-Ex packing trucks in the early morning while working my regular job during the day and also studying to be certified as a Retirement Income Certified Professional, a designation I hold today. I became more active in the community and joined the Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce and took on an ambassador role. I also joined the Stillwater Kiwanis Club as a charter member in 2012 and have served as President and am currently Treasurer of the club.
Also, around that time, I applied to Stillwater Fire Department to be an On-Call firefighter. In 2013, I started with SFD and soon thereafter took classes to be on the county dive team as a certified rescue diver and ice diver. Currently, I am one of the engineers for the department allowing me to drive and operate the trucks at any emergency scene that may arise. I was voted in to serve as President of the Stillwater Firefighters Relief Association which is the pension plan that firefighters can expect to receive after serving a minimum term of 10 years. In my “spare” time, I LOVE to get outside as much as possible and even get back to International Falls and Rainy Lake a few times a summer to try to catch the elusive and popular Walleye.
I enjoy fishing, hunting, hiking, spending time with my teenage kids, and photography. Taking pictures has always been a way of taking my mind off of the everyday stresses and just allowing myself to be in the moment and capture the beauty around me. Over the years of taking pictures, I have entered a few contests and won a couple of times but in the end, it’s just about sharing what makes me happy and fills my “bucket”. The same gratification I feel when helping clients solve problems or find solutions to their money questions or even helping people with whatever they may need help with.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not always been a smooth road. The challenges sometimes seem to be constant, distractions.
Early on, it was finding enough people to work with, now it is how I make sure I’m doing the very best that I can for each person.
We’ve been impressed with Kockelman Financial, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I started on my own in 2010 and currently manage over $30 million of other people’s money. I specialize in Retirement planning on both sides of that special time in people’s lives. On the side of still working, I help make plans of action and “road maps” on how to get to retirement in the best possible ways.
On the retired side, I help clients come up with prudent plans on how to use all of the resources they have to the best outcome given various scenarios. I am independent which means I am not tied to any one particular company and can use the products and services from whichever resources make the most sense for each particular client. I would say I am known for being a good listener, a helper, and a fixer.
I will go out of my way to help someone make their situation better, whatever that may be. Recently, the Greater Stillwater Executive Director had these words to say about me:
*** “What a cool, calm, collective dude. Always a gentleman. Such a supporter of the Chamber, its mission, and this community.
Todd is such a gentle soul, a genuinely nice person, and wears a handsome smile. He serves on several community organizations, runs his own business, and is a Stillwater firefighter, a diver, a photographer, a husband, son, father, and friend.
Todd is a wonderful family man and always puts his family first. If he sees someone standing at an event alone, he will go and chat with them. He is not afraid of hard work. I remember when he was working at the Viking stadium going up and down the stairs serving beer…. Now that is hard work. But those darn knees can only take so much.
Todd shows up. If he says he is going to do something, he does it. That integrity that he embraces is instrumental to a wonderful character of a human being. I love the fact that Todd does not judge people, but opens his arms to everybody.
He is a servant. And those types of people deserve the best in return. I wish only the best for you, Todd, and your family. Thank you for all you’ve done for the community and individuals putting others first.”
Networking and finding a mentor can have a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Networking is key to success in any business. Knowing other people, their names, and what they do ALL helps to solve other people’s problems, questions, or issues. Being a “go-to” person is always fun because people know even if I can’t help them, I know someone that CAN.
I am currently in a Chamber Networking group that meets once per month and we all have a great time visiting and sharing stories. It’s when something happens at a later date that those stories and those people always will be additional resources to share from.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.KockelmanFinancial.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tkockelman/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KockelmanFinancial/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddkockelman/
